NEW J Cole via his blog: Clouds

[KingsnBucs1987]

It's not a Drake solo album. shyt don't even got a single. Lol

Yeah I know it isn't a Drake solo, but hell Drake sells, so it shouldn't matter if it's a solo or not in my opinion and we know he's gonna drop a video for Gimme a Hug and/or Nokia sooner or later.

 

[spliz]

The overdramatized, the traumatized with sickness
Thrown in the pan and caramelized for richness
And served on a plate with sirloin steak
To billionaires who don't care the world's gon' break
Long as they make money off it, pain brings profit
One man gains it soon as the next man lost it
There's a bridge you can walk to hear God talk
But there are real slim odds a rich man crosses
'Cause greed is a poisonous seed, indeed
As it spreads like weeds through the mind's apple trees
I proceed with caution, and I'm not flossing
Unlike some, I'm not defined by my fortune
I'm defined by rhymes, though I'm in my prime
There was times that I was down 'cause I'd thought I'd lost it
But no, low and behold, as my poetry grows
I give all glory to God as the story unfolds
And the gray hairs that grow on my head will show
Ain't no time limit to get it, you ain't never too old
So keep hold of your dreams, no matter how it seems
If you don't water your lawn, well, then it won't stay green
I seen babies turn fiends, addicted to the screen their dad shares
Cashiers replaced by machines
Don't buy, subscribe so you can just stream your content
Like rent, you won't own a thing
Before long, all the songs the whole world sings'll be generated by latest of AI regimes
As all of our favorite artists erased by it scream
From the wayside, "Ayy, whatever happened to human beings?"

This really is a flawless verse. The pocket was perfect too!

shyt reads like a Lupe verse off Tetsuo and Youth.

 

[Chip Skylark]

shyt reads like a Lupe verse off Tetsuo and Youth.

That’s my favorite album of all time lol

That maybe the reason I fukk with it so much

 

[Hum Alistair]

Section 80 and GKMC era Kendrick

All of kendrick albums were made for different audiences, and S80 clearly got his fans, and when gkmc came out a lot of people felt like it wasn't better than s80...but as of today it is widely considered as Kendrick's weakest effort. And if we put all bias aside, there's no denying that Kendrick has indeed improved as an artist through the years.

Like a lot of artists said, there's an argument to be made for gnx being his best album, even though TPAB will probably always be his magnum opus for true music lovers. This shyt is classic west coast, so it ain't a surprise seeing west coast rappers claiming it's Kendrick's best, and probably one of the very best west coast albums ever made.

But the narrative about s80 being his weakest (yet still good) effort is not gonna change. Kendrick being a better songwriter in 2024 than in 2011/2012 is hard to deny, unless we don't know what a "songwriter" is . Gkmc was definitely kendrick's most "traditional" rap album, which is probably why you think he was a better rapper on that album...it's probably more up to your taste, but that shyt ain't top 3 in his catalog as far as pure quality go.


matter of fact, there isn't a single list from a respectable magazine, or artist, with s80 not being ranked last. Having it anywhere else on a ranking is more of a guilty pleasure than anything.

 

[DapMeUp!]

So this is a Kendrick thread now

"That's how it is now, that's how it always be"

 

[Mastamimd]

See. These the goofy nikkas I respond to that stay on my dikk. U nikkas literally turned this thread into a Kendrick thread. dikksuckin ass nikkas like urself.

Cho fakkit ass up nikka more people say you a dikkriding wanna be fence sitting fakkit than almost anyone else here

 

[Uchiha God]

 

[HoldThisL]

I don’t get it either. Ain’t no way Kendrick is a better writer now than Sec 80/ GKMC/ era. It’s not even close. Mr Morale and GNX are significant steps down from where he was.

Although his rapping was much better back then he is a better song maker now and that is due to him dumbing down his lyrics for the general audience.

 

[Kenzo Ten]

Although his rapping was much better back then he is a better song maker now and that is due to him dumbing down his lyrics for the general audience.

He comprehends music in a much better way now. He's an overall better songwriter and that allows him to make better music. He only started getting a good understanding of the technical aspects of music and its composition with TPAB. That's when he even said he didn't want to be called a "rapper" anymore.

Although, and I'd agree with Fantano for once, Kendrick's pen has become better too, been able to express his emotions in a much better way. He found the perfect balance between complexity and efficiency.

 

[AAKing23]

The overdramatized, the traumatized with sickness
Thrown in the pan and caramelized for richness
And served on a plate with sirloin steak
To billionaires who don't care the world's gon' break
Long as they make money off it, pain brings profit
One man gains it soon as the next man lost it
There's a bridge you can walk to hear God talk
But there are real slim odds a rich man crosses
'Cause greed is a poisonous seed, indeed
As it spreads like weeds through the mind's apple trees
I proceed with caution, and I'm not flossing
Unlike some, I'm not defined by my fortune
I'm defined by rhymes, though I'm in my prime
There was times that I was down 'cause I'd thought I'd lost it
But no, low and behold, as my poetry grows
I give all glory to God as the story unfolds
And the gray hairs that grow on my head will show
Ain't no time limit to get it, you ain't never too old
So keep hold of your dreams, no matter how it seems
If you don't water your lawn, well, then it won't stay green
I seen babies turn fiends, addicted to the screen their dad shares
Cashiers replaced by machines
Don't buy, subscribe so you can just stream your content
Like rent, you won't own a thing
Before long, all the songs the whole world sings'll be generated by latest of AI regimes
As all of our favorite artists erased by it scream
From the wayside, "Ayy, whatever happened to human beings?"

This really is a flawless verse. The pocket was perfect too!

fukkin remarkable

 

[krulesweatshirt]

I guess its alright, a lyricist is supposed to say more with less nikka.

 

[tweezy]

Hope he comes back with something better, this ain't it

 

[AAKing23]

All of kendrick albums were made for different audiences, and S80 clearly got his fans, and when gkmc came out a lot of people felt like it wasn't better than s80...but as of today it is widely considered as Kendrick's weakest effort. And if we put all bias aside, there's no denying that Kendrick has indeed improved as an artist through the years.

Like a lot of artists said, there's an argument to be made for gnx being his best album, even though TPAB will probably always be his magnum opus for true music lovers. This shyt is classic west coast, so it ain't a surprise seeing west coast rappers claiming it's Kendrick's best, and probably one of the very best west coast albums ever made.

But the narrative about s80 being his weakest (yet still good) effort is not gonna change. Kendrick being a better songwriter in 2024 than in 2011/2012 is hard to deny, unless we don't know what a "songwriter" is . Gkmc was definitely kendrick's most "traditional" rap album, which is probably why you think he was a better rapper on that album...it's probably more up to your taste, but that shyt ain't top 3 in his catalog as far as pure quality go.


matter of fact, there isn't a single list from a respectable magazine, or artist, with s80 not being ranked last. Having it anywhere else on a ranking is more of a guilty pleasure than anything.

I guess I’m not respectable then, I have to strongly disagree


Maybe it is the nostalgia for me being that I view GKMC and Section 80 in such a high regard. I was 19 going on 20 at the time and even today hearing some songs on those albums like Poe Man’s Dreams, Real, Sing About Me, etc. still make me a lil emotional cuz that shyt really resonated with what I was feeling at the time. Plus the lyrical content and value was there.

That version of Kendrick is who I thought was untouchable, not the guy I see today.

 

[Hum Alistair]

I guess I’m not respectable then, I have to strongly disagree


Maybe it is the nostalgia for me being that I view GKMC and Section 80 in such a high regard. I was 19 going on 20 at the time and even today hearing some songs on those albums like Poe Man’s Dreams, Real, Sing About Me, etc. still make me a lil emotional cuz that shyt really resonated with what I was feeling at the time. Plus the lyrical content and value was there.

That version of Kendrick is who I thought was untouchable, not the guy I see today.

I respect your opinion, but he clearly wasn't a complete artist back then, and like its been said before, and I agree with this, he's now expressing his ideas better. But as a songwriter, as an artist, dude has become a true musician, capable of composing music and crafting flawless music, this is something he wasn't able to do 13-15 years ago...right now, this new version of kendrick is crafting music that just seem critic-proof, it's near impossible to criticize from a pure musical angle


As far as personal tastes, s80 is my favorite album, thats the one I personally enjoy listening to the most (and thats probably nostalgia for me too), but quality wise, it's definitely his weakest.

 

[904]

shyt reads like a Lupe verse off Tetsuo and Youth.

Hell nah

I can actually follow the references here

But yeah Cole killed this shyt..