There’s surely no doubting now that kendrick lamar is one of the true greats – despite the dismissive titling of this release, these 8 tracks prove the incredible industrious power & passion of a true genius. Recorded alongside, as well as both pre & post ‘to pimp a butterfly’, this collection hits just as hard & heavy as its sister album, keeping his unique conscious flow at the forefront while a host of incredible producers & musicians keep things ticking behind him (to name but a few – adrian younge, thundercat & robert glasper), pushing soul further (think madlib or j dilla style production) to bolster the jazzier feel of ‘tpab’. we can’t get enough of this… “kendrick has a verve for taking giant steps backwards into an era where masters let the music speak for itself” 8.6/10 - pitchfork, “lyrics, sharp as a razor’s tip (they are almost too many gems to name) as drums, horn & string drink in the innumerable variations of these present moments” 4.4/5 - hip hop dx
