It could be a reference to maad city where he says "if pirus and crips all got along, they'd probably gun me down by the end of the song". Maybe if democrats and the republicans teamed up, they'd go after people like Kendrick. I don't know whether or not that'd be because of racism or backlash to people that speak on social issues without taking political sides (like Kendrick does), that's all up to speculation.
@@will7874 I guess it could be interpreted to be many references. Maad city and sing about me aren't the only references Kendrick has made about crips and bloods.
Did you catch the connection between Complexion and The Blacker the Berry? In Complexion, he's saying "complexion doesn't matter". In The Blacker the Berry, he's saying "the blacker, the better". Hence, why he's the "biggest hypocrite of 2015".
@@JonDenton he also mentions in the last line of BTB "so why did I weap when Treyvon Martin was in the street, when gangbanging made me kill a nigga blacker than me, hypocrite!". Kendrick has on a few different songs, for example on m.A.A.d city, mentioned himself killing someone at the age of 16. On "u" he says that depression rests on his heart for 2 reasons. Something definitely happened in his youth that has him very conflicted, because he wants to push a message to everyone that once was in a position like Kendrick, but him possibly having commited such an atrocity, makes him feel like a hypecrite.
w҉h҉e҉e҉l҉z҉ he never killed anyone pal in real life, he was playing the persona of “K.Dot” in GKMC. He says one reason for his depression is also survivor’s guilt, but I agree that yes he had a rough childhood surrounded by such atrocities explained in the Art of Peer Pressure, Sing to Me, etc. In other words, depression has hit him HARD lol
@@ElectrusBoom omg I cannot believe after almost 6 years and so many listens I’m just hearing this. Now I have to listen to the whole album 200 time 🤦🏽♂️
@@zakiydaulay4390 How is it not? The instrumental arrangements alone make it complex. Next is the poem built through the album. Then, how the themes and stories Kendrick are telling up the complexity even more. Listen to the Dissect podcast on Spotify about this album to understand.
I love how he's actually reacting to the deeper meaning and everything. Other reactors don't dig that deep but JD is giving reactions this album deserves.
Timestamps: 0:50 Wesley's Theory 5:33 For Free? - Interlude 9:07 King Kunta 12:03 Institutionalized 16:09 These Walls 20:06 u 23:25 Alright 26:17 For Sale? Interlude 27:52 Momma 30:46 Hood Politics 33:29 How Much A Dollar Cost 36:39 Complexion (A Zulu Love) 41:06 The Blacker The Berry 43:55 You Ain't Gotta Lie (Momma Said) 48:30 i 50:11 Mortal Man
It only gets better after multiple listens if you can believe it Don’t miss out on The Heart Parts 1-4 and Untitled Unmastered before Kendrick Season is over!
To Pimp A Butterfly Changed my life in 2015. I was going into my senior year of high school and it changed my perspective on life. This is honestly the greatest album ever created. Period.
J Masters no he’s talking about a vagina on the first part, second part hes talking to himself and realizing this is not what he wants, third part hes talking to the imprisoned boyfriend of the girl hes having sex with. I dont really have time to break down every single part but if you want go listen to the song with what i told you in mind
For sure and then I’ll get asked to explain it, and I’m always like ahhhh how am I supposed to coherently explain everything and not miss out any important information.
@@Strixs ah so im not the only one who still has to listen to it i need to listen to it a fourth time now to appreciate it... but first im gonna go for good kid maad city
Just so u know Alright was adapted as the theme song for Black Lives Matter and in his Bet performance of it he was standing on a cop car and that's why it was in the news
@@joshwilson2402 Ah, shit. Here we go again. You mean ignore an oversimplified view of gender based on a group of xenophobe's bad faith misunderstanding of 2nd grade bilogy that has been debunk by anyone who actually cares about gender, biology, neurology, social structures, and doesn't just want to discriminate people whose lives they don't understand? Yes.
Guys if y'all wanna hear the son of Tyler and Pharrell, go listen to Radio suicide by Makala, the Beats were made by Varnish la piscine, a fckn genius and probably the successor of Tyler n Pharrell no joke
The older I get and the more this album ages, the harder U gets to listen to for me. It’s too real, the pain of blaming yourself for things you know are out of your control, but you still feel the full weight of failed responsibility. But Kendrick being able to convey and display that pain so clearly is what makes the track so great.
xxxtensioncord the fact you have illmatic and ready to die as your two other albums, I can tell you don’t really have a ear for hip hip their amazing albums but not the next top 2
@@finnegansiemion3692 he doesn't react to funk often from what I see, I wouldn't blame him. We all make mistakes. It was like 1 second in a great video
That podcast gave me such an amazing appreciation for Kendrick not just as a rapper but a writer period. Kendrick is one of the greatest writers in modern history the amount of detail he puts into his song is genius level. Would love to hear him talk about his writing process.
This album was like an alien spaceship that completely smashed all my previous understanding (or lack thereof) of the black perspective in modern America.TPAB changed how I perceive and relate to the black community as a white man. No other media has ever done that for me. For that reason, in my opinion, it’s the best album of all time
One of the best RU-vidrs in the game. Untitled Unmastered follows this album. Think of it as like bonus tracks for TPAB. They’re “throwaway” tracks that didn’t make it to the album, but the quality of the songs on that album really show how much better Kendrick is. His throwaways are better than everyone else’s classics lmao.
the transition from u to alright is probably my favorite of all time. going from the lowest point emotionally to proudly proclaiming WE GON BE ALRIGHT was so moving for me when this came out and helped me when I was at one of my lowest points emotionally. kendrick is one of a kind fr fr
TPAB is such an amazing album to the point that it is so hard to fully digest and understand without assistance and this leads me to suggest listening to the dissect podcast on the album. It does an amazing job at picking apart each individual song but also help piece together the narrative throughout the album. By the end of the series it will help you see the true genius and attention to detail throughout the album. One thing I learnt from the series is the core difference between TPAB and GKMC with my interpretation being that GKMC presents the external issues that effect Kendrick whilst TPAB highlights the internal problems Kendrick faces.
You should know that this was Kendrick's first album after his Control verse. He had all eyes watching him and he dropped this. These two together is what enshrined Kendrick as the undisputed king of rap. And my opinion is that he took that swag from that verse and all the aftermath into King Kunta on TPAB.
Yeah...i understand that feeling after hearing TPAB..You just end you being in shock. Also the message it brings. This should be in university for literature because it is just amazing..
If you haven’t already, I highly recommend watching Anthony Fantano’s (theneedledrop) review of this album. He does a fantastic job at dissecting the songs, and does a great job at helping you piece together the album as a whole
I think we all can say that this album is very African American based and forwarded to, but I have to say that I love the fact that you understand what’s being said and the concepts but is still conscious enough to not directly address some of them because of how some people will take your take on it. ✊🏽
This is my second favourite album of all time and is honestly a masterpiece in every way possible. Every song has layers upon layers that you still peel back years later.
This album literally saved my life I listen to it probably twice a day for 5 months when I was at one of the lowest points in my life I can not stress how intricate this album is you get something knew every time you hear it
React to Untitled Unmastered. Kendrick released it album after this from songs that didn't make the album because they dint fit well in story-wise but still great. same type of flows and beats.
I respect your attentiveness to the details of this album, while also acknowledging you will naturally miss many things, and that it's ultimately best to enjoy the music. And you do enjoy the music. Many people felt everything was going over their heads when listening TPAB -granted, you have Genius- and they didn't appreciate a lot of the concepts shown here, nor the production. Yet, even without any deep rooted interest in jazz or funk, that I know of, you manage to appreciate this production that's filled to the brim with it. You have grown as a listener, and that's quite a thing to be able to witness :)
I’d only been a passively aware of free jazz before TPAB, but upon hearing the squaks of saxophone on here, I dove deep into the genre. Kendrick stretching beyond hh
I made it!!!! And it was an absolute pleasure to see you at the top of this mountain of work. So worth it to see your reaction to mortal man. I think the first time I heard it as a black woman I cried. You made it too!!!!
Long live Asap The sun's tirade Acid rap Because the internet Please check these out. Even if you don't react to them on video. Just give them a listen. They are incredible projects
I’m so happy and jealous you’re experiencing this album for the first time. We need to appreciate Kendrick while we can. Love the reactions. I hope you do an album reactions to Outkast eventually
19:38 is me every time I try to dissect and study the multiple meanings of every verse on any kendrick song , mindblown everytime 🤯 it’s like we can’t handle the level of genius that man gives us
The best part of this entire album is the poem he reads at the end of the tracks. Not only is it part of the theme of the entire album and how he's reading it outloud to Tupac, but each part he adds onto the poem is foreshadowing for the next song, it lays out the theme for each song. It's really incredible.
Awesome hardest working react channel since you are going through Kendrick’s music look up Black Hippy mixtape it is collaborations of Kendrick, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, and ScHoolBoy Q
Just discovered this album. What a fantastic album. All that funk, jazz, and Kendrick's genius it's a wow! He does require more work when analyzing and it's so worth it! Love Kendrick. Love the reactions!!
Untitled Unmastered has to be the next Kendrick Album Reaction because it’s technically compilation of Kendrick Lamar’s Tracks that didn’t make TPAB that would have originally been saved on hard drives and never released to the masses but it’s still some fucking amazing songs 🔥✊🏾!
can't believe I sat here watching you bop your head for an hour but I don't regret a second! Such a work of genius I could listen to this album a million times and never get bored
Been watching rock reacts since day 1. I remember when you guys reacted to sing about me I'm dying of thirst and hoping one day you would listen to the albums as a whole to get the context. So fantastic to see how much your hip hop ears have evolved. TPAB is definitely among the greatest hip hop albums ever made and thank you so so much for putting the time and effort into understanding it. The hour long video flew by and watching you react feels like showing a friend your favorite music and getting the best possible response. Keep up the great work man
BRUH YOUR REATION WHEN YOU REALIZE THESE WALLS DOUBLE MEANING LOL. I remember the first time I heard I was in college and I was listening driving to class. walked in that day absolutely dumbfounded and wanted nothing more than to just get out and re listen as much as i could.
idk if this holds weight but in mortal man he questions 16 things of life and names 16 iconic people who have passed and there are 16 songs on this album. idk if its a reach but damn 🤷🏾♂️
And we're here. To Pimp a Butterfly was a record that blew me away from the first moment I heard it. I had already knew how talented & impressive Kendrick was when I heard Good Kid for the first time but this record was on a completely new level. I shed tears on u when I first heard & the literal chills that Mortal Man gave me when Pac showed up still come around, even as you finish your first reaction. Easily one of my favorite records of all time & I'm so glad to be alive in an era where an artist like Kendrick Lamar can exist. Jon, PLEASE REACT TO UNTITLED UNMASTERED before you slide into DAMN. It truly is the best next step in this journey you're taking. It shares a lot of elements that are on TPAB & gives you a good idea of where Kendrick's mind was as he was gearing up for DAMN. It's easy to write that record off as a bunch of TPAB leftovers but to do that would be a total disservice to your journey and the type of artist Kendrick. Also, if you know anything about Nas, Untitled Unmastered is seriously just Kendrick's version of "The Lost Tapes" (Which, to many, is amongst Nas's best material & it's officially considered a compilation project).
My favorite hip-hop albums: 1. TPAB 2. MBDTF 3. good kid, maad city 4. Illmatic 5. Madvillainy 6. Enter the 36 Chambers 7. The Low End Theory 8. The College Dropout 9. Yeezus 10. The Money Store
Hood Politics ties directly in with the track before (Momma). Basically, he travels back home (to Compton, CA), and immediately gets hit with the reality of his home (which is mostly gang shit). Hood politics is exactly what it is, politics in the neighborhood. After he got his fame and came back home, he basically had to get re-introduced to the inner-workings of the hood, despite living it for almost the entirety of his life. Politics are a must when you show up in someones territory unannounced, regardless of what you know or who you know. I'm not sure if you saw the video with Da Baby when he was shooting a video out in Atlanta, GA shortly after moving there. Some of the local gs tried to check him. That's a perfect "public" example of hood politics, and it is very real.
