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triplemreviews · 5 years

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A General Analysis of Kendrick Lamar’s Duckworth: What. The. Fuck.

Kendrick Lamar’s fourth studio album, DAMN, was by no means his best work. Kendrick has proven to be an absolute lyrical and artistic powerhouse ever since 2011, and the fact that he can release an album that would be a masterpiece by most other artists’ standards and be criticized because “It’s not nearly as influential as his other projects” is an unspoken accomplishment in itself.

My favorite part of DAMN, however; isn’t the juxtaposing bars and staccato piano riff of “HUMBLE”, the INSANE beat switch on “DNA”, the indie rock influence on the “PRIDE” beat, it is the message portrayed and the story told in “DUCKWORTH,” the last track on the album.

“DUCKWORTH” is about fate, to put it simply. It is about pure coincidence. It tells the story of how one small choice could have changed a lot in the bigger picture. It draws out a puzzle of an event that Kendrick is begging the listener to put together. The story starts off from Kendrick’s point of view, but the lyrics at the beginning don’t really make much sense without the rest having been deciphered. That is one of the things that makes this song so amazing. Kendrick tells it in 3 pieces that are somewhat out of order. In most other pure storytelling songs, the artist’s take on the situation or point of view is traditionally found after the story is told, not before (Or in the case of many other Kendrick songs, throughout the story). The first lines hold so much power and meaning in this song, but we can’t get to those without hearing the story itself first.

The story itself starts at the line “ Anthony was the oldest of seven, Well respected, calm and collected, Laughin' and jokin' made life easier; hard times, Momma on crack, A four-year-old tellin' his nanny he needed her.” This line is describing a senior child of a broken family. The child in question just so happens to be Anthony ‘Top Dawg’ Tiffith, the person who signed Kendrick to his first and only record deal to this day when Kendrick was 16. The story of Anthony continues, with Kendrick Describing his many brushes with hard drugs, crime, violence, and the police.

“Fifteen, scrapin' up his jeans with quarter pieces Even got some head from a smoker last weekend Dodged a policeman, workin' for his big homie Small-time hustler, graduated to a brick on him 10,000 dollars out of a project housing, that's on the daily Seen his first mil twenty years old, had a couple of babies Had a couple of shooters Caught a murder case, fingerprints on the gun they assumin' But witnesses couldn't prove it That was back when he turned his back and they killed his cousin He beat the case and went back to hustlin' Bird-shufflin', Anthony rang The first in the projects with the two-tone Mustang That 5.0 thing, they say 5-0 came Circlin' parking lots and parking spots And hoppin' out while harrassin' the corner blocks Crooked cops told Anthony he should kick it He brushed 'em off and walked back to the Kentucky Fried Chicken”

And thus ends the story of Anthony. Kendrick provides a perfect backdrop of Anthony’s life and struggles leading up to the most important moment. The Kentucky Fried Chicken line. This is where the puzzle starts to be put together.

The next story Kendrick greets us with is that of a man named Ducky. The only true background we get on Ducky’s life is that he moved from the Robert Taylor Homes in Chicago to California with a woman and a relatively empty wallet, eventually having a son and trying to keep a job to be able to put him through college. The job in question is at a certain KFC that Anthony Tiffith was heading to after brushing off the police. The next lines detail that Anthony is planning to rob the KFC, which he has done before and shot people in the process.

“Cross the street from the projects, Anthony planned to rob it Stuck up the place before, back in '84 That's when affiliation was really eight gears of war So many relatives tellin' us, sellin' us devilish works Killin' us, crime, intelligent, felonious Prevalent proposition with 9's Ducky was well-aware They robbed the manager and shot a customer last year He figured he'd get on these niggas' good sides Free chicken every time Anthony posted in line Two extra biscuits, Anthony liked him and then let him slide They didn't kill him; in fact, it look like they're the last to survive Pay attention, that one decision changed both of they lives One curse at a time”

Kendrick tells us in these lines that Ducky knew he quickly needed to compromise with Anthony, and how he made one simple decision to permanently get on the good sides of bad people. The puzzle is almost put together now, it’s just missing one really small detail: Why is this “Ducky” guy so important? What does he have to do with this being one massive coincidence?

The answer presents itself in a haunting, almost condescending way at the end of the song.

“Reverse the manifest and good karma, and I'll tell you why You take two strangers and put 'em in random predicaments Give 'em a soul so they can make their own choices and live with it Twenty years later, them same strangers, you make 'em meet again Inside recording studios where they reapin' their benefits Then you start remindin' them about that chicken incident Whoever thought the greatest rapper would be from coincidence? Because if Anthony killed Ducky, Top Dawg could be servin' life While I grew up without a father and die in a gunfight”

When I first pieced this story together, I was in shock. The fact that my favorite rapper and artist could’ve been prematurely killed by his future boss is absolutely absurd to me. Anthony ‘Top Dawg’ Tiffith could have shot and killed Ducky, Kendrick Lamar’s father, who could then never have fathered Kendrick Lamar, who could then never get signed to ‘Top Dawg’ Entertainment. It is truly a harrowing story about fate and how so many things could’ve been different for everyone involved if one small detail of an event never had happened.

And now back to the opening lines. As I mentioned earlier, the opening lines of this song provide Kendrick’s commentary on this whole situation.

“Oh Lamar Hail Mary and marijuana, times is hard Pray with the hooligans, shadows all in the dark Fellowship with demons and relatives, I'm a star Life is one funny mothafucka A true comedian, you gotta love him, you gotta trust him”

Kendrick is not only providing commentary but also foreshadowing the story. He reflects on praying and smoking weed during his upbringing, and also his affiliations with gang culture and how he almost went down that path before he rose to fame as a rapper, coincidentally enough because of that one event.

“DUCKWORTH” is an especially powerful song from a powerhouse of an artist. Kendrick weaves through the story in such a flawless and nonchalant way that the importance of the story could easily be overlooked at first listen. This is a hell of a storytelling song, and after writing this I have a whole new appreciation for the song and Kendrick Lamar as a whole.

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triplemreviews · 5 years

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The most interesting but most unappreciated RHCP Album- Mothers Milk

Mothers Milk, released by the Chili Peppers on September 16, 1989, is a treasure trove of the height of punk/funk fusion from the band. Following the death of their first guitarist Hillel Slovak; and the resulting departure of drummer Jack Irons, the Chili Peppers were faced with the need of two guys who could instrumentally support Flea’s crazy style of bass playing and complement Anthony Kiedis’ urgent rapping style.

They got this and more with the arrival of a young John Frusicante and Chad Smith. John Frusicante’s melodic style of play was a big contrast to Slovak’s funky-slappy rythym playing. Chad Smith’s drumming was also a fresh sound for them, as his style of play somewhat “wraps around” Flea’s bass, whereas Irons usually played a more traditional role in the Drummer-Bassist relationship, complementing Flea’s funky lines more directly. These new instrumental relationships are showcased amazingly in this album. On some tracks such as “Fire,” a punkish cover of the iconic Jimi Hendrix track, Frusicante showcases his neo-Hendrix style of play in full effect. On tracks like “Subway to Venus,” “Nobody Weird Like Me,” and “Stone Cold Bush,” the most work gets done between the instruments to make some truly great, fast, funky, bass face inducing instrumentals. Frusciantes use of effects is on point, and his playing bridges the gap between the rythym style of his predecessor and his melodic style almost perfectly. Chad Smith’s drumming is tight, complements the funky bass work perfectly, and perfectly foreshadows the amazing RHCP rythym section that we still know and love. Tracks like “Sexy Mexican Maid,” “Pretty Little Ditty,” and “Song that Made us what we are Today” showcase some spectacular funk-driven songs, the latter two being complete instrumentals. “Sexy Mexican Maid” shows a clear movement from a punk/funk sound to more of a general funk rock one, even sounding somewhat like one of the porno-like instrumentals from Blood Sugar Sex Magik, which would come out 2 years later. “Pretty Little Ditty” is exactly what it sounds like, a nice little jam courtesy of Frusciante’s Strat, Flea on the bass, and some light percussion from Chad Smith. This is by far the most, as I say, ‘Frusciante-ish’ guitar part on the album, as it heavily focuses on melodic flourishing guitar playing like we know and love from John. It is the first example of this kind of playing from him in the band, and it’s a hell of a first impression.

The most commercially successful songs from this album, (Which peaked at 52 on the Billboard Hot 200 in the United States and 33 in Australia, the first of their projects to ever do so.) “Higher Ground,” “Knock me down,” and “Taste the Pain,” are all great songs, which the exception of maybe “Taste the Pain,” where Anthony Kiedis’ vocal shortcomings show up frequently. “Higher Ground” is a cover of the Stevie Wonder classic, and they fucking killed it. The drumming is solid and steady, the bass is slapping and funky as all hell, and Frusciante’s guitar playing is clean enough to make your face look like you just bit into a lemon.

Overall, this is a killer transitional album, a killer Funk Rock album, and a great Chili Peppers album. Score:4.25/5

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triplemreviews · 5 years

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Artist to Watch: DaBaby

Johnathan Kirk, better known by his name DaBaby, is a new rapper on the come up out of Charlotte. His tracks “Suge,” “Goin Baby,” “Walker Texas Ranger,” and “Baby Sitter (w Offset)” off his debut album Baby on Baby have been gaining a lot of traction, and rightfully so if you ask me. He has a really good rapping voice, really refreshing flows, generally average and non offensive lyrical content, and an overall goofy and laid back vibe to his music and videos. It’s the type of shit you bump with your friends when you’re drunk/stoned and trying to do some stupid ass funny dancing. His beats are somewhat inconsistent, with some of them being really fitting for his flow and vibe but some just sounding forced and throwaway-like. However, I did hear a rumor however that fellow North Carolina rapper J. Cole was gonna be executive producing his next project, which would be huge. Also, from what I’ve seen and heard in research; he’s a real ass motherfucker, like he killed a guy in self defense in the middle of a walmart in front of his daughter? Phew that’s gnar. Overall, DaBaby is one of my favorite rappers on the come-up and I’m excited to see/hear more from him, especially in the collab department.

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triplemreviews · 5 years

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Jaden’s Erys Is Coming: The downfall continues

When I initially heard iconic Hollywood star Will Smith son Jaden had put out a full length album in SYRE in 2017, I laughed it off at first. Then one day my friend put “Icon,” arguably Jaden’s most commercially successful song to date, on in his car. I loved it, so I gave the album a listen when I got home. I fucked with it right away. Jaden had created an easily listenable album with a seemingly considerable amount of thought and creative direction put into it, had interesting beats, had good flows and production; and there were no absolute garbage songs on the album, with the exception of “Watch Me,” which can best be described as a cheap knockoff of “Black Skinhead” by the one and only Kanye. His next effort inThe Sunset Tapes: a Cool Tape Story can best be described as a significant drop in quality from Syre. There’s a clear creative direction that I could see Jaden wanted to take with this, but he didn’t provide enough music of substance to succeed at that. There are some god awful songs and production choices in this album, no real standout tracks, and all of the more listenable upbeat songs are obviously regurgitated from other artists’ styles. So now we have Erys Is Coming, which Jaden dropped on the 19th of this month, featuring 3 songs, “Pass,” “Beautiful Disruption,” and “New Direction”. I’m not really sure what Erys means besides just being Syre backwards, and to be honest, I didn’t like this EP enough to care to look into it. The mixing sucks, the shit is even more regurgitated than last time, and it lacks any lyrical substance or anything interesting. The first song, “Pass” is painfully bland and sounds at some points like Jaden is trying to sound like Drake. The next song, “Beautiful Disruption” has some really questionable mixing choices, but not the “ooh, interesting” kind. It’s borderline ear rape at some points. It’s a fuckin disruption, but not beautiful at all. I wish I was joking. The beat on “New Direction” is a really fire beat with some cool Travis Scott-esque adlibs;but with that comes Jaden ripping a lot more aspects of Travis’ sound and vibe, taking away from anything I got from the beat. Overall, this EP is incredibly disappointing. Jaden Smith came in with some really cool stuff but is proving to be inconsistent, unreliable, and dare I say, unoriginal.

Score: 1/5 stars

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