offers this and other variations on the connected themes of societal ills, faith, and survival that drove the output it follows, with Lamar at his best when countering proudly materialistic boasts with ever-striking acknowledgments of the odds perilously weighted against his people. He observes terrifying scenes all the while sensing possible relief ("No more running from world wars," "No more discriminating the poor"). After an intimate spoken intro from Bilal, the set segues into an urgent judgment-day scenario with squealing strings and a resounding bassline as Lamar confronts mortality and extinction with urgent exasperation. Track-to-track flow, however, is about the only aspect of this release that can be called smooth. This was assembled with a high level of care that is immediately evident, its components sequenced to foster an easy listen. The dates indicate that the majority of the material was made during the sessions for that album, and the presence of many of its players and vocalists is unmistakable. A postscript, it's (artfully) artless in presentation - not even basic credits appear on the Army green liner card in the compact disc edition - yet it's almost as lyrically and musically rich as To Pimp a Butterfly. Apart from segments previewed at the Grammys and late-night television appearances, there was no formal promotion. consists of eight demos that are simply numbered and dated. And we're better off because of it.Issued without advance notice 17 days after Kendrick Lamar's riveting 2016 Grammy Awards performance, untitled unmastered. Instead of spending his energy to promote, brag, and cause drama, he channels it directly into the music. Nearly a decade apart (to the day) in age, Lamar represents a new generation of hip-hop. Perhaps it's no coincidence that Lamar's first appearance on a West track was last month's "No More Parties in LA." These albums and these two artists are equivocally linked by their contrasts. Both are hypnotic, haunting, and powerful. Consider these lyrics, where Lamar takes on the persona of a criminal: "Once upon a time I used to go to church and talk to God/Now I'm thinkin' to myself, hollow tips is all I got/Now I'm drinkin' by myself, at the end of Section Park." Or "untitled 7 | 2014 - 2016" which cuts in the middle to a child singing "Compton is where I'm from." And sonically, West's is a cluttered and neurotic while Lamar fluidly explores decades of funk, jazz, and spoken-word music. Where West comes across as out of touch with everything and everyone but himself, Lamar is channeling his community. Thematically, the two albums couldn't be more different: West's, an exploration of fame and his own narcissism Lamar's, a study of race and black America. It's logical to assume that these song titles are dates, recorded during the To Pimp a Butterfly sessions (Update: Lamar just confirmed that these are indeed demos from To Pimp a Butterfly). But Lamar's Untitled Unmastered, as the title suggests, is very much a work in progress. " on Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon, respectively. Similarly, but in a much less public way, Lamar performed two tracks on the album "untitled 03 |. Kanye's working on it, and we're with him every step of the way. With Ye constantly re-writing lyrics tweaking production, TLOP is barely out yet. Ahead of the release of The Life of Pablo, West shared a number of tracks that don't appear on the final(?) album in the same form. What's interesting to note between these two albums-the two most eagerly anticipated releases of 2016, dropped abruptly within a month of each other: Both reveal the nature of the artist at work. EST with the title of the album and a link to the iTunes download. Now consider everything leading up to the release of Untitled Unmastered, which Kendrick Lamar dropped last night: Nothing, besides a tweet at 9:05 p.m. A Saturday Night Live appearance that nearly didn't happen. A fashion show at Madison Square Garden to mark its release. Claims that it's not album of the year, but album of a lifetime. Consider everything leading up to Kanye West's The Life of Pablo: Several name changes over a few months.
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