How good is anything if you don’t listen to it?
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Life Through The Lens of Hip Hop.
Justin Hunte is a music and culture critic and curator. During his career he served as Director of Content & Strategic Marketing for EMPIRE as well as Editor-in-Chief of HipHopDX. Hunte is the architect behind DX’s video platform and creator of popular series, DXBreakdown. Along with championing Ambrosia For Head’s video strategy, Hunte is also a weekly contributor to Shade45’s All Out Show on SiriusXM and has been featured on Revolt TV’s “Revolt Live,” Cheddar’s “Cheddar Music,” as well as in Billboard magazine.
In 2017 Justin Hunte moderated the Recording Academy’s panel on The Health Of Hip Hop which featured Dr. Reef Karim, psychiatrist and human behavior expert; Shanti Das, urban music executive and founder of Silence the Shame; GRAMMY nominees Vic Mensa and Charlie Wilson, and five-time GRAMMY winner Lalah Hathaway. Later that year, he participated in a debate at the prestigious Oxford Union on whether Kanye West is more relevant than William Shakespeare.
Hunte has been the centerpiece of digital campaigns for Lexus, Honda, Brisk, and Simple Mobile and has hosted concerts and panels nationwide.
A graduate of Wofford College, Hunte spent 5 years working in investment banking at Banc Of America/Merrill Lynch and has covered music, politics, and culture for numerous publications.
He is currently based in Los Angeles, California. Follow @TheCompanyMan on all socials.
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To me, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is like Roots or Schindler's List. Those films are so seared into my brain, I don't need to watch them again and I'll never forget them. That's an amazing quality.
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1:17 damn, I haven't watched those videos. I will go ahead and pinch myself in the face 😅
Sometimes I don’t think Art has to be able to be repeatedly ingested. Like you, there’s a third of songs I skip when casually listening but I’ll never forget how those songs made me feel when I did listen to them and there’s definitely value in that.
This is how I feel about Eminem. Yes his first 3 albums are classics, but I am not an angsty teenager anymore.
Double albums are always a hard sell TBH.
I totally get it. But he is just that good.
I agree with you on We Cry Together and Aunties Diaries but I listen to Mother I Sober and Crown.
😂😂😂 This must be a joke 😂😂😂 greatest album??? This is Kendricks weakest album. King's Disease 3 is The best album this year. I even changed my dp to Nas. He is Untouchable
I enjoyed this album 💯✌🏾
AOTY
It’s not a good album 😢
Which songs do you skip on Drogas Wave?
I like Art in my rap, Kendrick is in the GOAT category
I love that rug
There’s a movie called Once Upon a Time in America that has deniro and James woods and it’s a really good mob movie but it really goes into dark shit about those type of dudes including the most horrifying rape scene I’ve seen in a movie. As good as it was I can’t imagine rewatching it. I think it’s similar to this. Just not fun listening/watching stuff that touch on maybe the darkest moments a human can experience
Idk, I like this album. But the Heart part 5 overshadows everything this album tried to accomplish.
It’s definitely an album I appreciate exists. But besides the more digestible songs like Silent Hill & Rich Spirit, I do not listen to this album. I played albums like TPAB & Damn the whole year after it came out & still go back to them. This album just doesn’t hit me the same as an enjoyable listen & it’s been really weird for me as a massive Kendrick fan
This concept applies to TPAB as well, it’s why I find DAMN to be my favorite Kendrick record, bc it balances messages w digestibility.
Man you found a way to perfectly encapsulate how I feel about this album like this is a phenomenal album I know that it is it's just really difficult for me to listen to regularly. I have my favorite tracks of course like N95, I'm really becoming a huge fan of Worldwide Steppers, Father Time is an all time Kendrick song. I also saw him during the Steppers Tour and enjoyed the album a lot even songs I'd usually skip because they're too heavy to listen to alone.
But I don't find myself coming back to this album a lot because you have to be in a space where you're ready to unpack some trauma, its emotionally demanding and because of that I've also struggled with the question of whether or not that makes this a bad album.
It's all happening
You're describing Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers as a fine piece of art that's not worth revisiting. I know several movies like that but there's not much in the way of music I could use to fit that description, the only one that comes to mind for me is PTSD by Pharaoh Monch. Guess I'll relisten to both lol
Please break it down
Kendrick is one of my favorites, but I have not made it through that project.
The man is truly a gift to humanity
The album feels like therapy and that's why its hard to listen to and you wanna skip some tracks … Most people tap dance around the hard traumatic issues of their life and it takes a while for them to tell their therapist…. well Kendrick told the world
That album is overrated
7/10
kendrick's music has always been like the movie Precious to me. it's amazing, it deserves all the accolades but im never gonna go out of my way to watch it
This is honestly how I feel about To Pimp a Butterfly. I realize it's art, but I don't listen to it.
This is an album Kendrick needed to do. So I respect that. Simple as. Easier to be a critic, than to create. Respect. This album is a theatre piece. Not a 'banger' crowd pleaser. Low hanging fruit to have a go at the album. Do I want to listen to this???? Most people don't buy albums, so no big stress to 'listen' to it. You didn't buy it, so whatever. I get you. And good luck to you. But if you're getting all 'thoughtful, an deep', you're just playing into Kendrick's mind state. None of you care, coz it don't make you feel good. That's his point. No one is thinking. No one is feeling. We're all marching to banger nothingness. Speak the fecking obvious man. Jeez. You seem a bright guy. And maybe I'm missing your point. Hmmmm. What is your point? What is my point/ That's Kendrick's point I think. This 'business' is over
Die Hard, Count Me Out, Mirror, Rich Spirit, Mr. Morale, Purple Hearts, Father Time, and Silent Hill stay in my rotation.
Kinda surprised Worldwide Steppers was on your nah list, to me the beat alone on that one is mesmerising enough to throw it on often. This album hit me extremely hard, I've listened to it back to front probably a thousand times already. I thought every other album he's made was perfect and he's been my favourite artist in hip hop for years now but I related to this one rather than empathised with it. Great analysis, I'm always digging other people's perspectives on stuff I love. About to spin this one again, thanks.
Auntie Diaries = Between Me, You and Liberation by Common, in a couple of ways
This is exactly how I feel about the album
Just depends on the person, do you value an albums worth based on replay value, or what you took away from the message and experience. I love the movie Prisoners, but I never want to watch that movie ever again. Music can be experienced — you don't need to go back to it. I feel like this album beautifully balances that dichotomy. There are tons of tracks on this album that I still listen to — but some tracks, I skip every time, and that's absolutely okay.
I like worldwide steppers better than Crown
With all due respect, I think your opinion is basis. Just because it was too deep for you doesn’t mean it isn’t a great song/album. For the ppl going through these situations and not being able to speak up about it this album is one of the best all time. In my humble opinion
I truly appreciate how kendrick continues to put the "candy in the medicine" he is by far the best at doing that music in general in my opinion. For what kendrick raps about, i would honestly rather hear it from him rather than any other rapper out right now especially in the mainstream. Songs like "Mother I Sober" and "Auntie Diaries" aren't typically relatable, fun, cool, trendy or sexy things to talk about in a song but ask yourself what other rappers can make a song about transphobia and generational trauma and make it sound as creative, smart, logical, heartfelt, mature, and genuine, but while having strong songwriting, skillful storytelling with catchy melodies and a instrumental that compliments what he his talking about and without coming off corny, unclear, preachy, idiotic, delusional, petty, and confused??… Maybe nas in his prime but not now, maybe lupe but he'd never put this type of passion, pain or emotional range behind his words like Kendrick or Nas does, maybe Kanye if he were to set his mind on doing it but hes not mature enough or skillful lyrical wise like Kendrick, Nas or lupe. Then there is Cole but his attempt at it wouldn't be as creative or sharp as Kendrick unfortunately, but I don't think it would be too bad. I think Kendrick is by far in a league of his own in hip hop right now. He deserves all the praise and awards.
I love the album. I didn't want to listen to those heavy songs again when I want to vibe out. But then I listened to the album in a sitting and helped me decide it's time to finally go to therapy which I believe is a win for me.
Great video, this album is vital and gain more respect as time passes
I call it "intellectual glass ceiling". Sometimes the art is too sophisticated and one hits that ceiling. One may point the finger at the art or artist but, in reality, it's the consumer. And there's levels to it, so one shouldn't judge someone who has a lower ceiling. Just recognize it for what it is.
The issues presented in this video are criticisms that I've had of Kendrick in the past, but even moreso on Mr. Morale. Kendrick imo is an "album artist". His songs work better in the context of the complete body of work, but I often don't feel the desire to revisit individual songs. This also translates to lower replay value because you basically have to commit to re-listening to an entire project to get the real enjoyment out of it.
Speaking on Mr. Morale specifically, I listened to the entire project front to back, and thought it was great (not in my personal top 5 for the year, but that's another discussion). That said, I haven't really gone back after that initial playthrough. Kendrick may have focused too much on subject matter and forgotten about listenability.
Side note, my favorite song on there is actually We Cry Together lol. And I ignored the Grammy noms once I realized JID wasn't there.
I play this album all the way through every other day. Whether I'm cleaning my house, throwing a truck at work… the only time I skip one is if my kids are in the room(we cry together& kodak poem), I rap/sing along, I dance, I laugh, might drop a tear or two, might not next time around, I enjoy it like a play or movie. My husband and I find ourselves randomly using quotes from different parts of the album in random conversations as inside jokes because we listened to it together.
😂 I love everything about this album. The awkward moments, the truth bombs, the beats, the love and thought put into this album. Coming after The Heart part 5 introduction to where his mind was at and then what he gave us in response, it was a beautiful, therapeutic, mind opening experience that I don't mind revisiting. It all echoes prevalent still. Conversations we need to have more honestly, while still having tracks you can dance to, catch a vibe, chill, it has something for all of that, and if the mood changes, changing the song doesn't have to be a bad thing. Most needed Album of the culture.
Thank you man, that's exactly me around this album
Love the comparisons between Mr Moral, Untitled and Drogas, I felt the exact same. Beautiful highlights but the albums where hard to listen to right through, but I respect them ✊🏾
This is why it's hard to objectively judge music because any piece of music is going to have different goals from any other piece of music. It's like trying to rank a picture of a sunset versus a picture of a battlefield or something like that
Yeezus – You helped me make a separate hip hop connection with that Zoolander quote. Charles Hamilton uses it, without the Sting reference, in the intro to his Pink Lavalamp record. Based on the vocal tone, I always thought it was Dash Snow, who Kendrick uses in The Heart pt 2.
When you go to an art gallery, you go to look at the shit, then leave. Thats how I feel about this album. Only tracks in heavy rotation are Savior, Count me out, Father time, Die Hard and the the joint which had ghostface
Nobody likes looking in the mirror.