Over the last decade, Kendrick has been nothing less than prolific. He out rapped his peers on Section.80, he took us into the city of Compton on Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, he created one of the best conceptual rap albums ever with To Pimp A Butterfly and he crafted socially conscious bangers with DAMN. However, 2018 has seen Kung Fu Kenny soar to new heights in his already sky-high career, and these heights come in the form of Black Panther: The Album.
Black Panther: The Album is far from a movie soundtrack, it’s a blockbuster of its own. This project allows Kendrick to delve into sounds and styles that he’s yet to experiment with in his career, and will likely be remembered as one of the most successful projects in his career.
While Kendrick has always been an incredible talent, he’s never taken the time to truly flex. Black Panther: The Album, however, signifies a change. When he isn't exploring the dense themes of the concept, he's basking in the glory of newfound braggadocio. His bombastic presence on this project showcase Kendrick's duality. Sometimes he's here to convey a message, other times he just wants to destroy your favourite rapper.
The collection of bangers on the album including "X" "Paramedic!" and "Big Shot" all find Kendrick in a bag, effortlessly wiping out his predecessors with fast triplet flows and bars. When Kung Fu Kenny spits the line “Big Top Dawg and I dance on ‘em like Diddy” you know it’s a K.O.
Black Panther: The Album serves as Kendrick’s opportunity to prove that he is more than a rapper, but a unique visionary in mainstream music. He leads, he writes, he directs and kills throughout the project's 14 tracks, positioning him as the hip-hop prodigy he is. It's not only a culmination of Kendrick's mission statement, but it shows elements of talent that we've never seen from him before, symbolising a future that holds more than hip-hop. So while the prospect of Kendrick's best album is one that's going to be debated for decades, there's no denying that Black Panther: The Album is a significant milestone in his already legendary career.