Mostly because I was checking the album against GKMC. Did it have the message song? Bangers? Obvious commercial appeal?

I kinda gave up thinking I would like the album at 'Institutionalized', but then it kinda clicked that he was taking his fans on a tour of his life from Kendrick Lamar's music career until this point. Or basically a re-make of the first album, just with more skill, insight and messiness.

I kinda liked that appeal. Feeling that he was giving people what they wanted with the first album but also kind of as a f'you to the people thinking they were gonna get a more literal GKMC followup.

The Blowout Comb analogies are solid. Both albums take the themes of the first album and take them passed their reasonable limits, but make something poetic and truly reflective of their creative persona. I guess you could make an ATLiens comparison too. TPAB and ATLiens both feel like a broadside car accident on the way to a nice, sophisticated listening party for the followup for each act's career.

It's definitely got a sense of ADD, jumping around in ellipses from the beginning of the album where K.Dot is feeling himself, acting out for pleasure by sex and drugs and then slowly begins to move inward for reflection and understanding. Slightly absorbed in himself, but also a rare sense of introspection in rap music.

Like a poster above said, this album is as unapologetically black and and angst ridden and aggressive as you could expect from arguably the most high-profile musician / artist of his generation of any genre. Likely won't see an album this dark in his career again, but he earned the right to burn his appeal ala Joker in the Dark Knight.

Haven't listened to Lupe's album, but this Kendrick album seems alot like ...and then you shoot your cousin. TPAB is alot harder, but both are more thinkpieces and art records than 'tradtional'. Kendrick might have taken a page from ?uest by burning some of his old fans in the name of gaining new fans.

Feeling the jazz influences. Maybe like 60's rock was to Electric Circus, 70's jazz was to this. Both seem just a mark away from true greatness, but the attempt ought to be rewarded by fans.

Glad to see The Lesson being The Lesson. Shout out to Quez and Dr. Claw especially.