Reviews (page 13 of 15)
5/5. I listened to this album many times in high school and although at first, this was much different than what I was used to, there is no denying this is a classic. Amazing instrumentation, deep lyrical flows and themes, and important lessons that go over your head if you refuse to listen to any rap. It’s not hard to listen to this album; it’s hard to go out of your way to hate something before even giving it a chance. You’re the only one missing out. Probably should get up and wash your ass. Classic. Masterpiece. Awesome album.
cool album. i loved the instrumentation, the pastiches of the last 50 years of musical genres, and the production. several of the guests brought a lot to their tracks. the lyrics were very hit and miss to me. kendrick will go from a poignant song about institutional racism to a braggadocious song about sex or just repeating nonsense. another 3.5 star album to me but I liked enough of it to rate 4 stars here. favorites: wesley's theory, for free, king kunta, momma
I yelled at 5 am when I saw that this was today’s album. I know some people love Maad City and Section.80 but I think this is Kendrick’s best work and, coincidentally, also the best rap album of all time. It stands out from the rest of Kendrick’s incredibly impressive discography by being jam packed with jazz, funk, more jazz, and spoken word. But what’s cooler I think is that he tells a story in three acts like it’s an opera. I like to think I understood it as a junior in high school as much as a 17 year old white guy could, but every time I listen I get it more and more. It’s a masterpiece, and the caterpillar/butterfly poem at the end is the perfect bow on top.
From a hits perspective, Kendrick Lamar is rightfully best known for Good Kid Maad City and Damn. But when looking at each album as its own work of art, To Pimp A Butterfly is Kendrick at his best, and the parallels with To Kill A Mockingbird go well beyond their respective titles. “King Kunta” is one of the greatest, most complete hip hop songs ever recorded. You might think a song with references from Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” and Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart (among other literary works) would be overwhelming, but really it showcases Kendrick’s unmatched talent as a songwriter and a poet. It’s tough, if not impossible, to think of a song more closely associated with a social movement than “Alright” is with Black Lives Matter. I’ll admit that I prefer the simpler 2014 single version of “i” to the album version, but it’s still a centerpiece of the record. The album goes far deeper, both lyrically and stylistically, than the highlight tracks. “These Walls” sounds like late 20th century Compton, while the instrumental of “How Much A Dollar Cost” sounds so much like Prohibition-era Manhattan that I half-expected a Billie Holiday appearance. Some songs are soothing, like the R&B of “Complexion,” and some appear as painful for Kendrick as they are necessary for the audience, like “The Blacker The Berry.” “Mortal Man,” with its deep introspection and experimental mid-track interview, is the perfect way to end the album. From the repetition of “forty acres and a mule” to the all-time classic lyrics “I remembered you was conflicted / Misusing your influence,” there’s no wondering why Rolling Stone ranked To Pimp A Butterfly in its top 20 albums ever. Just like Harper Lee’s masterpiece, this record will stand the test of time as a shrine to decades of civil rights movements. I can only hope that high schoolers in the 2050s may write essays about both of them.
I think TPAB was the first rap album I ever listened to straight through. I'm aware of few other artists who have a voice as clear as Kendrick's. I didn't fully understand what he was trying to convey about being a Black person in America during my first listen back in 2015. Now, I get it a little better, but I'm still learning.
Kako je taj čovjek napravio ovaj album e.
Perfect
Love
Not a rap fan, but this album did have some more interesting background music
Immensely disappointing.
Nää. 1 Stern.
This is probably my favourite hip-hop album. I love the production, the influences from funk and jazz and how insightful Kendrick Lamar’s lyrics are. It’s a little long for my tastes, but To Pimp a Butterfly is an essential listen.
Very nice album, Kenny is goat, will keep listening to it
Good album with some real bangers, but I always have a tough time getting through the whole thing
I know this album is probably good but it was another example of not understanding US black culture because i'm not american or black. That being said, i've really enjoyed some of this music. So maybe this just doesn't hit for me because of the simple fact that I don't like it. The music didn't do anything for me.
All my lifes I has to fight
Easiest 10/10 of my life. TPAB not only changed the game for hip hop, but also raised the bar for what an album could be and how much societal impact it can have.
On rare occasions an album single-handedly revolutionizes an entire genre. This is one of those records.
Excellent but not the kind of thing I would just put on usually
This isn't as good as young kid MAAD City, it's good and he has such a good emphatic flow, but the stylistic choices, the interludes, his voice (still) and the lack of enough truly impactful songs knock it down to a 3. Still, very skilled.
This is definitely a level or two above most of the rap albums we've had in terms of sophistication (both production and thematically). Really cool fusion of different styles and the callbacks/references fit in really smoothly without sounding forced, there's a real variety in moods. But, I can't make up my mind whether I like his voice or not, it's too long, and there are a couple of tracks that I don't like as much (For Free? as track two is definitely going to put some people off). 4/5, but only just.
This album was foundational to my understanding of rap and hip hop in high school and made me seek out new music instead of sticking to the boring ass music taste of rural midwestern white people; so not only is this album a landmark in contemporary rap but it’s also personally important to me to some extent. I’ve listened to tpab countless times but what made this listen fresh is that it came in the second half of the list for me after a number of albums that exposed me to the full history of hip hop. I think I came out of this listen with an even greater appreciation of it because I better (but not fully) understand its influences from dj shadow to a tribe called quest. As for my thoughts on the album itself it’s mindblowingly well produced and accompanies songs focusing on interesting and thought provoking subject matter. Every song is an absolute banger except for maybe you ain’t gotta lie and mortal man only because the Tupac convo at the end goes on too long.
Borde tillhöra listan "1001 album som ger dig nervsammanbrott".
Absolutely phenomenal. You know an album is pretty great when the worst song on here is pretty good. There's some deep shit in this Album of you care about that kinda stuff but what I love about this is unique form of Hip Hop this is and man every single beat in this Album goes hard. Wesley's Theory, King Kunta, how Much a Dollar Cost, The Blacker The Berry and the Mortal Man are all certified classics. This Album is an experience and highly reccomended to anyone that wants to listen to music focusing on black culture because there's some really good shit here.
Stand out songs: - For Free (Interlude): I really like the beat poem feeling of this song - These Walls: Really great backing track, you can tell Thundercat worked on this one
This is tied for me as one of his best albums
Wow. Pretty much a modern rap Dark Side of the Moon. Always loved Kenny, and a few songs on this album are my favorites. But! So glad I finally took the chance to listen all the way through! 5/5
The greatest album of all time.
Jazzy.
A lot of jazz and funk. Good songs: These walls, u, hood politics, the blacker the berry.
- Heard this album many times before - Simply one of the greatest hip hop records of all time, if not one of the greatest records of all time full stop - Every song on this is brilliant, one of very few albums that I would describe as flawless - Fav songs: All of them but really: These Walls, i, Institutionalized
Banger
This record made me feel old.
Need to keep this short, but oh my god. If GKMC was a concept album in perfect execution, then TPAB is an absolutely transcendental piece of art. Sonically richer, lyrically more dense and infinitely much more intense of a listening experience, with production unlike anything I'd ever heard before (GOSH was this album just a sonic experience through and through). After my first listen I had still said I preferred GKMC more (it's a little rawer, less refined/polished), but what's important to note is that they're really just... different, overall. TPAB sounds much more matured and cleaner, but also less "listenable" (wrt. individual tracks), per se--it feels like an album designed to be noskipped from start to finish, and I can appreciate that. Sorta like the Suburbs, ha ha. Big problem on my end is that it's just such a dense piece of art that processing it is really overwhelming. I'm going back in for a third listen currently and there's just more to unpack. This definitely detracts from replayability. It's an actual brain exercise listening to this with any form of intention (unless you just want to melt to the music, which is aight too). I might not revisit after a couple of plays, honestly. Maybe a listen every couple of months. But it's a masterpiece, and that's all that matters.
When this album came out - I had absolutely zero interest in whatever Kendrick had to say. Didn't like the singles he put out, in my opinion it sucked. I HATED the fact that King Kunta made the Number 1 spot in Triple J's Hottest 100, with the number 2 song absolutely ROBBED. However as time rolled on, I have begun to appreciate the lyricism and mixture of genres that Kendrick brings to Hip Hop and Rap. Best: Alright Worst: Mortal Man
3.6 Objectively really good, one of the biggest hip-hop albums ever, but it's never hit the 'wow 10/10' for me unfortunately, still a nice listen tho. Fave songs: these walls, alright
i mean yeah as good as everyone says it is
First time listening this one from beginning to end and, pretty legendary.
Another near perfect album that fails to get old and remains interesting every time I listen 4.8/5
Amazing combo of jazz, funk and rap. I had already listened to this several times, but it def holds up on the re-listen. 4.5/5
Pretty good considering I don't like hip hop that much.
Not my favourite by Lamar, I prefer more R&B grooves, but this is listenable and lyrically interesting.
I said I'm trapped inside the ghetto and I ain't proud to admit it Institutionalized, I could still kill me a nigga, so what? If I was the president I'd pay my mama's rent Free my homies and them Bulletproof my Chevy doors Lay in the White House and get high, Lord Whoever thought? Master, take the chains off me! America is a pretty fucked up place - We went a long time with white people not recognizing the shit that the white government and white people have done to black people. 4/5
One of the best ever
I'm
Wauwzers
Awful
Possibly the best hip hop album of the century so far. The man is a genius, and I am now going to watch his Glastonbury headline set (for the 99th time!).
Thrilled to have a chance to dive in with Kendrick. To Pimp a Butterfly is such a phenomenal album and really plays with the idea of what hip hop can and should look like. His poetry is incredible and the themes he deals with continue to be salient today. 10/10
Wish I liked it more.
Disappointing.
Het n-woord? Nee, het f-woord. Is het een generatieding? Ik schrik op elke keer als er schuttingtaal wordt gebruikt. En dat is hier euhm, heel vaak. Verder weer een plaat vol geouwehoer, en wederom haak ik na vijf nummers doodvermoeid af. Ik hoor wel dat men voor dit genre wat originele muzikale wegen inslaat (pianogetingel?!), maar dat helpt allemaal niet.
Ik moest even het internet op om te lezen hoe dit album zich onderscheidt. Het antwoord is eenduidig. Er is een invloed van veel verschillende 'zwarte' muziekstijlen terug te horen. Dat is wel zo. Maar dat is op heel veel rap-albums niet anders. Buiten dit aspect is het niet echt een vernieuwend album. De thema's bevestigen vooral de vooroordelen. Sex, drug en geweld, dat laatste bij voorkeur tegen de ordehandhavers. Ik vraag me af waarom iedereen dit puberaal provocerende album zou moeten horen. Normaal vind ik dat iedereen elk album in de lijst een kans moet geven. Maar als je dit album tijdens de tweede track afzet. You're excused...Daar nog bij opgeteld dat we veilig kunnen stellen dat de artiest zich niet op de gehele bevolking richt. Waarom moet iedereen dit dan wel horen? Zelf kan ik hier prima naar luisteren, al skip ik wat gehijg en passages over geslachtsdelen. Er is veel variatie in rap-stijl. Er zijn wat dipjes, die ruimschoots worden gecompenseerd door een nummer als 'I'. Al is dat ook weer provocerend, gelet op de plek waar hij zijn kogels wil achterlaten.
Behoorlijk afwisselend album, waarbij ik van allerlei invloeden en invalshoeken hoor. Zo is er Prince meets Typhoon, wat spoken word, wat hardere rap, ik hoor zelfs J-Lo ergens in. De hele vibe is wel relaxed, wel fijn dat er wat jazzy en funky dingen in zitten, en niet zo kaal is als de oldschool 80s rap en hiphop.
I love this album already and I’m surprised i got it my first day. Amazing commentary on African-American Culture and Racism. Also a great insight into Kendrick’s personal life. 10/10
Definitely some banging songs on there. Great storytelling and for someone who’s not a fan of hip hop, I can’t say it’s something I’d regularly listen to and I do think it dragged on a bit long. High 3
Mhmm
Ça c'est du hip-hop qui hipope
j'ai déjà oublié mais il me semble que j'ai aimé
hella entertaining. melodic. dramatic! minus point kasi meron pa rin akong skip tracks
What else is there to say I love this album
it's TPAB 9,5/10 (5/5)
Incredible album. Amazing flow throughout, with socially/politically/personally poignant lyrics. For me, this one falls into the trap of other long albums and I lose the thread, but it always comes back together. Masterful use of many styles. I could listen over and over.
I've complained a lot of times on here about not getting any Kendrick Lamar albums. Well, we finally made it here I love this album. It's perfect. It's so deeply personal, yet looking outward at all these social issues. His rapping and lyrics are sublime. The music is so far beyond what most of hip-hop was doing at the time, yet it still feels like hip-hop. This is the greatest rap album of all time. It's everything I ever wanted in hip-hop. In a weird way, I didn't want to put this album on today because I knew it would eventually end, and then I would never get to review it for this list again. This is one of the top 5 albums made since 2000 5/5
In the context of the time of its release, a Kendrick record doesn't sound like anything else. He doesn't chase popular sounds, he doesn't chase what's happening on the charts, he just makes work that stands on its own as a cohesive, singular whole. And when you listen to it ten years on? It still sounds like nothing around it. A masterwork like virtually everything he's released, a meditation on fame, success, and what it means to be an American in an America that has suppressed and sidelined you and everyone you know.
Bit meh
Such an insanely good album that I will never be smart enough to completely understand. I come away with something new each time I listen. Kendrick has a way of blending intellectual ideas into enjoyable songs. Not only were there hits on hits, but all of them were also full of substance. One of the best albums of all time. I think that final song could have been cut in half, but whatever. 5/5
Don’t know why I slept on this Kendrick album since he’s my goat but it’s amazing
- I am quite possibly the only person in history to prefer GKMC and DAMN. to this - Still an incredible piece of music with a great message and lyrics - Can't wait to see Kenny again at Bonnaroo, he's one of the greats - Wesley's Theory, King Kunta, The Blacker the Berry
- One of the most profound rap albums I’ve ever heard - Tells a coherent story in literal and metaphorical ways - Reaches a self-awareness that few albums ever have
An album that helped shape my perspective like very few albums do, while being an incredibly vibrant and inventive album. Possibly the most important album of the 2010s.
a fucking great album
The album that got me into hip hop. Even if you took away the lyrics, the beats are amazing, it's an honest to God jazz rap album.
Hiphop moderno. Sin grandes alardes. Nada llamativo en mi opinión
Often the rap albums I've listened to on this project have lacked ambition, texture, tone, musicality. You can't accuse this album of any of these things. Whether it has tried too hard or is too discordant is another matter. I enjoyed listening to something that was different in the rap genre but it was not an ultimately satisfying experience.
puta que o pariu. isso é muito bom, é como whats going on do marvin gaye so que de hoje em dia. é como se as coisas tivessem piorado tanto que um album como esse foi criado a partir do whats going on so que com a verdade e raiva que realmente precisa pra que algo mude de verdade. e o jazz... o jazz nesse album, o sax os teclados, caralho muito foda, eu passo me arrepiando nisso e cada vez que ele fala "i remember you was conflicted..." vai ficando cada vez mais forte. é um album com letras tão poderosas que minha bunda branca não entende metade delas e mesmo assim elas me atingem que nem um trem. os corais de fundo cantando completamente fora do tempo e funcionando é algo que eu acho que nunca vou entender como que me afeta tanto. é minha primeira experiencia inteira com rap e eu to me julgando por não ter ouvido isso antes. que mundo que acabou de abrir pros meus ouvidos.
This one was a ride, in terms of what I wanted to rate it. Kendrick has a lot to say, and a really compelling way of saying it. The album drags a bit and can be repetitive, but man, this album rules. Equal parts exorcism and meditation. I think I just convinced myself to give it the 5. Standouts: King Kunta, Alright, Momma, How Much A Dollar Cost, The Blacker The Berry, i, Mortal Man
Banger banger banger album, this is *the* rap album, incredibly complex and meaningful, with huge variation throughout. This is Kendricks Magnum opus in a discography already filled with all time great albums
An obvious five
Ce que dise les gens sur cette album. C'est vrai. C'est un chef d'oeuvre modern du Hip hop 5
The best rap album ever
One of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. Kendrick Lamar incorporates a diverse set of sounds grounded by classic funk to tell a story of how the music industry in particular and the United States in general exploits Black talent to enrich itself while objectifying and othering them. The story is told masterfully and ends in a stirring conversation between Kendrick and Tupac. I love everything about this album and have been listening to it since it came out.
these wallls, how much a dollar cost👌 inspiring album
Excellent stuff. A great listen from start to finish. Highlights include King Kunta, How Much a Dollar Cost, The Blacker the Berry. Don’t bother with the censored version on Spotify (I tried both out of interest) it makes it a jarring experience with all the gaps.
I get that people think Kendrick is a genius. I think people overuse that term. He is noticeably better than most of what's out there today; I don't care about most of it, so it's a bar I fear I'll trip over.
inte den bästa, men fort väldigt bra. behöver nog lyssna om några gånger
I really like this album. I've never been a big fan of the skit/talking tracks on hip hop and rap albums, but otherwise this would be 5 stars. There are some great tracks and consistency to this album that makes me like it the most of his albums.
Top 10
Cool, but serious
I sense the talent but it's just on the verge of tipping me over into really liking it
obviously not my first listen, but this was a lot better than i remembered it. I keep 'Alright' in pretty standard rotation and always remembered loving "i", but not the album version. wish it wasn't this live rendition for that song on this album
Great album.
I cannot put into words how much I appreciate and love this stroke of genius. It‘s a political, personal, historicistical, and yet very open and rather song than track oriented hiphop album with a few key patterns and threads that make this a totally conceptual work without pulling out its pop appeal. One of my lifetime top10 or even top5 picks. 6/5 Stars! forever!
Variable, some stuff I like, some is too rappy, the melodical stuff is nice
muzyka płynie na tym albumie, nawet skit-y mają flow świetna płyta 4,5 sex
3.4/5
One the greatest albums of the 2010s
Best Kendrick album
Not for me
Pretty good, but it's not like it's going to win a Pulitzer prize or anything.
This is not the best hip hop album ever. It's not even Kendrick's best album ever. However, I am fairly certain this is the most artistic hip hop album ever written. Just an absolutely stunning mixture of everything you could possibly consider when writing music. Genuine pleasure to listen to this every time. The best track on the album is Hood Politics, and it's not particularly close
A magnum opus
Já ouvi tpab há algum tempo, muito bom e lendário, o álbum tem um pouco de tudo, as partes que acabam por se mais "aborrecidas" com o storyteling nunca deixam de ser interessantes se prestarmos atenção às letras e é facilmente compensado pelos bangers, é um álbum que não há muito a dizer, é objetivamente perfeito como álbum.
Make sure you go for the explicit version. I like the beats and jazz influence. The flow is different compared to the hip-hop I grew up on. But it’s a solid album. 3/5
Some of the more poignant rap of the last 10 years. Kendrick is raw enough to get the feeling across. Something I have zero life experience to, but he gives me a peak in the window of the life his demographic lives in. All while going hard
I've listened to some of Kendrick Lamar's later albums and they're so different from this. This feels like musically, he's having a good time experimenting with a bunch of different sounds while still putting together a cohesive album. Though I wasn't expecting any of the songs to go as hard and depressing as the end of "u"
No thanks
An absolute masterpiece. Brought so many artists together to collaborate and capture lightning in a bottle. Dives into so many raw topics and does it well.
Make sure you go for the explicit version. I like the beats and jazz influence. The flow is different compared to the hip-hop I grew up on. But it’s a solid album. 3/5
Een verbazend goed album met veel samenhang, duidelijke rode draad, heavy teksten en verschillende genres die duidelijk als invloed zijn geweest
I don't need to listen to this album to know it is great. One of my favourite album in the genre. 5/5!!
Just when you think the album is starting to drone on with some filler songs, Kendrick comes out of nowhere and kills it.
Not my music: a lot of swearing 🤬!!!!
From ‘King Kunta’ onwards this is fire. Lyrically and thematically deep, with cinematic, jazzy production and an all-star, who’s who of guests and cameos, TPAB is legitimately in the conversation for the best rap album this century, if not all time.
Been meaning to check this guy out was good, orginal hip hop
OK I suppose but doesn't seem to bring anything new to the party
Yeah, it's alright.
I tried to listen objectively, but about halfway through I couldn't stomach any more. Far too self-referential, far too self-indulgent, far too much profanity - I'm not against profanity, but only if it holds value and if it's gonna be overused to the verge of losing all value, then what is the fucking point?
A great, deep, meaningful album. Great cover art. Angry, sad, funny, all rolled into one.
Overplayed this when it first came out and havent listened to it much since, but the break did it the world of good for me. I’m still not 100% sure it deserves all the hype - it is class, but from memory it won just about every AOTY award going and was universally scored 10/10. Critics make out its the greatest album of all time, which I don’t get. But it is mint. It covers rap, soul, hip hop, and it’s way more experimental than 99.9% of albums in these genres. And its political as fuck, which is always a big tick for me. 4 seems too low, 5 is too high. A solid 4.75 for me
I think this is a better album than good kid but it's not a huge difference. Kendrick is a good rapper when he turns it on but most of this is strange beats and repetitive spoken words. Can't even see the appeal of alright really, thought there were better songs on this. Think this confirms I'm just not a fan
I found the previous album, Good Kid Mad City, incredibly irritating so I was very apprehensive about this one - however I thought it was pretty good. Thundercat being on the album helped - I liked the creativity. Definitely found it significantly less irritating than I expected.
I didn't like everything on this album but the good tracks are top quality. The interludes and skits I am never a fan of and didn't enjoy them here either. Think this might get a higher rating with subsequent listens, but overall another great album from Kendrick. Highlights: Wesley's Theory King Kunta Alright i
I've tried to listen to this before and it didn't grab me.... I listened to this twice this time, by on the second time I enjoyed it much more! Think the same happened with MAAD city... Although that album was a bit better I enjoyed Wesley's theory and king kunta, great bass. Alright is the best track by far for me How much a dollar cost was good too. I think Kendrick is better when it's a bit more serious l.... I'll be going back to this
I’ve listened to this probably 20 times
Classic. Perfect.
heard before still not for me
Absolutely not my style
3,5
words were nicely placed here😅😁🤭
The album is not without it's shortcomings, but the highs are high enough, as is the overall listening experience from start to finish, to offset any misguided moments. 🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋
The album’s really good and the high points are amazing but in general it starts a bit better than it ends so I can’t call it perfect but it’s still great and I wouldn’t argue against anyone who gives it a 5 but it’s a 4 for me.
One of the greatest albums of the 21st century and Kendrick's magnum opus. A brilliant collage of soul, jazz, funk and hip-hop.
Kendrick Lamar is the prince of west coast hip hop. I’m familiar with his big hits, but haven’t listened to his full albums before this. I think I would grow to appreciate this even more with multiple listens, which I’m eager to do. His raps are fantastic, even though his mushy delivery makes it hard to understand the lines at times. He’s already made a huge name for himself and I’m excited to check out more.
Not my cup of tea but maybe a 3/4 cup
Huge Kendrick fan, since his early EPs & mixtapes.
LP
This is an album that is so hard to rate. The music is amazing, but I don't really enjoy the rapping over it. Plus the subject matter is essential to why this album is so well acclaimed. But as a non-black person never having lived in the USA, living in a completely different part of the world, the lyrics don't mean much to me. So it's good but it's not for me.
cooooll???
Reading about this album made me really interesting in listening to it. Listening to it, I found it really long and monotonous, and I ended up losing the message in the slog. The only song that really stood out, stood out because it sampled "That Lady."
I wanted to love the album and I really did appreciate and respect the mix of musical styles. Unfortunately there were a few tracks that just did not sit well with me, and made loving it complicated...enough so that it brought the entire album experience down a notch for me.
I enjoyed most of this. Varying styles and some good special guests.
I’ve heard a few songs from Kendrick Lamar over the years but this was my first full album listen. This is a dense work, packed with a variety of hip hop styles that really kept my interest. The songs deal with a lot of racial and social issues that had me interested in hearing more. Great!
Urgh; can only hope it's deliberately as disjointed as possible as otherwise this would be a worthless waste of space only designed to apply to those who think it's edgy. No musical value or interesting lyrics to be seen here, just mumbling nonsense. Hate to be all modern hip-hop is trash, but by god this is trash. 1 if not lower
How did I never hear this guy? Liked the acid jazzy stuff, harder time with the others
One of the greatest albums of all time
Great album, maybe not as good as GKMC, reason for the 4
Everyone has to hear this album at least once
Not always keen on the lyrics but the beats are absolutely brilliant on this.
Makes me feel like I’m about 100 years old. Don’t get it
Some cool moments - a couple of songs in particular.
Kenny har gjort bättre, säger min dotter. ”Inte så najs.”
This is a monster of an album. Ridiculous beats, intelligent writing, and phenomenal performances. The themes and lyrical content are clever, substantial, and important, especially in these times. 9/10
Again, I can appreciate the lyricism, creativity, and expression, but the subject matter and lifestyle don't resonate.
Hip-Hop's answer to The Wall by Pink Floyd. One of the easiest 5/5's I've ever given on this site.
Loved this album. Reminds me of my favorite 90s rap. Worth buying -- 4/5
Obviously good, just not my cup of tea
.Album 2 of 1089 To Pimp a Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar Rating : 3 / 5 Not really my thing genre-wise, but I can absolutely respect what it means within hip hop and why so many people hold it in such high regard. The production, musicianship, and ambition are all there — it just doesn’t hit me the way it does others. Still, an important album worth acknowledging.
I was gonna re-listen to U, today, anyways!
very important
I'm very selective when it come to hip-hop. Extremely selective probably, thoroughly disliking 99% of it. Only albums I really like anymore are Illmatic and the Infamous, despite regularly listening to NWA, Dre, Snoop, Biggie etc when a teenager. I absolutely detested the hip-hop that came later, which seemed to revolve around how much money and/or how many girls/cars each had, and I realised a lot of that stemmed from the previous named artists, just taken to the next level. Illmatic/Infamous actually spoke about the real, in some way grim, lives a lot of people are tapped in. Onto this album. I've not even bothered with hip-hop artists in the last 15 years, writing them all off as the same. But this album definitely brought me back to the first time hearing Infamous. The beats are honestly incredible. First track floored me with the Aphex Twin vibes; the variety is amazing though, subsequential tracks drifting through jazz, soul, standard hip-hop, ambient, electronics etc. Some of the vocalists don't do it for me, but I only found one song skippable (Hood Politics) which is very good going. Looking forward to giving it another couple of listens to fully digest the lyrics
Fucking classic 10/10 gg no re what honestly hasnt beeen said about this damn masterpiece chefs kiss mwa
I mean, cmon.
Did like
smooth transitions - each song flows directly into the next
Expected a good deal from this album given the praise it's received in the indie community and general culture, but felt let down given how overstuffed and overlong the end product is. Starts off incredibly strong with some excellent beats and wordplay courtesy of some heavy hitter guests (especially Thundercat), but hits a wall in the second half once the instrumentals start to blend together. Kendrick has some top-tier bars to lay down throughout the entire LP, but they get lost in a mix of too many ideas being stuffed into one song structure + too many one-off interlude/throwaway tracks that feel like dead-ends rather than detours on the LP's narrative journey.
Il fatto di non riuscire a seguire i testi non me lo fa apprezzare al 100%
Highlight: Alright
Lirycznie dobre, muzycznie gorzej. Trochę bardziej agresywny niż poprzednie rapy. Takie 4=
nope
Already love it
Not my thing
Listened to this one a lot on college. Loooove this album. King kunta alone gets a 5!
Another solid installment. This is prob a 3.5 for me but I'll round up.
This is incredible and I need to listen to it like 100 more times. Definitely lives up to its reputation, I don't even know what to say about it, this just fucking rules. Favorite track: King Kunta
This album was a very nice surprise. I knew about the song Alright already, but this album takes concept to a whole new level. It's brilliant and refreshing with hints of jazz, blues, and rock masked by the hip-hop/rap. Really creative stuff.
In demographic terms, I'm the kind of listener that heard hype about Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly well before I got my ears around it in any kind of substantial way. This means I didn't have a friend turn it on for me. No one in my circles passed this my way, but plenty media to tell me how insanely profound this record was. I've listened a number of times prior to getting this as my daily assignment. It's good. His flow is sublime and I agree he's like a drummer in some ways—percussive delivery. That said, I think I got too much hype from all the press because I was also left with a sense of "Is this it?". Expectations can be a double-edged sword sometimes and so I'm here to tell you it's a solid four stars to these ears.
Bad
Good rapping, different musical styles. Not my favorite but some catchy tunes.
Thought I'd hate this album. I thought it was going to be Kanye West 2.0 where self gratification is the main goal. Fortunately for me I was very pleasantly surprised... A delicate blend of music, poetry, powerful speeches and heartfelt dreams. Yeah sure, there were too many N bombs, and in my opinion, an over abundance of pussy and dick references. BUT overall it was a good listen.
Great hip-hop album
One of the greatest rap albums of all time, period.
Okay, I really tried, but this is not my type of music at all. This album is full of political and social commentary, but I couldn't concentrate on the lyrics at all. This record has one song, that somehow strayed away from the overall style of the album and fell much closer to a type of music I like. "The Blacker the Berry" is a great song, and the more straightforward style of beat and rap made it much more digestible for me. But otherwise, I couldn't find anything worth praising. Probably a great album, but maybe it went far above my head.
Not for me. Just too much
Un album magnifiquement conclu par une You know I'm saying-outro rappelant comme deux gouttes d'eau le You know I'm saying-interlude de l'album Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Vous savez je suis en train de dire ?
Kendrick Lamar rend ici un vibrant hommage au rap old school, proposant une outro multipliant les "you know what I'm sayin", afin que personne n'oublie que le hip hop est avant tout un genre musical de gros noeudnoeud
Cmon now its the hippity hoppity how could i not
Day 1
Good stuff. Plus, any artist that chooses to feature folks like George Clinton and Ronald Isley on a track has my full support.
a modern classic.
10 out of 5 stars. Astounding. Amazing. Unbelievable. Love love love!!!
I don’t pretend to fully understand it but it still sounds amazing.
I guess this is Alright and that's my fave track. <mic drop>
I'm listening to the albums of this project while working, so I'm afraid hip-hop albums are probably suffering from not having sufficient attention paid to the lyrics, and not routinely getting a second or third play. This album certainly grabbed my attention, though, and got a second play through. I definitely feel like I should come back to it again when I can concentrate on it more, too. Fave track - "King Kunta" was an immediate standout. Also really enjoyed "How Much A Dollar Cost" and "The Blacker the Berry"...
Musically, some very interesting things going on here and the album is a good listen. I know I'm a bit prudish on the lyrics front, so I accept that people express themselves in very different ways, that's for sure. But I do like this album. Really nice stuff here.
4.0
Awesome album. 5/5
It was ok. Would I listen again? No. Do I respect the talent? Yes.
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. “The Blacker the Berry” 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 Obama’s 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 I’m 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. I’m ultimately marking this a (high) 4 because my respect and admiration for this record outweighs my personal enjoyment of it, but you shouldn’t need to read these words any more to understand this album is an incredible piece of art. Just go ahead and immerse yourself.
What more can be said about this that hasn't already been said, a perfect record, a modern classic that actually deserves to be called that!
This is like listening to art. I know it's good. I know it's important. It just doesn't really mean anything to me. It's an album I should like. I like his other albums. I like his style. I like his lyrics. I like his content. I like the beats. It's everything I want...I just don't don't want this. It's not bad though either. I'd rather reach for Good Kid, Damn, or even Black Panther.
Thought I would like it but it did nothing for me. Remove the "N" word from the album and most songs will become an instrumental.
socially conscious lyrical hip-hop 4/5
Really interesting - I liked the medley between rap and jazz. Definitely not what I would normally go for but I can tell it’s good. Top pick is ‘These Walls’ but I also enjoyed ‘i’ and ‘The Blacker The Berry’
8/10
Some of the songs are really good but some of them are a little busy. Alright is very good. Not my fav. Low 3
Ok, it is a bit much of the mixing for my taste, but not as bad as the other hiphop albums we have heard. I like the small amount of jazz there is in the album. I listened to it on shuffle... Some of the songs where not me at all, where some of the others songs started really good, but ended up with some mixing... I have determined I do not like mixing. Low 3.
Noice
An absolute masterpiece.
Impronta propia. Moderno. Gran tapa. Medio largo. Me gusta más Damn
Uno de los mejores discos de hip-hop de la historia. No hay mucho más que agregar
Es medio largo, pero está bastante fachero (Casi 80 minutos kjjjj). Combina muchos géneros, entre Jazz, rap, hip hop. Muy progre nomás.
Joya absoluta.
It might be brilliant or so, but not to me. Too messy, sample here and there, no flow in general. And as usual on these albums the well known "terms", like in "song" 2.
Thought this album was a bit too long at the time (like "20 minutes too long" and certainly like last-song-too-long) but once got I into it again, liked it very much and the less catchy songs started to become alive.
Good music and production, but I just find the rapping very irritating.
Very complex album, several sparkles of greatness, but it lacks the flow and melodic strength to keep me engaged.
Really want to spend time with this to get more from the lyrics. Some of the beats are amazing.
Liked listening and some great moments, struggling to remember much so needs another listen
I remember you was conflicted
As this album was coming out, I was slowly becoming a Kendrick fan. My brother would play GKMC in our college apartment as we chilled around the house and I knew right away I liked this guy. But when TPAB came out, everything changed. This was an incredibly special album, not just for its content, but where I was when it came out. 2015, I think spring break, Stevie and I had flown to Georgia to hang with the Pankows and I remember it released early and I think we listened to it in the car as we were picked up super late at night from the airport. Stevie burned a CD. That entire trip, anytime we were in a car, or there was a lull, we were listening to this. Every song on this album reminds me of specific moments whether that was cruising down the roads watching the trees and houses fly by, or going to eat bbq, or playing ping pong in the basement. This album will be forever tied to that experience and I think that is a good thing. This album is one of the best of all time. Certainly of that year, but it threw such a huge wrench into what people thought hip hop could be. Kendrick was not only able to craft amazing tracks with key samples and guests, but each song had something to say. And it wasn't just the typical "I'm the greatest rapper" but him questioning things. Questioning society and all the racial divides that are in the face of so many people of color. But he went even further and explored what an album would look like blending so many different Afro influences such as Jazz and Funk. This album has so many layers in that regard, and there is a beautiful poem that he slowly builds on throughout the album that is just one more layer. From tough songs like u to more radio friendlies like King Kunta and Alright, there is a song on here for everyone. And I am not as versed in the Kendrick lore, but I think he begins his talks on "Lucy" in this album that carry over into Damn. I also love this album because of the last song, Mortal Man, and his conversation's he has with what I think is his "dad". Not just the conversation, but tying all the verses of the poem together and then finishing on a description of the title of the album. Something I think many people struggle to find within albums, the meaning, but here Kendrick lays out exactly why it was titled TPAB. True masterpiece.
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
This album is one of the most important albums of 2010s. Musical journey from start to finish!
I probably listened to this at the wrong time. I had not a great day teaching at high school, my last period of the day was being... let's just say, difficult... A number of the kids were talking overly loud and using the n-word. A _LOT_. It was grating on my nerves. So then I put this on, and that's all I could hear for the first four or five tracks. I know there's more to it than that, but Lamar's voice was a bit high and squeaky, and it took me a while to get into his lyrical flow because of just only hearing that. Probably the song that really turned the corner for me was "The Blacker The Berry" which really had a lot of rage in it, but damn it was so laser-focused. The last piece was another one of those ones that is one you hear once and skip after that. The interludes are at least relistenable. So the album picks up speed, but I don't want to sound too prudish, the n-word in the beginning just made it rough going for me. I don't know if it as my mood or what. But... yeah.
This album made me realize how much I dislike Lamar's voice - too nasally and pitchy. Not that that's the only thing that matters, but it stood out. Really interesting musical stylings, especially early on. Wesley's Theory was unique and then followed up by a slam poetry interlude For Free? (weird but I liked it) King Kunta is one of my favorites on this album - great beats and less annoying vocals, plus real clever lyrics. Institutionalized and These Walls also have unique stylings (the latter almost a 70's funk feel, credit Thundercat for that I'm sure). u and i are pretty raw and powerful, so kudos to his ability to lay it all out there (the former's pained narrator in the back half reminded me of Eminem's Stan). Still, I found the album dragged, especially from Alright to Complexion. There's some decent lyrics in there but the vocals are too stilted and the beats are underwhelming. The Blacker the Berry is pretty awesome, but I wanted more of that. Probably a 3.5 at minimum but I can't shake how "meh" I felt on the first listen. Maybe it'd grow to a 4 with more listens but I ain't got time for that.
Let’s be honest, this is some crazy shit! I mean that in a good way. Kendrick took some risks musically on this album and to me those risks payed off. The first track, “Wesley’s Theory”, with its fat bass and chirping keyboards in the background lets the listener know that they’re in for one hell of a weird journey. The next track “For Free” has some odd vocal rhythms over some jazz sounds but the third track, “King Kunta” brings you back to the funky hip-hop. It’s my favorite track on the album, with its metronomic guitar, great bass riff and some damn good rapping over it. The rest of the album keeps the attention of the listener with some well-crafted songs that shift between the funk and the jazz or sometimes combining them. The last track, “Mortal Man”, has a clever idea at the end of it but I feel like it’s a little bit long and that idea doesn’t really seem as clever through multiple listens. I feel like I would just turn off the track after the music the next time I put this on (I guess I'll see) . As a whole though I did like the album a lot and it reminded me that I still need to listen to his newest album that came out a few months ago.
This was a pretty challenging album for me. Some of it was simply uncomfortable to listen to (way too much n-word for me - I realize this album wasn't made for me; also, lines like "this dick ain't free" - needless to say I'm not playing this album where anyone else can hear). But the last section, starting with "How Much a Dollar Cost" really blew me away. If the whole album was like the last 6 tracks I'd be calling it a 5. But the earlier stuff often doesn't do it to me. Sometimes really odd (even though I like odd music) or just lyrics I didn't like. So, I was down to a 4 or a 3 and chose 3, mainly because I'm not sure that I want to continue digging into it (which is part of my definition of a 4). But, like I said, I thought the last section was outstanding - powerful lyrics, great music. Maybe I'd feel that way about the earlier tracks if I gave them more time, but I'm kind of done for now. Favorite Tracks: King Kunta, How Much a Dollar Cost, Complexion, The Blacker the Berry, i, Mortal Man.
Best album of the 21st century so far. Fact. You want a party - King Kunta, you want rage - The Blacker the Berry, you want optimism - I and Alright, you want terrifying self loathing in the vein of Holy Bible era Manics, try u. The live musicians make it so much stronger (this album showed me what Thundercat can do - best bassist alive right now) and well, it just hits all the way through. Honestly, if you can't appreciate this one, I feel like you're going to struggle with this list... There's only a couple of Eagles albums and Kid Rock I suppose, but your musically limited tastes are going to make it a real struggle for you to get through the good stuff.
Ja dit heeft geen uitleg nodig. Lees de review van Jur maar haha. Wat een bangers!
Hmm. Liked it more than I thought I would, but overall it doesn’t seem like something I’d go back to a bunch. “Complexion” was my favorite track.
He's not speaking to me or if he is the message is too embedded in black US culture.
Top 3 Songs: 1 - Wesley's Theory (1) 2 - King Kunta (3) 3 - Hood Politics (9
I keep trying, but I just don’t get it. It feels like lesser The Roots, and the blend of spirituality and misogyny are too much.
yup! still the greatest rap album of all time. glad i took the time to check again, for like, the 10 millionth time
overrated white critics rap
uhhh... what the fuck was this? I don't understand how this is so highly rated or how his music is so popular? Feels like Mr K L is not sure what he's trying to create here. The only song I slightly like was King Kunta
I have yet to meet someone who this album doesn't blow away. His flow and raps are fast, impressive, personal, and introspective, and they mesh perfectly with his production style. He incorporates funk, rock, soul, and jazz to create unforgettable songs that transition well from one to the next. The songs are immersive experiences, evolving by the second to create an engaging and cohesive experience. I was pulled in not only to see how each song would change, but where he would take us on the next one. There's something I love about nearly every song that I couldn't possibly spend time to describing here. You have some incredibly modern and unique songs like "u" that incorporate atmospheric synths, an unsettling sax, lo-fi chillwave samples, and a wacky yet emotional vocal performance. It gets much milder and more structured in the 2nd half, which takes more time to appreciate but is just as good.
Misschien wel het hardste hiphop album ooit gemaakt. Al lang niet geluisterd maar heel blij toen ik in de ochtend zag dat ik deze mocht luisteren!!
Zonder twijfel 5 sterren je bent doodziek als je dit niet 5 sterren vindt!!!!
Na alles wat er over dit album is geschreven, maakt mijn review nog uit? Ik doe het toch want dat moet hier. Dit album kun je denk ik veilig het beste album van de 21e eeuw te noemen, en misschien zelfs het beste hip hop album allertijden. Thema’s als armoede, racisme, ongelijkheid, familie en je relatie tot de rest van de wereld vloeien hier vloeiend in elkaar over. Met humor, scherpe opmerkingen en anekdotes en verhalen uit z’n eigen leven lukt het hem om dit feilloos over te brengen waardoor het voor iedereen mogelijk is een stukje van zichzelf erin terug te vinden. Ik probeer dit kort te houden, maar nog even over de featurings. Het is een album met wereldsterren erop, zonder dat iemand nadrukkelijk aanwezig is. Snoop dogg die zichzelf voor iedereen cent laat optrommelen voor een guest verse voegt hier ook echt iets toe als ‘oude wijze’ verhalenverteller uit Compton. Namen als thundercat of george clinton hebben geweldige bijdrages. Maar er is ook ruimte voor (voor de meesten) onbekenden als Rapsody of Anna Wise. Kendrick was niet bezig met de charts toppen, hij was bezig met een meesterwerk. Dit is waarschijnlijk mijn in z’n geheel meest geluisterde album aller tijden, en dat gaat waarschijnlijk ook niet veranderen. Een stempel op een generatie, en over 100 jaar wordt dit nog steeds geluisterd.
Haven't listened in years but it's always been one of my favorite rap albums. Incredible. Really blew me away more than it ever had. So expertly crafted in every way, it's not wonder he can't top it now.
I remember you was conflicted...
Fucking fantastic
95/100: A masterpiece. I recall reviewing "good kid, m.A.A.d city" by claiming it is my favorite Kendrick Lamar album. I think I might want to amend that. "good kid m.A.A.d city" means more to me as an album; however, I think "To Pimp a Butterfly" is objectively a better album, which is hard to do as "good kid, m.A.A.d city" is nearly perfect. This album is tightly written lyrically, Kendrick uses a self-written poem to propel his message from track to track; includes beats that, in and of themselves, would get the song playing over and over again on the radio; and displays a level of forethought and planning I've never detected when listening to an album before. This first and last point, I think, are either one and the same or at least complimentary. To write a poem and then slice that poem up into thematic verses that parallel each song of the track, clearly conspicuously hints at the amount of time Kendrick put into this album. It pays off by ensuring a tightly delivered message and beautiful storytelling. The final track on this album, "Mortal Man," includes an interview with 2Pac at the end. Obviously 2Pac is dead, but Kendrick brings him back to life by editing and clipping audio recordings of previous 2Pac interviews, stitching them together with questions of his own to create the appearance of Kendrick interviewing 2Pac. Even in description alone, that is a genius concept. In practice, it gives you goosebumps, it's chillingly impactful. Creating an interview with a dead rapper based on audio clips alone that actually ties into the message of your album, I imagine, is no easy undertaking. But Kendrick does it. And he does things like this over and over again throughout this album that scream "I toiled for years on this album and think what I'm saying here is important, and so should you." As a mere listener and consumer of this album, it's hard to not hear Kendrick screaming, both figuratively and literally in songs like "U." The one gripe I can potentially see with this album, and it's more so a gripe with Kendrick in general, is its density of content. Listening to Kendrick can sometimes feel like reading Kant or trying your hand at "Ulysses." Every song can feel like it has hundreds of allusions, double meanings, and subtleties to unpack. I can see that infuriating some listeners. To enjoy a song, you shouldn't have to know the entire history of rap as a genre or be forced to scour the internet to find a hidden double meaning in a relatively unknown slang phrase. This is the most aired grievance with "Ulysses," too. Reading that book, it can feel absurd how little of the message gets through without the aid of a companion book or explanatory video. So it goes with Kendrick sometimes; however, in the case of "Ulysses," I found setting aside the desire to know every little thing James Joyce meant in each allusion and parable wuite literally opened the book up for me. In doing so, you discover the beauty of the prose, the genius of the story-telling, and the profound ideas expressed. And so it goes, too, with Kendrick. Many of the songs on this album are bangers in and of themselves, even without analyzing his self-written poem or knowing what each line means; in fact, I think this is probably even more true for "To Pimp a Butterfly" than it is for "good kid, m.A.A.d city," which is partly why it's so hard for me to argue with myself that "good kid, m.A.A.d city" is actually a better album. "How Much a Dollar Cost," "King Kunta," "Alright," "The Blacker the Berry," and "i" are all easy to listen to, no in depth analysis needed to enjoy the music itself. What I love about this album, though, is that there is also an absolutely immense amount of thought and intent packed into these songs lyrically, too—a dichotomy damn near impossible to strike musically. As an aside, I also want to touch on a feature of this album that I feel in general is a great litmus test of "good" albums. That is, many of the tracks on this album blend into the next. Not many albums do this, but I feel like every album I know of that does is a fantastic album. To me, it's not because of this feature, but it's because of the attitude that attracts this feature. Artists who seamlessly transition from track to track have adopted an attitude in their creative process that holds the album in the highest esteem. They aren't writing individual songs, they're writing an album. When an album is written from this perspective, it shows. The message is coherent and unified. It's not an assortment of selfish songs battling to be hits. It's one album. Pink Floyd and Kendrick Lamar both do this well. They respect the album as an art piece more than most musicians and it's why their albums reside at the mountaintops of musical discourse. To wrap up my thoughts, I think I have to be objective here and admit that "To Pimp a Butterfly" is a better album than "good kid, m.A.A.d city." I have to give it a better review than that album because it is certainly a better album and I enjoyed listening to it more. There's genuinely little to nothing wrong with this album. The only people I could see disliking this are people who refuse to listen to rap at all, which is honestly a real shame but a topic I could talk about for 5 more paragraphs, so I will conclude my review here.
Þessi týpa af tónlist er ekki minn tebolli. Mest megnið af þessari plötu er þó mjög gott stöff. Talsvert betra en margt sem e-a hluta vegna hefur orðið vinsælt á sl. árum.
Not really my style I respect the creative choices and backings Pretty clean mixing
Not my personal favorite kendrick album but a classic for sure.
Usual hip hop story. Some good bits but far too long
This is fucking great.
Good beats, too many collabs
Wesley's Theory - 2 stars For Free? - Interlude - 1 star King Kunta - 5 stars Institutionalized - 1 star These Walls - 5 stars u - 1 star Alright - 1 star For Sale? - Interlude - 1 star Momma - 4 stars Hood Politics - 3 stars How Much A Dollar Cost - 4 stars Complexion (A Zulu Love) - 4.5 stars The Blacker The Berry - 2 stars You Ain't Gotta Lie (Momma Said) - 3 stars i - 5 stars Mortal Man - 3.5 stars
Already know this fucking slaps
8th December 2022 Listened in the morning while travelling to London. Work Christmas do in the evening. Feels like LA.
You know when you go to a museum and stand in front of a gigantic Romantic painting and gawk at the immense detail and wonder how a human being could create something so immense and detailed and overwhelming? That’s what listening to this album is like.
I had this on repeat for a long time when it first came out. There's so much praise that you can give this record, and it deserves all of it. From the themes Kendrick touches on and the story it tells, to the insane variety of musical styles and influences, and the fact that there's really not much filler despite it being over an hour long. Out of all of that though, the thing that stands out the most is how good the record sounds with the amalgamation of hip-hop, jazz, and soul. It's a musical feat. Standout tracks are King Kunta & These Walls.
I have never had this many recommendations for a contemporary album from people in my life. First it was songs like “Alright” & “King Kunta”, then more in-depth remarks about the album’s scope & themes. I listened to the whole thing eventually, after a Grammy award & Obama praised it or something, but I think the catalyst was learning that David Bowie took inspiration from TPAB for his final album. And I re-listened several times, concluding that the hype was for good reason. I think hearing it now, after getting albums by NWA & 2pac on this website, makes me appreciate Kendrick more for taking the best from those sounds/eras (plus all the soul & jazz), and for making something both more emotionally complex & analytical. the songs are good too. December 7, 2022
This album is great. The production is great. It started off slow for me but on the second half, Kendrick Lamar did not disappoint. I love the jazz and the beats. His rhymes on top of that causes me to think. Great to see that there are still rappers out there causing people to think and reflect. Good to see poetry still a focus in hip hop.
Masterpiece
5 masterpiece.
*I’ve heard this once before and I just can’t bring myself to go through it again, going to listen to his latest album as a substitution* Enjoy it: No, I just don’t get it at all and I hate that you have to be an intellectual to ‘get it’ Favourite song: None
To pimp a butterfly. I remember I was conflicted but it’s a 5/5. granted some songs work better in the context of a lp and not an individual listen. It’s kinda hard to just sprinkle some songs into a playlist lol. What kinda play list are you gonna add the blacker the berry? Alright? These walls? Hood politics? It makes you think too much. On a side note: mortal man hits harder for me given what Kanye is doing right now. “When shit hits the fan, is you still a fan?” 😞 no. Bangers: For free 🔥 King kunta These walls 🔥🔥🔥🔥 U 🔥 Alright 🔥🔥🔥 For sale 🔥 Momma🔥 Hood politics🔥🔥 How much a dollar cost 🔥🔥🔥 The blacker the berry 🔥 I (single version) 🔥🔥 Mortal man🔥
Clear poetic influence and good tunes, love me some Kendrick
So many great songs on this album. Alright, King Kunta, Wesley's Theory, The Blacker the Berry to name a few. Kendrick mixes rap and jazz to create a groundbreaking album. It is a critique of society, race relations, and much more
Enjoyed the cultural commentary and progressive fusion of genres. And loved a few tracks like "The Blacker the Berry," "Complexion," and "i". Still feel it fell short of "Good Kid, M.A.D.D. City" for catchy hooks.
I’ve mentioned this many times before, but hip hop is one of my least familiar genres. I never really listened to it growing up, and it wasn’t really until I was in my mid-twenties that I gave it a proper chance. I’ve been meaning to listen to this album for a while, so I’m happy to listen today. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: King Kunta, Alright, i When listening to hip hop, the gold standard for me has always been Because The Internet by Childish Gambino. Everything gets compared to that in one way or another in my head because I love that album. However, Kendrick Lamar might have just taken that crown. This album was incredible from front to back. If there was no rapping at all on it, the music was still fantastic. If there was no music at all, the lyrics, rapping and poetry would still have me hooked. Putting the music together with the vocals brings it all together into something amazing. He has a very distinct voice too, which always makes for a good listen when it works, which it very much does here. I’d recommend this to anybody, but especially people who, like me in my younger years, didn’t really know or understand hip hop. This is excellence.
[Wesley's Theory] The album opens up with some reggae-soul sample that goes "Every n**** is a star..." then suddenly hits with some beautifully complex array of beats. I get that a lot of people will be dazzled by such display of complexity, and maybe even the rampant use of the n-word. But this is a nice introduction to the album, a complex, dark, and exhausting album. I already heard this album a lot of times, and this is my introduction to Kendrick. Yet even now, it's still among my favorite songs of his. Far from the chill vibes of the rest of his discography, but still mind upliftingly good. [For Free?] This interlude is not something that I would casually listen too, but still, it's very fascinating. Here, we got a string of obscenities and profanities over a jazz track. Setting aside the humorous element of such contrast, there's a number of possible interpretation for this. But I'll focus on how Kenrick, the so-called "savior of hiphop", is pushing the genre to its limits. "For Free?" is far from the average hiphop track, song or interlude. It's some fascinating effort to explore, not to represent the genre. [King Kunta] A lot of first-time listeners, including me before in fact, unsurprisingly cites this as their favorite track off the album. It's no surprise, "King Kunta" is akin to MBDTF's "Power" and DAMN's "HUMBLE". It's popular, not necessarily because it's better than the rest, but because it's less demanding of a listen. Being less complex, it's easy to get tired of this song after a few listen. Personally, it may just be a demand for the album to take seriously, both in terms of buying it obviously, and in terms of listening to the rest of it's dense 80 minute runtime. [Institutionalized - Complexion] A huge chunk of the middle of the album. This is the meat, where most of the message comes from. Unfortunately, this is the section that I find hard to get into. While some songs stand out, it feels like every song is just the same Kendrick-rapping-with-a-weird-voice-over-the-same-soul-track thingy. Not a big fan of Kendrick's peculiar vocal style either. "Loving you is complicateHHHE!" is personally among the worst verses he ever did. The hooks are not that great either. I remember the thing about shit not changing "until you get up and wash your ass" and the stuff where Kendrick is babbling "BOOBOO!", in a bad way. "Alright" is a unique song in this period, although I'm not a fan of that repetitive rock-ish tune. I can see why it became an anthem for the BLM movement though. [The Blacker the Berry] Damn, this track is so good. I wonder if my relistens would include the whole album if it wasn't for this highlight. Basically, this is the album at its most emotional, the climax. A mind blowing masterpiece of his. [You Ain't Gonna Lie - i] The cool down after "The Blacker the Berry" is somewhat the same vibes as the aforementioned middle of the album. For some reason though, I liked these tracks. Perhaps it's the more positive nature of these tracks. [Mortal Man] Finally, the album ends with this complex 10-minute closer. Here, he finally finished the thematic poem that was being recited throughout the album, after that, he had a fictional chitchat with TuPac, effectively explaining the whole idea of the album. The conclusion, one might say. Whew! Pardon for such lengthy review, I decided that writing my mixed feelings about this complex masterpiece is easier done track-by-track-ish. As one can see, it's an exhausting, complex, demanding album. But it's art, enjoyable for me or not. A modern classic. Still, I will rate it based on how I enjoy it. After all, I'm here to listen albums, not to be a critic wanabee. Will it eventually be a 5? Perhaps, but as you can see, even now I'm still intimidated by this mammoth.
On the one hand, there's not a lot here that I'd listen to repeatedly. The production is a bit chaotic, which I don't care for. On the other hand, Lamar's lyrics and flow are incredible. This one earns four stars for the artistry, even if it's not an album I'm likely to listen to much.
I was blown away by this album. I had already known that Kendrick Lamar was one of the most talented rap/hip-hop artists of our time, and man does this album prove so. I'll definitely be listening to more of his work.
Didn't care for it. Can't put my finger on why. Maybe his choppy flow. Not sure.
It's a well put together album, and it's got a lot to it, lots of different vibes and styles, and some interesting things going on - that gives it an extra star, as I don't like it at all.
Has some dank classics. King kunta top song for me though
A lot of feels. I feel as though I can feel what he does in this album. I do appreciate raps close ties to poetry.
Need I say anything
Very good and very interesting. I’ve said this over and over at this point well over halfway into this list, but I suppose it beats repeating: I inevitably struggle a with hip hop that is particularly focused on the black experience because it’s not made for me. I’m a tourist, and consuming this for enjoyment is unavoidably voyeuristic.
There are some good samples on this album. King Kunta and These Walls are OK songs. I just can't understand how this is THE number 1 album on RYM. It's not that good surely, or am I missing something? It feels like a drag to listen to. It's far too long. [halfway into the album later] OK, coming towards the end of the album I was surprised by 'i'. Actually quite good. I'll give this album 3 stars for this song. But there are moments in the songs where I almost like it so I'm torn between 2 or 3 stars. Considering the hype this album has, I'm majorly dissappointed. Kendrick's done better albums than this.
Classic, especially with Thundercats additions
A damn modern classic. 6 stars.
semmosta vai jassooo. sanoitukset silloin tällöin nappaa... sanoma... ilta-sanoma... musiikki joskus kiva.... jatsia.. jatsi influenssi... mutta hip hopotus osuus ,,, EI en tykkää ja räppäri huligaani mielestäni vaikka oma laatuinen ääni,, ei tota ei oikeen kuulosta hyvältä mulla paras biisi the blacker the berry
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
I like his voice, and I *really* like the variety of stuff he’s doing in this
One of the greatest albums of all time.
I am shocked by how much I was impressed by and enjoyed this album, as hip-hop is really not a genre I tend to like listening to. This is one of those albums that makes you understand why they are called musical artists - it was definitely a work of art. The flow, the variety in the musical and lyrical styles, the cadence changes and poetry. It's not something I'll likely go back to, but I'm glad I listened to it
This was a good album. I've not listened to much of Kendrick Lamar other than the most popular songs. I could have done with a few less N words but other than that I did enjoy the listen.
The beat and groove of this album are unmatched. Lyrically it’s dark, but hopeful. I struggle with the lyrics at times because there’s only so many N-words I can handle in a given time. That’s a me issue more than anything else. I’m really glad I listened to it as I better understand the hype and respect around Kendrick as an artist, I just know it’s not something that I’m ever probably going to listen to again.
After King Kunta I thought I was in for a treat, but I didn't find much more redeeming in this album.
One of the best rap albums of the 2010s and arguably of all time. even tho not one of my personal favourites, I still respect Kendrick for his artistic approach to fuze jazz and hip-hop in a such a beautiful way to convey a powerful message to the listener.
incredible
Some genius. Foul-mouthed whinging little sook. Manages to get that balance between irritating and boring.
This is a rap album that could never be mistaken for another ever. Shouldn’t be possible to make a rap album this good in every way that it is
Finally got some K Dot! While TPaB isn’t my favorite Kendrick album, I can’t deny it’s a brilliantly constructed collection of hip-hop, funk, jazz, and spoken word poetry. Different songs on this record have had different meanings for me growing up, be it loud locker room music or even songs that represented negative emotions. An absolute classic of the genre. If you “can’t get into this because it’s rap” or because he mentions money and women, I hate to break it to you: you have no critical thinking skills. Phooey.
Surprising lack of reliance on annoying fucking noises for a critically acclaimed modern rap album
Wash your ass because this is fucking dog shit
2/16, 13%
Honestly thought I was losing my mind having heard the closing but never noticed it was the same
I get why people love this album I don't like rap but it is some good music on this album
Kendrick fart-guy
Baanger
Jag har rätt rejäl nostalgi för TPAB... det var definitivt den första hiphopskivan jag föll för som helhet. Jag brukade lyssna på den om och om igen, försökte tolka vad allt betydde, fånga orden Kendrick sade. Albumet påminner mig lite om my beautiful dark twisted fantasy. Ingen annan skiva låter som någondera, och de låter inte som varann. Gemenskaperna ligger mer i att de bägge två är smakfullt maximalistiska och att alla låtar är intressanta och väldigt unika. Ännu en sak jag vill tillägga: folk gillar att tala om TPAB som om det vore den skarpaste kritiken av samhället någonsin och det känns ofta som att skivans känslomässiga kärna ignoreras. För mig är den delen det som gör TPAB bra.
favourite song: how much a dollar cost least favourite song: institutionalized really really great album just not quite a 5/5 for me.
*listened before* I can’t remember if I listened to this once or twice before, but I just can’t get into it like everyone else. I’m not denying that it’s great, because it is, but I just don’t hear what everyone else does. Maybe that’s because I overhyped it for myself though. Anyway, my score can only go up from here, and I’ll definitely listen again. Favorites: Wesley’s Theory(incredible opener), King Kunta, i Disliked: - Album cover: 5/5 iconic