Title: To Pimp A Butterfly
Artist: Kendrick Lamar
Label Top Dawg Entertainment
Release Date: March 15, 2015
Genre: Hip hop, funk, West coast hip hop, Jazz rap, Alternative hip hop
Available: Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube Music, iHeartRadio,Deezer
After his second studio album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, Kendrick Lamar had some big shoes to fill. Good kid, m.A.A.d city is known to be one the greatest rap albums and even overall greatest album not only of this generation but of all time. Kendrick used to be known as K-dot in his earlier days where he released three mixtapes, Y.H.N.I.C, Training Day, and C-4. He then signed with Top Dawg Entertainment in 2005, where 5 years later in 2010 he released his fourth mixtape Overly Dedicated where he finally received mass amounts of attention. Soon after he released his first official album, Section.80. One year later, Kendrick drops his second album good kid, m.A.Ad city, an album telling the stories and struggles of growing up in the hood. The album was highly praised and won both the BET hip hop album of the year and Soul Train music award for Album of The year. At this point Kendrick had a lot to live up to from his previous album but on March 15, 2015, Kendrick proved his place in the industry once again with his third studio album, To Pimp A Butterfly.
To Pimp A Butterfly is an album where Kendrick dives deep down about his suicidal feelings, inner turmoil within himself, and even temptations from Lucifer or better known as the Devil. In songs like ¨u¨ Kendrick opens up about self-doubt and depression he has felt being such an influence especially to younger people. He talks about his feeling of survivor’s guilt he feels while he is out making music and going on tours. People such as one of his friends Chad are dying back in Compton. Throughout the album there is a poem that builds at the ends of different songs such as ¨King Kunta¨ and eventually finishes off in the final track of the album ¨Mortal Man¨. The poem is a summary and elaboration of the album’s themes itself. Kendrick talks about his feeling of depression and survivors guilt he’s felt. And although he is able to come to terms with those feelings ¨Lucy¨ or Lucifer is still all around him trying to influence his every move. Ultimately Kendrick comes to an understanding and finding the answers he did he talks about how he wants to go back home and show everyone what he’s learned. With the title of the album itself it has a meaning of its own. For kendrick, it signifies ¨using my celebrity for good,¨ and that he won’t be ¨pimped by the industry through my celebrity.¨ But also in the album itself, to pimp a butterfly represents the talent and gift within people growing up in the hood, but because of their circumstances and environment they can never reach that full potential, so they pimp the hood to their own benefits.
With the amount of deep feelings and thoughts spread out around the album it’s no wonder why it is considered a classic. Kendrick Lamar expresses his feelings of suicide, depression, and inner turmoil within himself and pours it out into this album. An album so raw and especially one that dives deep within the thoughts of somebody is something that very few people can do so perfectly like Kendrick Lamar. One of the more love able things about this album is the fact that Kendrick Lamar opens up on these feelings of self-doubt and depression. It shows that even at the top seemingly there are new battles to be fought and it could even be within yourself. Kendrick shows the turmoil within himself and tries to find the answers to everything. But ultimately that is also something that makes the album so great. Kendrick wants to go back and spread what he’s learned with everyone in his city. He wants to use his influence for good, instead of just clout like a lot of celebrities do. To Pimp A Butterfly is a classic album and even after five years has still stood the test of time and that is something that isn’t going to change.
Carter Corps News 