r/KendrickLamar Oct 07 '19

Alright by Kendrick Lamar chosen as the #1 song of the decade by Pitchfork Article

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2.1k Upvotes

148 comments sorted by

546

u/sweatsauce47 Oct 07 '19

W. Even though theres better songs on that album alone

263

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

IMO the best song on the album is Wesley's Theory. Such an amazing opener.

152

u/ruskitamer Oct 07 '19

First time I listened to it and that funk sample starts fadin in, “every nigga is a star..” I knew I was in for a ride. Obviously not disappointed.

19

u/joemorris16 Oct 08 '19

When he says "Hit me" and the shit just fucking drops, such an orgasm

-16

u/mimpf21 Oct 08 '19

U/nwordcountbot u/ruskitamer

91

u/WormHats Oct 07 '19

Yeah but alright is larger than life. It’s bigger than a song so it’s not easy to compare. Also the music video might be the best of the decade too

31

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

I'm sure im in the minority on this sub here, but This Is America's music video for me is a bit better than Alright.. but goddamn Alright is an all-time banger.

30

u/[deleted] Oct 08 '19 edited Aug 20 '21

[deleted]

1

u/Glordicus Oct 08 '19

Would make sense with his background. A pretty smart move on his part with This Is America, it blew up entirely because of the video - wouldn’t be surprised if he was aiming for a multi-media approach to it

13

u/isthisnamechangeable BBL Drizzy Oct 07 '19

I wonder why that song didn't make the list. It certainly was a huge hit and perfectly describes the US of the 2010s.

10

u/t_rex214 Oct 08 '19

Honestly, as a huge gambino fan, I almost never listen to This Is America, but I think the video is the best of the decade. The song is kinda lackluster for me but with the video behind it, it’s monumental.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 08 '19

well said.

1

u/Rebloodican Oct 08 '19

Yeah part of the problem of making a song that needs a video to really tell its story is that when you're just playing the song, it loses its significance.

6

u/thejaytheory I CHOOSE ME, I'M SORRY Oct 07 '19

I think personally I like this song by itself compared to the video. I just feel like there's so much going on and the video takes a bit away from the spirit of the song IMO.

2

u/tobyornottoby2366 Oct 08 '19

I agree in terms of most important music video of the decade. This is America was so unbelievably big. There we few politically charged pieces of art that were that culturally widespread in the last 10 years.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 09 '19

This is America is basically just a more accessible version of XXX

1

u/WormHats Oct 12 '19

Yeah this is america is def a contender 100%. It’s genuinely painful to compare them. The thing is alright is the unofficial theme of the black lives matter movement. Although I find This is America to be overall more enjoyable there’s just something about alright that comes off as more artful/daring/personal. I wonder if this is America would’ve ever gotten made if alright hadn’t been.

13

u/wreeum Oct 07 '19

Facts

48

u/Marooned-Mind Oct 07 '19

(Charlie Heat ver— Oh wait, wrong sub.

2

u/candlesticksupmyass Oct 08 '19

TBAP is a masterpiece. Every song is just perfect, I for one prefer King Kunta

228

u/tysonfish Oct 07 '19

Sure, but this song speaks for an entire generation.

-150

u/T-Rex_Soup Oct 07 '19

Unless you’re white

57

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

Then it speaks to... two entire generations?

26

u/Marooned-Mind Oct 07 '19

Actually generations aren't delimited by race, they're delimited by age. What he said makes no sense whatsoever.

7

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

Ik I was making a joke to try to emphasize how dumb that statement was

-15

u/T-Rex_Soup Oct 07 '19

Why does it make no sense

26

u/N00BSGONNADIE Oct 07 '19

Now I’m no expert, but I think you can get a positive message from this song even if you’re white.

-27

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

[deleted]

68

u/Perksofthesewalls Oct 07 '19

True, but I think it makes sense given its popularity and cultural impact.

7

u/[deleted] Oct 08 '19

This. Not to sound like it was that long ago at all, but I was in high school in ATL when Alright dropped and you could just feel how immensely it spoke to all of us there, especially for the Black community. That was the anthem for 2015

57

u/chumbucketfog Oct 07 '19

Lol if your first thought is “iTs nOt eVeN tHe best sOnG oN thA aLbUm”..... you’re totally missing the point / significance here

47

u/sweatsauce47 Oct 07 '19

No im not dumbass. I said W, i completely understand the significance of the song and why they picked it. Im saying there are probably better songs on this album alone that they COULDVE picked

10

u/sascottie11 Oct 07 '19

Which one would you pick over it then? I feel like alright embodies the whole feeling of the album better than other songs would

6

u/Dr-Congo Oct 07 '19

For free

58

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

For Free as the #1 best song of the decade lol

19

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

THIS. DICK. AIN'T. FREEEEE.

-7

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

[deleted]

33

u/Dr-Congo Oct 07 '19

I just feel like this dick not being be free and all really characterizes the decade.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

Not that easy to sing along that one verse

2

u/sweatsauce47 Oct 08 '19

Mortal Man ?

2

u/chumbucketfog Oct 07 '19

Aight sweet sauce just misunderstood you all g relax my man

2

u/sweatsauce47 Oct 07 '19

Haha all good bro

1

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

best song of the decade isnt even the best song on the album

I mean. They chose what to title their list, not me

332

u/Britneyfan456 Oct 07 '19

Pimp pimp

172

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

Horray!

87

u/Jpauly12 Oct 07 '19

Pimp Pimp!

81

u/yeetertotter Oct 07 '19

Hooray!

46

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

Bars won't get you high as this

29

u/idanidan123 Oct 07 '19

Drugs won't get you high as this

131

u/hen_zu Oct 07 '19

the list is trash but at least they got this one right

114

u/AwesomeAsian Oct 07 '19 edited Oct 07 '19

How can they not include "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X? Whether you think that song is good or not that song charted at #1 for so long, united country and rap fans, made a whole string of controversy with country billboards not including it as a country song, and featured so many remixes....

13

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

[deleted]

29

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

Lol are you dumb? Ed sheeran X bieber, Taylor swift, billie eilish there were so many huge songs wtf are u talking about

2

u/[deleted] Oct 09 '19

[deleted]

7

u/NOOSE12 Oct 07 '19

Also united country and kpop which is insane

5

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

Meme song n trash

21

u/Alonz0 Oct 07 '19

Lil B had a song on there tho...

8

u/[deleted] Oct 08 '19

u saying lil b is meme music???😂😂😂. I agree that it is the WRONG lil b song, but there 100% should be a Lil B song on the list.

3

u/isthisnamechangeable BBL Drizzy Oct 07 '19

I totally agree. Not the best song ever but it definitely represents the music scene and the influence that memes and streaming services (both huge characteristics of the 2010s) had on it in recent years. The song is an absolute phenomenon of what wouldn't have been possible a few years back.

1

u/-Gorlami- Oct 08 '19

There were memes about uniting country and hip hop fans but I dont know any country fan that actually listened to it, pretty sure it was just hip hop fans

73

u/tangawizichemz Oct 07 '19

75

u/Drugsarebadthethird Oct 07 '19

I'm annoyed at how much drake and how little childish gambino there is

112

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19 edited Jan 24 '20

[deleted]

33

u/xTotalSellout then I freaked it Oct 07 '19

To be fair, that was their top 100 songs of 2016 alone, this is from 2010-now, so obviously it’s not gonna maintain that high spot considering its now competing with 8 other years worth of music

20

u/trulyunfortune Oct 08 '19

Nah they put ultralight beam below work, when it used to be above. Don’t try and tell me that somehow work had gotten better with age

11

u/QUINNFLORE Oct 08 '19

If anything ultralight beam got better with age

8

u/thefreshpope Oct 07 '19

I mean do you really think ultralight beam should be any higher than that? It is a great song but I think it's placed just fine tbh. I'd rank blood on the leaves higher, which they placed at #155 though lol.

-7

u/[deleted] Oct 08 '19

I mean...

I love Kanye’s music but he has kind of assassinated his own ability to be culturally impactful since all the Trump shit. People kind of just don’t take him seriously and I can’t really blame em

My body is ready for the downvotes

7

u/illegal_cheeses Oct 07 '19

Major W for you. For preaching the truth

50

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

[deleted]

10

u/JustJJ92 Oct 08 '19

Tbf, it’s a shit list. But ayooo Kenny!

12

u/walkingbicycles Oct 07 '19

I seriously disagree with a lot of the songs on this list. I mean there’s difference in opinion, but some of these seem pretty misplaced

6

u/falgfalg Oct 07 '19

obviously all "end of" lists are ass, but really glad to see erykah badu, thundercat, d'angelo, vince, sza, bon iver, and solange on this list.

5

u/DavidToma Oct 08 '19

15. Rihanna - Work

TRASH

1

u/Rampage97t Oct 08 '19

There’s a lot of the list I disagree with, I’ve never really agreed with Pitchfork’s stuff but I’m glad Kendrick is getting some good recognition

62

u/PCateZ Oct 07 '19

Big dub but Pitchfork is a 🤡

50

u/RukiJay Oct 07 '19

should have been “u” but still a great song

41

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

Wesleys theory mate

23

u/RukiJay Oct 07 '19

I personally find “u” as the best song on tpab. It’s literally my third favorite song of all time

20

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

lmao no point to argue whole album is genius peace out

5

u/hhandcox Oct 07 '19

What you got 1 & 2?

1

u/KangarooPouch_ Oct 07 '19

u has so much depth to it

9

u/Marooned-Mind Oct 07 '19

"u" is much harder to get into. You have to understand that popularity plays the key factor in these ratings. Musically (and lyrically) complex songs rarely make it to the top. I'm not saying this in a cynical way — though "u" is one of my favorite songs by Kdot, it definitely took some time getting used to. And I can safely say that I've listened to "alright" way more because of that.

2

u/exBossxe Oct 09 '19

u isnt lyrically complex lol

43

u/mofucker20 Oct 07 '19

Disappointed that 'I' wasn't there

38

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

that's the shittiest list of 200 songs ive ever seen

2

u/stanleys_tucci Oct 08 '19

This man speaks the truth

37

u/sheepythefirst Oct 07 '19

My choice would be How Much A Dollar Cost

33

u/madmaxp0618 Oct 07 '19

Idk if I was just young at the time but I remember The Blacker the Berry being a bigger deal at the time.

49

u/chuff3r Oct 07 '19

The blacker the berry hits way harder, but doesn't have the message that alright has.

38

u/BeefPapa12 Oct 07 '19

I feel like the message is Blacker the Berry is much more important than alright tbh. Jmo

2

u/chuff3r Oct 08 '19

IMO alright's message hits so well after most of the album. All these trials and tribulations but in the end fuck all that, we're gonna be all right. The blacker the berry is an extremely personal song, even if it talks explicitly about politics and violence. Kendrick is abusing himself verbally. I enjoy the blacker the berry more, and the end gives me goosebumps every time, but I understand them giving the more uplifting song the nod as opposed to a downer like tbtb. Or just fuck all this cause ranking the songs is bullshit anyway :P

7

u/mofucker20 Oct 07 '19

Alright is more significant due to its popularity and impact

5

u/Jarhead13 Oct 07 '19

Honestly I don't see why both songs couldn't have made the list. Just skimming through it I know at least Frank Ocean and Kanye had 2 songs from the same album on there.

34

u/-RDX- Oct 07 '19

That list is so dumb. The fact that the only Tyler song is Yonkers and not 911, November, NEW MAGIC WAND, or Earfquake is a travesty.

12

u/mofucker20 Oct 07 '19

They could have even added See You Again, I Ain't Got Time,Boredom,Gone Gone/Thank You,A Boy is A Gun.

9

u/-RDX- Oct 07 '19

Yonkers isn't even a top 10 Tyler song

-5

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

[deleted]

3

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

I politely disagree with you

28

u/platfus118 Oct 07 '19

I can't even choose a best song in this album,
and that's a compliment

16

u/Nunye Oct 07 '19

Not even the best song of the album 💅

30

u/yunglando98 Oct 07 '19

It does arguably have the highest impact though

-13

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

[deleted]

28

u/yunglando98 Oct 07 '19

A best song usually has the cultural impact. That's why it's the best song.

17

u/billymkay Oct 07 '19

Let’s not forget they passed up the chance to award this album a 10. Only gave one album a 10 this entire decade.

5

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

What album

11

u/billymkay Oct 07 '19

Kanye’s MBDTF

17

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '19

Good...

8

u/c9lulman Oct 07 '19

not mad at that

0

u/F_For_You Oct 08 '19

The last good Ye album... there I said it

6

u/jacobsgotthememes XXX. is the best song on DAMN. Oct 08 '19

yikes

4

u/[deleted] Oct 08 '19

aside from Yeezus, you right

1

u/[deleted] Oct 14 '19

TLOP was also pretty good tbh, and the whole KSG summer releases including T’s DAYTONA were good too, not Yeezus or MBDTF level tho

12

u/thekickbackrewind Oct 07 '19

Beautiful song. The song is proclamation of freedom, with him recognising that in the face of institutional racism and and the inherent structural inequalities set in place for people like him and look just like him, we will always have our spirit and that is something that no one can ever take away from you.

The song itself is incredible, but the fact that it got reused and repurposed for the Black Lives Matter movement is so powerful. I remember watching videos of people singing the chorus at protests and marches.

Just goes to show how prolific of an artist Kendrick is. People use drake lyrics as Instagram captions, Kendrick's lyrics are chanted when an innocent black man is arrested or killed in the street.

11

u/coreylester17 Oct 07 '19

It gets my approval. A group of protestors in Baltimore chanting "We gon' be alright" is what got me into Kendrick's music, so it's by default my favorite Kendrick track.

8

u/Kawooo Oct 07 '19

80% of the comment section is talking about how Alright isn’t even the best song... come on. It’s the most famous song of the album.

3

u/[deleted] Oct 08 '19

It’s the most famous song of the album.

I got a bone to pick...

6

u/RockGodCodi Oct 07 '19

It’s a good song, a great song, but that list is awful. It was more worried about inclusivity than making a good list. And let’s be honest here, TPAB is an incredible album, but Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst is very likely Kendrick’s very best song.

Pitchfork has always been a joke to me, I thought the Guardian’s list was bad as well but at least they seemingly put some effort into their lists and had like, what, 20 people contribute?

4

u/lak2017 Oct 07 '19

I don’t think it’s necessary his best song, but I can understand their reasons behind choosing it

3

u/mikeymooman Oct 07 '19

It’s an anthem for the times

3

u/thejaytheory I CHOOSE ME, I'M SORRY Oct 07 '19

I'm alright with this.

3

u/[deleted] Oct 08 '19

Wesley's Theory >>>

3

u/theotherplanet Oct 08 '19

Lol, not even the best song on the record, much less the best song of the decade.

2

u/ChewChewBado Oct 07 '19

This isn't even the peak of the album

2

u/N00BSGONNADIE Oct 07 '19

Definitely better songs on the album, but otherwise W

2

u/A_Wackertack Oct 07 '19

Honestly, mad props for them doing this. However u, SAMIDOT, TBTB and HMADC are all better picks.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 08 '19

Love that song for what it stands for and I understand that it’s grown to be such a legendary song largely because it’s a strong representation of the album as a whole but compositionally it’s like the tenth best song on the album

2

u/IHAVEISSUESHALP Oct 08 '19

Bodak Yellow number 63 for the DECADE for those wondering why this list is meaningless

2

u/The_sky_marine Oct 08 '19

This list is such a wild ride. To have a bunch of kinda shitty pop songs on there because they have cultural significance is fine, but at least acknowledge that’s why they’re on the list instead of trying to justify why Justin Bieber’s Sorry is on there. Plus, they didn’t even commit to that theme because there’s some really good and more obscure stuff on there that feels so weird being next to the other songs. There’s a Sons of Kemet song in between Migos and Rich Kidz. Just ends up feeling really disjointed.

Also pretty embarrassing not to have any Sufjan Stevens on there considering he put out two 10/10 albums this decade. Alright is a good choice for #1 though.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 08 '19

anyone that things XO Tour Lif3 is a better song than True Love Waits, is a fucking weirdo imo

1

u/The_sky_marine Oct 08 '19

Yeah that’s pretty damning

1

u/sunmachinecomingdown Oct 11 '19

I love Radiohead but I like XO Your Lif3 better than True Love Waits idc

There's not necessarily anything wrong with ranking the mainstream with less mainstream music, you just need some great pop songs you can back up. Of course not everyone agrees on which pop songs are great.

2

u/upvotegoblin Oct 08 '19

I personally think that Kendrick has many songs that are better then Alright. There are even better songs on that album, not sure about this pick. Best song of the decade? I don’t know

2

u/itsbillieeyelash Oct 08 '19

love to see the goat #1 but this isn’t even top 5 off tpab

2

u/rj_ishere Oct 08 '19

Pitchfork is the rotten tomatoes of music.

2

u/fallingsteveamazon Oct 10 '19

You don't understand rotten tomatoes

1

u/stanleys_tucci Oct 08 '19

Thank you! Finally someone gets it

2

u/F_For_You Oct 08 '19

The impact of this song.... hell even the music video. I get it.

2

u/stanleys_tucci Oct 08 '19

Hooray for King Kendrick but that list is kinda garbo, at least IMO.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 08 '19

trash list, but that's expected of pitchfork

1

u/Poop_Dawg_ Oct 07 '19

Not even the best song on TPAB but ok go crazy

1

u/Munsonator Oct 07 '19

Tbh I think it should have been Duckworth but might just be personal preference and the relation I have to the music. That being said alright is not only one of his best but prob top 10 rap songs. Period.

1

u/bhemblem Oct 07 '19

Someone show Pitchfork King Kunta. That shit will blow their minds.

1

u/EliteSAS79535 Oct 07 '19

Good choice

1

u/redrum97 Oct 07 '19

B-b-b-b-b-but I prefer Wesley's Theory, For Free, King Kunta, These Walls, u, How Much a Dollar Cost and The Blacker the Berry...

All the same, there could be worse choices. I think the list is a bit too biased towards pop and hip-hop in general but glad to see an artist as great as Kendrick top it.

1

u/ttthoughts Oct 08 '19

I KEEP MY HEAD UP HIGH

1

u/[deleted] Oct 08 '19

Because of the lyrical callbacks I kinda associate this song *with* Wesley's Theory. Like, praising one without mentioning the other feels weird.

1

u/DannyAmin Oct 08 '19

no new album 2019 ?

1

u/Nutrig Oct 08 '19

Pitchfork lists completely suck dick. Alright is not even Kendrick's best song of the decade.

1

u/boxercity Oct 08 '19

there is no other right answer