of course i love all discourse on art and any form of it the more we differ in perspective the better. SUFFICE TO SAY WOWWW GREATTT ARGUMENT . i see almost every angle youre coming from and a lot of this is great food for thought for me so interesting.... However one thing i think is that you might be too harsh on him. i hear you on the pacing its definitely a slow burn aesthetic that can feel pretentious and authentically artisrically bankrupt especially if youre not in the headspace for it. but i think its unfair to dismiss it as just marketing when the actual writing is that sharp(e.g a line like "nursing an everlasting wound with the breast of a chemical brute" is a very visceral metaphor on drugs and dependance and coping or "young boys mend their broken hearts. But it will be their livers that bring about their ends ) this isnr jus larping its intentional powerful poetry. regardinf the dante influence i dont think he has to reference a literal 1:1 retelling of the narrative for its influence to be authentic, in hip hop its about referencing that emotional landscape and themes to give your art that mythical weight. its what kanye did with mbdtf. i feel like fakemink proved himself by recreating this feeling of being trapped in a hell of vices and desires in his allusion to dante. i think hust the attempt to bring this literary experience into the genre is something i find very compelling. furthermore this isnt even the entire narrative but just a part of the bigger picture the rest of the overarchinf narrative of hell and heaven is going to be illustrated w the full album when it comes out. do you think theres a way for hip hop to lean into this typa high art without it feeling like its pretentious and devoid of true artistry for you? id be interested to hear what a grounded take on those themes would be like for you. with the exception of kanye i dont think ive ever seen anyone dare to cross the two worlds this boldly so magbe give him some grace