(It’s happening) no more bad bitches and real niggas (It’s happening) no more discriminating the poor “(It’s happening) no more running from world wars On the first track “untitled 01” Lamar raps, may be viewed as leftovers from a great musician’s last studio sessions but that can be a simple way to disregard the significance of this latest record. Based on the track listing, many of the songs were recorded almost two or three years ago around the same time his last record was recorded. Untitled unmastered, is only eight tracks long but still contains the same substance and rawness you would expect to find from the same artist that created good kid, m.A.A.d city and To Pimp a Butterfly. The moments were captivating, and most importantly, Lamar had made it impossible to ignore his message. Lamar had become a commander on stage, he performed each track with a dexterity and intensity rarely seen in hip-hop or any other genre. Kendrick had created moments of hip-hop greatness, songs that were so powerful and brilliantly coordinated that hearing the recorded studio version wasn’t entirely necessary.
I had grown accustomed to the idea of Kendrick Lamar’s untitled series living on forever as live performances, never heard or released as studio recordings. Lamar began performing “untitled” tracks in 2014, the first of which was performed on The Colbert Report, the second “untitled” track was performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. It was well known that Lamar had a wealth of material stashed away after the recording of his 2015 Grammy-winning album, To Pimp A Butterfly, but it was unexpected that the the material would ever see the light of day.
Lamar released, untitled unmastered, on Friday as a surprise release. These faults are visible in his music, every boastful line of success can be accompanied by a line declaring his fear of judgement. He frequently raps about the duality of his life, a hero for all of hip-hop, but also a man with faults. Lamar has seen and done many things, both good and bad the burden of his past choices are all too evident in his music. The spotlight is currently on Kendrick and he is well aware of his position in hip-hop. He has the ability to fire off rhymes with quick succession and after each line you have just enough time to soak in the weight of his words. Kendrick Lamar’s greatest gift is the clarity and brevity in which he raps.