Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Power Moves Only - The last thoughts of Summer 2013

This track has the rap world tossing and turning in its sleep. However, because this track was left off the album it must have gone unmastered because it has a very high-pitched whine in it that was giving me a headache on certain speakers. I reduced it as much as I could in hopes that it becomes more pleasant for everyone to have this track on repeat:



Control: Big Sean steps up his game with a great verse full of references. Unfortunately, for Big Sean, Kendrick creates a point in his career that, eventually, will mark when he changed from one of the best rappers of his generation to possibly the best of all time. If you honestly think that any other rap could rap for 3 minutes straight with out any filler and without any bragging about money, girls or drugs, let me know. It is not just this verse though, no other rapper could be featured on such a variety of tracks and make almost every one of those tracks better. He has been featured on tracks by Tech N9ne, Ab-Soul, Dr Dre, ZZ Ward, Mayer Hawthorne, BJ The Chicago Kid, E-40, The Game, T.I., DJ Khaled, Kid Cudi, Schoolboy Q, Robin Thicke, J Cole, Miguel, A$AP Rocky, Quadron, Solange, Pac Div, Young Jeezy, Gee Watts, Terrace Martin, 50 Cent, Dido, Talib Kweli, DOM Kennedy, Meek Mill, Buddy, Mac Miller, Rapsody, 9th Wonder, Shwayze & Cisco, Rapper Big Pooh, Smoke DZA, OverDoz, and (of course) Jay Rock. That is 37 different acts that have featured Kendrick Lamar... crossing many different genres, and it only took me 15 minutes to compile that list, I am most definitely missing quite a few. Think for a second, when was the first time you heard of Kendrick Lamar? I'm guessing it wasn't really all that long ago, maybe a year or a year and a half ago, and he has already done more than most artists ever will. 

Here is another absolute gem that Kendrick helped with recently:


Everyone is a critic these days and critics need to chill out. Stop debating who is the best, appreciate the craft and listen to the message. That is what Tech and Kendrick preach in this beautiful track. Mayday provide some impressive instrumentation on the production on this one too. Speaking of Mayday (who are on Tech N9ne's 'Strange Music' label, their album Believers is definitely worth listening to. Here is one of my favorites, which is an ode to good ol' Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey Old No.7 brand. 
It is time for me to get back to the college campus and get On That Jack: