Five years ago, Kendrick Lamar offered fans a further window into his psyche with Untitled.Unmastered, a project largely comprised of leftover tracks from the To Pimp A Butterfly sessions. And while it wasn’t quite up to the admittedly lofty standard of his recognized studio discography, there were still plenty of stellar moments to be found throughout. Especially on the strange and wonderful “Levitate,” a track that found Kendrick taking to a twisted instrumental and pushing his experimental level to the maximum stage.
Pushing his cadences to strange places, Kendrick lets fly an unrestrained flow as he fires off a hypnotic refrain. Though it might have been interesting to see him attack the instrumental with a more traditional approach, there’s something delightfully unsettling about his presence here, a true display of unhinged creativity. Alternating between a manic temperament and a more lethargic one, Kenny’s “Levitate” is surprisingly complex in spite of its apparent simplicity; those interested in that sort of thing could likely find much thematic value upon closer analysis.
For those simply looking to lose themselves in a banger, “Levitate” serves that purpose as well. Check it out for yourself now, especially if you’re feeling nostalgic for the era when Kendrick Lamar was dropping music at a prolific rate. Happy anniversary to Untitled. Unmastered.
QUOTABLE LYRICS
Shut your fuckin’ mouth and get some cash, you bitch, you
You be in your feelings, I be in my bag, you bitch, you
Santa’s reindeer better have some ass, you bitch, you
Everything I’m working, gotta be the gas, you bitch, you