HEAR: Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly

High End Album Review (HEAR):

Written by: Chris Yoon, Year 13
Artist: Kendrick Lamar
Producers: Dr. Dre and Top-Dawg
Genre: Hip-Hop
Date of Release: 15/03/15
Rating: 5/5
Directed by Kendrick Lamar, Dave Free and Vlad Sepetov

Every song on the album serves as a stark contrast against one another in terms of the subject matters. For example, u shows one man’s negative thoughts, regrets and raw emotions that engulf his mind while i, on contrary, talks about self-expression with love and positivity. Through these contradictions of the songs, Kendrick successfully illustrates the two opposing sides of himself: one from a ghetto and hardlock lifestyle in Compton, and one under the influence of fame and wealth. Through two different points of view, Kendrick shows the positive and negative aspects of each side, as seen in Institutionalized, which depicts the conflict between corrupted, rich minds and poor, jealous ones.

Kendrick Lamar’s third studio album, To Pimp A Butterfly, might have been one of the most anticipated albums of 2015. Followed up by Lamar’s albums, Section.80 and critically acclaimed Good Kid M.A.A.D. City, TPAB had a lot of fans patiently waiting for a new sound from Kendrick Lamar, and his newest album did not disappoint.

The title of the album initially caught my eyes. According to his Instagram post, it was inspired by the words of “Lil Homie,” a dear friend of Lamar who died in a drive-by shooting, and Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, a book about racial injustice. Just like the title, the album conveys themes of self-identity and self-awareness of African-Americans, relating these ideas to Kendrick’s own stories, experiences and perspectives. Through the album, he allows us a glimpse of his double life as a ‘ghetto’ boy from Compton and a successful rapper representing the west coast.

Kendrick brought back the old-school style Hip-Hop into his album, which surprises the listeners. King Kunta has an upbeat G-Funk vibe that is reminiscent of DJ Quick’s beats while u introduced a highly jazz-influenced beat that smoothly flowed along with Kendrick’s emotional tone. In my opinion, producers such as Flying Lotus, Thundercat and Terrace Martin did a great job at creating these sounds; They may sound too unique and abstract to some, but to me they perfectly suited the flows and themes of the tracks.

Kendrick incorporated a number of outstanding artists such as Bilal, Anna Wise and Assassin which was, in my opinion, surprising. It was even more impressive to see how he was able to use them as if they were his instruments which sonically and artistically added more of his own style to his songs. It was also notable that Rhapsody (one of my favourite female rappers out there) was the only rap feature in the whole album, appearing  in Complexion. Despite the pressure she must have felt, Rhapsody embodied an elegant and erudite verse, almost on par with Jay Rock’s verse on Money Trees in GKMC.

The last track, Mortal Man, gives an epic conclusion to the album. Kendrick introduces his ideas inspired by his trip to South Africa and leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. After the dictation of his poem that is recited throughout the album, Kendrick Lamar starts an interview with Hip-Hop legend, Tupac, discussing the current situations of black society and its conflicts. It truly was not only a creative way for him to end the album, allowing him to tie the knots all together through the use of a simulated interview, but also served as a means to provoke the emotions and thoughts of the audience, leaving them with a question:

Are you a butterfly?

Unlike in Good Kid M.A.A.D. City where Kendrick talks about his past in Compton and the ghetto society, To Pimp A Butterfly is relatable to everyone. Kendrick Lamar describes us as caterpillars that do nothing for ourselves and are ignorant of the true potential we all have inside. Soon enough, we trap ourselves in cocoons that institutionalise us to conceal our emotions and opinions. However, those who are aware of their self-identities challenge themselves to pimp themselves into butterflies, embellished with their own talents and consciousness. But we always have to know that “although the butterfly and caterpillar are completely different, they are one and the same.” This is why To Pimp A Butterfly is an album we truly needed.

In my opinion, To Pimp A Butterfly is one of the most complex albums I have ever heard. It took me a week to fully digest the album and comprehend the messages behind songs in order to ultimately discover the true definition of pimping a butterfly. Kendrick demonstrated a lot of improvement in his techniques and flows in this album; his narration in How Much a Dollar Cost is compelling while his lyrics in Hood Politics and The Blacker The Berry are exceptional and thought-provoking. It is a well-known fact that it is hard for an artist to surpass his best album (Nas… cough), but it is even harder to break out from one’s cocoon (pun intended) and carry on with one’s own style, even if that means having no radio-friendly songs in the album. I think this album was a perfect response to the fans who had been waiting for its release for a few years.

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