Over the last twenty days of December (and obviously 2013), I’ll be writing about my favorite twenty albums and songs of the year, one a day. Not best. Not most influential. Not most likely to land on a Complex slideshow. Just my favorite, ranked in order.
1. pusha t – “nosetalgia feat. kendrick lamar (prod. nottz & kanye west)”
On an album that embraced minimalism as a way of life, “Nosetalgia” stands head and shoulders above the rest as the purest manifestation of the album’s “Rick Rubin on steroids” mantra. It’s as bare-bones as a hip-hop song gets, relying on about six different drum and sample sounds to lurch it along, and there’s no mistake where the spotlight’s turned: towards the mic. On a superficial level, it’s excellent simply as a glass display case for two of the best rappers alive; Nottz and Kanye’s stretched-out horns and subdued drums certainly leave enough space between drums and rattles for Pusha T and Kendrick Lamar to flex. We could leave it there – it’s just two incredibly talented rappers clearing the table off, sitting down, and rhyming.
But that’s not all. Kendrick plays the windowpane-peering Nas to Pusha’s Jay-Z stunningly well, each taking up two different roles and lenses to view the cocaine trade through. While Pusha was “crack in the school zone/two beepers on me, starter jacket that was two-toned,” Kendrick’s “daddy turned a quarter piece to a four and a half/Took a L, started selling soap fiends bubble bath.” They’re at odds by the very nature of the parts they play, but “Nosetalgia” doesn’t pit the two rappers against each other: the song isn’t accusatory towards any side, and it’s not a platform for either to level shots. Instead, the aggression and intensity bleeds through the lines and snarls, letting the verses serve as testimonials to be taken and absorbed.
For any other rapper, Kendrick’s turn on “Nosetalgia” would be a career-high. It’s telling that for him, it’s just another clip in a highlight reel of a year full of song-throttlers: Big Sean’s “Control”, Tech N9ne’s “Fragile”, Fredo Santana’s “Jealous.” It’s not as in-your-face as the verse that most might name as his biggest contribution this year (here, Kendrick at least refrains from calling out his peers), but it burrows into your brain just as well. While “Control” saw Kendrick tossing out a flurry of references and threats, he’s paradoxically both more restrained and animated here. Halfway through his verse, right before he segues into a conversation with his father in which he raps both sides: “And nine times out of ten, niggas don’t pay attention/And when there’s tension in the air, nines come with extensions.” Kendrick’s not as grizzled as Pusha, and maybe he doesn’t have the same type of resume to flaunt, but when it comes to backdoor meaning unveilings and crafting unforgettable images, well, he’s virtually unparalleled. King Kendrick.