1001 Albums Summary

Kendrick’s lyricism and story telling serve as a glimpse behind the curtain of a way of life that’s incredibly far removed from my own; a lifestyle that I’ve always respected, but rarely understood. This album feels like I’m being taken for a ride-along through the neighborhoods that shaped Kendrick’s adolescence; able to point to individual street corners, refer to characters I’ve never met by first name, and still see of the nuance and impact that each experience had. As often as Kendrick is able to reminisce about bonding memories with friends, you get a sense of his resentment and eagerness to leave those people behind. His stories aren’t told from a place of pride, but as a matter of fact retelling of a difficult existence. There’s an overarching tone of criticism in living an unsustainable life in a balancing act; caught between earning masculine respect through acts of violence, and grieving for the friends and family lost along the way.

I involuntarily shook my booty throughout.

Neil Young cannot sing.

Fun, soft 90’s punk/ska skate vibes, won’t revisit it though.

Mid.

This sucked.

David Bowie is massively overrated outside of his few radio hits. He’s proof that if you throw enough shit at the wall, eventually something will stick.

The Beastie Boys are a one-trick pony that managed to stretch their unremarkable style into an entire career. Although this album contains some of their greatest hits, songs that have permeated popular culture, it’s hard to argue that every track on this album, along with their other releases, sound the exact same throughout. The formula is simple: AA BB rhyme scheme with lyrics out of a children’s dictionary, and most importantly, SHOUT the last word of every second or fourth line. This is noise. Leave rap to rappers.

Catchy

The Beastie Boys are a one-trick pony that managed to stretch their unremarkable style into an entire career. Although this album contains some of their greatest hits, songs that have permeated popular culture, it’s hard to argue that every track on this album, along with their other releases, sound the exact same throughout. The formula is simple: AA BB rhyme scheme with lyrics out of a children’s dictionary, and most importantly, SHOUT the last word of every second or fourth line. This is noise. Leave rap to rappers.