Kendrick is the GOAT for many reasons. In a matter of four albums he’s managed to give us: A movie (Good Kid Maad city) A poem (To Pimp a Butterfly) A Pulitzer Prize winning album that serves as a warning and can be played backwards for a different ending (Damn) And a stage play (Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers). An absolute genius and master of his craft and I can’t recommend diving into all of his albums enough. Each one is truly a masterpiece in its own right.
@@TFHereticyeah but the way the album sounds and plays out is kind of like a stage play i still think mr morale is amazing, i really don’t get why so many people hated it
@@javiartem the album is a masterpiece in my eyes but I don't think people "hated" it, just underwhelmed I guess...? I get that, it has very minimal production and doesn't have a lot of commercial bops
This! And as soon as you walk into the spaceship it’s like a psychedelic trip and you can’t keep your eyes open because you just want to feel the music
Thundercat is the backbone for A LOT of this last decades most critically acclaimed music. Pop, hip-hop, r&b, jazz, funk... Once you've heard of him, his name pops up in liner notes absolutely everywhere.
@@joshwhite5730not just a Thrash band, it was Suicidal Tendencies. Not to mention he's been an extremely notable Jazz Bassist since the YJG release. Just the best
man’s facial expressions a few seconds into the record lol. He’s absolutely loving it. what i wouldn’t give to be able to experience this album for the first time all over again.
@@cedrichumphrey96 dude no, they basically said "oh man, what I would not give to experience this again" meaning he wouldn't give anything to experience again Also meaning that that he doesn't think the album is deserving of giving something precious to experience again iykwim
I knew it wasn't just me. The production is insane on this track. I've been listening to it every day for the past month. My cousin asked what the hell are you listening to I just ignored him and turned it up louder.
Shout out to Flying Lotus on the production for this track! Kendrick apparently sat on many of his beats, but they did release a collab before this album on Lotus’s ‘You’re Dead’. It’s called Never Catch Me, has an amazing video, and is super funky too! (Thundercat and FlyLo have almost always worked closely together throughout both their solo albums), and inspired by Queen though I wouldn’t have guessed! It was actually Lotus who finished the production and suggested George, when Kendrick wanted a finishing touch on the song!
I dunno how you would do this but if you did one big long video reacting to this album would be awesome. The full effect of the genius of this record is when it's heard in full. For me this is one of the best Hip-Hop albums of the last 10-15 years, it's like a benchmark for what came afterwards
I remember buying this as a CD back in 2015, I was just a broke college kid who was in love with Hip Hop and a big fan of Kendrick. I felt like at the time he was extremely underrated and as someone who loves lyrics, I genuinely thought he was on his way of becoming the greatest of our generation. When I played the CD in my car for the first time driving and I honestly I was like holy shit this is so different, I was in love with it but hated how people received it. Calling it boring or weird at the time and I felt alone. My personal favorites are institutionalized and Momma. That fucking beat change and instrumental in institutionalized is soooooo fucking amazing Jesus Christ And momma is just so nostalgic, it’s humbling and the outro is one of my favorites. The “I know everything” scheme and ending it with “until I realized I didn’t know shit.. the day I came home” AND the outro when he’s talking about looking for happiness and trying to find it in everything Idk why but it gave me like a lump in my throat. Looking back at it now, in a way I’m so happy that people are realizing how amazing it is and he’s getting his flowers. Also I’m saying this here and now, the exact same reception is happening to Mr. Morale. But in 5 years when kids grow up and people mature, they’re going to listen and realize how therapeutic that record is.
I honestly get excited and a lil jealous when folks here T.P.A.B.(to pimp a butterfly) for the first time. I was 11-12yrs old when the album dropped. I loved every minute of it. It was a breath of fresh air. So to see other reaction to it makes me happy and excited
I was 19. I remember the distinct feeling after hearing it from start to finish for the first time as Mortal Man ended, that I was a different person than I was before.
Listened to the entire record in full today for the first time! I had listened to Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers which I loved and maad city which I disliked, DAMN which I thought was fine. And I never realized I hadn't listened to TPAB yet, I loved All Right and still never listened to the album. The first song had me shook! I feel so dumb for forgetting to listen to it 😭
I just want to remind everyone that Taylor Swift’s 1989 album won album of the year in that years Grammy over TPAB. At the time it was probably the politically correct album to pick because telling all Americans to listen to TPAB at the time was probably seen as taboo or just too much. America wasn’t ready for this album and neither was the Grammys. Looking back now, 1989 is just another Bed bath and beyond nostalgia album while TPAB is a piece of history, a piece of musicianship that is worth being remembered in museums and taught in contemporary history.
Grammys is an overall under representation of black music. Macklemore won album of the year over GKMC, cardi b won over Travis Scott Astro world, Nicki Minaj has never won a Grammy, Busta rymes has never won a Grammy, the list goes on and it's alarming.
You're underselling 1989 -- it really is a modern classic, regardless of whether it's our particular taste or whether it's her best (it isn't) -- but yes, it's clearly the wrong choice for that year. Far from the worst choice the Grammys have ever made, but wrong nonetheless.
Honestly as a fan of rap, this song specifically was such an acquired taste for me. I remember being so confused by it at first because it’s so musically complicated. People probably didn’t appreciate the album as much when it first came out
I love the range of reactors. There are some that I watch for lyric analysis and hype around the music for hip-hop, but RU-vidrs like Michael show me a new world of genius that lie in the instruments that support the rapper.
The thing about every kendrick album is that the music is only half the fascination. There is always a surreal feeling when you realize the concept of the album and how everything ties together to a coherent story.
I know every comment has suggested it, but here’s another… please do the whole album!! This entire album blends jazz/funk and hip hop soooo well. Add that to the absolutely dense subject matter that Kendrick raps about through the album and that is why it’s considered one of the best albums of all time.
I haven’t clicked this quickly on a video in a long time. So happy that you went back to another Kendrick video, Michael! You hit the nail on the head - the production quality, the grooves, the melodic flow and rhythmic content, every member of the band playing super tight. Whether or not you make a video of it, please listen to the whole album! The way Kendrick slowly reveals threads of the overall themes of discovering himself is mind blowing. There are colleges that teach courses on “To Pimp a Butterfly” because of how deep it goes. You won’t regret it!
The depth of lyricism in this album is so incredible that i think many often forget the masterful production as well. Top to bottom one of the most compicated pieces of music ever made, taking production and lyrics into account.
Momma is my second favorite song of his. Very digestible but intricate. The adlibs and vocals on it towards the end are beautiful. First favorite is of course the live version of "i"
Watching a musician break down the greatest rapper of a generations best (imo) song in real time is fascinating. You just see the cogs turning and the realness to the reaction, and it’s mostly the production, not even the lyrics and amazing storytelling
Well if you listened to albums you would realise that the last few notes of Wesley's Theory extends the intro of the next track For free(interlude). It’s a melodic reference.
I came here after watching your review of The Heart Part 5. So awesome watching you take in all the nuance Kendrick offers as a rapper. George Clinton and Thundercat are downright incredible on this song. The "person" he's talking about in the song is actually the rap game. "At first I did love you, but now I just wanna f***". He adored the rap game until he became a part of it, now he just wants to dabble in it lol. "Late nights thinking of you, until I got my nut." Adding to what Dr. Dre was saying over the phone, Kendrick continues with "What you want? You a house? You a car? 40 acres and a mule? A piano? A guitar? See, my name is Uncle Sam, I'm your dawg" That's "the government" talking. He's sending an overarching message of financial literacy. Like yeah, you can buy all this stuff to impress people who don't even like you, but eventually, the "tax man coming". So what should your priorities REALLY be? Don't end up in prison like Wesley Snipes for tax evasion lol. And he's sending this message to people across all walks of life, not only to himself. Sorry for the wall of text but I get so enthused when I see people discovering awesome stuff like this. Thank you for your great videos.
04:22 is such a genuine reaction hahaha. I still feel this way when I listen to this song, it's just something else - an absolute goosebump factory to say the least.
Watching this just gave this album a whole life to me. I’ve already heard it a hundred times but like you said, there’s always something new to grasp and I love to see your love for the details and cohesiveness of this song. 10/10
So so glad you checked this out, even just to get a glimpse of Kendrick Lamar’s genius. If you don’t plan on reviewing any more from this album DEFINITELY give it a full listen when you have time. It masterful piece of conceptual art, super funky, incredibly powerful, with incredible flows and rhyming. Good Kid Mad City is another great rap album by him, even more conceptual, but is more of a commercial rap sound. Glad you checked this out and hope you do more studio recordings!
13:41 one of my favorite things about TPAB is how it sounds like a live performance. And there is so much depth and small details that you miss on each listen that you can play it over and over again and feel like it’s a different experience like a live performance feels. This album truly is a benchmark in music history
Just subscribed to your channel after watching your reaction to The Heart Part 5 and now this Kendrick song. Love that you had basically the same reaction I did when I heard it 8 years ago. 😮💨😁 I knew it was going to be a special project if that was the first track! It was nice to see how much joy it brought you. Kendrick is amazing whether you like rap/hip hop or not. He will make you EXPERIENCE the music! ❤️
I love that you said “it’s like I’ve heard it before but not in this way, but it could have only come from one place.” That’s the nature of hip hop baby! You’ve got all these different influences mashing together in harmony to create a certain sound that is distinct and distinguishable. Sounwave alongside George creates this Funky west coast classic sound that is just beautiful.
I'm so glad you found this song! I think in a few days time you'll know why people call this one of the best albums of all time. I love when you get excited about a song I love, because I know I'm gonna learn more about it
to pimp a butterfly is a big concept album that gets really deep, ive heard people describe as like the hip hop equivolent of darkside of the moon and I agree with them, if not its even better lyrically. its the number one rated album on rate your music for a reason
You mentioned the production which is great but you were also talking about the sonics of the engineering and noticing the nuances. Alot of that is Kendricks engineer mixedbyAli. Ali is like kendrick secret weapon
your reaction really captured whats so special about kendrick and this album, theres so much done so well that cant be absorbed at the same time its almost overwhelming
one of the best openers of all time. I love blasting this song in the car with the windows down. the g and p funk and the unconventional sound makes it so intriguing
Man I love this!!! I would give the better half of my cerebellum to hear this album for the first time again 😅. Watching you react saves me the hospital bills.
Its really beautifull to see the love and the passion that you got for the music. I can taste it watching how you listen to the composition of this track and it really amaze me. You earn a new sub
Man you’ve gotta at least listen to this whole record for yourself, but I’d love a reaction. The talent on this thing is unbelievable. It’s really one of those albums you can listen to over and over again and focus on different parts and never get bored
I think if you start doing album music, it would be cool to have side series where you do full albums track by track. Love this video, Kendrick is really one of those guys who can punch through the noise.
Damn you digest music in a way that really resonates with me. Having not actually *listened* to this track in the past, it was cathartic to see someone else have that same "this is fuckin' nasty" face at the same time for such an incredible track. Heavily suggest enjoying more studio albums, there are too many incredible producers!
U may not see this and others have said the same but one of the reasons this is so incredible is because it is from what may be the best hip hop album of all time. For me it is top 3 all time undoubtedly and probably is my #1. Listen to the album front to back and then front to back again 3 more times
I listen to all kinds of music but tpab may just be my favorite album of all time. Highly recommend listening to it in one go and having genius open to read the lyrics.
