#ATOW- Kendrick Lamar

We’re just going to get right into it today ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Kendrick Lamar.

I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t make Kendrick this week’s AOTW. He basically broke the Internet a few days ago with his verse on Control.

Kendrick goes second.

Now this is Big Sean’s track but if you look at twitter, there is no mention of Big Sean. Control is Kendrick’s through and through. Big Sean and Jay were rendered insignificant after Lamar opened his fucking mouth. He let loose an avalanche of haymakers at everyone in the modern hip-hop game. He went after the verse like he was Eminem in ‘99 on Still Don’t Give A Fuck.

Sure Lamar gave props to Em, Jigga, Nas, and Andre 3000, basically The Mount Rushmore of 90’s rap. But after that all bets were off as he said:

Jermaine Cole, Big KRIT, Wale , Pusha T, Meek Millz, A$AP Rocky, Drake Big Sean,  Jay Electron’,Tyler, Mac Miller I got love for you all but I’m tryna murder you niggas”.

BIG SEAN IS CALLED OUT ON HIS OWN FUCKING SONG! DID SEAN NOT LISTEN before he put it out? WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?

People freaked out about this shit. Granted, I kinda freaked out too. I didn’t know Kendrick had it in him. What I mean when I say that is that I didn’t think he could cut like he did. He went like Michael in The Wire. Sure he flirted with the corner but you never expected HIM to pick up a 9. I liked Kendrick just fine on m.A.A.d. city just. Money Trees was dope but I wasn’t wild on the hook.

Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe has really been growing on me over the past few months.

But the shit never hit me as Earth shattering. It’s not that I don’t think that he’s a good artist. This isn’t on Kendrick. It’s my hang up. Mainstream rap music hasn’t been shit. I have that constant yearning for what came before. It’s like a thirst that I can’t seem to quench.

It has been well documented on this blog that I hate the likes of Kanye West and Wheelchair Jimmy (Drake). And nearly every other rapper with heavy radio play has been a disappointment. This is due in large part to the fact that for the past ten years I have sat back and watched/ listened to rap, go from a genre I loved, to a punch line. The greats shifted out of the game while they were replaced by caricatures. That is not okay. They went gone soft. This tenderness allowed mediocrity to run rampant. The bar for what was considered to be “great rap”had been lowered considerably.

This may not be Kendrick’s greatest verse, but the mother fucker set us up for some good old fashion diss tracks, something that’s been missed in the modern era of radio play rap. Controlachieves all that you’d want from a great “call out”. There’s threats of violence mixed with beautiful moments of braggadocios.

While there are many underground guys throwing this stuff around constantly, like Royce Da 5’9, Kendrick is on the radio. You can hear this dude in any market around the clock. He appeals to the masses. It’s at the peak of his popularity he decided to do this. And why not? Why the fuck not?

I love chaos. This is certainly going to cause some. We might even get some good tunes out of it. This was the warning shot. This was the track to get everyone’s attention. To get everyone on point. From a fan’s perspective, mediocrity cannot be the norm. That is a sign that we have given up.

The question is…who will be the first on that list to stand up for themselves? I’d bet all the money I have that it won’t be Mac Miller. Any takers?

Get ready people. Shit done changed.

Big Hugs,

Kelly