To Pimp A Butterfly

About

Thanks to multiple hit singles—and no shortage of critical acclaim—2012’s <i>good kid, m.A.A.d city</i> propelled Kendrick Lamar into the hip-hop mainstream. His 2015 follow-up, <i>To Pimp a Butterfly</i>, served as a raised-fist rebuke to anyone who thought they had this Compton-born rapper figured out. Intertwining Afrocentric and Afrofuturist motifs with poetically personal themes and jazz-funk aesthetic, <i>To Pimp A Butterfly</i> expands beyond the gangsta rap preconceptions foisted upon Lamar’s earlier work. Even from the album’s first few seconds—which feature the sound of crackling vinyl and a faded Boris Gardiner soul sample—it’s clear <i>To Pimp a Butterfly</i> operates on an altogether different cosmic plane than its decidedly more commercial predecessor. The album’s Flying Lotus-produced opening track, “Wesley’s Theory,” includes a spoken-word invocation from musician Josef Leimberg and an appearance by Parliament-Funkadelic legend George Clinton—names that give <i>To Pimp a Butterfly</i> added atomic weight. Yet Lamar’s lustful and fantastical verse, which are as audacious as the squirmy Thundercat basslines underneath, never get lost in an album packed with huge name. Throughout <i>To Pimp a Butterfly</i>, Lamar goes beyond hip-hop success tropes: On “King Kunta,” he explores his newfound fame, alternating between anxiety and big-stepping braggadocio. On “The Blacker the Berry,” meanwhile, Lamar pointedly explores and expounds upon identity and racial dynamic, all the while reaching for a reckoning. And while “Alright” would become one of the rapper’s best-known track, it’s couched in harsh realitie, and features an anthemic refrain delivered in a knowing, weary rasp that belies Lamar’s young age. He’s only 27, and yet he’s already seen too much. .

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

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