I think Melle Mel has forgotten that being “influenced” by a rapper means more than just taking from their style of rap. You can be influenced by someone without wanting to rap just like them.
I was just about to say it’s literally as simple as that . Nobody can do what Kdot does . Shit even if you wanted to it would take YEARS of research , AND THEN another few years to gain the rap skill to do it as nonchalantly as he does lol
This comment right here. This the one. This is the ten toes down argument. You literally can’t be Kendrick that’s the whole idea. You can color your dreads and throw the auto tune on rapping over the same beats. But you can’t put together a song let alone a whole ass project like this man has time and time again, without crutch features, without riding a wave.
why would I ever want to rap like Kendrick though? I think his style should be his style and his style only. Idk. i rap my own way and no one can take that away from me. I’m sure the feeling is mutual between artists
Kendrick Lamar made me start to like modern hip hop and open my mind to what music could sound like and listen to more artists than what just what I originally liked
I'm not a huge hip hop fan, but damnnn, I've enjoyed a lot of Kendrick's tracks so much since I started listening to some of his music, there are so many beautiful and fun elements there, I've tried listening to other artists' songs in the genre and some of them I've liked but a loooot of them I've found so flavourless
The oldhead perspective is so frustrating to me, as someone who is also OLD and was around during the "golden" years of hip-hop (I am 53). You can't and shouldn't compare the landscape today with the 80s or 90s.... it's so different, and it makes me sad to see the classic idols of the genre limit their viewpoint so much. I think it has something to do with the short-term lifespan of rap stars, but I don't really know. How is it possible not to see the innovation and relevancy of people like Earl, Tyler, Kendrick, JID, A$AP Rocky, Slowthai, RTJ, DANNY BROWN, etc, etc.
@@dabs.47 that dude is pushing the genera forward. I don't bump slowthai or Joji much, but those dudes are expanding what types of rappers can be successful.
"Nobody wanted to rap like Kendrick." That's because nobody COULD rap like Kendrick. No one else can convey such visceral emotion and complex ideas the way he can. "Sing About Me (I'm dying of thirst)" is a perfect example.
Yeah, I’d even go as far to say that the MAAD City beat switch was a benchmark for the popularization of the beat switch in recent years. A lot of people cite Sicko Mode and astroworld but forget about GKMC
Kendrick is influential in the way John Singer Sargent Is influential in painting. He’s a benchmark for the craft, and an example of mastery of craft. But that doesn’t mean he’s going to influence trends or style. He’s just exemplary of what it means to take your work seriously and invest time to hone your skills.
Huge w take, people like JSS and also Joseph wright of derby, took the culture by storm and totally changed the game for the consumer of art, everyone can acknowledge the impact they had on how art was received, but they didn’t influence how other people produced art. Kendrick is similar in that he’s this phenomenon where everyone goes “well that was amazing” and then continued doing their own thing. It’s the difference between influencing how people look at art and how people produce it, the inverse would be someone like Caravaggio who could be compared to a Rakim, changed everything and then people started doing things in the way he did.
Kendrick is less Sargent and more Bouguereau-substanceless and glossy form that only exists to appease the establishment and rile up the actual creatives into doing something. though Bouguereau has the added benefit of not reducing actual political issues to the level of self-help
It’s all about how you look at influence. Someone like Kanye was influential because he was a trendsetter who showed what the art form could be. Kendrick, on the other hand, is the Rapper’s rapper of this generation who showed what the art form could do and will probably be the first name dropped as the inspiration for the next generation of artists to come.
Being the first non jazz/classical artist to win a pullitzer makes you influential. In the 80's and 90's achieving that level of critical acclaim was unthinkable for hip hop artists.
Why? Cause some Swedish academics said so? It was for reasons that have to do with literary criticism and postmodernism. Not much to do with quality . Idea is not just valuing writing based on skill cause it precludes pretty much anyone not over educated and privliged and ivy leauge schools
can't remember where I heard it, I think it was a Dre interview but he said something along lines of 'kendrick is making people listen to albums again' and I think that's a fair point. so many people who grew up without ever buying or owning an album have never listened to one in full, but every time kendrick puts an album out it seems like more and more people are introduced to the album listening experience; which is a positive influence as a whole
Dre's right. Kendrick is one of very few artists that I'll sit and listen to the whole album. I'll even make sure I have Shuffle turned off so as not to mess up the structure of the album. And I think thats because Kendrick albums aren't just collections of songs, they're stories and each song is a chapter in that story.
This comment made my day! I'm starting right now to listen to albums, and before I was just listening to singles (RHCP is my childhood band and never listened to a full album) and now that you let me think about it it all started with good kid maad city! Thank u so much cause I never thought about it!! P.s. the second step was made by fantano, thanks to him I started listening to random albums and expanded my music taste and knowledge.
@@tannerhamilton6025 Exactly. The truth is that a lot of albums just feel like collections of okay songs with a couple good hits, so even if I do push myself to listen to a whole album I don't usually go back to listen to it all again. People like Kendrick actually care about telling a story with their album or just making every song unique and meaningful, which makes it much easier to listen to the whole thing even if not every song is a "hit"
@@C-sco BSSM and Californication are a great album experience itself imo. Especially BSSM where transitioning to another song were carefully crafted, which feels more like a live performance
@@tonytheoniIt’s more accurate to say no one was influence by Kareem. Kareem’s sky hook was super effective for him but no one copied it. MJ or LeBron are more like Biggie and Poc people will try and copy them but just never quite reach their height.
Abusing my powers full of resentment Resentment that turned into a deep depression. Found myself screaming in a hotel room. I didn't want to self-destruct. The evils of Lucy was all around me. So, I went running for answers.
reminds me of that one video of kendrick visiting a high school that was studying to pimp a butterfly in class. the kids wrote their own raps inspired by him. he performed at their school; every kid in the audience knew the words to his song. kendrick has crazy influence on this and the upcoming generations music and culture.....to say otherwise is actually insane.
Let's be honest, rap from Melle Mel's era (1979-1985) was honestly way less intricate and had way less substance than guys like Kendrick, let alone 90's hip-hop. Guys like NWA, Public Enemy, and Rakim took rap to the next level than just party music. (I will admit "The Message" and "White Lines" were pretty substantial, though). EDIT: Don't get me wrong, I salute the forefathers who layed the foundation for everything, but it only got better as the 90's approached then the real stuff got pushed underground in the 00's, Kendrick is a breath of fresh air in the 10's as he's real AND has mainstream attention!
Not there’s anything wrong with rap as just “party music”. Festivities speaks volumes about the culture and environment that it developes in. The Zulu Nation started as way for street gangs to coalesce and channel their energies into creative endeavores, stuff that developed into what we know as Hip-hop culture.
I mean people like Schooly D and 2 live crew took it to another levels by introducing explicit lyrics to the genre and now literally is the cliche of rap. And also people like rakim literally is the blueprint of modern Hip Hop in term of lyrics and rhyming. Hip Hop evolve and we have to appreciate how it changes through times.
@@joebidenjr5902 maybe not by one aspect but the way he puts his lyrical content, rapping, production, artistry, popularity, etc on his music and puts them together is definitely new
@Big D I mean, Kendrick himself has said that his style is directly influenced by Tupac, Biggie, Eminem, Andre 3000, and MC Eiht. Hell, a lot of old heads like Kendrick because of how much he reminds them of the aforementioned rappers.
@@biskit8050 not just that but let's say he actually does nothing new at all, even then his mastery of these things has far exceeded most in the rap world, which in itself can be seen as new, just for showing how good rap can be.
I don’t think Kendrick is influential in the way Kanye was back in the day but I also think that we’re in a different era of Hip-Hop where there’s so many different mainstream sounds that it’s very hard to influence the genre in any particular way. I feel like the last person to really do it was Future
The future comment is really weird and missing the point. The thing is there's hella influential people and sounds right now, nobody gonna vibe with one sound but that's why Kendrick is one of those people.
@@Gcssdvnkloiutescwhy does Kendrick do it then? Eminem haters love to just talk shit about him. Even your lover Fantano in this video defends him and says he is influential.
Kendrick is such a unique and commanding _and profound_ voice in the genre, it sounds at least POSSIBLE to me that his greatest influence on aspiring rappers could be far less “I want to sound just like him,” and could instead be far more like “Oh s***, I really need to find my OWN voice if I want to do this seriously.”
The problem is that is really difficult to emulate Kendrick his style cadence metrics lyrics is not that simple, he's sound and rapping changes every album, the Kendrick from good kid is diffent from the one on TPAB, and of course Kendrick is influential on and off the hip hop world, the guy has literally become the rapper to show people who are outside of the rap sphere that rap is way more deep and rich than the mainstream portrait.
The problem is the sheer amount of rappers and the landscape of today's rap. Tupac and BIG were the biggest fish in a small pond. There were less rappers, the internet didn't exist in the way it does now and that's pretty much all there is to it. Everything just grew more diverse. New rappers don't want to be anyone but themselves. There isn't a blueprint you can copy now like there was in the 90s with Tupac and BIG.
"Nobody wants to rap like Kendrick. Nobody wants to rap like Eminem." So what??? These artists are in a league all their own and everybody knows this. it's not that "nobody wants to" it's that nobody can! Nobody raps like Aesop Rock, but so what? I don't need anyone but themselves to rap like they do.
Bruh, he might not be the most influential (tho I disagree) to rap itself as a genre, but the man is influential to me personally, and many others, I'm sure who may or may not even be involved in music as an art form. The dude is willing to tackle such personal human issues in a way that is hard to diminish no matter where you stand. The dude is a living legend
@@yudhabagaskara98 just because you’re a contemporary of someone doesn’t mean that you can’t be influenced by them. Obviously, Kendrick is not the main influence on Tyler’s music (Pharrell, Wayne, etc.); but considering how much Tyler has divulged about his love for Kendrick’s work, I find it hard to believe that there has been no rub off effect on Tyler.
Em's style of rap is the standard for "lyrical miracle" rap today. Cole, Kendrick, Tyler, Joyner, Logic are all measured by that standard. The battle rap scene is even stronger evidence of his impact not only stylistically but the exposure 8 Mile brought to the craft. There's literally no one else to accredit this to so lol @ MC Melle Mel. Edit: MM vs. M&M... let's set this up!
when Lorde, David Bowie, Cordae, Saba, Dua Lipa, Jhene Aiii, Khalid and more have all said Kendrick has inspired, who cares how influential he is in rap? He’s influential in MUSIC
8:28 The first hip-hop album I ever listened to in its entirety was TPAB. I've never been a hip-hop hater or anything, it's just never really been to my taste and I was very clearly not the target audience for it is all, so I'd never bothered going out of my way to listen to a whole album. I put it on in the car while I was on a 5 hour drive through rural Georgia at night. I vividly remember when Hood Politics came on as I was passing through one of the many tiny, decaying Georgia towns with a population somewhere under a thousand, one malfunctioning stoplight right next to a slowly collapsing building making up the "downtown" area. I grew up in the South and every one of those little towns has their own "hood politics." The differences are pretty obvious as soon as you look at the details, of course, but the overarching themes of crushing poverty, violence, and people being trapped in the culture "stickin' to the scripts" so they'll never make any money sure as fuck rhyme. I still wouldn't describe myself as a hip-hop fan, necessarily, if only because I still don't listen to much of it, but I desperately wish there were many more records like TPAB in hip-hop and other genres.
I think a lot of people wish they could rap like Kendrick, Cole, etc but can't find the authentic, natural, and contextual flow that they have for topics that aren't surface level
just off the top of my head I immediately think of people like JID and little simz who were hugely influenced by Kendrick. they're great artists in their own right and might still have been great artists but I can't imagine hearing them sound the way they do if it weren't for kendrick's presence.
Kendrick has undeniably had an influence, be it through his style of music or the messages contained within his music. He’s not often referred to as one of the top three throughout this last decade for no reason. Not many people can even afford to step away in the capacity that he did and make a return so well received that it’s almost made to feel like he never took a break in spite of his limited publicity compared to his contemporaries.
if he is so influential name me one artist (who is relevant) who sounds like a Kendrick Lamar. MF DOOM, Kanye West, Andre 3000, Lil Wayne, (heck even Drake) are more influential than Kendrick Lamar.
@Rethabile Feni To modern hip hop, absolutely. Artists from the last ten years (though that's too long, the modern game is younger than a decade) don't care about Kanye or Wayne anymore. And nobody mainstream ever cared about doom. He's an underground guy with loyal fans. Influential means "inspired people to become artists and/or helped change the genre overall"
@@godwarrior3403 yes, modern hip hop Kanye and Lil Wayne are irrelevant but on the overall culture their imprint and influence can not be erased. so yeah we can agree on that Drake is influential rn but i tend to believe his influence will rapidly evaporate just like 50 Cents. and as for MF DOOM, dude Earl Sweatshirt, Tyler, the Creator, Childish Gambino are all influenced by MF DOOM and they even admitted this.
Anthony's take is 100% correct. I heavily believe we're already seeing examples of Kendrick's music, specifically from TPAB last decade, but amplified by MM most definitely for younger kids where MM was their first Kenny album release they've experienced since becoming a fan. Kendrick's work has totally created an impactful influence for this generation in general -- not even exclusive to hip hop.
I've known Kendrick for a while but Mr. Morale was the first full album I listened to and it has definitely had a really great impact on me. On one hand Kendrick discusses mental health, grieving, pleasing everyone and really has helped me with coping through personal experiences. On the other hand he talks about the negative aspects of Black Culture, and it impacted me so much to where the Main theme for my Art Assessment/Project is "The Negative Aspects of Black Culture" There's some differences culturally as I did not come from Kendrick's background, nor am I American but it still holds great relevancy to me. I think this album needed to exist, people had to hear something like it, so open and vulnerable.
I think this is all funny cuz it’s obvious the most influential rapper of this era. What does most rap sound like now? Emo psychedelic auto tune shit. The Boom Baps gotta scream super loud to ignore that. So they talk about Kendrick being influential. The Love Below➡️808s & Heartbreaks➡️DS2. How is this era not Future’s?
Also to say nobody wants to sound like Eminem is wild. To be fair most em clones are not great artists, but look at how many fast rap/lyrical miracle artists eminem has created
Another big factor that contributes to his "lack of influence" in hip hop sound is that he has changed his style with every goddamn album, making it harder to replicate.
Yea evryone is trying to sound like em not knowing it wasn't the rhymes but the stories he could paint something that he has seem to forgotten he let the whole goat thing go to his head and his new angry for being angry is just so corny he was complaining about mumble rappers and proceeds to diss tyler and earl for no reason
It is weird that Kendrick doesn't have clones. Cole has at least one w/Cordae, Drake has many, Weezy has many. Biggie, 2pac, Jay, MF DOOM, and Em as well.
I love "the message" and i would have never heard that song if it wasnt for eminem (formally) introducing me to hiphop in 1999. Thats how influential these artists are, they can even impact rappers that came before them. Im sure kendrick will make kids go back and discover pac´s music. To me that is beautiful.
I also think the idea that people don't wanna rap like Kendrick is insane. I hear Kendrick influence all over place, it's insane. And that's not even getting into production choice
I mean he's completely off base anyways. Dude really said "No one wants to rap like eminem" as if there aren't 50 million eminem clones on youtube RIGHT NOW
Kendrick is the Radiohead of rap. Weather you like it or not, he has shaped and set the bar himself, the rest just exist underneath. It’s just how it is, the sky is blue, etc
No shade to Tupac and Biggie, but they were rapping in an era where there was like 2 kinds of rappers. Now we got trap rap, pop rap, industrial, conscious, abstract, rage, etc There's so many niches and sounds within each niche, you can't really be the king of every one.
So we just going to ignore that for a few years people kept saying that JID sounded like one of Kendrick's voices come to life? He even adapted one of Kendrick's lines for a BET freestyle Kendrick: Let bygones be bygones...but where I'm from, We buy guns and more guns, to give to the young. JID: We don't let bygones be bygones, We buy guns and squeeze like a python until the night come Saba also has that Kendrick influence when you listen. He has an interview with Pitchfork where he says his favorite verse is on the Heart Part 2 Also, Benjamin Earl Turner. He doesn't have a lot of rap out, but listen to him and you hear the influence of Kendrick for sure That's off the top of my head.
Years ago Melle Mel did an interview where he was dismissive of Rakim - seriously, quite possibly the single most influential rapper in the history of the entire genre - for not having enough energy when he rapped.
That was a huge part of why Rakim worked lmao. In an era of bombastic lively rappers, he showed people a different kind of confidence and braggadocio by bring so laid back and generating hype nonetheless.
im a big fan of metal. i dont even like rap, i can listen to pop (even though its corny sometimes) but i really hate rap. i couldnt get into it, i couldnt feel it, i couldnt connect to it. however, this changed when i heard stan. i know eminem since i was a kid but hearing the full of song of stan gave me goosebumps because of how extraordinary the storytelling and writing was. after that, i got into eminem and then i listened to kendrick next (because after knowing little bit abt hiphop, ive heard that kendrick is the goat of this generation). the first song i listened to was alright and its awesome but hearing sing about me, im dying of thirst gave me the deepest connection that i couldve ever feel through a song. i couldnt even relate to the lyrics yet the way he rapped and the sound of it makes me feel something ive never felt. up until now, i feel calm whenever i hear that masterpiece. then kendrick lamar dropped mr morale, that whole album became my whole therapy and meditation. kendrick changed the way i see life, especially with mr morale.
Kendrick is called "The King" for a reason. He's one of a kind and isn't easily emulated. Influencial by his message and mastery of the craft. So, take that L, Melle Mel.
@@kuppakassi Ok let's say Em copied from Cage like the Slim shady lp but Eminem MMLP was the album that went diamond name a song from Cage like Stan or The Way I am, man ppl just don't wanna give credit to Em nowadays lol but to criticize him they are always ready lol
Glad you touched on the powers that be that make it hard to actually be a rapper that is heavily influenced by artists like Kendrick Lamar and be successful. There’s been so many “Kendrick clones”( internets words not mine) who popped up around 2015, and then just faded away. Kemba was one 😅. It seemed as though the industry wanted to push the rap that highlited drugs and money over conscious rap. But that’s a whole other conversation 😵💫
It's always interesting when this topic comes up. I think that the reason Kendrick doesn't get as much credit sometimes as influential is because the ideas of impact, innovation, and influence are too often related to the thought of "being the first to do something" which aren't necessarily related at all. In fact, what Kendrick did do is helped innovate and further popularize the concept album in hip hop and honestly across music in general. Even David Bowie mentioned being inspired by Kendrick to focus more on the attention to detail when relating the value of album sequencing and overall storyline. He found a balance between the value of the art, the message, and the accessibility of the sonic landscapes which is something that a MC such as Lupe Fiasco was hit and miss with throughout his career. I'm a Lupe fan, but I brung him up because it seems that over the years he's expressed some hints of bitterness and jealously towards Kendrick's overall acclaim and popularity.
I know his fans are salty in his latest release, Cake, which is good if you havent heard it. Lupe doesnt get his flowers often enough but that aint kendricks fault. dot just makes classics.
i literally just saw a video of some people trying to prove why kendrick was overrated and this was their main reasoning💀 the entire idea that people are always talking about kendrick is influence in itself, and i think it's crazy to try and deny it
He’s like a guy that did his own thing and mastered it so well its too intimidating to replicate. a legend and one of the greats but he really doesn’t have much musical influence. It’s okay. His best work is timeless and culturally influential
It's bad enough that Melle Mel claims Kendrick isn't influential, but Eminem? You have to be *painfully* out of touch with modern hip-hop culture to unironically believe and proudly declare that Eminem is not influential. Ripping off Eminem is its own genre at this point.
@@workt42 You being so triggered about people complimenting and appreciating Kdot is way cringier, you writing paragraphs shows how long he's living rent free in your head.🤣
"Nobody wants to rap like eminem" almost every white rapper has been influenced to rap in the same style as Eminem and Kendrick is way too unique if people rapped like him they'd sound dumb Kendrick is one of the most influential people to the hip hop culture of not the sound itself
And he ghostwrote a bunch of Dre's best verses, which I guarantee have inspired tons of rappers. Saying nobody wants to rapper like Eminem is just straight up wrong.
In an era where the common perception is that “lyrics don’t matter like they used to in the golden age era of hip hop”, the fact that King Fu Kenny has built a following on the impact of his words all the way through getting a Pulitzer negates all talk of him not being influential. As far as “rapping like him”: Chopping like Kendrick requires actual verbal, rhythmic and breathe control skill to execute with clarity… thus, just like playing the piano… not everybody can play Bach fugues, but a lot of people can play chopsticks.
It's not that nobody wants to be like Kendrick or Eminem, it's just that no one can be like them. Nobody has surpassed them in their niche, they defined their own niche, carved out a whole subgenre with their unique styles. No rapper has infused their life, or black culture, so poetically into their music as Kendrick. Say what you want about the flow or his supposed victim complex, it's still amazing to convey that deep of a story in a 4 minute song that's also a banger. Eminem has punchy and funny delivery that isn't emotional but made rap music accessible to the masses, while still leveling up the lyrical complexity beyond the likes of any other contemporary rap song. To be popular is the easy part but to be artistically distinguishable as a rapper all the same is so much harder.
Kendrick's work is contagious. Even when I didn't quite catch on the words and what he rapped about I really loved listening to his rap bc it was addictive and fun to listen to. That itself says a lot! Then I got to the lyrics part.🤯
I think about this a lot. As full time producer for 5 years now, I really don't see his influence _anywhere_ . With most of the artists we consider "influential" you hear their contributions across the entire music landscape. From small local artists, to mid sized indie artists, all the way to the billboard top 100 (as a specific example: you'd hear lil b's influence in like most of 2016-2020 soundcloud rap, artists like wintertime/yachty (although yachty is closer to billboard artist), and people like carti/asap rocky). Who really sounds like Kendrick Lamar that didn't already fit into that label pre-GKMC? I'm sure there's a ton of soundcloud tier kendrick lamars out there, but compared to artists like Lil B, Carti, YungLean/Bladee, etc I feel like their share of the underground is a drop in the bucket. There's _some_ mid tier artists out there I'm sure. And then in the mainstream you really only have like... the people that have always been associated with Kdot from the beginning. The thing is I don't think there's anything wrong with that necessarily. Kendrick's best qualities aren't his "style" or whatever. It's the literal quality of his art. It's not something that can really be copied because it only works when it's executed at the highest levels. Another way of describing it would be that he's a "classic" hiphop artist. It's less that he's redefining the genre and leaving ripples for decades, but more like he's going back to the _roots_ of hiphop and expanding on them. If you're influenced by Kendrick Lamar you're influenced by DOOM & Outkast & Nujabes & Pac etc. The sounds been out forever and Kendrick didn't really reinvent it. He just modernized it and did it better than anybody else in our generation. I think that's enough. To just make immaculate art.
To clarify: I hadn't even watched the video yet bc Idk I just wanted to take the time to flesh out my own opinion. It seems like whoever brought up this discussion is equating influential with "best". If that's the case than Sugar Gang Hill and Lil B would indisputably be top 5 all time. Which is highly debatable. I like Lil B's music for sure and he changed my understanding of music as a kid but he's not one of the greatest. Just one of the most influential. (although to say their influence is top 5 is not debateable imo. Sugar Gang Hill basically "made" the genre and the only reason you could think Lil B isn't a top 5 most influential rapper is if you only tunnel vision on top 100-500 artists instead of the entire rap scene since 2007. 98% of rappers post Lil B are either directly influenced by him or influenced by artists influenced by him)
When dude said no one wants to be like Eminem he lost whatever credibility he had haha i instantly thought of the 1000s of white dudes imitating him lol
When he can drop something on one end like damn, and on the other end t.p.a.b. I feel like kendrick raps out of love. Not for fame or even to be recognized for "rap". He does it out of love, god given talent, hard work and sharing his truth.
he had a massive impact on the sound of music. after TPAB all the sudden everybody had choirs and live horns and epianos & their music was much more lush with depth. sure they might've had jazz stuff in there before but they werent like that they were more like traditional boom bap kendrick also inspired a whole gang of rappers to try to be all introspective n maybe they're not good but that's still his influence.
Lies Kendrick literally did what 90s rap had, fused Jazz, Blues and Soul… he didn’t revolutionize shit. It’s just those genres modernized and refined, nothing new.
Having commercial success with sound and lyrics as dense as Kendrick’s is like playing on hard mode. Not only can few (no one?) do what he does, but to be one of the biggest artists in the world while still challenging the listener, what a rare thing in this tiktok age.
i mean there is some validity to that statement. while there are rappers like JID who take influence from Kendrick, artists like Future, Chief Keef, and Thugger are far more influential.
Only because they make "radio music". Music that's designed to be marketable and played on the radio. So they're "influential" only in the sense that they're consistently in the mainstream of music. But they don't speak on anything meaningful or of substance. If anything they're influential in the worst ways, they constantly promote and glorify the worst aspects of the Culture.
@@tannerhamilton6025 Chief Keef does not make radio music. and the only reason Future and Thugger have radio hits is because they leaned pop for those songs. those pop-centric songs aren't what make them influential. Kendrick's music is just harder to replicate. and it's not super groundbreaking, sonically speaking. it sticks to the blueprints of hip-hop more than artists like Future do. but obviously Kendrick's music is more impactful and thoughtful.
Sure, but imo influence and quality are two mostly unrelated things. Who cares if no one tries to copy Kendrick, doesn’t make his albums any worse. Influence usually comes from popularity and accessibility than quality, people copied biggie and tupac because they were so popular, same with someone like Kanye
There's a difference between good influence and bad influence. Future and Thug for me has made hiphop worse. Influential but not in a good way. They have some good songs though.
Am a huge Em fan, but Kendrick is the only artist that has made me listen to their full albums, every feature, and convinced me to buy and collect CDs and albums
Fell in love with kendrick cuz he's an insane lyricist n seeing him rap with one of my favourite rappers lil wayne on mona lisa i was blown away (ik it was a few years ago its just i like deep storytelling type rap at times)
nah mona lisa is a fantastic starting point, iirc that kendrick verse was recorded around the same time as TPAB. kendrick uses a similar flow to that verse at some points in his feature on eminem's MMLP2's 'the love game' - if you haven't heard it, check it out
"No one wants to rap like Eminem."
This man has lived 60+ years and somehow never met a single white boy.
Eminem has been copied so many times. Hopsin, NF, Joyner Lucas, Logic
not even white boys theres several black boys like JID etc who all rap like him too
@@TSGC16
Well, come on, JID doesn’t really rap like Eminem. He’s more obviously influenced by Wayne
@@TSGC16JID doesn't rap like Em at all lmao. He takes after Weezy and other south dudes so much more
@@pineapple7024i mean, I’d put Eminem up there in his influences,
Kendrick, Wayne, Andre 3k above though
he might not have had a huge impact on the sound of hip hop itself, but his impact on the culture is undeniable
100% true
The Good Kid M.A.D. City profile pic is great in combo with this comment lol
Yeah I'm agree with this because hip hop is already impact when you discovered other artist like 80s and 90s are quitely impact sounds.
ok, but what cultural impact is that? Dont just claim a thing and run because the Kedrick fanboys will suck you off over it.
@@sadfrog2575 M.A.A.d*
I think Melle Mel has forgotten that being “influenced” by a rapper means more than just taking from their style of rap. You can be influenced by someone without wanting to rap just like them.
I think there's a reason we tend to dismiss early early gen rappers' modern opinions and it's that, generally, they're out of touch
@@Spectre0799 yo
Melle Mel is old 🤷♂️ that's it.
@@Spectre0799 yo
That’s inspiration, not influence
People don’t rap like Kendrick because they can’t. Same way people don’t sing like Adele. Very few possess the talent needed.
I was just about to say it’s literally as simple as that . Nobody can do what Kdot does . Shit even if you wanted to it would take YEARS of research , AND THEN another few years to gain the rap skill to do it as nonchalantly as he does lol
lmao it aint that hard try mf doom,jcole or eminem,or daylyt
This comment right here. This the one. This is the ten toes down argument. You literally can’t be Kendrick that’s the whole idea. You can color your dreads and throw the auto tune on rapping over the same beats. But you can’t put together a song let alone a whole ass project like this man has time and time again, without crutch features, without riding a wave.
Gladys knight outsings adele,both are mezzos too
why would I ever want to rap like Kendrick though? I think his style should be his style and his style only. Idk. i rap my own way and no one can take that away from me. I’m sure the feeling is mutual between artists
Kendrick is so influential that even people who don’t like hip hop can appreciate he’s in another level and take him as a reference
Kendrick Lamar made me start to like modern hip hop and open my mind to what music could sound like and listen to more artists than what just what I originally liked
@@jackalvonstone250 good
David mother fucking Bowie on Blackstar bro
I'm not a huge hip hop fan, but damnnn, I've enjoyed a lot of Kendrick's tracks so much since I started listening to some of his music, there are so many beautiful and fun elements there, I've tried listening to other artists' songs in the genre and some of them I've liked but a loooot of them I've found so flavourless
He fell off so hard lmao DIC K RIDAHHHHHHHHHH
The oldhead perspective is so frustrating to me, as someone who is also OLD and was around during the "golden" years of hip-hop (I am 53). You can't and shouldn't compare the landscape today with the 80s or 90s.... it's so different, and it makes me sad to see the classic idols of the genre limit their viewpoint so much. I think it has something to do with the short-term lifespan of rap stars, but I don't really know. How is it possible not to see the innovation and relevancy of people like Earl, Tyler, Kendrick, JID, A$AP Rocky, Slowthai, RTJ, DANNY BROWN, etc, etc.
This
Should be the top comment
Pure facts man. Everyone on that list is valid
Mentioning slowthai with them is bat shit crazy
@@dabs.47 that dude is pushing the genera forward. I don't bump slowthai or Joji much, but those dudes are expanding what types of rappers can be successful.
"Nobody wanted to rap like Kendrick." That's because nobody COULD rap like Kendrick. No one else can convey such visceral emotion and complex ideas the way he can. "Sing About Me (I'm dying of thirst)" is a perfect example.
u is alos prefect
Exactly
All of TPAB is an example of this
That doesn't make him not influential tbf
@@WiloPolis03 ye
Even ignoring his rapping, Kendrick's production style has been insanely influential to all sorts of artists.
Production *styles*, Kenny has rapped on all sorts of beats and productions, several on TPaB alone.
Sooooo many people copy the TDE sound that Kendrick and Black Hippy made popular
Yeah, I’d even go as far to say that the MAAD City beat switch was a benchmark for the popularization of the beat switch in recent years. A lot of people cite Sicko Mode and astroworld but forget about GKMC
Kendrick is not a producer lol.
Melly Mel is tripping! Period!
Kendrick is influential in the way John Singer Sargent Is influential in painting. He’s a benchmark for the craft, and an example of mastery of craft. But that doesn’t mean he’s going to influence trends or style. He’s just exemplary of what it means to take your work seriously and invest time to hone your skills.
W take. Definitely agree
Huge w take, people like JSS and also Joseph wright of derby, took the culture by storm and totally changed the game for the consumer of art, everyone can acknowledge the impact they had on how art was received, but they didn’t influence how other people produced art. Kendrick is similar in that he’s this phenomenon where everyone goes “well that was amazing” and then continued doing their own thing. It’s the difference between influencing how people look at art and how people produce it, the inverse would be someone like Caravaggio who could be compared to a Rakim, changed everything and then people started doing things in the way he did.
Kendrick is less Sargent and more Bouguereau-substanceless and glossy form that only exists to appease the establishment and rile up the actual creatives into doing something. though Bouguereau has the added benefit of not reducing actual political issues to the level of self-help
It’s all about how you look at influence. Someone like Kanye was influential because he was a trendsetter who showed what the art form could be. Kendrick, on the other hand, is the Rapper’s rapper of this generation who showed what the art form could do and will probably be the first name dropped as the inspiration for the next generation of artists to come.
Yes but who other than hard fans of art even knows/remembers john singer
Being the first non jazz/classical artist to win a pullitzer makes you influential. In the 80's and 90's achieving that level of critical acclaim was unthinkable for hip hop artists.
Why? Cause some Swedish academics said so? It was for reasons that have to do with literary criticism and postmodernism. Not much to do with quality . Idea is not just valuing writing based on skill cause it precludes pretty much anyone not over educated and privliged and ivy leauge schools
@@Gcssdvnkloiutesc Talk about being ignorant. 😆 😭 You poor pathetic soul you LOL
I think most of us desperately wish we could rap like Kendrick.
I'd rather just have all of his money
@@NoctuaOlivae that too lmao
Not really, but being capable of telling stories the way he does
I really wanna rap like J.I.D
@@NoctuaOlivae facts lmaooo rapping as good as kendrick doesn’t mean you’ll be recognized at all
Oooooh…. That “Diss Melly Mel if I have to” line on like that, makes allot more sense now
Yep lol.
can't remember where I heard it, I think it was a Dre interview but he said something along lines of 'kendrick is making people listen to albums again' and I think that's a fair point. so many people who grew up without ever buying or owning an album have never listened to one in full, but every time kendrick puts an album out it seems like more and more people are introduced to the album listening experience; which is a positive influence as a whole
Dre's right. Kendrick is one of very few artists that I'll sit and listen to the whole album. I'll even make sure I have Shuffle turned off so as not to mess up the structure of the album. And I think thats because Kendrick albums aren't just collections of songs, they're stories and each song is a chapter in that story.
This comment made my day! I'm starting right now to listen to albums, and before I was just listening to singles (RHCP is my childhood band and never listened to a full album) and now that you let me think about it it all started with good kid maad city! Thank u so much cause I never thought about it!!
P.s. the second step was made by fantano, thanks to him I started listening to random albums and expanded my music taste and knowledge.
@@tannerhamilton6025 Exactly. The truth is that a lot of albums just feel like collections of okay songs with a couple good hits, so even if I do push myself to listen to a whole album I don't usually go back to listen to it all again. People like Kendrick actually care about telling a story with their album or just making every song unique and meaningful, which makes it much easier to listen to the whole thing even if not every song is a "hit"
@@C-sco BSSM and Californication are a great album experience itself imo. Especially BSSM where transitioning to another song were carefully crafted, which feels more like a live performance
@@vassilyvodka2638 uh cool! Thank you for the advice!!
"Nobody wants to play basketball like Michael Jordan" - Melle Mel
Haha ,I know
Should’ve said Lebron James
@@corrd3ll nar, mj better
@@tonytheoniIt’s more accurate to say no one was influence by Kareem. Kareem’s sky hook was super effective for him but no one copied it. MJ or LeBron are more like Biggie and Poc people will try and copy them but just never quite reach their height.
😂🤣
Kendrick is THAT GUY. Nobody can ever convince us otherwise. Legend or not.
He not even that guy in his era let alone all time
stop playing I’m that guy
@@sof3180 biggest L of a take I’ve ever seen. He’s that guy of our humanity
@@sof3180 He was the best rapper of the 2010’s decade. Cry about it lol.
@@sof3180 who is then
I remember you was conflicted
Misusing your influence
Sometimes I did the same
but if kendrick has no influence, he therefore can not misuse it.
this is the kendrick lamar paradox
Abusing my powers full of resentment
Resentment that turned into a deep depression.
Found myself screaming in a hotel room.
I didn't want to self-destruct.
The evils of Lucy was all around me.
So, I went running for answers.
@@CobraBubbles3299never forgotten
@@CobraBubbles3299 until I came home.
@@CobraBubbles3299 until i came home
reminds me of that one video of kendrick visiting a high school that was studying to pimp a butterfly in class. the kids wrote their own raps inspired by him. he performed at their school; every kid in the audience knew the words to his song. kendrick has crazy influence on this and the upcoming generations music and culture.....to say otherwise is actually insane.
Let's be honest, rap from Melle Mel's era (1979-1985) was honestly way less intricate and had way less substance than guys like Kendrick, let alone 90's hip-hop. Guys like NWA, Public Enemy, and Rakim took rap to the next level than just party music. (I will admit "The Message" and "White Lines" were pretty substantial, though).
EDIT: Don't get me wrong, I salute the forefathers who layed the foundation for everything, but it only got better as the 90's approached then the real stuff got pushed underground in the 00's, Kendrick is a breath of fresh air in the 10's as he's real AND has mainstream attention!
Not there’s anything wrong with rap as just “party music”. Festivities speaks volumes about the culture and environment that it developes in. The Zulu Nation started as way for street gangs to coalesce and channel their energies into creative endeavores, stuff that developed into what we know as Hip-hop culture.
I mean people like Schooly D and 2 live crew took it to another levels by introducing explicit lyrics to the genre and now literally is the cliche of rap. And also people like rakim literally is the blueprint of modern Hip Hop in term of lyrics and rhyming. Hip Hop evolve and we have to appreciate how it changes through times.
@@thirtyyearoldmulberryfield It sounded bad at first but it was made listenable by people like Rakim and others in late 80s and 90s
Let's not forget Miss Lauren Hill's impact on hip hop
Spot on. Slick Rick and big daddy Kane helped bridge that gap too but rakim and krs were def the forefathers of conscious rap
A lot of people are influenced by Kendrick but most people just can't replicate what he does. Which is why it seems like no one is influenced by him
True
Not really. Kendrick isn't doing anything new
@@joebidenjr5902 maybe not by one aspect but the way he puts his lyrical content, rapping, production, artistry, popularity, etc on his music and puts them together is definitely new
@Big D I mean, Kendrick himself has said that his style is directly influenced by Tupac, Biggie, Eminem, Andre 3000, and MC Eiht. Hell, a lot of old heads like Kendrick because of how much he reminds them of the aforementioned rappers.
@@biskit8050 not just that but let's say he actually does nothing new at all, even then his mastery of these things has far exceeded most in the rap world, which in itself can be seen as new, just for showing how good rap can be.
I don’t think Kendrick is influential in the way Kanye was back in the day but I also think that we’re in a different era of Hip-Hop where there’s so many different mainstream sounds that it’s very hard to influence the genre in any particular way. I feel like the last person to really do it was Future
Low key sad that country/rap didn't take off after Old Town Road
carti’s doing it with the rage shit
The future comment is really weird and missing the point. The thing is there's hella influential people and sounds right now, nobody gonna vibe with one sound but that's why Kendrick is one of those people.
@Forest Green it would have but that would require country fans to be open minded....but you know how that goes.
@@J.5.M. no
How can you possibly say "nobody wants to rap like Eminem" that is the most insane shit I've ever heard
Well it’s true
@@Gcssdvnkloiuteschave tou never heard the ton of shitty rappers trying to rap like him?
@@Gcssdvnkloiutescwhy does Kendrick do it then? Eminem haters love to just talk shit about him. Even your lover Fantano in this video defends him and says he is influential.
@@GcssdvnkloiutescIve heard tons of white dudes who wanted to rap just like eminem fym
@@Gcssdvnkloiutesc go to any open mic and youll find at least one white dude who's life story is "I love eminem listen to my rapping"
I will always argue that “Alright” is one of this generations most important songs.
I don’t think many would disagree
I don't like "Alright"
@@Antennenwels1L
@@Antennenwels1 sucks for you
@@Antennenwels1 L
"diss melle mel if i have to"
Kendrick is such a unique and commanding _and profound_ voice in the genre, it sounds at least POSSIBLE to me that his greatest influence on aspiring rappers could be far less “I want to sound just like him,” and could instead be far more like “Oh s***, I really need to find my OWN voice if I want to do this seriously.”
Exactly
Every rapper in the game wanted to drop an autobiographic album after GKMC came out
YG my Krazy life
Logic Underpressure
Tory Lanez trying and miserably failing on 4am Flex
Vince Staples Summertime 06
The problem is that is really difficult to emulate Kendrick his style cadence metrics lyrics is not that simple, he's sound and rapping changes every album, the Kendrick from good kid is diffent from the one on TPAB, and of course Kendrick is influential on and off the hip hop world, the guy has literally become the rapper to show people who are outside of the rap sphere that rap is way more deep and rich than the mainstream portrait.
Raper?
THANK YOU!!
He sounds kinda the same to me on every album BUT he's still THAT GUY
He is a very lyrical rapper. He goes over heads a lot.
The problem is the sheer amount of rappers and the landscape of today's rap. Tupac and BIG were the biggest fish in a small pond. There were less rappers, the internet didn't exist in the way it does now and that's pretty much all there is to it. Everything just grew more diverse. New rappers don't want to be anyone but themselves. There isn't a blueprint you can copy now like there was in the 90s with Tupac and BIG.
It sounds like "He's not influencial.... hes ICONIC."
David Bowie was also inspired by TPAB when recording his last record.
For real?
@@LRM5195 yes
L
@kuppakassi Expand.
I thought this was a joke at first, I honestly can't believe this is real
diss melle mel if i have to
"Nobody wants to rap like Kendrick. Nobody wants to rap like Eminem." So what??? These artists are in a league all their own and everybody knows this. it's not that "nobody wants to" it's that nobody can! Nobody raps like Aesop Rock, but so what? I don't need anyone but themselves to rap like they do.
Bruh, he might not be the most influential (tho I disagree) to rap itself as a genre, but the man is influential to me personally, and many others, I'm sure who may or may not even be involved in music as an art form. The dude is willing to tackle such personal human issues in a way that is hard to diminish no matter where you stand. The dude is a living legend
Please explain how he is influential ? literally no where lol fake influence at it's finest
JID, Baby Keem, Tyler, Rapsody, Little Simz…the list goes on
TTC made his first three albums in the same era as KDot releasing his first three albums though
@@yudhabagaskara98 just because you’re a contemporary of someone doesn’t mean that you can’t be influenced by them. Obviously, Kendrick is not the main influence on Tyler’s music (Pharrell, Wayne, etc.); but considering how much Tyler has divulged about his love for Kendrick’s work, I find it hard to believe that there has been no rub off effect on Tyler.
Em's style of rap is the standard for "lyrical miracle" rap today. Cole, Kendrick, Tyler, Joyner, Logic are all measured by that standard. The battle rap scene is even stronger evidence of his impact not only stylistically but the exposure 8 Mile brought to the craft. There's literally no one else to accredit this to so lol @ MC Melle Mel.
Edit: MM vs. M&M... let's set this up!
when Lorde, David Bowie, Cordae, Saba, Dua Lipa, Jhene Aiii, Khalid and more have all said Kendrick has inspired, who cares how influential he is in rap? He’s influential in MUSIC
"Like fuck rap, diss Melly Mel if I had to"!
8:28 The first hip-hop album I ever listened to in its entirety was TPAB. I've never been a hip-hop hater or anything, it's just never really been to my taste and I was very clearly not the target audience for it is all, so I'd never bothered going out of my way to listen to a whole album.
I put it on in the car while I was on a 5 hour drive through rural Georgia at night. I vividly remember when Hood Politics came on as I was passing through one of the many tiny, decaying Georgia towns with a population somewhere under a thousand, one malfunctioning stoplight right next to a slowly collapsing building making up the "downtown" area. I grew up in the South and every one of those little towns has their own "hood politics." The differences are pretty obvious as soon as you look at the details, of course, but the overarching themes of crushing poverty, violence, and people being trapped in the culture "stickin' to the scripts" so they'll never make any money sure as fuck rhyme.
I still wouldn't describe myself as a hip-hop fan, necessarily, if only because I still don't listen to much of it, but I desperately wish there were many more records like TPAB in hip-hop and other genres.
"Nobody wants to rap like Eminem".
*Ronnie Radke enters the room*
Ronnie Radke king of rap
IKR, so many white guys want to rap like Em
Basically every white rapper
@@TMthe33rdplus Hopsin
@@demetriusean basically every white rapper
I think a lot of people wish they could rap like Kendrick, Cole, etc but can't find the authentic, natural, and contextual flow that they have for topics that aren't surface level
Now I kind of get the melle mel reference in Like That…
Bruh when he said "no one wants to rap like eminem" i laughed so much
just off the top of my head I immediately think of people like JID and little simz who were hugely influenced by Kendrick. they're great artists in their own right and might still have been great artists but I can't imagine hearing them sound the way they do if it weren't for kendrick's presence.
Kendrick has undeniably had an influence, be it through his style of music or the messages contained within his music. He’s not often referred to as one of the top three throughout this last decade for no reason. Not many people can even afford to step away in the capacity that he did and make a return so well received that it’s almost made to feel like he never took a break in spite of his limited publicity compared to his contemporaries.
if he is so influential name me one artist (who is relevant) who sounds like a Kendrick Lamar. MF DOOM, Kanye West, Andre 3000, Lil Wayne, (heck even Drake) are more influential than Kendrick Lamar.
@Rethabile Feni Not "heck even Drake" Drake is the most influential out of those artists. I'm a Drake hater idc to admit it. But facts is facts
@@godwarrior3403 i will say he's more influential than an Andre 3000, but Lil Wayne, Kanye West and MF DOOM??? nah.
@Rethabile Feni To modern hip hop, absolutely. Artists from the last ten years (though that's too long, the modern game is younger than a decade) don't care about Kanye or Wayne anymore. And nobody mainstream ever cared about doom. He's an underground guy with loyal fans. Influential means "inspired people to become artists and/or helped change the genre overall"
@@godwarrior3403 yes, modern hip hop Kanye and Lil Wayne are irrelevant but on the overall culture their imprint and influence can not be erased. so yeah we can agree on that Drake is influential rn but i tend to believe his influence will rapidly evaporate just like 50 Cents. and as for MF DOOM, dude Earl Sweatshirt, Tyler, the Creator, Childish Gambino are all influenced by MF DOOM and they even admitted this.
Anthony's take is 100% correct. I heavily believe we're already seeing examples of Kendrick's music, specifically from TPAB last decade, but amplified by MM most definitely for younger kids where MM was their first Kenny album release they've experienced since becoming a fan. Kendrick's work has totally created an impactful influence for this generation in general -- not even exclusive to hip hop.
I've known Kendrick for a while but Mr. Morale was the first full album I listened to and it has definitely had a really great impact on me. On one hand Kendrick discusses mental health, grieving, pleasing everyone and really has helped me with coping through personal experiences.
On the other hand he talks about the negative aspects of Black Culture, and it impacted me so much to where the Main theme for my Art Assessment/Project is "The Negative Aspects of Black Culture"
There's some differences culturally as I did not come from Kendrick's background, nor am I American but it still holds great relevancy to me. I think this album needed to exist, people had to hear something like it, so open and vulnerable.
I think this is all funny cuz it’s obvious the most influential rapper of this era. What does most rap sound like now? Emo psychedelic auto tune shit. The Boom Baps gotta scream super loud to ignore that. So they talk about Kendrick being influential. The Love Below➡️808s & Heartbreaks➡️DS2. How is this era not Future’s?
He knows what he was doing with this title
Outrage gets the bag
I didn't know Melle Mel had said this. Adds some context to Kendrick's bar about him on like that
I was thinking the same thing.
Also to say nobody wants to sound like Eminem is wild. To be fair most em clones are not great artists, but look at how many fast rap/lyrical miracle artists eminem has created
Not even to mention the tons of good artists eminem has inspired 😭 including Kendrick, Tyler, logic, etc
Another big factor that contributes to his "lack of influence" in hip hop sound is that he has changed his style with every goddamn album, making it harder to replicate.
We just ignoring how Bowie, in interviews, stated that Kendrick Lamar and TPAB influenced Blackstar?
And how many rock and metal albums have influenced rap aswell pointless argument
There's an entire sub-genre of rap dedicated to Eminem clones
Yea evryone is trying to sound like em not knowing it wasn't the rhymes but the stories he could paint something that he has seem to forgotten he let the whole goat thing go to his head and his new angry for being angry is just so corny he was complaining about mumble rappers and proceeds to diss tyler and earl for no reason
I still get goosebumps when I listen to Stan
Stan is peak eminem. Definitely one of the greatest songs ever honestly. He changed the world with that one
@@YoshidaSPECL he didnt diss tyler and earl for no reason.
It is weird that Kendrick doesn't have clones. Cole has at least one w/Cordae, Drake has many, Weezy has many. Biggie, 2pac, Jay, MF DOOM, and Em as well.
It’s hard to rap like a dude who can put out thought provoking songs that can at the same time have longevity on the charts.
@@Dkvizu it's been done before though
@@tumultuousv ??? doesn’t mean shit to what he said
@@Wavy-fs4mr bruh. He literally said one thing that is "hard to do". And I said it's been done before. Literally has everything to do with
@@tumultuousv obviously it’s been done before
I love "the message" and i would have never heard that song if it wasnt for eminem (formally) introducing me to hiphop in 1999. Thats how influential these artists are, they can even impact rappers that came before them. Im sure kendrick will make kids go back and discover pac´s music. To me that is beautiful.
im not sure if kendrick has the power to make gen zers listen to tupac's music due their attention span and their grasp of how impactful it is
I also think the idea that people don't wanna rap like Kendrick is insane. I hear Kendrick influence all over place, it's insane. And that's not even getting into production choice
I mean he's completely off base anyways. Dude really said "No one wants to rap like eminem" as if there aren't 50 million eminem clones on youtube RIGHT NOW
Kendrick is the Radiohead of rap. Weather you like it or not, he has shaped and set the bar himself, the rest just exist underneath. It’s just how it is, the sky is blue, etc
No shade to Tupac and Biggie, but they were rapping in an era where there was like 2 kinds of rappers. Now we got trap rap, pop rap, industrial, conscious, abstract, rage, etc
There's so many niches and sounds within each niche, you can't really be the king of every one.
So we just going to ignore that for a few years people kept saying that JID sounded like one of Kendrick's voices come to life? He even adapted one of Kendrick's lines for a BET freestyle
Kendrick: Let bygones be bygones...but where I'm from, We buy guns and more guns, to give to the young.
JID: We don't let bygones be bygones, We buy guns and squeeze like a python until the night come
Saba also has that Kendrick influence when you listen. He has an interview with Pitchfork where he says his favorite verse is on the Heart Part 2
Also, Benjamin Earl Turner. He doesn't have a lot of rap out, but listen to him and you hear the influence of Kendrick for sure
That's off the top of my head.
Years ago Melle Mel did an interview where he was dismissive of Rakim - seriously, quite possibly the single most influential rapper in the history of the entire genre - for not having enough energy when he rapped.
That was a huge part of why Rakim worked lmao. In an era of bombastic lively rappers, he showed people a different kind of confidence and braggadocio by bring so laid back and generating hype nonetheless.
im a big fan of metal. i dont even like rap, i can listen to pop (even though its corny sometimes) but i really hate rap. i couldnt get into it, i couldnt feel it, i couldnt connect to it.
however, this changed when i heard stan. i know eminem since i was a kid but hearing the full of song of stan gave me goosebumps because of how extraordinary the storytelling and writing was. after that, i got into eminem and then i listened to kendrick next (because after knowing little bit abt hiphop, ive heard that kendrick is the goat of this generation). the first song i listened to was alright and its awesome but hearing sing about me, im dying of thirst gave me the deepest connection that i couldve ever feel through a song. i couldnt even relate to the lyrics yet the way he rapped and the sound of it makes me feel something ive never felt. up until now, i feel calm whenever i hear that masterpiece. then kendrick lamar dropped mr morale, that whole album became my whole therapy and meditation. kendrick changed the way i see life, especially with mr morale.
Kendrick is called "The King" for a reason. He's one of a kind and isn't easily emulated. Influencial by his message and mastery of the craft. So, take that L, Melle Mel.
It's straight up insane to claim nobody wanted to rap like em
Em is a cheap copy of Cage
@@kuppakassi cage has half peak ems technical ability and wordplay, cringe comment
@@kuppakassi
Who?
@@Oblivion9873 whatever but that's the guy Em got his style from in the 90s
@@kuppakassi Ok let's say Em copied from Cage like the Slim shady lp but Eminem MMLP was the album that went diamond name a song from Cage like Stan or The Way I am, man ppl just don't wanna give credit to Em nowadays lol but to criticize him they are always ready lol
Glad you touched on the powers that be that make it hard to actually be a rapper that is heavily influenced by artists like Kendrick Lamar and be successful. There’s been so many “Kendrick clones”( internets words not mine) who popped up around 2015, and then just faded away. Kemba was one 😅. It seemed as though the industry wanted to push the rap that highlited drugs and money over conscious rap. But that’s a whole other conversation 😵💫
It's always interesting when this topic comes up. I think that the reason Kendrick doesn't get as much credit sometimes as influential is because the ideas of impact, innovation, and influence are too often related to the thought of "being the first to do something" which aren't necessarily related at all. In fact, what Kendrick did do is helped innovate and further popularize the concept album in hip hop and honestly across music in general. Even David Bowie mentioned being inspired by Kendrick to focus more on the attention to detail when relating the value of album sequencing and overall storyline. He found a balance between the value of the art, the message, and the accessibility of the sonic landscapes which is something that a MC such as Lupe Fiasco was hit and miss with throughout his career. I'm a Lupe fan, but I brung him up because it seems that over the years he's expressed some hints of bitterness and jealously towards Kendrick's overall acclaim and popularity.
I know his fans are salty in his latest release, Cake, which is good if you havent heard it. Lupe doesnt get his flowers often enough but that aint kendricks fault. dot just makes classics.
"Nobody wants to rap like Eminem"
I guess NF didn't get the memo.
Out of touch oldhead ass moment lmao
You know Kendrick is influential when people who don’t listen to rap know he’s one of the best
Bullshit lmao thats makes them look even dumber
I don’t even like Eminem but to say no one wants to rap like him is hilarious. Listen to almost every white rapper in the last 10 yrs
Also Logic been biting Kendrick
Not even just white rapper alot of black rappers and even foreign rappers
@@samuelikhine1986 j-cole is a great example, he himself said so.
Next he's gonna say its mysterious music that doesn't play in barber shops
Lol fucking khaled
I'd honestly wanna rap like Kendrick lmao
i literally just saw a video of some people trying to prove why kendrick was overrated and this was their main reasoning💀
the entire idea that people are always talking about kendrick is influence in itself, and i think it's crazy to try and deny it
He’s like a guy that did his own thing and mastered it so well its too intimidating to replicate. a legend and one of the greats but he really doesn’t have much musical influence. It’s okay. His best work is timeless and culturally influential
It's bad enough that Melle Mel claims Kendrick isn't influential, but Eminem? You have to be *painfully* out of touch with modern hip-hop culture to unironically believe and proudly declare that Eminem is not influential. Ripping off Eminem is its own genre at this point.
Kendrick didn't go mainstream
Mainstream went Kendrick
ok
@@workt42 You being so triggered about people complimenting and appreciating Kdot is way cringier, you writing paragraphs shows how long he's living rent free in your head.🤣
"Nobody wants to rap like eminem" almost every white rapper has been influenced to rap in the same style as Eminem and Kendrick is way too unique if people rapped like him they'd sound dumb Kendrick is one of the most influential people to the hip hop culture of not the sound itself
And he ghostwrote a bunch of Dre's best verses, which I guarantee have inspired tons of rappers. Saying nobody wants to rapper like Eminem is just straight up wrong.
Just 10 years ago, the criticism was that the Migo's flow was used too much. Now the criticism's that Kendrick's flow isn't used enough.
“Diss Melle Mel if I had to”
i was gonna type this
In an era where the common perception is that “lyrics don’t matter like they used to in the golden age era of hip hop”, the fact that King Fu Kenny has built a following on the impact of his words all the way through getting a Pulitzer negates all talk of him not being influential.
As far as “rapping like him”:
Chopping like Kendrick requires actual verbal, rhythmic and breathe control skill to execute with clarity… thus, just like playing the piano… not everybody can play Bach fugues, but a lot of people can play chopsticks.
a lot of people want to rap like them, but not a lot of people can rap like them.
It's not that nobody wants to be like Kendrick or Eminem, it's just that no one can be like them. Nobody has surpassed them in their niche, they defined their own niche, carved out a whole subgenre with their unique styles.
No rapper has infused their life, or black culture, so poetically into their music as Kendrick. Say what you want about the flow or his supposed victim complex, it's still amazing to convey that deep of a story in a 4 minute song that's also a banger.
Eminem has punchy and funny delivery that isn't emotional but made rap music accessible to the masses, while still leveling up the lyrical complexity beyond the likes of any other contemporary rap song.
To be popular is the easy part but to be artistically distinguishable as a rapper all the same is so much harder.
1:07 I really like the idea that whenever he's upset Anthony just starts flapping his arms like the world's baldest eagle
So this is what kendrick meant by "Diss melle mel if i have to"
Kendrick's work is contagious. Even when I didn't quite catch on the words and what he rapped about I really loved listening to his rap bc it was addictive and fun to listen to. That itself says a lot! Then I got to the lyrics part.🤯
uk which r the other artists I can say the same for? Pac, Biggie, Wayne, Drake, Kanye, and Em.
I think about this a lot. As full time producer for 5 years now, I really don't see his influence _anywhere_ . With most of the artists we consider "influential" you hear their contributions across the entire music landscape. From small local artists, to mid sized indie artists, all the way to the billboard top 100 (as a specific example: you'd hear lil b's influence in like most of 2016-2020 soundcloud rap, artists like wintertime/yachty (although yachty is closer to billboard artist), and people like carti/asap rocky). Who really sounds like Kendrick Lamar that didn't already fit into that label pre-GKMC? I'm sure there's a ton of soundcloud tier kendrick lamars out there, but compared to artists like Lil B, Carti, YungLean/Bladee, etc I feel like their share of the underground is a drop in the bucket. There's _some_ mid tier artists out there I'm sure. And then in the mainstream you really only have like... the people that have always been associated with Kdot from the beginning.
The thing is I don't think there's anything wrong with that necessarily. Kendrick's best qualities aren't his "style" or whatever. It's the literal quality of his art. It's not something that can really be copied because it only works when it's executed at the highest levels. Another way of describing it would be that he's a "classic" hiphop artist. It's less that he's redefining the genre and leaving ripples for decades, but more like he's going back to the _roots_ of hiphop and expanding on them. If you're influenced by Kendrick Lamar you're influenced by DOOM & Outkast & Nujabes & Pac etc. The sounds been out forever and Kendrick didn't really reinvent it. He just modernized it and did it better than anybody else in our generation. I think that's enough. To just make immaculate art.
To clarify: I hadn't even watched the video yet bc Idk I just wanted to take the time to flesh out my own opinion. It seems like whoever brought up this discussion is equating influential with "best". If that's the case than Sugar Gang Hill and Lil B would indisputably be top 5 all time. Which is highly debatable. I like Lil B's music for sure and he changed my understanding of music as a kid but he's not one of the greatest. Just one of the most influential. (although to say their influence is top 5 is not debateable imo. Sugar Gang Hill basically "made" the genre and the only reason you could think Lil B isn't a top 5 most influential rapper is if you only tunnel vision on top 100-500 artists instead of the entire rap scene since 2007. 98% of rappers post Lil B are either directly influenced by him or influenced by artists influenced by him)
This
He lacks musicality and is just writing lyric not flows
i remember you was conflicted... misusing your (lack of) influence
what’s up spectre
dawg
sometimes i did the same, abusing my powerlessness full of resentment
So THIS is how Melly Melle caught a stray in Euphoria 😂 I had no
idea.
When dude said no one wants to be like Eminem he lost whatever credibility he had haha i instantly thought of the 1000s of white dudes imitating him lol
I’ll crash out like F rap diss Melle Mel if I had to - Dot
When he can drop something on one end like damn, and on the other end t.p.a.b. I feel like kendrick raps out of love. Not for fame or even to be recognized for "rap". He does it out of love, god given talent, hard work and sharing his truth.
he had a massive impact on the sound of music. after TPAB all the sudden everybody had choirs and live horns and epianos & their music was much more lush with depth. sure they might've had jazz stuff in there before but they werent like that they were more like traditional boom bap
kendrick also inspired a whole gang of rappers to try to be all introspective n maybe they're not good but that's still his influence.
Lies
Kendrick literally did what 90s rap had, fused Jazz, Blues and Soul… he didn’t revolutionize shit. It’s just those genres modernized and refined, nothing new.
@FlowTon he doesn’t listen to hip hop. Kendrick hasn’t done anything new to hip hop. He’s traditional hip hop but modernized. That’s it.
Having commercial success with sound and lyrics as dense as Kendrick’s is like playing on hard mode.
Not only can few (no one?) do what he does, but to be one of the biggest artists in the world while still challenging the listener, what a rare thing in this tiktok age.
i mean there is some validity to that statement. while there are rappers like JID who take influence from Kendrick, artists like Future, Chief Keef, and Thugger are far more influential.
Only because they make "radio music". Music that's designed to be marketable and played on the radio. So they're "influential" only in the sense that they're consistently in the mainstream of music. But they don't speak on anything meaningful or of substance. If anything they're influential in the worst ways, they constantly promote and glorify the worst aspects of the Culture.
@@tannerhamilton6025 Chief Keef does not make radio music. and the only reason Future and Thugger have radio hits is because they leaned pop for those songs. those pop-centric songs aren't what make them influential. Kendrick's music is just harder to replicate. and it's not super groundbreaking, sonically speaking. it sticks to the blueprints of hip-hop more than artists like Future do. but obviously Kendrick's music is more impactful and thoughtful.
@@tannerhamilton6025 Influencing music and Influencing people is different
Sure, but imo influence and quality are two mostly unrelated things. Who cares if no one tries to copy Kendrick, doesn’t make his albums any worse. Influence usually comes from popularity and accessibility than quality, people copied biggie and tupac because they were so popular, same with someone like Kanye
There's a difference between good influence and bad influence. Future and Thug for me has made hiphop worse. Influential but not in a good way. They have some good songs though.
Let's ask Logic how he feels about that...
Wasn't this a Let's Argue take years back? It was an L take back then, it's still an L take
kendrick is who got me into hip hop and who i listen too the most, hes just so good
Am a huge Em fan, but Kendrick is the only artist that has made me listen to their full albums, every feature, and convinced me to buy and collect CDs and albums
Melly Mel must not have heard "The Real Slim Shady" if he thinks no one is trying to rap like em
David Bowie referenced Kendrick Lamar in his last album if that's not influential I don't know what is.
It’s a good thing Kendrick can’t be imitated coz everyone lately sounds the same. Even their name is “Lil” and use autotune
Fell in love with kendrick cuz he's an insane lyricist n seeing him rap with one of my favourite rappers lil wayne on mona lisa i was blown away (ik it was a few years ago its just i like deep storytelling type rap at times)
nah mona lisa is a fantastic starting point, iirc that kendrick verse was recorded around the same time as TPAB.
kendrick uses a similar flow to that verse at some points in his feature on eminem's MMLP2's 'the love game' - if you haven't heard it, check it out
this is such a great take and can apply across all the major commercial artistic industries
Kendrick and J. Cole, over the course of the last decade, has spearheaded the greatest era of rap music of all time. They are the GOAT of GOAT'S.
This was an incredible response, extremely well put, succinct but loaded with information backed up with facts. Excellent stuff
Rappers like Kendrick Lamar are the bedrock, of hip hop, the tip, they are influential because their level is not influence it's a standard