>...couldn't we say about everything after, say,
>Jay/Nas/Eminem that all of these guys borrow blatantly from
>someone else?

I think it was just as clear where each of those dudes came from, unless you mean they were the beginning of that. I don't think there's ever been an era of rap where you couldn't find songs where rappers were tracing other rappers, except maybe 1984-1989.

>Even Kanye West, the most individualistic alt-rap provocateur
>of the Bush and Obama years, is a direct descendant of Tribe
>and Outkast, no? In the mid-aughts Lil Wayne was undoubtedly a
>comet, but he still felt like a manic and drugged out Andre
>3000 if you listened hard enough. I think after about 03,
>you'd be hard pressed to find a big rap star who doesn't wear
>his influences on his sleeves.

Again, I think this is something true of most rappers in its commercial era and I'm not sure it makes any rapper better or worse. Part of my argument is that I don't think it's a knock against Kendrick that many of these songs sound/feel inspired by other contemporary artists, or artists who were at the top of the genre when Kendrick was in his late teens. More like it's about time he was able to make an album like this and not make an ass of himself, because he has before (I am a mild fan of Overly Dedicated, and dislike his prior work almost entirely).

>(In fact, Kendrick is so obviously better than Drake at being
>a whole artist, but I would entertain an argument that
>Drake/40's "sound" is something more unique than Kendrick's)
>


I don't think Kendrick has "a sound", and that's part of what helps him connect with people more than other artists. While I think TPAB is a phenomenal record, I feel that way for reasons other than its political goals; I agree with those who find it a misguided and confused full-length. I just think it sounds damn good, and feels good to listen to. I'll listen to just about ANY of his other projects casually, though, before TPAB.

What makes Kendrick work for people is the way he smoothly transitions from one style of production from the next, and uses honestly sometimes unnecessary vocal filters to keep listeners on their toes and think "oh man, there's MORE to this!"

Whereas what makes Drake work for people is that you hear a song like "LOVE." and think, "there goes Kendrick doing Drake." Drake's made other artists remind you of him; I don't think Kendrick will do that to someone else's art for a while. In that sense, I agree with you wholeheartedly. But only because I think Drake very deliberately has a sound, and Kendrick deliberately doesn't.



~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
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