Get Home Safely > Good Kid, Maad City

[Sccit]

I listened to your clips you posted. That track with Mac Mall is cool. But everything is exactly what it sounds like. Washed up rapper trying to re-live glory days of the 90's. Not interested. No one will mention this album in 6 months.

that album came out in 2012, and i just heard some1 call it the best album of the last 5 years on here the other day......


while i wouldnt go that far, to hear u dismiss it as a "washed up rapper tryna re-live the glory days" is pretty depressing, considering this is the most authentic west coast music to come out the bay in some time. shit was critically acclaimed. in fact, i think ur the first person i heard talk down on it....


mind if i ask where ur from?

Listen to the lyrics bro. Shits been done. I'll pull a random line from one of the tracks you posted...

From Dope Boy, this is the chorus: "They say I'm ballin' because I'm gettin' money. Stuntin' like a big shot spending money. They say I'm dope like dope boy."

Opening line is "Got my mind on my money, money on my mind."

Like I said in my thread from about a month back. Dudes regurgitating same lyrics from the past 15-20 years and selling it to you. I feel stupider for listening to this. What do you do with this song? You can't party to this song. You can't kick back and crack a brew or smoke to this song. When do you listen to this shit? When you're rolling down the block meeting up to unload a key or what?

I don't mind you asking. I'm from Southern California. From East LA to Chino I lived there.

no doubt about it, my dude, but it's mob music, it's not about the lyrics....at all. in fact, mob music was built on simple g flows put to slappin beats. black c is far from the greatest lyricist..nowhere near kendrick lyrically. but as far as makin hard cuts with authentic west coast raps and beats, black c >>>>>>> kendrick, all day. i can vibe to that "dope boy" track over most of kendrick's catalogue any day

[elmizzy]

I'm not defending Kendrick, far from his biggest fan. He's got some cool songs. This Dom Kennedy guy is cool. I can chill out to his shit.

[Sccit]

I'm not defending Kendrick, far from his biggest fan. He's got some cool songs. This Dom Kennedy guy is cool. I can chill out to his shit.

so ur judging lyrics in a dom kennedy thread? come on, brobro.

[bouli77]

need to peep this, i'm a huge dom kennedy supporter, however i think it's gonna be hard to top GKMC, was listening to the album the other day for the first time in months and it's brilliant, the way the album is sequenced, the skits, the concept, the lyrics, and kendrick's flow, shit is really a classic imo, and I prefered Section .80 at first. the only problems for me are the radio friendly, manufactured cuts that have been added last minute (compton and poetic justice). with dom i'm expecting just a collection of dope songs, which is enough for me.

kendrick gets too much hate on here just cause he doesn't fit the gangsta persona that some euros are dying for (see ghostriders' response). i totally understand nik's point though.

black c's album is nice, i'm a mob music fan first and foremost, but nothing too spectacular though, some fillers, but some heavy slaps too, like the song with bila or the one with mac mall. however, it's nowhere near as powerful as kendrick's album imo. still gets the job done and still a mandatory purchase for me.

[Detox Is A Myth!!!]

>>

so ur judging lyrics in a dom kennedy thread? come on, brobro.

I really don't get why Dom is repeatedly mocked for poor lyrics.  I mean, have people listened to any 90s Westcoast rap music???  "1, 2, 3 and to the fo', Snoop Doggy Dogg and Dr. Dre is at the do''" -- that's maybe the most famous opening line to any Westcoast song, and it sure ain't lyrical.  My point is, Dom is hella lyrical compared to the most revered Westcoast stuff from the 90s.  Sure, there are exceptions, like Kurupt on Dogg Food, Soul on Ice, etc., but really, the Westcoast was never about lyrics.  And to that point, Dom has hella lines that have me bust out laughing (on Get Home Safely, first time I heard "ladies three words I don't want to hear: 'let's be friends'" or whatever, had me literally lol in my car riding around last night).

Aside from the humorous braggadocio, Dom also has plenty of verses where he'll rhyme the same couple sounds for the whole verse, like that one with "thick ass" "tic tacs" "kit kats" -- he basically goes the whole verse.  And he has many songs where he does that.  A legend like Snoop rarely does that, aside from the rare track like "Beautiful."  My point is, Dom IS lyrical enough not to be attacked for being unlyrical, because while his drawing power as an artist is not his lyrics like, say, Rass Kass, his lyrics are far, far from a detriment or noteworthy bad.  I mean, Game is worse, imo.

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he isnt affiliated with Dre or any other 90s has beens

Actually, he has gotten co-signed by Dogg Pound via "Bouncin'" and he frequently pays lyrical homage to them -- and on the shout out track on GHS, he shouts out Daz, Kurupt and Snoop specifically by name.  It's a stretch to say he isn't affiliated.  He has no Dre affiliation, I'll give you that.

...

As for GHS, honestly, I'm kind of disappointed in it.  To me his best work so far (in no particular order) is 25th Hour, FutureStreet/DrugSounds, Original Dom, and FTWWLII.  The first Westside with Love had a ton of filler in the middle, and Yellow Album was hit and miss throughout, even though both of those two albums had their share of individual great songs.  Get Home Safely's Achilles Heel is The Futuristiks bringing the album down a bit.  They produced 3 of the 4 skippable tracks on FTWWLII, yet he made nearly a whole album with them here.  I just find their production generic next to Dahi, THC, Polyester and DrewByrd.  Speaking of the latter, once "Dominic" comes on with that incredible beat and hypnotizing keys, I'm like, damn, the album is finally starting, but it's a little too little, too late.  A lot of the stuff that comes before that seems like filler to me.  I love the first track and "Honey Buns" to an extent (wish the beat didn't minimize during Krondon's part), but there are a lot of irritating things to this album.  The whole vibe is a little sleepy and sedate, as if the album were made for the Winter rather than Dom's previous albums for the summer (which I think is why he released it now, according to the GHS documentary on YouTube).

There are basically two intermissions in a row for some reason.  The hidden shout out track is buried after like 4 mins of silence, so I have to manually fast forward through it to get to that track, which is annoying.  And there are some tracks where Dom is uncharacteristically not musically engaged in the track, imo.  And "17"'s lack of snare percussion is just very off-putting.  I know it's an experimental track, but come on.  It's as if Dom wanted to make a conservative album for the ladies, because there's very little exciting, musically bright stuff here.  Maybe on the next one he'll go back to getting a more diverse production team as on his previous albums; at least that's my hope.

Things I like are that the album is not bogged down by incessant guest features, Dom reps the Westcoast throughout instead of selling out his affiliations to increase his relatability to a more national audience (see: Snoop, cough cough), he's got great mic presence, and vocally he hasn't changed in five years, which is a good sign. (I'm talking about the way his voice sounds -- some rappers start losing it by year 5).

I copped the Best Buy version with the two bonus tracks, which are great for what they are, and represent the kind of Dom I prefer over the more reserved Dom on most of this album.

I guess that's enough analysis for now.  You can probably tell I'm a huge fan, but he can do better based on his previous work.  He's got a great ear for music, so hopefully he steps it up next time out.

[elmizzy]

I'm not defending Kendrick, far from his biggest fan. He's got some cool songs. This Dom Kennedy guy is cool. I can chill out to his shit.

so ur judging lyrics in a dom kennedy thread? come on, brobro.

I'm saying doms lyrics are good enough to where he's listenable. It's shit you can relate to at least. Black c's stuff who does he appeal to in this day and age? like I said the only time you can bump it is if you're driving to a drug deal or something. Doubt that motherfucker is pushing weight still. Just re manufactured bullshit from the 90s. That you keep eating up.

[Sccit]

in all honestly, black c's lyrics appeal to me a whole lot more than kendrick, dom kennedy or any of the new cats makin simp songs n rappin about how much swag they got...but i guess it's cuz i grew on that shit. to me, it just feels a lot more authentic personally

[Enigma]

in all honestly, black c's lyrics appeal to me a whole lot more than kendrick, dom kennedy or any of the new cats makin simp songs n rappin about how much swag they got...but i guess it's cuz i grew on that shit. to me, it just feels a lot more authentic personally

It all depends on what the preference is at this point. 10 years ago, I would have dug Black C's stuff a bit more. But at my age and where I'm at in life, I just can't listen to that shit anymore. I know I've defended Tyga in the past, but Tyga has some literal bangers and at least some decent flow. There's a time and place for "lap dance," "Rack City" and "Make it Nasty," as us being men, we can at least relate to most of that shit on some level. But the violence and drug stuff, I just can't relate to. I need records that have some meaning or relevance to me at this point.

As for GKMC, well that is a classic record, no ifs ands or buts about it. That album will still be talked about 10 years from now. And I've been following Kendrick for 5 years, love his projects, but GKMC is just on another level. His rap has substance, meaning, and like someone else said, has stuff on there anyone can relate to. The 90's sound was great for what it was, but rap has evolved, and there's some really really quality shit out there. Dom Kennedy is definitely one with quality dropping one after another. Even Nipsey, someone who is more closer to that 90's style than most, has tracks that anyone can relate to. Not overly repping his affiliation, moreso rapping about the daily grind and hustling to get what you want and deserve. Who can't relate to that? But like I said, it's preference. I just can't listen to that overly gangsta shit anymore.

[bouli77]

But the violence and drug stuff, I just can't relate to. I need records that have some meaning or relevance to me at this point.

i semi agree with this. to me, it's all about authenticity and the rapper's ability to tell a compelling story. Black C's shit is authentic, you can tell he's talking about his life, or that he's around what he speaks about. even if the same old bragadoccio gets old especially when there's nothing spectacular the way it's written. Like E-40's shit, a lot of songs talk about the same shit literally (preaching/mature songs - gangsta/bragadoccio songs - club songs), but the thing is, that's always well written and you'll always find funny lines and clever wordplay, etc.). On the other hand Kurupt is totally irrelevant to listen to nowadays, rhyming D.A.Z. with D.P.G. and Young Gotti with semi shotty, telling gangster or pimp stories that aren't credible one bit,  he just does that 'cause he has a fan base to feed but he became a caricature and has nothing authentic or compelling to say. he's better off spitting that mc shit ala new york new york but unfortunately that represents about 15% of his catalogue.

Dom Kennedy ain't about lyrics that much but that doesn't mean his lyrics are terrible either, they're simplistic but you can tell there's mad work behind his raps. the pronunciation, the delivery, the punch, the wordplays. it's just that his focus is more on the form than the content. dom kennedy is all about simplicity and sobriety. his style ain't complex but he does what he does to the perfection, and he has great mic presence, in that sense, he reminds me of Eazy E. it's all about ego-trippin and bragadoccio once again but that's his type of raps. personally I could bump songs like 1997 all day. he's clearly an offspring of the 90's era (ala Freddie Gibbs), and you can feel that in his rhymes and productions.

as for Tyga, I definitely fuck with Rack City and songs like that but it's mostly for DJ Mustard's catchy beat cause honestly tyga's skills are very poor.

[Asani Waye]

I've been knocking it all morning, but no, not better than Good Kid Maad City. Way too bold of a statement.

[Asani Waye]

DOM makes music for LA cats, especially if your from the westside. I get all the references and the shit he talking about cause I'm from the westside of LA. my fav dom project is from the westside with love II, made me proud to be from the westside...

[bouli77]

WWLII is what converted me, very solid project. i obviously don't get all the references, being the euro that I am, but I like the nostalgia, the delivery and the overall style/steez/swag whatever you feel like calling it, lol.

one of my favorite dom collabos in the song with freddie gibbs "walk in with the M.O."

[Matty]

album is dope, futuristiks are dope ass producers.

[Sccit]

in all honestly, black c's lyrics appeal to me a whole lot more than kendrick, dom kennedy or any of the new cats makin simp songs n rappin about how much swag they got...but i guess it's cuz i grew on that shit. to me, it just feels a lot more authentic personally

It all depends on what the preference is at this point. 10 years ago, I would have dug Black C's stuff a bit more. But at my age and where I'm at in life, I just can't listen to that shit anymore. I know I've defended Tyga in the past, but Tyga has some literal bangers and at least some decent flow. There's a time and place for "lap dance," "Rack City" and "Make it Nasty," as us being men, we can at least relate to most of that shit on some level. But the violence and drug stuff, I just can't relate to. I need records that have some meaning or relevance to me at this point.

As for GKMC, well that is a classic record, no ifs ands or buts about it. That album will still be talked about 10 years from now. And I've been following Kendrick for 5 years, love his projects, but GKMC is just on another level. His rap has substance, meaning, and like someone else said, has stuff on there anyone can relate to. The 90's sound was great for what it was, but rap has evolved, and there's some really really quality shit out there. Dom Kennedy is definitely one with quality dropping one after another. Even Nipsey, someone who is more closer to that 90's style than most, has tracks that anyone can relate to. Not overly repping his affiliation, moreso rapping about the daily grind and hustling to get what you want and deserve. Who can't relate to that? But like I said, it's preference. I just can't listen to that overly gangsta shit anymore.

black c aint overly gangsta on "still ruthless", most of his songs about comin up, as well..."a niggaaa trynaaa wiiinnn" shit like that. then some weed songs, runnin game on hoes typa songs, breaded songs etc..who cant relate to that? and most importantly, its all over top-notch west coast production. i gotta say, tho, i havent listened to much dom kennedy, but what i have heard ive liked.. he's actually not nearly as skinny jean era as kendrick in my mind, if u know what im sayin. kendrick is dope too, but sometimes he just sounds like the dude who gets socked in the jaw when he's spittin.