Currently Digging: Kendrick Lamar – Section.80
I’m way behind on this one. Released back in July, Kendrick Lamar’s Section.80 is another hip-hop highlight from a year already packed with them. “A.D.H.D.” is an instant sing-along, “Makeup” is a reflective piece on a woman’s inner (and outer) bruises, and “Rigamortis” is a lightning-fast brag-off featuring more self-congratulatory sentences than Kanye could keep up with.
By the time “Chapter Ten” shows up, we’re being asked if we’ve been taking notes. Simultaneously charming, gritty, serious, hilarious, catchy, grimy, and progressive, there’s a lot to take in here. On the outro, Lamar gives us his ultimate declaration, a summarization of himself and the creation he has delivered: “I’m not the next pop star, I’m not the next socially conscious rapper, I’m a human fucking being.” Introspective, decadent, intelligent, challenging, complicated, maybe bipolar – if there’s one thing Section.80 feels like, it’s human.
