Whatever the reason, this one’s still going to be monopolizing my iPod whenever I end up passing by the “k’s.” So maybe I should take Lamar’s advice and cut out all the talk. Maybe it’s something about the very first words here - “I am a sinner/whose probably going to sin again/Lord forgive me/Lord forgive me thing’s I don’t understand” - that’s achingly human. It’s also in the way Lamar zig-zags through it, managing to be awe struck by where he’s ended up (“put me on stages/to me that’s amazing”) while also throwing out a bunch of disses. It’s partly in the way those strings give way to the beat, the two eventually synthesizing into one fly-as-hell production.
Yet I find it difficult to put into words why this song sticks with me. It’s probably one of my most played tracks period of the last year. Michel: This is the Kendrick Lamar song I’ve listened to the most since last fall, on long train rides and walks to work and times spent preparing dinner. Well-observed, still too damn garrulous, and Lamar’s dork impersonation still sounds misconceived. Sounwave digs up some Danish downtempo fluff and strikes smoke if only Kendrick could show the same curiosity about the actions of others.Īlfred Soto: One of my least favorite good Kid, m.A.A.d city tracks gets a sonic spritz, although this incarnation lacks the desperation of the other diva-addled editions. The vibe doesn’t really seem endangered: he says he’s shouting but we can’t hear it. What actually matters, though, is Kendrick - his verses are so insanely good on the remix that they won me over to a song I was initially cold on, but when I go back to those original verses, I remember that they really weren’t anything special.Īnthony Easton: The music is lush, seamless, and gorgeous…like a slightly cryptic luxury product you didn’t know existed five minutes ago, that you will dispose of in two or three days, but you need now! It’s too bad so much effort is put on the cliched lyrics and tired flow of the hyped-to-death Kendrick.īrad Shoup: Lamar’s exceptionalism grates against his declarations of fallibility. But oh lord does the “bitch” belong, if only to give the song its bite and keep it from wafting away on air.Īl Shipley: It’s interesting to listen to the solo album version given how much it’s been framed and defined that the superstars that have touched it in other incarnations: Lady Gaga on that increasingly laughable, thankfully discarded early draft, Jay-Z on the event remix. For the single version, it’s been changed to “trick,” turning the chorus into something lighter and more accessible. And the word “bitch” hits like a brick, a spiky detour from the rest of the song’s measured atmosphere. It’s a curious song – curious meaning that it feels singular, but also that it shows Lamar trying to understand the world around him as he tilts his head at finding something new. It floats along calmly despite being based around a withering put-down, stands alone on an album entirely concerned with thematic cohesion and showcases craft over savvy marketing (Lady Gaga was supposed to be singing the hook once upon a time). Pharrell Williamsĭaniel Montesinos-Donaghy: For all that’s been written in the wake of last year’s good kid, m.A.A.d city (my personal favourite: Houstonian writer Matthew Ramirez’s tumblr essay), “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” has retained an element of mystique despite the level of attention paid to its host album.
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