Sun Feb 14 2021
5
THIS DICK AINT FREEEE
This is a Random Album Generator.
One album a day.
From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
To Pimp A Butterfly
Kendrick Lamar
2015
- Album Summary
To Pimp a Butterfly is the third studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on March 15, 2015, by Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album was recorded in studios throughout the United States, with production from Sounwave, Terrace Martin, Taz "Tisa" Arnold, Thundercat, Rahki, LoveDragon, Flying Lotus, Pharrell Williams, Boi-1da, Knxwledge, and several other high-profile hip hop producers, as well as executive production from Dr. Dre and Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith. Guest appearances include Thundercat, George Clinton, Bilal, Anna Wise, Snoop Dogg, James Fauntleroy, Ronald Isley, and Rapsody. Primarily a hip hop album, To Pimp a Butterfly incorporates numerous other musical styles spanning the history of African-American music, most prominently jazz, funk, and soul. Lyrically, it features political commentary and personal themes concerning African-American culture, racial inequality, depression, and institutional discrimination. This thematic direction was inspired by Lamar's tour of historic sites during his visit to South Africa, such as Nelson Mandela's jail cell on Robben Island. To Pimp a Butterfly sold 324,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, earning a chart debut at number one on the US Billboard 200, while also becoming Lamar's first number-one album in the UK. It was eventually certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sold one million copies in the United States by 2017. Five singles were released in promotion of the album, including the top 40 hit "I". Lamar also supported the album with the Kunta's Groove Sessions Tour from late 2015 to early 2016. The album has received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised its musical scope and the social relevance of Lamar's lyrics. It earned Lamar seven nominations at the 2016 Grammy Awards, including a win for Best Rap Album and an Album of the Year nomination. He received four additional nominations for other collaborations from that year, receiving a total of 11 Grammy nominations, which was the most nominations for any rapper in a single night. The most critically acclaimed album of 2015 as well as one of the most critically acclaimed of its entire decade, it topped The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop poll of American critics nationwide, and was also ranked as the best album of 2015 by many other publications. In the years following its release, several publications named To Pimp a Butterfly one of the best albums of the 2010s; in 2020, the album was ranked 19th on Rolling Stone's updated list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
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Fri Apr 16 2021
5
What a combination of influences.He brings so much together here. Nothing else sounds like this. This is one of the most original/experimental hip hop albums ever. All over the place in a great way. Love his different voices throughout. Very theatrical and atmospheric all at once. Got some great people on this too - particularly Thundercat. King Kunta is my favorite track and the one that immediately drew me in to him.
Sat Jan 23 2021
5
đ
Wed Jan 18 2023
5
Where to begin? The night of March 15, 2015. At about 10PM this album is accidentally leaked on iTunes. It disappears for a bit, and then I guess the label decides to just go with it and the album officially releases an hour later. I stay up late listening to it, just wading. The next day, we're flying to Georgia for a spring break/birthday trip, and I burn this onto a CD to take it with me, drawing a kaleidoscopic butterfly instead of even writing the title. The whole week we're driving around, this didn't leave the Ford Taurus. No skips, no replays, just an unending loop. For me, the album first became associated with that trip, and because it wasn't home for me, TPAB became an escape. No matter where I am, I listen to this and I'm transported elsewhere. Not necessarily to where I was that first week (mind you, I've listened to it in a million places by now), but somewhere beautiful. Somewhere that isn't home, but feels home. There's a song on here, "Momma," about Kendrick going "home" to (Mother) Africa. Throughout the song, he raps about a feeling. "This feeling is unmatched; this feeling is brought to you by adrenaline and good rap." By the time this came out, I was well into my journey into becoming a real fan of music and of hip hop, and this album gave me a new, unmatched feeling. It still does. I don't always rank this the highest when I think through my favorite albums, in this genre or all genres, but when I listen to it, I get that feeling. "I've been looking for you my whole life, an appetite for the feeling I can barely describe. Where you reside?" In his search for that feeling, Kendrick created it for me, and surely for countless others. Kendrick is an artist of undeniable acclaim and ability. He made at least one masterpiece before this (GKMC), and I'd argue he's made at least one more since (MM&TBS). But this album is on some other plane of existence to me. It has some of the densest and most thematic writing he (or most, if not all, rappers) has ever done, and it's couched in music that is varied, exploratory, and extremely listenable. Entire songs devoted to self-love, self-hatred, vices, temptations, the devil. Even the song about sex is presented in a metaphor about walls, tying together the girl he's with and her man in prison. The album is so strong that its b-sides are released the next year as a second, also great album. I could go on and on about this, talking about the production or the features or individual songs, because it's just so densely packed with artistry. I posed the question: will we get another album on this level in our lifetime, hip hop or otherwise? Some say we already have, and some never connected with this to begin with. But for me, I'm doubtful. I don't doubt the ability of artists working today or tomorrow, but I simply can't imagine the force of an album that could hit me harder and stick with me longer than this. I cautiously await the day that it may happen, but until then, I'll keep running this back. Favorite tracks: Not a single song on the album that I don't love. The most special to me are probably Momma, Complexion, and The Blacker the Berry, and during today's listen Institutionalized hit me harder than usual. Album art: Black and white, grey border, Kendrick appears in the center holding a baby amid a group of Black men taking over the White House. Lyrically, it's represented in both "Wesley's Theory" and "Institutionalized." By now, it's undeniably iconic. I hope it scares the right people. 5/5
Sun Jun 27 2021
2
I'm always complaining about how basic most hip hop and rap is, but you can't easily level that criticism at To Pimp A Butterfly. The opening track is dizzingly detailed. Thankfully, the lame and childish attempt to parody early seventies soul only lasts a few seconds before a knotty swaggering rhythm kicks in. A sinuous synth bass is interwoven with a chorus that cuts against the primary rhythm (I'm hearing the influence of George Clinton here), the main rap, seemingly arrhythmic Fender Rhodes tinkling, horn hits, and so on. It's a pity the lyric content isn't more interesting, but you can't have everything. You could listen to this track a dozen times and not catch everything. More to the point, it's tastefully arranged and its interesting. Again uncharacteristically, the music that underscores the interlude that follows isn't tossed off. It's legit modern jazz with hip hop influenced drums. The rap is the usual bitches and money whinging. Boring, but musically it's interesting.Oh, okay, I thought I was losing my mind. The next cut King Kunta takes several steps back in terms of complexity and interest. This tune has a driving rhythm and bass line, but it's pretty darned straightforward musically. Can't fault the production--lots of bells and whistles, but it isn't enough to sustain interest.The album recovers nicely with Institutionalized. Broken rhythms, choral elements which cut against the rhythms, production tricks, subtractive strategies straight out of Stockhausen, evocative use of jazz samples, and for once Kendrick Lamar has an interesting subject, although he doesn't approach it with much insight or grace or wit. A missed opportunity.And so it goes. In terms of quality, To Pimp A Butterfly is all over the map. The production is consistently first rate. Kendrick Lamar is a poor lyricist and barely an okay rapper. Sometimes, the tunes are basic and boring--at other times, they point at the complexity and interest that's possible in hip hop. Every time I started to get drawn in by a creative arrangement or an original musical idea, I'd get pulled out by Kendrick's tedious raps or by a track which tried to get by solely on production tricks.It's frustrating, but at least there's some ambition here.
Tue Jan 19 2021
5
I greatly enjoyed Mr. Lamar's treatise on the current problems facing people in urban population centres
Mon May 23 2022
2
"Shit don't change until you get up and wash yo' ass"... I just... c'mon man
Sat Nov 28 2020
5
The instrumental hook is instant in Wesley's Theory, and the rest of the album just goes. On a relisten, I notice the jazziness of the interludes for the first time: I think they were placing jazz and speech juxtaposed, as in a venue, deep in my brain and long before I was interested in jazz. "This convinced me that rap is good, actually." It's cliche and not a little embarrassing, but far more true than shameful.
Tue Nov 17 2020
5
The guest list. The beats. Kendrick. The message.. Everything about this album is absolutely unreal and it's so hard to pick favorites. Favorite tracks: "For Free?", "Alright", "King Kunta", "The Blacker the Berry", "Wesley's Theory"
Sat Feb 06 2021
5
The most important hip hop album of the decade, with hard-hitting lyricism, flow beyond compare, and incredible jazz and funk-influenced beats
Mon May 02 2022
4
I remember the first time I heard Wesley's Theory. I was absolutely wowed by the message and the production; I had never heard anything like it. Now that I've heard this entire album, I feel even stronger: there is nothing else quite like this album. Kendrick Lamar has a lot to say about the state of politics, inequality, and being Black in America and worldwide, and he doesn't waste a single second on these tracks talking about these topics. Even the album art makes a confronting statement, communicating a very charged, thought-provoking, detailed message, a message that makes many statements in one image. It all comes full circle with a mostly spoken world closing track explaining meaning behind the album title "To Pimp A Butterfly". As if that's not enough, Kendrick uses several Black-defined and influenced genres (funk, soul, jazz, to name just a few) and modern, fresh, audibly intriguing production across this album to create a progressive and elevated hip-hop experience. I won't say that I love every song, but damn if the production, lyrics, and style just don't keep me intrigued and curious all throughout. I wanted to keep listening, and I want to listen again. In my opinion, this is easily one of, if not THE most important hip hop albums in the past decade or more (disclaimer: I'm so incredibly white so please don't take my word for it). It's art, it's protest, it's love, it's hate, it's poetry, it's politics; it's black struggle and black power.
Mon Jan 10 2022
5
Genre: Conscious Hip Hop 5/5 Hip Hop has come quite a ways since its inception. The artists involved over the years have pushed the genre to its breaking point, changing the definition of hip hop year to year, and sometimes month to month. Seismic eruptions in the game, from The Chronic to Illmatic to Aquemini, are all vital pieces of art that will be respected for years to come. To Pimp a Butterfly sets itself apart from all of those. The sheer magnitude of what this album is doing throughout its playtime is some of the most marvelous music making we as humans have put to wax. This album does it all. From its unbelievable jazz-influenced production, its seamless use of nearly every theme hip hop has come to know and love (which, lyrically, Kendrick took to the umpteenth), all the way to its narrative flow, including a poem that grows throughout the album to eventually culminate in a facsimile conversation heâs having with TUPAC SHAKUR. Itâs a true artist at work. This album is a perfect 5/5, 10/10, 100/100. Whichever way you slice it, there isnât a single bump in the road here, nothing to take your mind away from the overwhelming musical explosion thatâs happening in front of you. Kendrick made the perfect album. Every song is a treat and every moment is executed flawlessly. Shoutout to everyone involved in this project. They did a spectacular job.
Wed May 26 2021
2
I admire the scope and ambition of this work. I like the diverse range of musicianship and the attempts to integrate jazz into the hip hop lexicon. Some of the word play is impressive. However, it all adds up to something akin to a complex plumbing system; a technically adroit feat that I couldn't begin to try to replicate myself, but ultimately quite boring to behold.
Sun Sep 11 2022
1
Am I biased against hip-hop? - You bet I am. But this album isn't helping. 1/5
Sat Feb 06 2021
5
Beautiful Storytelling. Also a sleeper album as opposed to GKMC, but it is a mainstay of excellent hip-hop.
Mon Aug 23 2021
5
How to follow up on a great album like Good Kid, M.A.A.D City? How about... like this? This album is absolutely perfect. It's everything I want from a project; a true "start-to-finish" album that is cohesively and thematically tied together with outstanding lyrics and music, all delivered with stunning skill and excellent storytelling. Yep, thats a 5 right there.
Wed Nov 02 2022
5
Another masterpiece from Kendrick. I personally prefer GKMC as an album but this one is perhaps more culturally significant. It contains "Alright", which was then used in the black lives matter movement which started after the killing of Trayvon Martin and others, which is also referenced on this album. The album is densly packed with ideas that will take hundreds of listens to fully un pack. There's so much to discover in here. 5/5
Tue Feb 14 2023
4
Where to start with Kendrick Lamar's "To Pimp A Butterfly", one of the most celebrated and significant albums of the 21st century so far? First of all, give it the attention it deserves. This is not for a one-off casual listen during a commute, cooking a meal or scrolling through social media. More than most of the other albums I've heard on the list so far, this one really demands repeated listens, multiple readings of the lyrics, an uncovering of Lamar's intentions, a deep dive into the analysis and interpretations of the themes. "To Pimp A Butterfly" is denser and darker than its predecessor "good kid, m.A.A.d city", even if it revisits many of the same ideas. While I initially liked "good kid" more for its musical content, this one is much more ambitious in its storytelling and scope. The storyline is told in a sequence of bookmarks conveniently repeated throughout the album, which eventually emerge as a poem read to Tupac in the album's conclusion, "Mortal Man". The basic progression: Lamar begins as a "caterpillar" in the music industry, consuming all around him and hustling to survive. He becomes trapped within society's "cocoon" as well as a cocoon in his own mind, struggling against self-doubt, institutional racism and material temptation. Eventually, he finds his "butterfly" and the means within his platform to empower others, surviving and thriving as a Black man in America. It's hip-hop's "Lamb Lies Down on Broadway", delving into some very weighty themes and concepts in a nuanced, thoughtful way. If that might sound like absolutely no fun and a chore to get through, go ahead and just bop along to "King Kunta"⊠but you'd be missing out on the richly intense world Lamar created here. For example, listening to opener "Wesley's Theory" might be a fun experience for Thundercat's bubbling synth-bass, the rich array of hooks and Lamar's rapid-fire bars, but understanding its place in the album's storyline elevates it to more than just a song on an album. It's a pivotal stage of Kendrick Lamar's life journey, a stanza in a poem, a scene in a play, a chapter in the latest Great American Novel. Of course, textual and thematic analysis is one thing, but as this is first and foremost a listening experience, we turn towards the songs. Many of them might seem impenetrable at first: strong jazz influences, lots of downtempo passages, low on the anthemic choruses or hard grooves, but they all start to gel together in line with the underlying narrative. âThe Blacker the Berryâ is a powerful politically-charged stand-out, featuring aggressive boom-bap beat and a fantastic chorus from guest Assassin. "For Free" boasts a surprising live jazz arrangement, alongside one of the most free-wheeling and frantic of Kendrick's verses at the climax. "For Sale" and "You Ain't Gotta Lie" are lovely, laid-back jams, very easy on the ear even if one of them is literally personifying the Devil. Keeping the album even more accessible and fun - no easy task given the weight of the concept - are "King Kunta" with its addictive bassline, the smooth, sensual funk of "These Walls", and the all-out party in the first half of "i". Lamar's vocal performance is astonishing: dramatic, theatrical, chameleonic. In "Wesley's Theory", he introduces a sleazy Uncle Sam voice to represent the state. In Obamaâs favourite song of 2015, "How Much a Dollar Cost", Lamar transforms into God in the guise of a homeless man. In "u", he commits to tape some of the most brutal self-laceration I've ever heard, all with stunning vocal range and dexterity. "To Pimp A Butterfly" is a fantastic, rich and masterful piece of work, but I'd stop a little short of loving every minute of its 78 minute runtime. If Iâm being completely honest with myself, musically it does start to lose me in the middle. "Hood Politics" and "Complexion" are solid but a little more repetitive and not as dynamic as some of the other tracks, and the musical half of "Mortal Man" feels a bit unnecessary after the cathartic conclusion of "i": it could have perhaps worked better cut to the appended conversation/poem. Iâm ultimately marking this a (high) 4 because my respect and admiration for this record outweighs my personal enjoyment of it, but you shouldnât need to read these words any more to understand this album is an incredible piece of art. Just go ahead and immerse yourself.
Sun May 01 2022
3
I once pimped a butterfly to my mate Angry Pete. He tore the fuck out of that butterfly's little bum. Talk about red admiral.
Fri Aug 13 2021
1
Some of the tracks I enjoyed to background music. But the vocal style just isn't my thing.
Wed Nov 04 2020
5
One of the greatest albums ever. Jazzy, inspirational, prophetic, genius
Thu Jan 14 2021
5
Top tier production with amazing guest artist and the wonderful strong Kendrick lyrics and voice
Thu Feb 11 2021
5
Kendrick is one of my favorite artists and I havenât listened to this full album in awhile. Alright and King Kunta are probably my favorite songs. I forgot about i what a great song
Fri Jan 29 2021
5
Such a good record. So many great tracks. Great listen from start to finish.
Sat Jan 30 2021
5
I think I just listened to art. Only album in this list so far Iâve listened to twice in a row
Tue Apr 11 2023
5
Everyone has to hear this album at least once
Fri Apr 30 2021
3
I want to like this album... there's clearly a lot of meaningfuly perspective and involved lyrics, but the only song that i actually wanted to listen to over again was King Kunta. Give props due to complexity, though Kendrick's voice isn't my thing... give me Chuck D or Nas.
Wed Sep 08 2021
3
Meh. Listen, I usually love experimental hiphop. It's generally smarter, more musical, and more pointed than your standard, run-of-the-mill gangsta rap. Every time I was like "oh, that was clever," the lyric came from a guest artist. Even the social commentary on this album was softer and less pointed than I was led to believe. I came with high expectations and I left disappointed.
Tue Sep 14 2021
3
I think this has been too hyped for me. Big fan of the genre but everyone always saying Kendrick is at the top of the game has let me down every time I try to do the deep dive into his work.
Wed Nov 24 2021
3
Reviewing this album poses some quandaries, quandaries that are par for albums of similar themes and aspirations. What is the boundary between ambition and self-indulgence? How can one depict politically and ethnically charged disunity without falling into either morbidity, exploitation or platitude? When does nuance collapse into contradiction? How does one make an entertaining album about serious concerns wthout getting out of one's depth? Tragically, I don't think Lamar resolves those questions, and though the album is theoretically fascinating, it does not overcome its quite significant flaws. Take the scope and the eclecticism. Prima facie, its survey of jazz, soul, funk, pop and hip-hop should impress both intellectually and artistically, and occasionally it does, but it also quite often just becomes a demonstration of guile rather than inspiration, or cleverness rather than craft. I don't doubt that sampling Fela Kuti was meant as a sincere homage, but the impression is also that of a box being ticked. This aspect, that of the bet being hedged, reveals itself more obviously in the lyrics. Lamar refers to dark personal issues, such as depression, survivor's guilt and thought of suicide, but this is undercut by the comedic number For Free?, which admittedly features highly deft wordplay, but still revolves around a rather unpleasant female stereotype, which also undercuts the album's tirades against negative stereotypes. The result isn't so much variegated and kaleidoscopic as confused, leaving the listener desiring a bit more discernment. The end track of the album, Mortal Man, offers a microcosm of the album, showing both its peaks and nadirs. It shows the album's yearning for an overarching take on one man's hope and fears regarding racial harmony, but it's overlong, pretentious and rather schmaltzy in its triteness. It's based on Lamar's visit to Nelson Mandela's prison cell, yet it concludes with a constructed interview between Lamar and Tupac, where he brags about his wealth and explains the butterfly metaphor in painfully pompous and unnecessary depth. Again, I believe the intentions were honest, but it ends up cluttered and self-inconsistent. There is great stuff to be found on here, but one never loses the sense that the fantastic 40-minute album carvable from this 80-minute one would be much more satisfying and potent. (Actually, while I'm here, I'd like to take a star off my review of Ceelo Green... is the Soul Machine. It has similar faults to To Pimp a Butterfly, but To Pimp a Butterfly is a more interesting album.)
Sun May 01 2022
2
Fuck off you cunts
Thu Aug 12 2021
1
Zero. Total Crap. Can't believe people like this.
Mon Oct 11 2021
1
Worst music ever.
Sat Feb 26 2022
1
Not for me
Thu Mar 10 2022
1
No
Tue Apr 05 2022
1
Average rapping with average R&B. Instantly forgettable.
Tue Apr 26 2022
1
mehhh
Mon Jun 06 2022
1
pile of crap
Tue Aug 23 2022
1
I don't like HIP HOP
Wed Aug 31 2022
1
Lol no
Tue Sep 06 2022
1
Excellent swearing. Not one to play with the kids in the back of the car - unless you have Adam Buxton skills. Otherwise, not really my jam.
Mon Sep 26 2022
1
No thanks. Couldn't listen through a single track.
Thu Sep 29 2022
1
Its a legendary album no doubt. And I know it ranks very highly for many People. But did not see the appeal Im not a fan of rap and hip hop post 2005 and this album is not an exeption
Mon Oct 03 2022
1
Just not for me.
Fri Oct 21 2022
1
Wash your ass because this is fucking dog shit
Sun Oct 23 2022
1
Some genius. Foul-mouthed whinging little sook. Manages to get that balance between irritating and boring.
Mon Dec 05 2022
1
*Iâve heard this once before and I just canât bring myself to go through it again, going to listen to his latest album as a substitution* Enjoy it: No, I just donât get it at all and I hate that you have to be an intellectual to âget itâ Favourite song: None
Tue Dec 15 2020
5
Perfect
Fri Nov 13 2020
5
Goat
Fri May 14 2021
5
Best rap album of 2010s
Tue May 18 2021
5
Det bedste af dem alle
Sat Feb 20 2021
5
no-brainer
Fri Jan 29 2021
5
Great
Wed Jan 13 2021
5
jazz rap
Tue Mar 16 2021
5
En av de bÀsta rap-albumen genom historien
Tue Jan 19 2021
5
Every time I think "there's no way it's as good as I remember," and then it's even better.
Thu Feb 04 2021
5
So good. Kendrick is a genius
Tue Mar 23 2021
5
Love this album, though Damn. may be my favourite Kendrick album, this is the first one that got me into his music. Definitely my favourite hip hop artist
Tue Jan 19 2021
5
Familiarity: 7/10 Notes: Having just listened to this album for the first time not even a month ago, it seems fitting for this album to be brought up at a time like this. With the era of Trump hopefully coming to an end, and our future with President Biden awakening, I believe this album is perfect for the times. With mix of funk, spoken word, and best poetry, this sophisticated rnb/hip hop effort by Kendrick Lamar is straight ear candy. This album is already a classic, and it will live on as it finds new purpose every few years, I'm sure. Real Rating: 8.5/10
Tue Jan 19 2021
5
Fuck yeah
Tue Jan 26 2021
5
Generational album. Great songs mixed with great stories. King Kunta, Alright, How Much a Dollar Cost, The Blacker the Berry, i
Sun Feb 14 2021
5
i kind of love this
Sun Feb 14 2021
5
KING KUNTA. this is one of his best. this shit beautiful and truly shows his raw lyricism and talent. funk political soul hip hop. dA gOaT. I REMEMBER YOU WAS CONFLICTED
Tue Jan 26 2021
5
Goat
Tue Feb 23 2021
5
Own it. Love it. Saw him live perform it. Damn it. On it. Fuck it. Makes it.
Tue Jan 19 2021
5
Incredible concept album. Introduced me to Thundercat back in the day.
Thu Jun 10 2021
5
En una dĂ©cada en la que la mayorĂa de la mĂșsica sonaba demasiado similar y gastada. Cuando el hip-hop estaba en un punto bajo entre mumble rap y con la idea de escuincles sin talento al mĂĄximo estĂĄ este disco como un gran respiro. Kendrick Lamar es grande; es quizĂĄ de manera tĂ©cnica entre los mejores raperos actuales y dirĂa que casi seguro el mejor de los recientes. Lo que lo lleva a otro nivel es su capacidad y deseo de experimentar y llevar sus trabajos a otros niveles. A veces no funciona del todo pero en este caso termino con un disco excepcional. Musicalmente no se le puede ni comparar, es Ășnico; su capacidad de experimentar y crear mezclando todo un disco con jazz, funk, soul, breaks de saxofĂłn con scat. Pareciera que aprendiendo e inspirado por cosas como aquel Phrenology de The Roots o la MĂșsica de Outkast o en particular de Andre 3000 estĂĄ dispuesto a estirar la definiciĂłn del rap y hip hop hasta que casi se truene. MĂșsica fluida, impredecible, atascada tanto de creatividad como de talento en sus colaboradores (ÂĄMirĂĄ es Thundercat! conocĂa este disco y ni idea de notarlo hasta ahora, Terrance Martin, Snoop, Dr. Dre, Pharrel). Todo el concepto musical es una celebraciĂłn a atreverse a hacer algo distinto. Y si musicalmente es grande en su concepto y letras no se queda nada atrĂĄs. En un gĂ©nero atascado de idioteces y cosas vacĂas todavĂa hay alguien que trata de hacer un disco complejo, de poner de frente la hipocresĂa no solo de la sociedad en la que vive (âOh America, you a bad bitch/ I picked the cotton that made you richâ es quizĂĄ la lĂnea mĂĄs simplona del disco y aun asĂ no es mala) sino en especial tratando de mostrar esa hipocresĂa hasta en sĂ mismo y la cultura que representa ("So why did I weep when Trayvon Martin was in the street? / When gang bangin' make me kill a nigga blacker than me?"). Casi todas las letras se centran en esas dicotomĂas perder-perder que estĂĄn muy presentes y que no tienen lados buenos como el rapero "consciente" contra el pandillero, el machista con postura contra la el ser lleno de culpa, la culpabilidad blanca forzada y la violencia entre negros; todo con un mensaje de reconciliaciĂłn sin sentir que te estĂĄ sermoneando. Esa calidad lĂrica es muy muy difĂcil de lograr. Es un disco que tiene cosas que decir y sabe cĂłmo hacerlo. Es un disco hecho por alguien lo suficientemente inteligente como para saber terminar con una pieza de spoken word, pegando una entrevista con Tupac Shakur con poemas suyos resultando en algo que nunca existiĂł, dĂĄndole un nuevo sentido y hacer que funcione y que no se sienta ni forzada ni como un gimmick.
Fri Jan 29 2021
5
Legendary.
Sun Feb 14 2021
5
Ya like jazz? 11/10, I'd sell my kidneys for another Kendrick album as good as this.
Tue Jun 29 2021
5
I get why white people love this dude
Wed Jun 23 2021
5
Masterpiece. 10
Fri Jan 22 2021
5
One of the greatest hiphop albums of all time. I don't need to saymore. Go listen to it
Wed Feb 10 2021
5
Awesome album, love all the features and kendrick using all the voices he can fit in there. Jazz and funk fills the album with incredible sound
Wed Feb 10 2021
5
One of my favorite albums of all time. My favorite track has been and always will be Momma, followed closely by King Kunta and Alright.
Wed Jun 23 2021
5
The beats, the bars, the themes, this album is so powerful. I have one or two criticisms but it couldnât be anything but a 10/10
Tue May 11 2021
5
To Pimp a Butterfly (TPaB) might be one of the most important hip-hop albums of the decade, maybe even regardless of genre. It is masterfully structured, made with thoughtful social commentary and just all-around good music in general. We're exploring the best of funk, jazz, soul, and hip-hop (obviously). And it isn't just anyone on the credits, you've got Thundercat on bass, Dr. Dre producing, and a laundry list of great features worthy of admiration. I can't find much negative to say about this record, but I honestly don't want to because it is just so so good. It's simply the best at what it does.
Wed Feb 10 2021
5
.
Wed Feb 24 2021
5
excellent
Tue Mar 16 2021
5
9/10
Thu Jun 03 2021
5
- the beginning of wesley's theory, wow the trumpets and the 1920s sounding instruments i love it - more lovely horn instrument noises in 'for free?' and ooooh i think it's gonna be a jazz rap album this is so !!!!! - king kunta is so catchy - the story telling voices in institutionalized is amazing - my fav bit of the song is 'if these walls could talk. i can be your (purple) rain when you cry'. i love the contrast between their voices and for a second, i swore i could've heard prince - i could write a scenario for 'u'. the way he repeated loving you is complicated like he was about to cry made me feel like we were both going insane and then that bit where i thought my headphones were broken and the trumpets abruptly coming up to the surface again... yeah. that's all i have to say. - but we gon be alright yes you will yes i will - bruv that plot twist at the end of 'for sale?' when it just keeps on spinning and spinning in a different pitch yeah it scared me man well done mr kendrick - awww 'momma' is nice - i cba to review the rest but i did listen
Wed Mar 24 2021
5
excelente me gustó mucho lo escucharé de vez en cuando
Wed Mar 24 2021
5
Of fucking course this is one of my favourites of all time.
Fri Mar 26 2021
5
amazing fucking album.
Fri May 07 2021
5
I love this album. A modern classic, need I say more?
Wed Jul 07 2021
5
What do you even say? Mind-blowing, devastating, uplifting. This album is incredible.
Sat Jun 12 2021
5
There is a lot of more recent rap that I can't stand. The beats and the production are all too similar, following in the trap style of fast hi-hats and AutoTune and droning repetitive lyrics about drugs and girls. Kendrick Lamar is not that. And he stands out all the more amidst his peers for it. He has a voice that I feel like shouldn't work, but does (a bit of a theme lately for me with some of the recent albums). He is an amazing lyricist, writer, and rapper, with a flow that is unique and at times mind-blowing. He tells stories, he exposes raw truths. And he does it all with a seamlessly interwoven background of beats and horns. There is more soul and funk I can dig on this album than there was on Prince's "Sign 'O' The Times." Kendrick Lamar has so much to say, and it deserves and warrants repeated close listens. As an aside, with the relatively low number of hip hop albums on this list, I would expect that they are more likely to be the cream of the crop, 4 or 5 star albums. This one certainly sets the tone for that.
Tue May 11 2021
5
i love myself so much
Fri May 14 2021
5
absolute masterpiece and milestone for hip hop / concious rap in general.
Tue Jun 08 2021
5
what an album, turned me on to rap after lupe
Wed May 26 2021
5
Already listened way too many times. Absolute classic right here
Fri May 21 2021
5
This album is unpredictable. The first listen is powerful experience.
Sun Jun 13 2021
5
What the fuck can I say, March 2015 was largely occupied in my mind by this record being listened to over and over again. The production and lyricism are both so goddamn dense and ingenious that to this day six years later relistens still reveal me new brilliant angles. This thing is a fuckin accomplishment that transcends the soft centrist praise K-Dot's next record DAMN accumulated. đŁđŁđŁđ„đ„đ„
Tue Jul 20 2021
5
De las mejores recomendaciones de esta lista. IncreĂble en su totalidad. Sonido, ritmo, voces...
Tue Jul 27 2021
5
Beautiful and possibly the best album ever made. The interstitial poem is ingrained in my head. RIP Pac
Fri Aug 06 2021
5
Incredible album, start to finish.
Tue Aug 17 2021
5
Lyrically, it feels so real and full of insights and intelligence, like I'm getting a peek inside Kendrick's life and head. Musically it's just so dense and rich, throwing samples, beats, and riffs at you. Idea after idea. It's not the kind of album I could listen to again and again as I find it too overwhelming, but I do feel I could find something new in it every time.
Wed Aug 25 2021
5
What a start It's already a 5
Wed Sep 08 2021
5
First Kendrick Lamar album I listened to in the past. Blew my mind. Changed my favourite genre of music and send me on a unforgettable musical journey. Perfection.
Mon Sep 13 2021
5
Una meravella que transcendeix gĂ©neres. Lamar es trobava dos esglaons per sobre de la resta, ja fossin vaques sagrades com Jay-Z, Kanye West o Eminem, o noves lluminĂ ries com Frank Ocean o Tyler, The Creator. Aquesta obra capital Ă©s una bogeria en la seva fusiĂł de gĂ©neres, idees, ritmes, samples... MĂ©s enllĂ del seu enfocament polĂtic i racial, tot i acceptant la seva importĂ ncia, que no fa mĂ©s que enfortir el missatge i la seva força, Ă©s un dels millors discos dels '10
Sun Sep 26 2021
5
This is the first album on this list so far that I've previously listened to in its entirety. Like, dozens of times before. To Pimp a Butterfly is probably one of my favourite albums so far. Its complexity and depth really stands out compared to the three albums I've listened to so far. It's not just a collection of songs, it's a cohesive artwork (a concept album!) and there's so much to be discovered in its depths.