With To Pimp A Butterfly as sprawling thematically as it was, untitled, unmastered serves as a reminder of not only how great Kendrick when is when he decides to eviscerate a track lyrically, but an interesting project to take note of which tracks could have actually worked within the sequencing of TPAB. With standout tracks like “Untitled 2,” “Untitled 6” and “Untitled 8” on the eigh- song project, this was an incredible placeholder in 2016 for all Kendrick fans clamoring for new music as soon as possible. However, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t sound great. Untitled, unmastered is another project that doesn’t quite count as an album strictly because it’s only made up of the throwaway tracks from Kendrick’s third album, To Pimp A Butterfly. It serves as a reminder of where all great rappers first come from as they experiment with their voice, lyrics and message until they finally nail it. Of all of his projects, it is easily his weakest, with only a few memorable songs, but that’s exactly what it was meant for. Overly Dedicated‘s production is also quite hollow compared to the extremely layered and complex production that manifests itself on every other Kendrick album. Kendrick’s voice is raspy and almost weary through most of it, with many of his lyrics biting from the styles of his influences at the time like Lil Wayne on “Michael Jordan.” It’s an interesting project to listen to now, with his particular style on it so far removed from where he is now musically. Overly Dedicated was Kendrick’s last true mixtape, and even its sound is unfinished and rough around the edges at times.
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To be honest, these two particular projects don’t make the official list because they aren’t technically full-fledged albums. There are only four true Kendrick albums to date, and his other two major projects, Overly Dedicated and untitled, unmastered, combine to take our fifth spot on this list as an honorable mention … Honorable Mention: Overly Dedicated (2010) and untitled, unmastered (2016) However, there are some stipulations regarding Kendrick’s music we should probably clear up in terms of what constitutes a Kendrick album for this list. Therefore, it’s only right that we attempt to finally, definitively, rank Kendrick Lamar’s albums from “worst” to best. His popularity is only rivaled by Drake’s in terms of other hip-hop artists, and his material has found that transcendent balance of remaining both true to Kendrick’s style and self while also maintaining its mass appeal at every turn. For the better part of the decade, Kendrick has been not only the most inventive and unique rapper of his generation, but arguably the most acclaimed rapper as well. In fact, there aren’t even any average Kendrick Lamar albums. I have a spoiler for you: there are no truly bad Kendrick Lamar albums.
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Mandatory Credit: Richard Lui/The Desert Sun via USA TODAY NETWORK With his fourth studio album, DAMN, a week removed from its critically adored release, we decided to rank all of Kendrick Lamar’s albums from worst to best. Indio, CA, USA Kendrick Lamar performs on the Coachella Stage during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at Empire Polo Club.