Los Angeles Times' Randall Roberts writes, "Lamar’s third studio album is a realm away from his breakout 2012 album, equally rich and way, way further gone. An album that asks questions as big as this one does, and that will be heard by so many, is a huge taunt to Lamar’s peers - it’s a dare to ride along, a dare to be different, a dare to be great." That’s because To Pimp a Butterfly is bigger than any minor intra-rapper friction. At its best, it’s a howling work of black protest art on par with Amiri Baraka's incendiary play Dutchman, or David Hammons’ moving decapitated hoodie In the Hood - works rooted in both pride and fear. It’s about ethics and community responsibility, about white terror and black resilience, about self-doubt and self-punishment, about melting under the klieg lights of fame. The album takes on bold, huge themes, reflective of Lamar’s increasing confidence and increasing dissatisfaction. It’s a work about living under constant racialized surveillance and how that can lead to many types of internal monologues, some empowered, some self-loathing. The New York Times' Jon Caramanica says it is "more brazen, more preoccupied with social politics and more revealing about the struggles of Lamar, the adult. Despite the bold declarations, beautiful beats and brash imagery, To Pimp a Butterfly is not an announcement, it's a conversation." It's a journey, released almost 20 years to the day after Tupac Shakur's Me Against the World, which doesn't appear to be mere coincidence." The final song, which features a rare interview with Tupac, is "leaving the listener to come to our own conclusions about the heady topics raised, to continue the conversations started, and to reflect on the often unbridled anger on display.
#Kendrick lamar pimp a butterfly explicit full
This is an album in the old-fashioned sense - like his debut, it makes greater sense as whole, and requires full engagement all the way through. defies easy listening, but it's deeply rewarding. The result is all over the place and in one place, at the same time."Īdditionally, "there's hardly a concession to radio sensibilities to be found anywhere. Because of that, he's also less readily digestible, mixing hood braggadocio, Black dysfunction, personal demons, spiritual yearning, mediations on fame with James Brown's stomp, Sly Stone's riot, a layered and stripped version of George Clinton's mothership funk, loose free-form jazz and muscular, languid soul. Lamar is no longer primarily concerned with his own narrative, as he was on good kid, m.A.A.d city. It's definitely more timely, speaking to the continued discussion of race and racism in America - the matter of Black lives mattering - that has dominated the national discourse over the past half year. "To Pimp a Butterfly is every bit as forward-thinking, perhaps more so, than its predecessor. This article originally appeared on More30 Most Anticipated Albums of 2015īillboard's Kris Ex gives it four-and-a-half stars out of five.
Lamar had already shared two new songs, “The Blacker the Berry” and “King Kunta,” both of which appear on the album.ġ. The 16-track album opens with “Wesley’s Theory,” featuring George Clinton and Thundercat, and there’s collabs with the likes of Bilal, Anna Wise, Snoop Dogg, James Fauntleroy, Ronald Isley and Rapsody. lets focus on the album….TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY.
A subsequent tweet suggested Tiffith had calmed down, but his anger at Interscope was still palpable. The “explicit” version of the album dropped soon after. I WOULD LIKE 2 PERSONALLY THANK FOR FUCKING UP OUR RELEASE… SOMEBODY GOTS 2 PAY 4 THIS MISTAKE !!!! #TOP “I WOULD LIKE 2 PERSONALLY THANK FOR FUCKING UP OUR RELEASE… SOMEBODY GOTS 2 PAY 4 THIS MISTAKE !!!! #TOP” Anthony Tiffith, the CEO of Top Dawg Entertainment, which represents Lamar, was less than impressed. The early release came as a surprise for some of Lamar’s inner sanctum.