Nov 26, 2024 at 12:09 PM Brotha Lynch Hung - Mannibalector When you said, @Justin Trudeau this would be more intense than Relapse I really expected to be a full horror type of album. It sure has some throat slashing type of songs, but I like how balanced the sound of it is. Thank god I already mentioned it before @Yeez said it in his review so I'm not parroting: Something About Susan is SUCH a great song man. I'm not a huge fan of songs like Krokadil and the Tech N9ne / Hopsin collab. I did think Yela killed his verse I liked the song. Eating You is also a nice posse cut. Mask & Knife and Can I Have a Napkin are also standouts to me. Altogether not sure if I would go back to this whole album, but a handful of songs (especially Susan) are definitely gonna be on my playlist. So for that alone I'm happy with this pick. 7/10 @Justin Trudeau @AOTWClub
Nov 26, 2024 at 1:19 PM I already wrote the review in my mind and we're like almost identical when it comes to how we feel about Kendrick lmao
Nov 26, 2024 at 1:44 PM Kendrick Lamar - GNX I need to preface this review by acknowledging this. Around 4 years ago my favorite rapper went from Em to Kanye. I was convinced that there would be nothing that could ever make another artist my favorite. Then Vultures 2 happened. Kendrick’s run this year has now made him my favorite rapper. So i do have some bias going in It’s near impossible to discuss this album without acknowledging the beef. To be honest, if the last thing we got from Kendrick this year was “Watch the Party Die” i still would’ve been pretty satisfied. in a lot of ways (hear me out) this album is kind of like Kendrick’s Encore. both albums follow a very tense beef with some of the biggest rappers at the moment (Drake and Ja Rule). The difference is that GNX is actually good. The other album that i see parallels to is 2pac’s “Don Killuminati” which is great because that’s my favorite pac album. I did see someone on this forum say that this is his “Revival” which is f---ing astonishing. The intensity on tracks like “wacced out murals” and “hey now” is peak. There’s also the fun tracks like “squabble up” and “tv off” which have already been making rounds online. “Reincarnated” is a a great tribute to pac and “heart pt. 6” is a great addition to the series (Not to be confused with Drake’s rendition…). Despite the initial hype and the appreciation i have for the songs i’ve mentioned beforehand, I don’t LOVE the entire album. No songs are really bad (except “peekaboo”, “GNX” comes close), but “luther”, “man at the garden” and “gloria” will probably have to grow on me. “dodger blue” is pretty cool tho. Overall I still don’t know where I’d rank this in Kendrick’s discography. I’d probably put it above S80 but under the rest. Which doesn’t make this album bad by any means, it’s just that those albums are mostly instant classics. I can’t wait to see what he drops next. Favorites: wacced out murals, squabble up, reincarnated, tv off, heart pt. 6 Rating: 8/10 @AOTWClub @Justin Trudeau
Nov 26, 2024 at 1:57 PM Kendrick Lamar - GNX I think we all agree that Kendrick is of the greatest of this generation. I sometimes make fun of him and call him overrated, but I do have a lot of respect for him. It's not like Carti who I genuinly think is awful. But for some reason his music doesn't click with me as much as it does to a lot of people. I love GKMC, but if you ask me my favorite Kendrick songs they are mostly songs that aren't typical Kdot songs: Don't k--- My Vibe remix (Jay), The Recipe (Dre and the westcoast beat) and some bangers like DNA, Maad City, Humble I listen to a lot. But his more poetic music, which people praise him for is not my thing. TPAB is not bad, but when I see people call it the greatest album ever I just can't lol. I can definitely appreciate some deep music, but to me it always has to sound good to truly enjoy it. A lot of Kendrick music bores be because of the topic, sound and it doesn't help that I dislike his voice. Another aspect I like is when rappers speak their mind, in a song and not on social media like a fa----. Hence why I also like angry eminem when he speaks his mind. So for that 2024 definitely made me like and respect Kendrick more. I stand by the fact that people give Drake too little credit for his role in the beef. You can be a Kendrick stan but still be objective... If he didn't respond to Like That it would have been another boring year beef wise. But THAT is what I wanted from Kendrick. Not a fan of Like That, but man Euphoria, 616 in LA (my fav), Meet the Grahams, Not Like Us. I did now know the guy had that in him! Way better than woke bs. Now months later we have GNX. The first song really feels like an Eminem opening track where he shares his thoughts on several topics and sends some minor shots. Love it. Then we get the song from the NLU video: dope as f---! Luther is a nice song to calm down a little, SZA has the voice of an angel. Man at the garden, I think the 'I deserve it all' s--- gets a bit repetive but I like his cocky attitude. Near the end he goes in though! Hey Now f---ing slaps, but that dude at the end jezus lol f--- off. Reincarnated is a dope storytelling track but he keeps up that energy I like it. Tv Off is basically NLU part 2 sound wise but I like it. Love the beat switch. Dodger blue has a nice beat but idk about the other dudes. Don't really care for Peekaboo. Where did he find these guys lmao. I LOVE the heart part 6, its such a relaxing beat, he flows like water and the hook is heaven. Gnx, not a fan. Gloria, I like the chill beat and the hook. And the writing is really good here but its not something I go back to a lot. I prefer Luther. The best thing about this is I love almost every beat. And his energy is great on here, like I said he has some things on his mind thats great. Some songs I don't really care for though and the guests are mostly a--- lol. Solid album! 7.8/10 @AOTWClub @Ripper Roo
Nov 26, 2024 at 5:27 PM Kendrick Lamar - GNX review Excuse the incoming yap guys, can’t help myself. Anyone in their right mind will agree that 2024 was both a huge year for Kendrick and an even better one for his fans. This guy has been my favorite rapper ever since the release of 2012’s Good Kid, m.A.A.d City. Twelve years later K Dot is reaching new heights of both rapping and popularity, and it does not seem like he has any intention of stagnating whatsoever. The release of a new album, following this year’s feud with Canada’s most lawyered-up lesbian, did always seem like a huge possibility, but for everyone who’s been following Kendrick it almost seemed way too good to be true - I myself fully expected him to go back into hiding in his cave for another half a decade. Yet, here we are. GNX, named after one of the coolest cars ever produced, is exactly the type of album everyone had been anticipating from Kendrick who finally dropped the act of edging his fanbase with godlike snippets and loosies by releasing a full project. Although shorter and less complex when it comes to its narrative and content, refering to this project like it is a mixtape, imo, does not do it justice at all. GNX feels like a huge homage to the west coast, which is evident from the album’s features, its sound, and Kendrick’s energy. The project starts with Wacced Out Murals, I’ll agree with the opinions that this almost feels like an Eminem-esque opener; still, though, it is amazing and sets the tone for the album insanely well. The production feels very dramatic, those 808s are really sinister - they accentuate how stripped-down this instrumental is, thus leaving a lot of space for Kendrick to spit his s---. The flows on this track, just like on the rest of the album, were pure butter. They really scratch an itch left behind by some older Kendrick Lamar albums. Also I love how the energy here builds up and reaches a climax toward the end. Squabble Up sees the release of the much anticipated Broccoli snippet. It lives up to the hype completely. I love the one liners, the beat, and the flow. Also Kendrick 100% has the best vocal inflections. s--- is so fun: ‘’I feel good get the f--- out my faaaace’’. Luther is probably the best rnb feature/melodic track he’s released in his whole discography. SZA is a cheat code I feel like. The harmonies all sound great and the Jack Antonoff production really shines with those gorgeous string arrangements. Man at the Garden is a very cool track too that I feel will grow on me further. I like the verses a lot, paired with his delivery which almost reminded me of some deep cuts from GKMC. It is not my favorite song on this thing but is still a great cut. Hey Now is a f---ing b-----r. That beat is great, it is so sinister. Also the vocal layering sounds reminiscent of Meet the Grahams. Loved this track, also loved the fact that he’s putting on Dody6 who’s rapping like he’s super hungry. The start of his verse is super hard, the energy is there and him and K Dot complement eachother super well. Reincarnated is one of my favorites on here. This song feels like what we all expected Mr. Morale to sound like after hearing The Heart pt. 5 before the album released. The beat is funky and well done, delivery is passionate, and the concept of the track is classic K Dot. Tv Off feels like a spiritual successor to Not Like Us, proper b-----r of a track. Some great oneliners on here. Super fun track. MUSTAAAAAARD did his thing once again. It’s a really quotable song for sure. Dodger Blue is a smooth track. Don’t have much to say, not my favorite but not bad either. Will go hard in the summer though. Peekaboo is a b-----r aswell. Feels like a continuation of the style Kendrick was doing with Baby Keem - top of the mornin-core lol. AzChike had some cool lines too, he sounds good on this, would rather have Q or Ab Soul though. Heart pt. 6 is a smooth track and one of my favorites. It is a tribute to TDE and Black Hippy. I often listen to the entire the Heart series and this track fit right in. This man is an insanely talented story teller, the song and the album have been out a few days and the track already feels nostalgic. This will age insanely well, already feels timeless. GNX was my least favorite track on this. I don’t mind the cypher-inspired beat, my issue lies in the features. No one really showed up and the song felt like it went nowhere. Only skip on this thing for me. Gloria is the closer track, Kendrick’s spin on the well-known motif of comparing the rap game, or the pen in this case, to a woman. I liked this track a lot, The beat is classy, SZA once again kills it with a smooth hook, and Kendrick’s delivery feels vulnerable in its melodic nature. He slides on this and executes this concept really well. Same chord progression like on Father Time too! GNX is a really fun album and a great treat for all us Kendrick fans. Whenever this man drops and the excitement dies down I immediately get bummed out cause of the possibility of a lot of time passing before his next release. I’m begging that the rumors of a second disc dropping soon are true, but even if it does not GNX is a great continuation of Kendrick’s amazing run and a neat departure from heavier concepts and more ambitious attempts, where Lamar embraces the ‘’f--- a double entendre, I want y’all to feel this s---’’ energy. Enjoyed this a lot. Until next time. 8.5/10 @AOTWClub @Justin Trudeau
Nov 26, 2024 at 8:29 PM GNX still doesn’t feel real to me. Still digesting it. That was a crazy Thursday and Friday
Nov 26, 2024 at 8:31 PM The slow songs on the album are so underrated. They will grow on people. Gloria gives me special feelings. Ain’t no b---- like my b---- cuz that b---- been my… pen.
Nov 26, 2024 at 9:06 PM @Justin Trudeau @AOTWClub Haven't had too much experience with horrorcore other than obvious stuff so this was a fun listen, first of all I thought it was funny that during the first song I could immediately tell her was affiliated in some way with Tech purely on the flow before even seeing he was featured, which is only a compliment to say BLH was smooth as butter on a lot of these songs. The production is solid as well, gives off a horrific vibe while allowing enough space for Brotha Lynch and all the features to do their thing, a complaint I would have is maybe there's a bit too many skits and some of the subject matter for the horror elements are retreaded a lot so it becomes repetitive instead of scary but it's kinda hard to criticize that since it's a concept album about a specific person doing those specific things and making that cohesive. All the features did their thing especially sticking to the concept which sometimes doesn't happen, a considering how long BLH has been around it is cool to see him have and stick to a lane for so long and be able to put out solid albums within that framework. For the subject matter involved it's surprisingly listenable which is kinda needed for the rest of it to work and I enjoyed myself more than I thought I would during the couple listens I had with it.! Favorite Tracks: Krocadil, Something About Susan, Meat Cleaver, Stabbed, Sweeney Todd (I'm a sucker for a reference to something I really like lmao) RATING 7.5/10
