By Thomas Cottingham
Staff Writer
Last week, Kendrick Lamar followed the recent trend of surprise album releases by dropping his new record “untitled unmastered.”
Lamar thanked NBA superstar Lebron James for requesting new music from him via Twitter. Kendrick listened and sure did deliver. The result is an eight-track album that is full of raw, unreleased demo tapes that were made during the creation of Lamar’s previous installment, “To Pimp a Buttlerfly.” “Untitled unmastered” uses the same style of “Butterfly,” with intense jazz and strong gospel sounds, along with Lamar’s clever verses and catchy hooks.
This compilation album is organized by a simple track list. All the songs are listed from “untitled 01” to “untitled 08,” along with the dates of the recordings. The opening track sets a smooth tone for what is yet to come. “Untitled 01” begins similarly to an opening at a concert where performers have a small jam session. The project’s stellar production sounds alive and bursting with energy. The pounding drums, powerful bass, fiddling guitars and screeching saxophones line up perfectly with Lamar’s verses.
Lamar’s bars are styled in a variety of different flows, sounds and grooves. “Untitled 08” is a G-funk-influenced track with a wavy rhythm along with Lamar’s fast-paced spitting. The West Coast vibe of the song brings back memories of his debut album, “good kid m.A.A.d. city.”
“When y’all came on the boat looking for hope / And all you can say is that you’re looking for dope / These days ain’t no compromise / And your pain ain’t mine half the time,” Lamar raps.
“Untitled 03” debuted before the album came out and was featured on one of the last “Colbert Report” showings. The song features a blend of high-pitch horns, keyboards and backup vocals. Lamar doesn’t shy away from controversial topics; he’s been doing it for his entire career. He discusses materialism in Western culture, especially in the United States.
“A piece of mine’s / That’s what the white man wanted when I rhyme / Telling me that he selling me just for $10.99 / If I go platinum from rapping, I do the company fine,” Lamar preaches.
The centerpiece of “untitled unmastered” debuts early during the project in “untitled 02.” The song starts with the line “Pimp-pimp! Hooray!” that echoes throughout the record. Next the shaky saxophone and eerie piano break out. Lamar begins rapping in a slow, raspy voice while extending the ending of words. The soothing and catchy voice breaks out once the beat drops by adding a trap drum machine synthesizer and a whole lot of bass. This song is now more exciting than confusing. Kendrick raps loud, subtly rhyming to a serious, monotone and lightning-fast flow as the beat switches. The hook is also fairly addicting with Lamar’s “Get God on the phone!” line.
This is definitely a record to check out to all casual rap fans everywhere. The album even has features from the likes of Cee Lo Green and Jay Rock. Kendrick Lamar’s music is evolving, and this tape clearly shows the process.
cottintf14@bonaventure.edu
