2015 was a good year for Kendrick Lamar.
His jazz infused hip-hop opus To Pimp A Butterfly shook the world both musically and socially. The album was an instant classic, and landed on the 2015 top 10 list of just about every critical musical outlet under the sun (including The Badger Herald’s list), and went home with a wheelbarrow full of Grammys —one of which included Best Rap Album of the year.
As the album circulated, Lamar became a figurehead of the movement toward racial equality — around the world, peaceful protests chanted “Alright” as a cry for hope and change.
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2015 was Lamar’s time on the throne, and now with the release of his new EP, untitled unmastered., it seems like he’s pretty resilient to get off the throne.
Untitled unmastered. came seemingly out of nowhere. It’s a collection of eight untitled demos assembled together into its own project. A few of these tracks have been performed live in the past — Lamar performed “untitled 03 | 05.28.2013.” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and “untitled 08 | 09.06.2014.” on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon — but this is the first time the tracks have been available commercially.
The songs on this project all sound like To Pimp A Butterfly b-sides, but that’s not a bad thing by any means. It just so happens that To Pimp A Butterfly was a stellar album, so it’s no surprise the b-sides follow suit.
The production on this EP is raw in every sense of the word. With the lack of studio after-touch on the tracks, the instrumentation possesses a tangible live feel.
On songs like “untitled 03 | 5.28.2013.” and “untitled 06 | 06.30.2014.,” the crisp acoustic drums, fluttering vintage organs and gritty bass tones give the feel of being in the studio with a live jazz band. Jazz was omnipresent on To Pimp A Butterfly — but it rarely felt as in your face as it does on this EP.
In terms of Lamar’s word play, his vocal performances on this album prove he is still in a league of his own when it comes to rap technicality. The fact that the songs on this project are TPAB throwaways and Lamar’s raps are still phenomenal speaks volumes to his abilities as a rapper.
For example, “untitled 02 | 6.23.2014.” features an intoxicating trap beat reminiscent of the current Atlanta scene, and on this beat Lamar delivers a vocal performance that revitalizes and reimagines the potential of trap beats.
He does away with the auto-tuned vocals that are commonplace for trap music and replaces them with shrill and shaky vocals that transition into a menacing verse on the second half of the song. Even on Lamar’s throwaway tracks, he still manages to deliver entirely fresh sonic landscapes.
Untitled unmastered., however, is not without its flaws. There are some moments on the EP that feel a bit longwinded and unnecessary. While these sections feel intentionally placed to add to the unedited feel of the album, they do detract from the experience.
“Untitled 01 | 08.19.2014.” features sensual whisperings on the intro that extend to the point that feels unnecessary and uncomfortable, and the third part of “untitled 07 | 2014-2016.” features in-studio audio of what sounds like Lamar laying out the framework for a song that just feels awkward and drawn-out.
Untitled unmastered. isn’t another To Pimp A Butterfly, but it’s not trying to be. Rather, untitled unmastered. lays out the creative headspace Lamar has existed in for the last few years. In doing so, the EP delivers some blazing tracks that, aside for a few awkward longwinded moments, make listeners forget they are listening to a collection of demos.
