For almost three years now, Kendrick Lamar has been relatively silent, and for good reason. To Pimp a Butterfly, Lamar’s third studio album released on March 16th, will take you on a journey.
It seems extremely difficult to follow up an album like good kid, m.A.A.d city, which redefined the hip-hop game in many respects, but yet again Kendrick has redefined his style and the game itself.
He maintains his story in To Pimp a Butterfly through the construction of the album, a technique that he relied on for good kid, m.A.A.d city as well. By doing this, Lamar puts the focus on the album as a whole rather than a single, or even more simply, a “fire” 16-bar verse.
This narrative style has been lacking in rap culture recently, as artists now focus on their public image rather than the art itself. He ensures the focus is on the entirety of the album by making the songs flow seamlessly together. He also used a live band for almost every song on this album, further contributing to the flow of the album.
From social commentaries to self-reflection on personal successes, the album takes on modern issues in a dynamic and powerful way. In recent news there has been a lot of discriminatory acts against the African American community that draw parallels to past events, like segregation and the ever present, haunting racism of Jim Crow laws. Lamar does not let these go unnoticed.
In “Alright,” Lamar says, “but homicide be lookin’ at you from the face down,” referring to racial stereotyping that has led to innocent deaths and unfair trials. In “Hood Politics” he alludes to his consciousness of the most relevant issues rappers should be rapping about. “I don’t give a f**k about no politics in my rap,” Lamar declares in a verse, implying he knows what’s truly important for rappers to preach.
“Hood Politics” as a whole is a snapshot of what the hood is like in Compton, and is infused with Lamar’s judgment on the unnecessary violence and “beef.” Lamar thinks that “beef” between gangs and fellow African Americans, and stereotyping the race stems from a lack of self-respect in individuals.
As he said in an interview about the Ferguson shootings, “when we don’t have respect for ourselves, how do we expect them to respect us? It starts from within.” To Pimp a Butterfly serves as a reflection of this. Through the narrative of the album, Lamar shares his own philosophies on these problems whilst commenting on how they are handled today.
The other, more self-reflective aspect of the album is constantly present, and is the central theme of the album. In “Institutionalized,” Lamar comments on oppression in ghettos, what that lifestyle is like, and how Lamar feels coming out of the ghetto.
He feels he is forever “institutionalized” by the ghetto mentality and that his rise in the industry has, at points, made it hard to stay true to this mentality of humility. He speaks of his struggle with vices and drugs throughout the album and how they make him materialistic, an attribute he is striving to change. In the song “u,” it is obvious that Lamar is putting himself in front of the mirror along with all of his flaws and the things he wants to get rid of.
He constantly mentions Lucy, a personification of the devil and everything evil Lamar wants to avoid. In “King Kunta,” we are exposed to the beginning of a poem that he finishes in “Mortal Man,” which is the basis of the album and an explanation of why he brings up the issues he does.
He then goes on to interview 2pac, further drawing parallels between the struggles that Lamar is facing in the industry and the struggles the African American community faced and are still facing today.
To Pimp A Butterfly is heavy and heady, with a lot of material to sift through. This is definitely an album that deserves to be on repeat for a long time, not only to understand everything going on, but to appreciate the time and effort so obviously put into the album.