365 – New Music Daily

Believe it or not (I don’t care), I only gave this album one shot before pulling songs from it and concluding that while it would be 90% of rappers best album, it’s Kendrick’s worst. I don’t think that actually changed with this listen, but it certainly made it a lot closer than I thought.

Tangentially – my Kendrick ranking is:

1A. Good Kid MAAD City
1B. To Pimp A Butterfly
2. DAMN.
3a. Section 80
3b. Mr Morale and the Big Steppers

First off, this album has some seriously amazing lyricism and story telling, as all Kendrick albums do. Listen to Father Time or Savior, etc. They all tell stories, and one of Kendrick’s best qualities is making songs mean something. So many people come out with songs that are named shit like Bologna Sandwich and have nothing to do with the Sandwich. Maybe they talk about a condiment, something. This might be the worst analogy I’ve ever thought up but I’m leaving it. Point being is Kendrick makes songs mean something, an art that has been lost on a lot of modern hip-hop.

This album has it’s fair share of more conscious, thematic songs, but doesn’t spare expense with the harder songs (N95 and Count Me Out being the two best for me). I think the reason it falls in the 3B slot (and yes, I can’t pick, sue me) is just based on how amazing the other albums are.

I mean, Good Kid MAAD City is a full on story from beginning to end with amazing songs throughout. To Pimp A Butterfly is not only jazzy, funky, and amazing sonically but there’s a fucking poem throughout the whole album. DAMN has really grown on me over time and has one of my favorite Kendrick songs ever (PRIDE.) and Section 80 just has too much nostalgia for me – even aside from ADHD playing immediately upon plug-in in everyone’s car for 5 years (iykyk). This is still great, better than I remembered, but Kendrick, you set yourself a high bar man.

Favorite songs: N95, Worldwide Steppers, Die Hard, Father Time, Purple Hearts, Count Me Out, Savior, Mirror, The Heart Part 5