#365songs (133 / 365)

From the first second you know you're in for a ride with "u," but even Kendrick's anguished screams can't prepare you for the scouring he inflicts on himself here. This man does not deal in half measures, so when he puts himself in his own crosshairs it's not surprising that he shows no mercy, but this is still a shocking and distressing listen with more—and more distinctive—vocal styles than some rappers employ across their entire careers. The first half is relentless and unsparing enough a catalog of Kendrick's self-perceived flaws to be uncomfortable, but when he pulls out the "crying flow" and gets really personal with it in the faux-drunken second half, it starts to feel like something you should maybe not be eavesdropping on... but by that point you also kind of feel like Kendrick shouldn't be left alone in his current state.

Many of my #365songs are "I'd never heard anything like this before," but "u," upsetting as it is, is really one of a kind: I'd never heard anything like it before and I haven't heard anything like it since. Amazing work of art, uncompromising tour de force. No superlatives about this song feel excessive.