A feel-good ode to self-empowerment isn’t the most logical follow up to a hardened conceptual narrative, instant-classic of an LP. On i, K-Dot plays it fairly safe while subverting his, and broader hip hop’s, creative trajectory, sounding like a bizzaro universe iteration of Andre 3000’s The Love Below if Rick Rubin got his overt-sampling production mitts on the desk. It’s not terrible, it’s not revelatory, but it could stand as an indication that Kendrick’s next full-length may be an attempt to disrupt the current rap homogeny. Time will tell, but for now i is a decent, but not brilliant, radio-friendly cut, the spitfire bars feeling more like a perfunctory showcase of Kendrick’s proven impactful delivery.
Kendrick Lamar : i
