From the groovy opening bass line and spoken word vocals to the concluding chants of "pimp, pimp!" Kendrick Lamar manages to make untitled unmastered one of the most cohesive hip-hop compilation albums released in quite some time. The eight songs featured, many of which have been performed on live television recently during the Grammy's as well as on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, were recorded at different times over the last three years. It becomes very obvious the influence that Kendrick's last project To Pimp A Butterfly had on the recording, as there are moments of very similar instrumental progression and spoken word passages that K.Dot experimented with on the album. That's not to mention the use of many direct references not only to the album's title, but also to tracks like Mortal Men and King Kunta.
The surprise release of this project not only serves as an unexpected gift for all fans of the Compton born emcee, but it also proves his versatility and consistency. These tracks aren't driven by the same overlying theme that surrounded the recordings on TPAB, and yet they still work as both songs that could easily be hits, and deal with some very interesting and important subject matter.
The album's opening track, which can't be called anything but that, since the tracks are all untitled, is an ambitious effort that finds Kendrick discussing the future of the world over a deep bass line and haunting piano play. Eventually we get to an interaction between the emcee and God himself, who asks "what have you done for me?" The track is reminiscent of TPAB's How Much a Dollar Cost in it's introspective discussion of faith, and Kendrick's apparent fear of not being accepted into heaven. Not only does it start the project off on the right foot, but it's one of the most memorable moments throughout the album as well.
The second track on the album see's a beat more similar to something you would have found on TDE label mate Jay Rock's recent album 90059, and yet with the few moments of freejazz influence, you're reminded exactly who it is you're listening to. The lyrics on the cut see Kendrick exploring his fame, and how his own life has changed while the life in the hood remains all consistent. It's also the first time on the project we hear the chants of "pimp pimp," something that becomes a reoccurrence as the album moves on.
The following track is one of the most impressive lyrically, and was debuted quite some time back live on the Colbert Report. Kendrick discusses encounters with members of many different races, and the advice they give him on how to live his life, yet when he arrives at the white man, all he wants is a piece of the emcee. The song is clearly being used as a metaphor for record labels and the music industry, and as far as the songwriting goes, it's one of my favorite moments on the project.
After a short interlude, we get the fifth cut on the album which see's an appearance from Anna Wise, an artist who many will recognize from her contributions on TPAB. The dynamics on this song are quite impressive, as we see Kendrick aggressively handle the laid back jazz lounge instrumental, while Wise delivers a much more beautiful and traditonal hook to the song. The duo are also joined by rappers Punch and Jay Rock later on in the track, and both drop solid verses to bring the cut to it's conclusion. Up next is the sixth track, which instrumentally reminds me a lot of the For Sale interlude from TPAB, but quickly expands to much more thanks in part to a feature by R&B/soul artist Cee-Lo Green. The song digs deep into the concepts of human flaws, as well as embracing unique traits with lines like "look at my flaws, look at my flaws, look at my imperfections and all. Look at how you think my mystique is a round of applause." This track in particular is an example of Kendrick's ability to step away from the misogynistic stereotypes that surround the hip-hop music and culture, and instead make something that can be seen as positive.
The album takes quite a turn stylistically for the seventh track, as the eight and a half minute long cut begins with much more of a "banger" beat than we've heard thus far, which is somewhat ironic considering producer/rapper Swizz Beats claimed it was his five year old son Egypt who actually provided the production on this one. Nonetheless, it isn't long before the instrumental transitions into something much broader, as the eight minute track fails to ever get repetitive, and in fact is more like three separate songs placed into one album slot. The final third of the track provides one of my favorite moments from the project, as we get a very lo-fi, direct cut from the studio audio from Kendrick. You can hear background noise, speaking, and chairs squeaking among other things, but it feels so organic and natural that it's almost as if you're in the studio as well, which is just another example of K.Dot incorporating elements of other genres into his own style.
That brings us to the closing track, which some may know as Blue Faces, which was debuted just a month or so back on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show. The song sees the rapper delve into the mind of a love interest to ask her why it is she's so sad. The funky, fast-paced instrumental might have served better as an opener than as the closing track, but it's still yet another solid moment and brings the album to a rather quick conclusion.
It's hard for me to assign a rating to a compilation project, but it feels like much more than just a collection of untitled and unmastered tracks. It isn't anything like Kendrick's earlier releases, and all of his previous releases have been unlike anything he's released prior to those. While the core of the album is clearly influenced by his last release, it's a much more streamlined and to the point approach that still manages to be both unique and inventive. There are some moments better than others, and it does feel rather raw at times, but ultimately it's yet another fantastic release from the Compton native that will keep fans foaming at the mouth for his next release.
Rating: 4/5
Listen to Kendrick Lamar perform Untitled 2 (Untitled 8 on the album) live below:
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