With his debut album Section.80 recently passing its five year anniversary, it was only fitting to revisit what made it so strong, and what made Kendrick Lamar such an immediately impactful rapper – one that would go on to become one of the most important of our time. Youtube channel Lyricology 101, created by Andre Gainer, has now honoured Lamar in a new Bar for Bar Breakdown video.
The breakdown process is thorough and insightful, focusing almost solely on technique (and directs viewers to Genius.com for a more in-depth lyrical analysis); the flow, rhyming schemes, wordplay and any other literary devices and tricks the artist presents. Doing this, he’s aiming to show aspiring artists unique ways to approach a song, and show others the intricacy of hip-hop songwriting.
Tackling the brilliant and fast-paced Rigamortus, Gainer explains his attachment to the Compton artist. Listening to his debut, it was immediately clear that Lamar had something very real to offer hip-hop. Considering the later releases of Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, To Pimp a Butterfly and most recently untitled, unmastered, we now know how right that premonition was.
Primarily looking at the second verse in the track, Gainer goes deeper than I could have ever imagined into the specific rhyming scheme and composition, picking words and rhymes apart with intricate detail. It’s really accessible, and would no doubt be useful to upcoming rappers looking to expand their creativity, vocabulary and so on.
If you didn’t already think that this track was poetic genius, learning about how detailed its rhythms and rhymes are will undoubtedly do so. If you already knew, revisit the track, and enjoy its wonder:
The Lyricology 101 channel also has a few other really excellent lyrical breakdowns, from MF DOOM, Earl Sweatshirt, and Chance The Rapper among others.
For further viewing, check out this video of every sample compiled from Section.80 HERE.
Read more: LIVE REVIEW – Loving Kendrick Lamar Isn’t Complicated
Image: Hip Hop Wired