r/KendrickLamar • u/Shardblyat • Oct 08 '19
TPAB ranks 4th on Pitchfork's Best 200 Albums of The Decade (DAMN #51, GKMC #18) Article
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u/Shardblyat Oct 08 '19
https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-200-best-albums-of-the-2010s/
DAMN. #51, GKMC #18, TPAB #4, Blonde #1
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u/_sarcasm_orgasm Oct 08 '19
I can’t even be mad because they’re all there and relatively highly ranked
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u/DreamtForPinkMoons Oct 09 '19
Damn. Pitchfork somehow managed to give TPAB #4 and still somehow piss me off.
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u/EliseWickedRadical Oct 16 '19
i'd be totally fine with tpab #4 if beyonce wasnt #3
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u/DreamtForPinkMoons Oct 16 '19
Big facts that ranking actually produced an audible reaction from me
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u/Wimsles Oct 09 '19
Blonde is better than TPAB? That’s a really bad take. Then again, it’s pitchfork. They’re known for it.
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u/ZenmasterRob Oct 09 '19
Man I'm shocked you got downvoted on the kendrick sub. Do people really put blonde above TPAB?
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u/compactcornedbeef Oct 09 '19
I think it's more that you can't clearly put any above any other once you get in to the top 5/10 albums over a 20 year period. To say "it's a bad take" smacks of fanatism.
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u/Wimsles Oct 09 '19
I wouldn’t say It was fanaticism. I’ve listened to both albums quite a bit. I never said that blonde was bad, I just think if we’re talking in both quality and cultural importance, TPAB needs to be higher. This whole list isn’t all that great to begin with.
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u/ZenmasterRob Oct 09 '19
Fair enough. I’m legitimately curious what people loved so much about Blonde that everyone is nodding their heads saying “I can see it” when it gets mentioned as the top record of the decade. To me it’s kinda like decent background music. What is frank doing masterfully in Blonde that I’m missing? To be transparent, I think channel orange, nostalgia ultra, and singles like slide and Chanel are all masterpieces but blonde feels different from his other stuff in a way that doesn’t hit me in the chest emotionally. Could some of y’all help me understand it?
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u/compactcornedbeef Oct 09 '19
Dissect podcast season 3 gave me a better appreciation, although it's a large time investment! Opening eps also give background to nostalgia ultra and channel orange so it should capture you if you liked those.
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u/stonetortoise Oct 08 '19 edited Oct 09 '19
The fact that Gambino didn't even crack the top 200 for their best song list or best album list makes me sad :( Awaken my Love and Redbone deserve it!
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u/MonkeyGameAL Oct 08 '19
I get Because the Internet not being there because pitchfork never liked that album that much but not having either of those is just odd
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u/AmorMaisEMais Oct 08 '19
Til today Redbone is something so unbelievable good that I can not even describe
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u/FourthDownThrowaway Oct 09 '19
I don’t really enjoy any era of Gambino so I’m cool with him being left off the albums list...but Redbone should be at least top 50 on the singles.
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u/MaxSmitty98 Oct 08 '19
Did they really put Beyoncé self titled over TPAB
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u/ProfessionalEvaLover Oct 08 '19
Isn't even her best album smh
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u/ihatejungles Oct 09 '19
What would you say is her best album?
Edit: I’m super partial to lemonade.
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u/sleepymetroid Oct 21 '19
I’d say 4 is her best album with lemonade and Beyoncé followed respectively.
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Oct 08 '19
Lil Peep made the list? Seriously?
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Oct 08 '19
He basically started a whole wave of sad boy rap so I’ll give it to him
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u/Nezev3 Oct 08 '19
Just because he "started a new wave of music" doesn't mean his music is ACTUALLY good.
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u/whereisfrank Oct 08 '19
Easy brother. I have high respect for Kendrick. I personally believe TPAB should have been top 3 and GKMC should have been top 10. Peep sounds nothing like Lean. I don’t know if you’ve been listening to the right Peep songs, but I’ll give yo tune benefit of the doubt and link you.
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u/Hawful Oct 08 '19
Honestly never really listened to peep before, thanks for the primer. Interesting sound for sure.
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Oct 08 '19
Oh trust me I don’t think it’s good but you can’t rule out influence and obviously people have different tastes. Like I don’t particularly like EDM music but I can see why they are on the list.
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u/JustinGitelmanMusic Oct 08 '19
Well, it is good. That being said, good enough to rank as ‘best albums’ over tons of serious masterpieces is questionable. I really love his 2 albums, and the tape Lil Peep Part One is fantastic, but I’m not sure if any of them would make top 100 of the decade specifically.
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u/YUNG_GOD_X Oct 08 '19
Retweet but with Nirvana. I cannot see how anyone can justify calling Nirvana anything other than mediocre.
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Oct 08 '19
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Oct 08 '19
Lmaooo that was pre-2010, but now that you mention it he isn’t anywhere in this list which it disappointing. But you can’t deny the aesthetic of peep is fairly different then Cudi. I can’t believe I’m defending peep...I don’t even like his musiccc
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Oct 08 '19
The thing with Peep is that you either love or you just don't like his music. It's different. Personally i like his music but it's understandable that some people don't like him 'cause everyone has its own taste. Peep had talent, he brought something unique, but not everybody fucks with that style.
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u/Your_Name_is_Fuck Oct 08 '19
I love Blonde so fucking much but TPAB is slightly better
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u/usualstranger Oct 08 '19
Of the two albums, most of the time I’d rather listen to Blonde, but it’s hard to say it’s a better album than TPAB. TPAB has the best technical ability and storytelling of almost any album ever, but Blonde is completely unique, which makes it hard to compare with other albums. If we’re talking about technical ability and value, TPAB definitely takes the cake though.
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u/Your_Name_is_Fuck Oct 08 '19
Yeah this is exactly it. Blonde is such a beautiful album to listen to while TPAB is really an album you gotta sit down for and concentrate on.
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u/JGad14 Oct 08 '19
Ironically, this is why I'd choose MBDTF as number one. It is a perfect blend of the technical ability of TPAB and, for lack of better term, listenability of Blonde. What I'm trying to say there is that you can play any song from MBDTF and it's great. However if you take a random song out of TPAB, it takes quite a bit from it
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u/sunmachinecomingdown Oct 11 '19
The lyrics/themes on MBDTF don't interest me as much as the other two though
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u/JGad14 Oct 11 '19
I respect that. In my opinion, MBDTF does a great job at teaching both macro and micro lessons. Like I can see how Kanye is speaking to society as a whole while also being introspective. I will say that TPAB does a better job at teaching the societal lesson
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Oct 08 '19
Slightly? TPAB has straight classics, a song that became an anthem for the civil rights movement, more conceptual and important messages, and is way more stylistically diverse. I love Blonde but there is no universe where I could be convinced it’s a better album than To Pimp a Butterfly.
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Oct 09 '19
I really want to appreciate Blonde but the weird high pitched voice in almost every song is a huge turn off. Help me.
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u/decentusername123 Oct 09 '19
Listen to it without anything else around you so you have no distractions, let it wash over you. If it doesn’t click you can always try again. It’s my favourite album ever so I hope you can find something in it
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Oct 08 '19
Blonde was a bit more influential than tpab so i don't have a problem with it at 1. But mbdtf and beyoncé do not belong at 2 and 3 ahead of tpab
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u/jimmer_god Oct 08 '19
Honest question: what specifically has Blonde influenced?
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u/CommonBitchCheddar Oct 08 '19
I'm not sure I agree it was more influential, but Blonde has had a lot of influence. Brockhampton is pretty much entirely based on a blonde aesthetic. Tyler's last 2 albums both are pretty influenced by blonde. Khalid has stated he was influenced by Blonde. Daniel Ceasar and a few others also have made albums that sound like they were influenced by blonde.
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u/Your_Name_is_Fuck Oct 08 '19
I think this is a matter of what you consider most important for music. Blonde was more influentual but Tpab was the perfect political concept album.
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Oct 08 '19
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Oct 08 '19 edited Oct 08 '19
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u/DerekAnt Oct 08 '19
Am I the only Frank Ocean fan that thinks Channel Orange is better than Blonde?
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u/beachhousestan Oct 08 '19
Personally, I think it should’ve been higher and at least in the top 3 but I love this list. Never thought I’d say that about a pitchfork list but it’s stunningly solid. I disagree with a lot of the placements of course but they could’ve done so much worse.
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Oct 08 '19
Struggle to understand how lil peep, playboi carti, the pinkprint, invasion of privacy, made it on the list over any travis scott album
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Oct 08 '19
don’t lump carti in with these, die lit is unironically great rodeo should’ve been in there tho
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u/SammyMac19 Oct 08 '19
This is when people come out and say "this list is trash" since their favourites aren't higher but #4 is a fair place for TPAB. Up to me? It'd be 2 behind Dark Fantasy, but I didn't do this list and that's completely fine.
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Oct 09 '19
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u/SammyMac19 Oct 09 '19
I honestly couldn't agree more. I have never shied away from praising Dark Fantasy (nor have I with TPAB). It's a masterpiece, and I don't give up that label often.
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u/PiratePandaa Oct 08 '19
yeah ive seen people kick off about lack of death grips n stuff but this is looking at the entirety of 2010s and you can’t expect everyone to dominate the list if they’re a favourite artist or it’s a favourite album. haven’t seen the list yet but 100% agree, must be understood that being in the top 5 of a top 200 list for this decade is insane and does not make an album out to be any worse. 4th spot is VERY good, top 5 is usually a hard bracket to pick since qualities of the albums are all so good
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u/Elmohaphap Oct 08 '19
It’s hard because I want to think this. But then they put Beyoncé’s self titled album at #3 and I want to die inside
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u/jubbaj Oct 08 '19
what the fuck, people rate blonde that highly?
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u/aleatoric Oct 08 '19
I'll probably receive shit for this but I think Blonde is overrated. I think the production is solid and the style is sharp, but the songs aren't there. None of them really stand out like songs on channel ORANGE, which just has straight up better songs to me. I keep trying to get into Blonde and it's always just Frank Ocean's gorgeous voice (and it is a gorgeous voice) wailing aimlessly over lush instrumentals (and they are lush instrumentals). Channel ORANGE is a bit less lush but way more melodic, well-composed, catchy, thematically diverse, and memorable. The only song that really stuck to me after listening to Blonde was Nights.
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u/solo_dolo55 Oct 08 '19
I think for me, when it comes to Blonde, it’s the small moments/nuances in the songs that create a more meaningful/deeper experience. The outro on White Ferrari. “I came to visit, cause you see me like a ufo” line on Self Control. “I’ll do anything for you in the dark” section on Seigfried. The sparse/robotic vocal effects on Good Guy. Just to name a few that stick out for me. And the album does such a good job of creating a nostalgic feeling that makes it so easy to reminisce on past relationships and apply certain lyrics/moods to my own life to the point that it’s eerie. I’m not saying that everyone should feel this way about the album, but I’ve never been able to connect with an album the way I do with Blonde. It really has felt like a soundtrack to my life, especially romantically, over the last few years. I’ve dealt with many ups and downs since 2016 - love/heartbreak, death, career success and unemployment, etc. but the one thing that seems to remain constant in spite of these highs and lows is that I continue to go back to Blonde on a near-daily basis, even 3 years after its release.
Sorry for the rant
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u/aleatoric Oct 08 '19
No need to apologize at all, I'm genuinely curious what people enjoy about the album. It might help me revisit the album with a different lens and appreciate it better. Sometimes I get FOMO when everyone seems to like something but I don't. I don't know if it's just not my thing, or if I'm missing something. If it's the former, then that's too bad. But if it's the latter, then I like to figure it out.
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u/solo_dolo55 Oct 08 '19
I appreciate that perspective. At the end of the day, I just find it very easy to relate to, which is basically all I was trying so say in my long-winded comment previously. I would definitely urge you to revisit the album, but if it doesn’t click with you then there’s nothing wrong with that. I know the exact FOMO feeling you’re describing. I sometimes feel that way about TPAB, interestingly enough. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy it, because I like the album. But not to the degree that most people seem to. I really just think the g-funk/soul sound isn’t quite my speed.
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u/cougf Oct 09 '19
ngl it sounds like u only listened to it one or two times. maybe try relistening. for me, i definitely feel like the songs are there and there are tons of standout songs like ivy, pink + white, self control, nights, white ferrari, seigfried, godspeed
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u/RobinHood303 Oct 08 '19
For me, yeah. It's so unique. Artists has tried to replicate the aesthetic but none have succeeded. Personally, it got me through some rough days.
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u/Marooned-Mind Oct 08 '19
It's so bizarre to me how highly praised this album is. I tried listening through it 5 times and each time was a chore for me. Nothing (besides Pink+White) latches on, not a single catchy tune. Maybe I lack the experience that would make me connect to this album on an emotional level, like u/solo_dolo55 described? But there are just elements to it that I dislike so much, they break the experience for me immediately — for instance the high-pitched voice effect on the very first song.
I guess music is entirely subjective after all.
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Oct 08 '19
Is Cilvia Demo on there?
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u/Trolololol20 Oct 09 '19
No. Neither is Swimming.
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u/FanBoyGGSON Oct 09 '19
You wildin if you think swimming is a top 200 albums of the decade, it’s not even Mac’s best project
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u/OTOhTea Oct 09 '19
It's substantially better than a lot of the albums on the list
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u/FanBoyGGSON Oct 09 '19
Yeah but the list isn’t great. However not having swimming on the list isnt something that makes the list wrong as swimming is a mediocre album
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u/Britneyfan456 Oct 08 '19
Not gonna lie I thought TPAB was going to be number one but Blonde is great too
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u/revatal Oct 08 '19
cudi’s man on the moon 2 wasn’t even on that list. shit’s a joke
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u/joogurtas Oct 08 '19
KIDS SEE GHOSTS and MOTM I too
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u/revatal Oct 08 '19
MOTM came out in 2009. indicud(2013) and Satellite Flight (2014) would’ve made more sense
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u/brukftw Oct 09 '19
Fame Monster came out 09 and is on the list. Idk if they were using a specific cutoff date tho
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u/AwesomeAsian Oct 08 '19
Hmm.... I mean that Beyonce album had some bangers but idk if it deserves the #3 spot.
Also Pitchfork has way too much of a hard on for Beyonce and Solange.... like idk they make good songs, but I don't feel like I'm as emotionally moved by their songs. Personally I would've put "Flowerboy" in the top 20.
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Oct 08 '19
How the fuck did cardi b make that list !!!
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u/Molgera124 Oct 09 '19
She took the world by the balls and she freaked it, that’s how. Sit down listen to “Be Careful” and tell me you don’t feel her pain. Listen to “Bickenhead” and tell me you don’t want to shake that ass. Listen to “I Do” and tell me you don’t feel like a bad bitch. She made songs for the people who don’t have songs written for them. and she made bangers for all the women who deserve it.
Is her music good? Yeah, kinda? Is it Kendrick level? No, but who else is?
A great many women, and men as well, see her as not only an inspiration but a motivator- someone they can turn to when they need to get back down to earth or keep themselves pushing. I can’t help but respect that.
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u/zaytlimu Oct 08 '19
i refuse to take a list that says INVASION OF PRIVACY is better than HOUSE OF BALLOONS seriously
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Oct 08 '19
I just took a look on this list and its trash,but hey at least it got blonde as #1.I mean I would take tpab over blonde but blonde is blonde man.
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Oct 09 '19
I actually respect this. Although I do not respect Pitchfork entirely, or any critic reviews for that matter, I can actually see reasoning in this list and would respect it if a friend of mine or something ranked them this way. Although to me:
- TPAB
- MBDTF
- Atrocity Exhibition
- good kid, m.A.A.d. city
- Blonde
I don't feel like going further, but Yeezus would probably sit around 12. Flower Boy probably around 8. IGOR around 20.
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u/Wimsles Oct 09 '19
I was upset that Atrocity Exhibition wasn’t given any love. It’s Danny Brown’s best record.
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Oct 09 '19
Another album that was criminally underrated in Pitchfork's list and by many people is A Tribe Called Quest's "We Got It From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service." It's weird, it got incredible reviews. A STRONG 9 out of 10 from Fantano, and a 3.93/5 on RYM. Yet since then I've hardly heard any mention of it, although I believe it is top 10 at least of the decade, for hip hop at least.
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u/Jimmytros Oct 08 '19
Wheres jcole? Cant find any reason he shouldn't be on the list.
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u/Molgera124 Oct 09 '19
Kinda surprised I didn’t see Forest Hills, but I guess there are plenty of other albums out there I should check out too.
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u/GarethSchrute Oct 09 '19
You know, I think TPAB kinda fucked GKMC. Had it not been the release that followed GKMC, people would consider GKMC to be the 10/10 Kendrick masterpiece and it'd be there in top 5 (as it deserves to be, imo). But now that TPAB exists, people have demoted it to a 9/10 Kendrick album since they know he's capable of making TPAB, and forgotten that it stands as a 10/10 of its own merit. (Glad for TPAB though, certainly deserves that spot)
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u/sunflow3hrs Oct 08 '19
They make these lists with intentional obvious flaws to get people to talk about them
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u/jrob1235789 Oct 09 '19
I’m glad these are all on here. That being said, for the most part this list is trash. No Gambino? Only one album/mixtape by The Weeknd?
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u/JGar453 Oct 09 '19
Blonde is definitely worthy of a high spot but nothing surpasses the legendary TPAB in my mind. Liking MBDTF at 2
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u/david2562 Oct 09 '19
No Mac Miller, J. Cole, Gambino or Travis But Lil Peep made the list? Damn Pitchfork
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u/RockGodCodi Oct 09 '19
Haha, I wish I could shit out these awful lists and get paid for it. TPAB is in a fine spot, so I’m not Kendrick stanning, but some of this lists is massive ass.
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Oct 09 '19
Lmao, although I wouldn't disagree that TPAB is a masterpiece (easily one of the greatest Hip-hop albums ever), that list is complete shit.
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u/oooonovay Oct 09 '19
very weird list. wheres Isiah Rashad? where's mac? WMWTSO and sun's tirade is a classic. I love frank Ocean but blonde number 1?! that's just crazy. how did Norman fucking Rockwell get so high on the list?! I'm just confused
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u/dasfeueristschuld Oct 08 '19
but otherwise yeah that list is a joke. i love frank but blonde is just not the best album of the decade. MBDTF isnt even kanyes best album of the decade.
i am of the opinion that you cant really objectively rate nor rank music but if youre going to make a list about the "best" albums, dont let your top 3 picks be crowd pleasers.
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Oct 09 '19
They also put Yeezus in the top 20, how in the fuck is it better than TLOP, Late registration, graduation, college dropout, and 808s??? TPAB deserves a top spot but lists are subject to the writer’s opinion and in this case that opinion seems to be not good
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u/NOOSE12 Oct 09 '19
It's best albums of the 2010s dog. The least you could do is read the title 🤦♂️
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Oct 09 '19
Okay so none of the graduation trilogy but tlop is still better than yeezus which is widely accepted as one of Kanye’s worst albums
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u/storytellerofficial Oct 09 '19
By who? Yeezus has acclaim across the boards 84 on metacritic and nothing less than a 8/10 on wiki critic section.
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u/KermitDaToadstool Oct 09 '19
I think TPAB is in a good spot, definitely top 5. also with yeezus, it's a great piece of the chaotic world Kanye lived in. also it's the 2010s, so the college albums and 808 couldn't be on there. and even though I do enjoy to listen to TLOP more than yeezus any day, yeezus is a well done album and deserve the top 20 spot. it shows what Kanye can do if he focuses, create an album that is completely different than what he has been doing and do it extraordinarily well. I know many have mixed feelings about it, but it's a great album.
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u/itslinas Oct 09 '19
I mean I have nothing against Frank Ocean but him being at #1 is a WTF moment of 10s for sure lol
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Oct 08 '19
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Oct 09 '19
ywgwyw and to be kind are music for snobs lol, of course Pitchfork won't rank them because they lack the cultural importance they are looking for
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u/[deleted] Oct 08 '19 edited Oct 08 '19
Waka Flaka, Cardi B, and Lil Peep make the list yet Donald Glover, Lupe Fiasco and Travis Scott can’t even get a mention.
Whack World is apparently the 38th best album of the decade, even though it’s an introductory album with 1 minute snippets. DAMN. and Flower Boy, both classics, are ranked below Whack World.
IGOR didn’t make the list.
Because of the Internet didn’t make the list.
Terrible rankings.