This year’s marquee, A-list, title-fight matchup at the Grammys pits Kendrick Lamar (11 nominations) against Taylor Swift (7), two completely different artists occupying not just separate lanes but different highways altogether.
Screw it, though; both artists are duking it out for Album of the Year (with Alabama Shakes, Chris Stapleton and The Weeknd, BTW) on Monday, so let’s see how Taylor Swift’s “1989,” a bubbly, synth-laden pop album about moving to New York and breaking hearts, ranks next to Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly,” a freewheeling, jazzy and ambitious rap album about battling your demons and learning to love yourself (among many other things).
This comparison is 100 percent apples and oranges, I know, but how else do members of the Recording Academy’s voting bloc debate these albums anyway? How do they align something like Alabama Shakes’ “Sound and Color” next to The Weeknd’s “Beauty Behind the Madness,” not to mention Tay vs. K.Dot? I’m not sure, but let’s see if RedEye can do their job for them (and hopefully better).
Best song
Lamar: “Alright”
I’ve written enough about this song (it was RedEye’s No. 1 track of 2015) to say that this was one of the most important tracks of last year, if not the most important. No song laid a more accurate or more optimistic claim to capture America’s turbulent social and political climate.
Swift: “Out of the Woods”
This is the most triumphant song on “1989.” The crisp, Chvrches-lite synths and Swift’s magnetic vocal delivery make it flow so seamlessly.
Edge: Lamar. See above.
Second-best song
Lamar: “King Kunta.” Or, like, all of them.
It’s damn near impossible to rank the tracks on the immensely interwoven and impeccably sequenced “To Pimp A Butterfly.” It’s not really a singles album and is best experienced in one consecutive listen.
Swift: “Style”
As much as the songs on “1989” got immense radio play, I keep getting the “James Dean daydream” line stuck in my head more than most.
Edge: Uhh, Lamar.
Worst song
Lamar: The second half of “Mortal Man”
The closing track of “To Pimp a Butterfly” clocks in at a whopping 12 minutes. Much of that runtime, though, is dedicated to Lamar Forrest Gump-ing himself into an interview with his idol Tupac Shakur. It’s a fitting moment in the record but not the most lively listening experience.
Swift: “Welcome to New York”
While it makes a little more sense in the context of the whole album, this opener is so, so, so grating. I can’t stand it.
Edge: Swift. As much as I hate that song, it does have more replay value than the resurfaced and repurposed Tupac Shakur interview.
Second-worst song
Lamar: The album version of “i,” I guess.
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I love the single version of “i” so much. It’s an incredible song, and while the mix on “To Pimp a Butterfly” is pretty great, I’m biased in that I hate spoken-word skits interspersed with the music. I get why it works for so many people, but I still find myself putting on the single much more often.
Swift: “I Wish You Would.”
Maybe “Bad Blood” could be added here, too, because talking like that is kind of awwwwwkward and it’s not naturallllllllllll. That said, “I Wish You Would” doesn’t really work as an apology song or even a song at all.
Edge: Swift, I guess. I’ve heard both of these songs enough times in Ubers to have them eternally stuck in my head until death. Bring it on, I say!
Best music video
Lamar: “Alright”
Save for the incredibly shot and choreographed visual for Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment’s “Sunday Candy,” the best video of the year was Kendrick Lamar’s Colin Tilley-directed clip for “Alright.” The black-and-white imagery is stunning, and the message is hard to miss.
Swift: “Out of the Woods”
Watching the gritty and colorful video for “Out of the Woods,” it’s clear this was Swift’s most physically demanding video shoot. Director Joseph Kahn said as much, tweeting, “Taylor was so dedicated to making this video. I was wrapped in snow gear. She was in a dress. She suffered for her art.”
Edge: Lamar. This clip is more innovative than showy.
Choice lyrics
Lamar: “The ghost of Mandela, hope my flows they propel it/Let these words be your earth and moon you consume every message/As I lead this army make room for mistakes and depression/And with that being said my n****, let me ask this question/When shit hit the fan, is you still a fan?” (“Mortal Man”)
Swift: “Are we out of the woods yet?/Are we out of the woods yet?/Are we out of the woods yet?/Are we out of the woods?/Are we in the clear yet?/Are we in the clear yet?/Are we in the clear yet?/In the clear yet?/Good.” (“Out of the Woods”)
Edge: Guess.
Choice diss
Lamar: “I can dig rapping, but a rapper with a ghost writer?/What the fuck happened? (Oh no) I swore I wouldn’t tell/But most of y’all share bars, like you got the bottom bunk in a two-man cell.” (“King Kunta”)
Swift: “Band-Aids don’t fix bullet holes/You say sorry just for show/You live like that, you live with ghosts.” (“Bad Blood”)
Edge: Katy Perry. Though Drake was arguably the target of Kendrick Lamar’s ire, Swift’s feud with pop’s other gargantuan megastar not named Beyonce was a bigger deal.
Famous friends
Lamar: President Obama.
The POTUS recently said that Lamar’s “How Much a Dollar Cost” was his favorite song of 2015. Obama also welcomed Lamar to the White House to discuss issues facing the youth and Compton.
Taylor Swift: Selena Gomez.
Two of pop’s biggest names are also the bestest friends. Check Instagram for some charming selfies, and check Gomez co-starring in Swift’s bonkers “Bad Blood” video.
Edge: Swift. Sorry, pal! Being the leader of the free world is cool and all, Barack, but I don’t think you could write a song as good as “Same Old Love” even with the help of Charli XCX.
Album cover
Lamar:
Swift:
Edge: Lamar.
While both images take on a vintage Polaroid feel, only Lamar’s has political and emotional weight.
Overall winner
Lamar. Again, both albums are great, and comparing them is weird. But still.
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