How did Kendrick Lamar become considered 'lyrical'?

[Prince.Skeletor]

Kendrick is a storyteller with an amazing and versatile flow in a sea of lack of creativity and singular wack flows if any.
He also makes innovative music that combines various concepts into one song like Hiipower and make it a hit!

Also the fact that he's a great storyteller with positive topics and creativity and even daring it is quite a surprise that he currently THE MOST relevant rapper at the moment. This in itself is a massive feat! Quite the accomplishment against the yams, what's the yams?

He just lacks a solid amount of "quotable" bars and is generally weak in features.

what????????
he murders the other rapper!!!!
his sickest flows are as features.

 

[GoldenGlove]

How did Kid Cudi become considered good at anything?

 

[Prince.Skeletor]

How did Kid Cudi become considered good at anything?

becuz of day and night

 

[Fmju]

Most Kendrick haters don't actually hate Kendrick. They hate his fans who think Kendrick is better than their favorite rapper and they can't deal, so they down Kendrick since they can't down the other person for having an opinion.

 

[NoHalfWay]

he murders the other rapper!!!!
his sickest flows are as features.

Yeah... sometimes

Kendrick Lamar appearing on a track isn't synonomous with "uh oh, so and so is finna get bodied"

Just look at that No More Parties In LA joint

 

[SirBiatch]

In answer to your question OP, "Interscope". Low-effort music transfixes the dumb. Or, as @ThreeLetterAgency rightly pointed out, even smart people who ultimately don't give a fukk. Though they're not transfixed. They just use said artist's music as background music for whatever they're doing.

 

[T.he I.nformant]

its cause rap fans thing jazzy productions, vaguely progressive lyrics about capitalism and being against the government means you're "educated"...he's wrapping generic smart-nikka lines up in a package that people who want to appear educate cling to.

Some of my most successful and educated friends listen to some of the most vapid bullshyt...not because they're stupid...but because they know its entertainment. This untitled EP Kendrick dropped was nice...but he doesn't impress people who are hard to impress because they see through it.

Its the same way J Cole gets a pass for some how being "conscious"...shyts mind-blowing ...i'd say Jay Z and Gucci are more "conscious" than either of those two will ever be...but hey, if you rap about "hey young girl, respect your self...and the government put drugs in the hood" then you're all good with all that low effort.

nikkas is so emotional on the coli doing all kinds of mental gymnastics because you don't like the attention and acclaim Kendrick is getting for his music. Gucci is more conscious my nikka? Gucci??

 

[Jack Don the G]

Like many others already pointed out you don't have to be a multisyllable rapper or have witty one liners to be considered lyrical.

He's okay when it comes to doing stuff like Watch out for detox. There arn't not many wow-factor lines but he brings energy. The samething with Backseat freestyle.

Its not that its super lyrical, but he makes it sound cool and people want to rap along.



But that not why Kendrick is considered lyrical,
he is considered lyrical because of his skill as a poet.

Not many rappers can do what he does. He conveys a feeling that goes under your skin.

Check out



or



He weave the lines so good with the beat and flow. Its effortless. Like damn. How can you not call that lyrical. The lyrics punch through the song.

People is so attached to the idea that to be considered lyrical you have to have lines that takes you out off the song and go "damn let me rewind that line".
But true genius writing makes you so engaged with the song that you are hypnotized and forget you just listened to a 12 minute song without become being bored.

To quote Kendrick himself:

and don't call me lyrical
Cause really I'm just a nikka that's evil and spiritual
I know some rappers using big words to make their similes curve
My simplest shyt be more pivotal
I penetrate the hearts of good kids and criminals

 

[mr. smoke weed]

You don't have to be on some "I bomb atomically ...... " inspectah deck shyt to be seen as lyrical.

Where did I say that breh?

at dude who said Kendrick has me in my feelings. I said I LIKE dudes music. Some of y'all are as simple as can be.

 

[mr. smoke weed]

I'm not sure that you know what lyrical means if you are asking this question.

Question with a vague question aye? Care to be more specific?

 

[mr. smoke weed]

You can't judge how lyrical someone is (or isn't) just by posting plain text. There is more to MCing and using words to portray a message or feeling (being lyrical)

This is exactly why people say Tupac 'wasn't lyrical' because they paste lines of his that are simple. A true wordsmith does not need to use a ton of big words to get across simple points. Kurupt is considered 10x more lyrical than Tupac but he said absolutely fukking nothing on 'New York, New York' Canibus is considered more lyrical than Tupac but did he ever have a song that hit half as hard as say 'Dear Momma' ? At the end of the day who's lyrics are better at portraying feelings or a message...Tupac or Canibus??

That's why I don't get into these debates really. The guys who are 'lyrical' tend to not say anything more than the guys who may deliver it more simple, using other tools such as tone, to fill it in. That is why rapping isn't spoken word and why lyrics shouldn't be displayed as such.

I feel you and appreciate the serious reply, amongst a board of so called 'hip-hoppers'. I think Kendrick can be lyrical in an invoking emotion type of way, obviously without the charisma of someone like a 'pac, but less MC 'lyrical' ala getting washed by Jay Elec. Good lookin breh.

 

[mr. smoke weed]

This hate is getting

And I know that in this generation Everytime someone says something that goes "against the grain" it's considered hate.

But the Kendrick Lamar hate seems legitimate

And forced and random.

Don't see how you can hate on this guy like at all

Anyway, he paints the picture better than most rappers I've heard. He's a phenomenal lyricist.

Where do you see hate? Where at all do you see hating?

 

[mr. smoke weed]

In answer to your question OP, "Interscope". Low-effort music transfixes the dumb. Or, as @ThreeLetterAgency rightly pointed out, even smart people who ultimately don't give a fukk. Though they're not transfixed. They just use said artist's music as background music for whatever they're doing.

IDK if I would go that far. I think @OnlyInCalifornia has a pretty good point.

It is funny I make this serious thread, say I like dude's music and 75% of the replies are bullshyt

 

[SirBiatch]

IDK if I would go that far. I think @OnlyInCalifornia has a pretty good point.

It is funny I make this serious thread, say I like dude's music and 75% of the replies are bullshyt

I would. Kendrick aint and never was saying shyt. His writing is low level, middle school poetry kid shyt.

 

[Chip Skylark]

Hahahahaha I consider him lyrical but reading "youre an orphan and a hairdresser combined" has on ROTFL
Rigamortous was all flow.

I've always said Jay Elec had the best verse on Control.

To be lyrical us to express yourself in am imaginative or emotional way ... he has it