In my opinion TPAB is a 10 - if I could give it higher, I would. But liking TPAB doesn't mean I'm sleeping on Lupe... I thought Tetsuo & Youth was his best album since The Cool. Also, I thought B4DA$$ was an incredible debut for Joey Badass and I'm really optimistic about Action Bronson's debut.
Problem for me is that TPAB doesn't have the versatility that GKMC has. With GK you could take any song and put it into rotation and it still had a deep message while being easy to listen to, and the production values were solid. TPAB only works when you listen to it from beginning to end, for the most part. On a track by track basis it's just not that interesting. The jazz samples are uninteresting, the spoken word stuff is only mildly engaging for me, even after a week of repeated listening. Like I get what it set out to do and whatnot, but I doubt anybody will be listening to it that much once the hype dies down in a few months, or whenever the hell Kanye's album drops. It doesn't have that lasting power, and that's what would give it a 10 out of 10 for me. I don't see myself going back to do this like I would GKMC, or F&L, or anything Ye's put out. That being said, TPAB is a backpacker's absolute wet dream, hoo lord.
That's a fair perspective. For me Kendrick is the most innovative rapper of the modern era, and he definitely didn't disappoint me with this one. He did a fantastic job of creating a cohesive whole, especially with the way he incorporated the spoken word poem that led into each track, the way he incorporated the lucifer metaphor as financial corporate exploitation throughout, and the way he tied it all together with the 2pac interview. Also, on a technical level TPAB gave me everything I look for: - Unique and dynamic beat selection - Great strategic use of features - Uses voice in novel ways and almost as another instrument - Solid and consistent concept But I am biased, I've been a big fan of Kendrick since Section.80, and he is probably in my top 5 all time. Especially after this one...
Ya man I'm probably with you. To me TPAB and GKMC are both contenders for my top five.
Ya I would like to hear what you think in a few months/year. I'm not ready to say whether I like TPAB more than GKMC, need to let it sink in, but I think it will go down as a classic. But already it's looking like the first quarter of 2015 has produced more good hip hop than the whole of 2014! Things are looking up!