Fast forward a couple of months and now we finally get to hear the magic that was being created during those late night sessions. To keep it simple TPAB sounds more like a film than an album; set back in the 70s and 80s, when music was all about feeling and emotion, but most importantly live instrumentation. There are so many moments in the album where I find myself lost in the feeling of the music. This is not your typical album filled with radio driven singles to garner the attention of the masses quickly. More like mood music and production that forces you to listen to the lyrics and not the bass bleeding out the message Kendrick is trying to convey.

Once I made my way through this album a couple of times, I sat back and carefully read through the credits again. That’s when I noticed it. Terrace Martin either produced or played on about 90% of this album. That is what led me to think that he was heavily involved in the creative process and furthermore made me call him Kendrick’s secret weapon. Of course its subjective, but hear me out. Without the presence of Terrace Martin on TPAB, does this album sound the same? Would it feel like the Harlem Renaissance picked up the Funkadelic sounds of George Clinton while they both traveled to the city of Compton? My guess is no, but one thing we know for certain is Terrace Martin and Kendrick Lamar’s talent level can’t be denied and when they come together, the sound of hip-hop shifts.