Not many people could make three minutes of fucking around singing ‘head is the answer’ profound and lovely and moving, but Kendrick’s a talented man.

Not that anyone seems to care, or should. This is one of the better B-side works you’re ever likely to hear - frenetic, compelling, and gorgeously packaged - but it doesn’t transcend the genre. It’s in that framing that the album works, and that’s fine. Kendrick’s mess has its own unique value - “untitled 02” and “untitled 07” being particularly potent examples. The songwriting, instrumentals, and vocals are given an opportunity to shine on their own, and hearing them pieced together in such an informal, unpretentious package is extremely gratifying. In the absence of production’s gloss what really characterises untitled unmastered. Comprised mostly of dabbles and snippets from the formative months of To Pimp a Butterfly, this album embraces its patchwork nature and in doing so manages to sound more complete than many ‘real’ records do. is a welcome surprise and a worthy addition to Lamar’s already outrageous resume. Refreshingly up-front about the jumble of its composition, untitled unmastered. It is abundantly clear that we are witnessing one of the all time great hip hop artists in his prime. As tempting as it is to delve deeply into the details of each track here, I’d suggest we simply sit back and appreciate another dose of Kendrick’s genius and ingenuity - such tremendous talent only comes around a few times in a generation.Ĭan’t argue with more Kendrick. His voice is the lead instrument of a beautiful arrangement, and you can’t help but be caught on every word. As opposed to Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo, untitled unmastered.’s incomplete nature is one of its most endearing qualities, providing an informative and rewarding insight into the man behind the magnificence of TPaB.ĭue to the rough nature of its formation, this record offers as good an insight into Kendrick Lamar’s raw talent as any of his previous releases. The sheer versatility of his delivery and flow is encapsulated on “untitled 02”, smoothly shifting between melodic voice ascensions and soft segments of verse that play out like internal narration to a jazz-fuelled dream. is a pretty startling release, offering a natural extension to the poignant voice found on TPaB. This collection of demos, B-sides - whatever you’d want to call them - is still a level above many full-length albums released by Kendrick Lamar’s peers, and it’s a testament to his craft that the record sounds even mildly cohesive.

Most rappers would find it difficult to leave the limelight after releasing such an acclaimed record as To Pimp a Butterfly, but aside from some excellent TV performances Kendrick has laid relatively low. Kendrick Lamar’s sparse activity in the past 12 months has been an intriguing conversion in hip-hop.

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