SuppliedKendrick Lamar
To Pimp a Butterfly
Top Dawg/Aftermath Interscope records
kendricklamar.com
There is no single artist who is advancing hip hop like Kendrick Lamar, period. Drake has stagnated in his late-night-text apology rap, Kanye is obsessed with God, and Jay hasn’t dropped anything close to a landmark album in 10 years. good kid, m.A.A.d. city shot the bar for rap albums into the stratosphere, Control reinvigorated the game, and To Pimp a Butterfly obliterated every expectation of what can be done in the genre.
From the outset, the arrangement and production on Butterfly is chaotically beautiful. Thundercat, Flying Lotus, and Sounwave head a cohort of producers that succeed on every track. Beats are layered with mind-boggling levels of syncopation, but somehow complement Kendrick’s slightly manic style perfectly. Elements of funk, ‘90s West Coast rap, and jazz combine in a way that perfectly complements the album style and content.
From track one to 16, this album creates an image of a man depressed and downtrodden. Someone who had “opened up Pandora’s Box” and didn’t know if it was for the right reasons. Someone who got out the hood but left a piece of himself behind.
By the time you listen through 14 tracks of this guilt and self-loathing, “i” comes on like a wave of relief. An anthem to self-love and revelry in accepting himself, Kendrick seems to have finally begun to come to terms with who he is.
That being said, if you must only listen to one track on the album, make it “Hood Politics.” This is Kendrick at his very best. Shade-throwing for the good of his art, making sure the people know that if they cared about real rapping “Killer Mike would be platinum.” It’s like Control part two, with Kendrick making sure that the games stays on its toes.
Though he seems more accepting of himself, there is a big middle finger to success that pervades Butterfly, and the result is a darkly glorious look at an artist conflicted. This album succeeds on every level, and makes sure the world knows that Kendrick remains, first and foremost, unrelentingly real.
