To Pimp A Butterfly

Funk and fury makes it one of the definitive albums of the 10's.

Instant classic

🔥

great

9.9

Holy shit this album is 10 years old. Anyways, it’s one of my favorite albums ever and rightfully considered an all-time rap record. Lamar’s an incredible writer and versatile performer, and the production rises to the occasion. The poem that reveals itself throughout the record is also one of my favorite recurring themes in any given concept album. “I remember you was conflicted/Misusing your influence/Sometimes I did the same/Abusing my power, full of resentment/Resentment that turned into a deep depression.” Et cetera. It’s the best.

One of the greatest albums of alll time. Would give it more stars if I could

Such a great album. ofc the tracks I love continue to be amazing, but I was kinda shocked by how great some of the other tracks like Hood Politics and i are. One of those albums that's just so cohesive and strong as a unit.

Duh

Gooooooozer 5 sterren anders wordt Fantano boos

Tuvimos la suerte de entre todas la basuras que sonaban en el género allá por esos años, Kendrick Lamar estaba por allí. One of the GOATS

Tells a powerful story. Great album to run to

if you really care about replay value this is a 4, but otherwise it's undeniably a 5 listening to it front to back is the only way to experience it, listening to it by singles only is much worse *IN COMPARISON*, although you can argue that's not the right way to listen to any album and that it shouldn't be punished for that

Brilliant

I thought the Leftfield album would be my favorite album I’ve been given for a while, and it just so happens that my very next album is arguably the greatest album in the history of hip hop. Crazy how life works

9.5/10

This was an incredible listen. The lyrics are tight and his flow is great but the instrumental work and way is all blends is wild. Lots of cool genre work through it. I don't know if it's the best song of the album but King Kunta is so easy to keep listening to. What the heck was Drake thinking.

A pretty tight album. Blends a lot of influences really well. Decided to read the lyrics along with my second listen. It was like sitting down with an interesting book. This is an album. Requires more than one listen. I missed out by not listening to this when it came out.

A generational artistic achievement and truly worthy of all the acclaim. Kendrick is a master of storytelling in rhymes and this entire record, as it's ever unfolding form reflects, is a work of poetry above everything else. I am not a hip-hop aficionado myself but I am familiar with it enough to know that what Kendrick does on this record on every level is unprecedented and a groundbreaking feat. From funky bangers like King Kunta to life-affirming anthems like Alright, TPAB tells a profound story that only an artist in Kendrick's position is able to bring to light and make it sound so damn good. Certainly a more difficult record to approach than GKMC or DAMN but all the more rewarding for it. I don't think one listen is enough to fully comprehend the scope and depth of this record and I look forward to revisiting it many times more. This is what got Kendrick the Pulitzer prize, DAMN was just a confirmation. Literature put in sonic domain.

This was really freaking good. I really stopped paying attention to most current music starting in the 2010s, and honestly my only real regret is missing out on Kendrick until now. His two albums on this list are both fantastic, but I give a slight edge to this one. Just top to bottom great songs, great lyrics, great production, etc. Kendrick expertly continues the legacy of West Coast hip hop. “Wesley’s Theory” is a perfect way to start the album and “Mortal Man” is the best way to end it. “Alright” is another highlight. The only real drawback to this is that it drags at times. Some of these songs could have benefited from brevity. Still a fantastic record, though. Wish I could give this a 4.5, as it’s not quite a 5 for me. Edit: Considering how much I’ve listened to this since this album was generated for me and how long “Wesley’s Theory” has been my most repeated song on Spotify, I have to give this 5 stars.

Such groovy rap. I love Kendrick's stuff and listening to this was amazing. He definately thinks about the meaning of his lyrics and the composition. Great album!

Ok cool

The pinnacle of rap. The one before (good kid maad city) and the one after (untitled unmastered) are there with it, but nothing else comes close, in my opinion.

Listening to this for the first time since the Super Bowl, it's fascinating how that performance feels so deeply indebted to everything that's going on here, despite the fact that the two share zero songs in common. Someone more talented than I should write some longform piece about this, I'd read the hell out of it.

ITS THE GREATEST ALBUM OF ALL TIME, YOU CANT DISAGREE WITH BANGERS LIKE WESLEY THEORYS AND HMADC, I LOVE KENDRICK LAMAR THE BEST RAP ALBUM IF NOT THE BEST ALBUM OAT

One of the best modern hip hop records. Creative jazz beats coupled with politically charged lyricism.

Powerful, profound, pointed and provocative. An incredible blend of fantastic lyrics with wild melodies and beats to make every song matter, both to the album and to the listener. Unmatched in creativity. Top tracks: Wesley's Theory, Alright, Hood Politics, The Blacker The Berry, Mortal Man

If you take a look at any critical list of 'Top 10 Albums of the 2010's', you're likely to find this one on every list somewhere. It's widely agreed upon at this point that this album is cemented as one of, if not, the best album in the last decade. Who am I to disagree? Regardless of its status as "best" or whatever, it's by far one of the most introspective albums I've ever heard. After years of revisiting it and peeling back the layers, it has genuinely changed the way I think; the way I think about America, the way I think about the Black experience, the way I think about materialism, and so much more. It's rare that you have an album that gets better and even more interesting every time you listen to it; and that's just through the lyrics and themes. I haven't even scratched the surface on how good the production is. Flying Lotus, Thundercat and George Clinton offer their jazzy influence all across the record, and guest spots from Snoop, Pharrell Williams, Rapsody and more just boost already great songs to another level. "The only hope we have left is music and vibrations." I think that quote a lot. I also think about this one: "Life ain't shit but a fat vagina."

The greatest rapper's greatest achievement; an album sharing space not just with other GOAT albums but with other GOAT works of art, regardless of medium.

A top ten album for me. I could write a thousand words on what makes this so good or why the themes hit so hard and feel so relevant a decade on. It’s just someone else has written it better. That first listen though, coming off a 16 hour shift and finding out it had released. Hearing that Flying Lotus production on the opening track sounded like nothing else out there. The emotional peaks of u. The Radiohead samples on How Much a Dollar Cost. The shift i has on the album. How raw and hard The Blacker The Berry hits. The conversation it created with GKMC. Not leaving my car until the first listen was done. That was a special experience that fueled a decade of listening habits. What Kendrick excels at is imperfect answers to complicated questions that are honest rather than truth because his experience is always at the center of them. A dense high mark for emotional honesty and storytelling in a genre that can often get misaligned by its content.

Sublime, a joy from start to finish. The next album is going to do well not to be a disappointment compared to this.

I'm not too much in the mood today - on a Cure binge interspersed with the angry, desperate spoken word black metal of Ashenspire, see? Not in the mood - but I remember how a longer while ago I asked my social media peers what would be the contemporary, progressive equivalent to Jazzmatazz and Kendrick Lamar was pretty much the consensus. Indeed it is.

How not

Incredible, iconic, magical

heilige makrele, guete morge kung fu kenny dim lieblingsalbum sis lieblingsalbum, bessers storytelling als die meiste hollywood blockbusters und das projekt wo mir vor paar jahr d'kunstform vom album lose wieder neu ufzeigt hed es musikalischs, lyrischs und konzeptionells meisterwerk, egal öb guet oder schlecht gluunt: TPAB gad immer mis zweitliebschte projekt vo mim favourite artist, top 3 of all time also ich glaub ihr wüssed alli wie vill mir das album bedütet <3

One of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. Not as immediately hard hitting as GKMC but it’s better as an overall album experience

Already know love and appreciation this album

I've been meaning to actually listen to this for ages, ever since Music League turned me into a Kendrick enjoyer, so thanks for that - and I do mean "thanks", because hot *damn* was that everything it's cracked up to be.

The evils of Luci are all around me!

CLASSIC.

To Pimp A Butterfly is without a doubt the best rap album of all time, and maybe just standalone album. From the intro to the poem to the interview to the interludes, it is all done to perfection. Even songs like i, released as single before the album to negative reviews, was changed by Kendrick to make it one of the most captivating songs on the album. The cover too, it is one of my favourite covers of all time with the black men outside the White House, and the dead white man all in front of them, and K-Dot right in the middle. This is my favourite album OAT. 10/10.

This is just so much more than a hip hop album. It’s a true master class in just about every aspect it touches. It oscillates between soul, funk, jazz, and some of the purist rap you’ll ever hear. It almost feels like a fools errand to attempt to reduce this album to a few paragraphs, as there’s nothing one can say that hasn’t been said already. It’s an album with a clear vision that comes together to form one of the most powerful pieces of art in the past century. I could write a lot of words about this record, but nothing compares to the feelings this album inspires in you, and it’s impossible to explain the experience. 10/10

Of all the albums released this millennium, probably very few have been written about more than ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’, so I won’t spend too much time trying to say what surely many others have already. It’s a fantastic, inedible creative album that’s as lyric-driven and contemplative as it is full of danceable bangers. Instant classic that will remain relevant for a very long time. 9.5/10

Per quanto mi stia prepotentemente sulle balle Kendrick Lamar, album potentissimo

ANYBODY CAN GET IT THE HARD PART IS KEEPING IT MOTHERFUCKER

This is Kendrick's best album, hands down.

I remember you was conflicted Arguably the best hip-hop album of all time, and (along with Stankonia by Outkast) the one that really got me into the genre. I remember listening to this the day it came out, not too sure what to think, and despite the emotional rollercoaster it takes you on and the sheer length of it (at nearly 80 minutes) I immediately had to relisten as there was just so much I wanted to revisit and explore. It’s incredibly ambitious, both musically with the live jazz backing and lyrically with everything that is tackled on here from institutionalised racism and police brutality to sexism within the hip-hop community to faith and identity and legacy, and so much more. It’s such an important, complex and heavy album but also has some absolute bangers so you can listen to certain tracks like King Kunta, These Walls and Alright in basically any setting (while For Free? and u are maybe best kept off the aux and within the whole album experience) The features are amazing with everyone on their A game and really fitting with the concept of the record, whether it’s a fun Snoop verse, a really powerful Rapsody verse, George Clinton’s funk genius, Kamasi Washington’s otherworldly band leading with Thundercat’s ridiculous basslines, or a posthumous ‘interview’ with 2Pac - but Kendrick remains the star of the show, switching his voice and flow up dramatically whether he’s gliding over Dilla-style grooves on Hood Politics, aggressively spitting fire on The Blacker the Berry, or reciting poetry between the tracks. It’s a long album that never dips, never drags, stays focused, and is constantly impressive and moving Not too sure what else to add about this as I could end up talking about it for days, so let’s just say once again it’s very very good and leave it at that

Enjoyed this a lot, Kendrick really does excellent work.

*brain fog clearly providing a brief moment of lucidity and good taste* this is an Objectively Perfect Album

Best hip hop album i've ever listened to.

Such a great album. Has been a favorite for years. Nice to relisten after a while.

Fucking amazing

Amazing jazz infused beats with next level rapping.

En yleensä diggaa kendrickistä ku sen tyyli on jotenkin... Hyökkäävä ? Mut tää albumi ansaitsee kaiken hurmoksen mitä se on saanu!

This is the only album that I can think of that has a poem on it that ends with thee reveal that it’s being read to TUPAC. absolutely fucking PEAK

Probably my favorite hip hop album of all time. Takes a sledgehammer to the walls of what music can be behind rap. In the hall of fame of rap’s double entendre venereal jokes, “like a Chevy in quicksand” before that beat shorts out and comes to life is inner circle

One Of The Greatest Modern Rap Albums Out There

One of the best albums ever. Amazing jazz instrumentation, lyricism, and cohesion in the album. A story is told, and Kendrick Lamar has established himself as one of if not the greatest rappers of all time.

This album is exhibit A of how Lamar dogwalked Drake during their back-and-forth earlier this year. The man is sharp, smart, obviously well-read and extremely talented.

10/10. No notes

I don’t know where to start with this album. As much as I LOVE music, I still feel incapable having a full understanding of why this is a genius piece of art, but I know that it is. Musically, there is very little, or maybe nothing, in the hip hop world, that comes anywhere close to this. It’s like the album is equal parts rap / funk / jazz. Lyrically, Kendrick takes you on a trip through the corners of his mind with themes ranging from self love to systemic racism to the current climate of today’s hip hop culture. This is not just a collection of songs, this is a work of art. I’m not sure people have realized the true genius of this piece of art yet, me included.

For those leaving 1-2 star reviews, I may not be able to help you but I might know someone who can. Let me introduce you to Cole Cuchna the host of Dissect. Dissect is a podcast where each season does an in depth, song by song break down of an album. Season one tackles To Pimp a Butterfly. I’ve been a fan of Kendrick Lamar for a long time but had no idea how much of a genius he was until listening to this podcast. And I don’t use the term genius lightly. This album is an incredible work of art. Musically, I’m still preferential to good kid maad city, but tpab is a masterpiece. So even if you love this album, and especially if you don’t, I encourage everyone with an interest in music to check out Dissect. It’s not only given me new insights into this album and others. It’s altered the way I listen to music in a good way. I still enjoy music for what it is, just like surface level enjoyment. But I find myself noticing more when I actively listen than I did in the past.

don’t trust anyone who doesn’t give this a 5. Is and will always be the best rap album of its time. every single song takes you on another journey. THIS DICK AINT FREEEEEE

This is probably one of the most important albums ever made. Nearly a perfect project.

this is one of the two albums i would say qualifies as the greatest album i've ever heard. there are at least a couple dozen i like more than it, to be sure, but almost nothing compares to the depth you'll find in the lyrics, the instrumentation, the theming, etc. - truly grateful to be alive at the same time as this

One of the greatest albums of all time

This was a collage of ideas, a tapestry of art and sound and perspective. I have to say, it probably beats out MAAD City. There's so much to digest here. Incredibly long but worth the journey.

I’m feeling a light 10 on this one.

Always seen rap as the flip side of the coin of punk. Street music, street politics, rage against the system. This album was solid all the way through, with quite a few bangers I'm sure I'll listen to again: King Kunta, Alright, The Blacker the Berry (which is probably my favourite track on the album) though I also love Mortal Man, and the confessional/conversational nature at the end. I don't think I have a single complaint about this album, and I can see why you both own it,

Straight and clear, I've never been a huge fan of hip-hop. What I love about Kendrick is that he's not afraid to incorporate other musical elements into his tracks, thus eliminating my biggest gripe with hip-hop, repetitiveness. From the first track it immediately stands out as "This isn't just a a rapper on a beat". I remember listening to King Kunta for the first time and being absolutely blown away, from the opening all the way to the ending. Upbeat, catchy, funky.. one of my favourite lines "Most of y'all share bars like you got the bottom bunk in a 2 man cell". The biggest takeaway I had from this album was the poem that is read aloud after (almost) every track. You get a bit more every time and then an entire song is written about the last line he says in the poem. And by the end when he ties it all together, I was floored. Probably the first album, and maybe the only album, that did that to me. I think I remember sitting there in silence just taking it all in, trying to make sense of everything I just heard. I still don't listen to a lot of hip-hop, but I'll always listen to Kendrick Lamar.

GOATed rap album fr

Listed on so many music websites as THE #1 album of all time. I hadn't listened to it in awhile and really didn't have any memories on it. Upon relisten, however, I understand why it's earned it's place. Kendrick is King. Punches hard and rides smooth

lovely

Shimmering big band instrumentals, jazz, R&B vocals mixed into well thought-through verses. The album spends enough time having fun to balance the occasional angry, violent or drunken ramble. I don't know who specifically this album is for, but I think every American adult should listen to it. Not my favorite Kendrick Lamar album, but it is his best.

Absolute masterpiece that made me fall in music like no other album. I was blown away by the first 2 tracks I heard while shopping for CD's in the little booth where you used to be able to listen to CD's you put in it. The world of jazz has been an incredible discovery, and the discovery of hip-hop and its rich legacy and meaning has been as wonderful to discover. I still catch things from this album I hadn't noticed. This is such a classic, it's become standard that it's not going to be topped soon

Amazing. Got me thinking, made me feel, just beautiful and heartrenching.

I wish I had the words this album deserves. All I can say is it's one of the greatest albums ever made, and the one that solidified Kendrick as one of my favorite artists of all time. I am consistently awestruck by his artistic vision and and how brilliantly he realizes it. The rhythmic technicalities of his flow on this album blow my mind, and the way he works with his voice, the poem repeated throughout, the fusion of musical styles celebrating black heritage, the complexity of the subject matters covered - again, I really wish I had adequate words. It's a brilliant album that I learn from with every listen. Infinite stars out of 5.

Found additional songs I liked

Modern classic, amazing storytelling

Kendrick is generally considered the lyrical, insightful rapper of our generation. It upsets me because there's so many other artists making Hip Hop with more meaningful themes and subjects. Some of the songs were so full of nonsensical, abstract lyrics that it was difficult to follow exactly what was being communicated. There was a mix of profound ideas side by side with run of the mill sex drugs and money songs. With that being said, this album definitely deserves five stars. It has so many bangers and the production quality and style are fresh and unique. There was a consistent Jazzy undertone that worked really well with the different beats.

can you give it anything else. Best songs:The Blacker the Berry, i

I said this in my review of Good Kid / mAAd City, but hip hop has never been a genre I gravitate towards, so I hadn’t really heard much Kendrick Lamar before doing this list. I was blown away by Good Kid / mAAD City. Gave it a 5. Got this album and expected similar. But somehow, I’ve been blown away again. Astonishingly good. Maybe the best hip hop album I’ve ever heard.

Listened to this album a few times before, and thoroughly enjoyed it each time. It’s engaging, lyrically dense, and makes me want to dance along to the songs.

Fav: Wesley’s Theory Least Fav: For Free? - Interlude Incredible album, and u has got to be the greatest song I never want to listen to again.

made me black

King Kunta Alright The Blacker the Berry i

A towering achievement. Dude's firing on all cylinders on this one. What a fantastic synthesis of sounds, music, and lyrics. The performances are stellar; the creativity is through the roof. This is peak music.

Love this album great to listen to it again in full

A must listen rap album. Love the way the narrative is woven between all of the songs. The songs are fun, loud, funky, introspective, and impactful. I’ve listened to it before, and I don’t like coming back casually because I enjoy sinking my teeth into the music. Standouts: Wesley’s Theory, King Kunta, These Walls, u, Alright, Momma, How Much A Dollar Cost, You Ain’t Gotta Lie (Momma Said), and i.

I've listened to this so many times, but still one of the all time great albums. Great songs, great variety, great storytelling, great features and sessions musicians, an overall thematic journey that ties the whole album together. Few albums reach the level this one does on any level, let alone across so many fronts at once. I probably prefer GKMC to this at the end of the day, but this album is easily one of the GOATs and it's criminally underrated on this site seemingly because its rap/hip-hop and contains profanity. Unfortunate.

i'm not surprised people talk about kendrick lamar so strongly when it comes to modern pioneers in the circle of hip hop. there's nobody like him, at least not that i know of. lamar's flow is unlike any other, unpredictable, fresh and varied. conscious and at the same time absolutely innovative and almost downright MAD when it comes to writing his bars. paired with his jazzy beats, it's a perfect mix of sound you don't hear in a lot of albums, let alone any hip hop albums.

I don't come back to this often because it's such an undertaking that requires so much attention. But every time I do I finish it thinking it might be the best album of all time. Kendrick's pinnacle. The poem and the Tupac track have maybe lost a bit of their initial impact but overall this is a masterpiece, and I'm amazed at the level of genius to create something like this, a record which you will never fully unpack.

Solid album. Much better than his other one I got from the generator. Listening to this on headphones sounds better than my phone or car speakers. A bit long but lots of good tracks on here if you're willing to look for them.

Emotionally resonant and complex. Between the freeform jazz production and Kendrick's impactful lyrics, it's hard not to rate it this high.

Cuando empecé hace ya casi un año a hacer esto de los 1001 álbumes, no tenía muy claro qué es lo que iba a sacar. Supongo que conocer nuevos artistas y reafirmarme en los que conozco de los géneros que ya amaba (rock, electrónica, dance...). Y si bien es cierto que me ha ayudado a conocer bastantes cosas chulas, yendo ya por una quinta parte de esto, lo que más me ha ayudado sin duda es a apreciar y amar el buen hip-hop/rap. Nunca había sido alguien de estos géneros, pero obligándome a oír primero a Kanye West (cosa que me ha hecho adentrarme y amar su carrera antes de que se volviera lo que es ahora) y ahora a Kendrick Lamar empiezo a apreciar lo que todo el mundo ama de esto. Y es que este álbum es la ostia. Quizá es el primer 5 en el que no puedo elegir un tema muy favorito porque el álbum fluye de principio a final como una entidad. Seguro que no llego a entender del todo todos los temas que trata, pero es que la forma de componer y rapear me tiene enamorado. Como ya hice con MBDTF, agradezco a esta página haber hecho esto para que, aunque a veces tenga que tragar mucha mierda, obligarme a escuchar joyas como esta que nunca habría escuchado hace un año. 5 estrellas.

Kendrick’s second full length album, I’ve always adored gkmc, in fact I consider it to be the closest to a modern illmatic if not better simply because it has the benefit of time on its side, As a sequel Kendrick smashes this out the park, pimp a butterfly is full of incredible lyricism , fantastic beat selection and deals with a range of topics, Kendrick is at his almost finest here and it’s a modern rap masterpiece.

Finally, an album that I was actually excited to listen to. The past 6 albums have ranged from albums that I really like to albums that I actively hate. But now, I can finally say that I have listened to the top album of all time on Rate Your Music. The people have called To Pimp a Butterfly the greatest album of all time. So, do I agree? Well, I personally wouldn't go that far, but I can absolutely see why others would. This is a truly wonderful album of a caliber that we only see every once in a while. I really only have praise to give to this album. The production on this thing is magnificent. The strong influences from funk, soul, and jazz create an aura that not many other hip-hop albums have. Even the interludes have a sense of musicality to them that you don't usually find in the interludes of other hip-hop albums. The writing is top-notch. The overarching themes of race, fame, and culture are utilized flawlessly alongside a few other songs that dive more into the mental state of Kendrick Lamar himself. Speaking of Kendrick, his rapping is some of the most unique rapping I've ever heard. The flow is certainly impressive and him changing the way he raps based on the perspective of the verse is just amazing. There's a deep personal core to this album that isn't the most accessible for newcomers. And yet there's still some pop sensibilities that allowed this album and Kendrick's music as a whole to become as popular as it has. I really don't know what else to say. Though I may like a few albums more than this, it would be hard for me to say that TPAB is anything less than a masterpiece. I get it. I see the appeal. To the surprise of nobody, I will be giving this album a 5/5.

Im not a rap lover only old school stuff usually. I do listen to the mew up amd comers to compare and shit on them and lack of skill or topics. That being said. This album is the best rap album Ive heard probably ever as an album. I had heard songles but thisbis not an album that you can take a song and listen. Its a real album with amazing storytelling and chronological order. It wrenches my gut to say it but its a masterpiece. I like Kendricks music but never a real consumer of it. I looked for his other albums amd listen to them as well and the are on the same level. Just some crazy producing and delivery. Every human on earth should listen to this.

no condoms they fuck with you, Obama

Y'know, while I was listening to this album I wasn't sure what exactly I was gonna say about it. 'Cuz, I mean, come on. It's TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY. Without a doubt, it's the most important and highly praised hip hop record I can remember. I know there's a lot of people who'd **heavily** disagree with that, but for my money, nothing else comes close. And therein lies the problem: I'd want whatever I'd say about the album to match how big I feel this thing is. But even after nearly ten years of living with it, I struggle to really come up with the words. It's not even a typical case where I can excuse myself 'cuz I don't really "understand" the album, because I do, and pretty well. Maybe I just don't have the vocabulary? I'm not sure, and I don't wanna bore you with speculation, so allow me to get to the one definitive thing I know I have to say. This album begins with a spectacular run. "Wesley's Theory" is... Like, maybe the best track on the album, honestly? "King Kunta" bangs so hard. "u" is, exactly as it set out to be, fucking depressing. And "Alright" is such an incredible groove that I can't even. But then we hit a strerch of songs where... Honestly, they just don't do too much for me? Excepting "How Much A Dollar Cost" and "The Blacker The Berry" (phenominal, both of them), the stretch from "Momma" to "You Ain't Gonna Lie (Momma Said)" just doesn't do it for me. Even understanding their place in the narrative. Now, of course, I don't not enjoy them enough to not give the album as a whole the 5 I believe it fully deserves, but... I'unno. I think it's just the beats? Comparing it to every think that comes before it and everything that comes after—well, there's some outros I love, but as a whole, they're just too laidback for me. So much smaller than what I expect from the rest of the album. It's always been a sticking point for me, and it's probably why whenever I listen to stuff from this album it's usually just the first three or five songs or just "Alright". Ultimately, at the end of the day. though, it's a nitpick. Not nearly enough to knock this thing upon the towering pedestal of importance where I've placed it. It deserves all the praise it's gotten, and whatever more can be said about it. So... I'unno, yeah. That's my perspective on that. What do you think about that, Pac? Pac? Pac—?

One of the greatest albums of all time, simple as. 5.

It’s a 10. I knew it was gonna be a 10 before I listened to it again, but I just had to be completely sure. Too many people have written too many words about this album for me to add anything truly meaningful to the praise it gets – hell, I even wrote a paper about “How Much a Dollar Cost” once, so I’m worn out on writing things about this album already. I can’t wait to read all of the thinkpieces when this album hits its 10th anniversary next year to reflect on just how special of a piece of art this is – people with bigger vocabularies and more introspection than I will be able to write some beautiful one-liners about its impact and its legacy in ways that I’ll only be able to appreciate and agree with. For my money’s worth, I truly have nothing but praise for it, and it’s praise that everyone else will regurgitate – brilliant lyricism, incredible flow, fantastic features, genre-bending instrumentals, great vocal work, and ultimately, just one of the more clear and concise visions ever laid out for a single album with damn near flawless execution, especially via the framing of the album provided by the poem and the payoff with the 2pac “interview” at the end. This is the easiest 10 I could possibly give. I’m sure there are better rap albums out there, I’m sure there are albums with bigger impacts out there, and I’m willing to admit that I know it so well inside and outside from the amount of times I’ve listened to it that I can’t really look at it with a deeply critical eye… but I just don’t care. I truly think it’s the best album of the 21st century, regardless of genre, a top 10 album of all time, and it cemented Kendrick Lamar’s legacy by just his third studio album. Everything since this has been a bonus, and they’ve been incredible bonuses in their own right. I hope this guy drops again soon. Drake could fucking never.

Conscious Hip Hop, West Coast Hip Hop, Jazz Rap

Modern classic

This album proves that Kendrick is one of the all-time greatest.

I am more of a fan of 90s and early 2000s hip hop, but this one was surprisingly good. This album is cohesive and extremely well produced.

one of the best rap albums ever.

This didn’t win the Grammy and I will never forgive Taylor swift for it

All the people who don't like this are wrong.

This record is so sonically rich I can forgive some of the questionable lyrical choices. Though the Untitled, Unmastered record that followed was even better.

being someone who tends to hate modern rap, i was not expecting this to be good at all when going into this i leave with it being at least top 15 albums of all time, this shit it incredible and i finally understand the hype

I'll Wesley Snipe your ass before thirty-five!! 🔫 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

An absolute classic.

No notes required, it's my favourite album and I listen to it multiple times a month.

Kendrick Lamar is one of the most revered, respected hip-hop artists of this century, and the fact that this record is often considered his best just goes to show his quality of work. Between the beats, instrumentation, flow, and social issues touched on, this album is nearly flawless. Admittedly I don't listen to a ton of rap, but even with the 1 hour 17 minute runtime, I found myself engrossed throughout this record. For the life of me there's hardly anything to nit-pick about this album, so I won't! Notable Tracks: - Wesley's Theory - For Free? - Interlude - love the jazz backing track - King Kunta - Hood Politics - Complexion (A Zulu Love) - The Blacker The Berry - i - not as good as the live version from SNL, one of the best SNL performances all-time in my opinion 10/10

Hard hitting, inventive, mature, badass yet beautiful. Kendrick raps incredibly about fame, wealth, guilt, institutional racism, the black experience and above all the transformation of one's self through art. Music and instrumentation has a whole lot of inspirations from classic Gangsta rap, Jazz, Funk and soul yet feels so original and fresh. Lamar's monologue of 'I remember you was conflicted' gives a very human touch to the record and sort of encapsulates the album theme. Absolutely amazing! Favorites: Wesley's Theory, King Kunta, u, Alright, For Sale, The Blacker the Berry, i, Mortal man

I barely know how to describe this other than as it being one of the most artful, revolutionary and emblematic releases in music history.

Not explaining.

Rap-storytelling, a cohesive album, ending with a poem and conversation with 2Pac, mixing a lot of musical elements and at times reminding me of the innovative sound of André 3000. It's not every song I want to listen to for the vibe-sake, but I like the complete work.

I knew nothing about rap/hip-hop until I started this project. And I’ve been exposed to much more gorgeousness than awful, and this is gorgeous. Weirdly, the Apple version is some kind of radio-safe version with silenced profanity. And it takes away from it. Beautiful album.

Very good

To Pimp a Butterfly I saw this was on the list when Paul recommended it after Good Kid, so I wanted to wait until it came up before I listened to it. The list of guest stars and also musicians and producers is nuts - I counted 60 on the Wiki page - but it’s also nuts how much it all hangs together when you take all that into account. Wesley’s Theory is great, squelchy bass and funk vibes, despite neither Thundercat or Gorge Clinton actually playing bass on it. King Kunta is excellent, superb samples and interpolations and great, driving bass and percussion. Sounds like an instant classic to me. Institutionalized is also very good, really like the drum sound and drum pattern, and Snoop’s rap is great, his voice sounds really different, older and worn. These Walls is very Thundercat, I love that warm synth sound and again the drum sound is excellent, as are the little guitar lines. Alright I remember from Glastonbury the other year, and I’ve definitely heard it in other places. Momma is great and Hood Politics too, love the ‘bending’ synth sound. How Much a Dollar Cost feels like a succinct distillation of the themes he raps about, kind of despairing but not hopeless. Ronald Isley sounds fantastic on it. The Blacker the Berry is also excellent, has a similar feel to King Kunta, but brilliantly atmospheric and creepy. You Ain’t Gotta Lie has a similar feel to some of The Roots. I is excellent, great sample and interpolation. Great delivery and awesome drums/percussion. Mortal Man, what a closer. As a privileged person from the UK it’s hard to understand his experience, but this is very powerful. It’s definitely one of those albus where it all just sounds right. The feel of the whole album is great, again a bit nuts considering the disparate cast of people, players and producers. It feels like a very modern soul record, with funk and jazz all being big elements without being overbearing or distracting and all layered brilliantly with the instrumentation, and a great drum and percussion sound throughout. Lyrically and thematically it’s great too, carrying on from the previous album, but with a broader more widescreen feeling. I can easily see this becoming a favourite, up there with Illmatic, but I need to listen more and let it percolate further. It’s very dense, musically, lyrically and thematically, and it is long, but I’m looking forward to getting to know it more. It’s maybe a 4 right now, but I know with time it will be a 5, so I may as well give it the 5 now. 🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋

One of those albums that is an experience in and of itself. Manages to have a unique sound across its entirety, every track is distinct but flows into the next effortlessly, production is impeccable. My favorite of his albums, one of the greats

Very good album. From start to finish i loving it

Not my kind of music but it's influence is undeniable, the roster of musicians is incredible and certainly Lamar is an amazing rapper who seems to stand head and shoulders above his peers.

One of my favorite albums of all time, this maybe cemented Kendrick as one of, if not the best rap lyricists of all time.

I don't think I can write an adequate review for this album. It's amazing and dense. There's a whole season of Dissect dissecting this album line by line. It's very dense and experimental and incredibly interesting. My favorite art is the kind that gets better and better the more you listen to it and I think this album is that. It's dense enough and weird and creative enough that you could probably listen over a hundred times and still pick up new things. It feels like this album is the type to drive forward a genre and music in general.

This album really has everything you would ever want and need to create an incredible rap album. The music behind the rhymes alone would be enough. I could seriously just listen to an instrumental version of this record and still find it super cool and interesting. I love how he mixes so many genres but never in a way that it gets distracting or overbearing. The funk, soul, gospel, jazz influences make it so captivating and interesting. I also love how consistent this album is. In a lot of ways it feels like a concept album, there are themes in the music that appear and reappear throughout. And then the lyrics could wrong anyone to the core. He hits on the entire spectrum political and social issues in America and among Black Americans. I always finish this record with things to think about. For as groovy as this record is, there's always a few songs that make me uncomfortable. They're heavy, emotional and not comfortable. But they're true, honest and vulnerable. It's like a watching a really good movie, there's always that part of the story where the hero hits an all time low and you don't want to tarry there. I know DAMN gets all the praise and the Pulitzer Prize, but this is the record that I always come back to with Kendrick.

I had a Kendrick-sized hole in my hip hop knowledge leading into this, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but this wasn't it. It's messier, more complex, introspective, more uneven, less accessible but ultimately better than I thought it would be. It's also an excellent arguement for the value of albums as a single piece of art, versus just a string of songs. Was going to give it 4 stars, but a stronger second half and a desire to revisit it earn it 5.

SO many hip hop artists are knee capped by success - which maybe shouldn't be surprising given how Black urban culture is essentially baked into the genre. Either gritty authenticity gives way to out-of-touch commercialism (the best song on 'Life After Death' is still crappier than the worst song on 'Ready to Die'), earnest religiosity (there's no contest between 'Coloring Book' and 'Acid Rap,' see also West, Kanye), or the warping factors of fame and power combined with mental instability mean any artistic output takes a backseat to concerning antics (RIP ODB, see West, Kanye part two.) But Kendrick Lamar not only avoids the pitfalls of power, fame, and success, he has the self-awareness to assess those things and find them wanting - or even burdensome. Whether his lyrics touch on survivor's guilt, imposter syndrome, the fear and reality of being exploited and the through line in American history of how that exploitation is baked into our culture - or, in keeping with the tradition of the genre, how insanely dope and talented he is - his output remains raw and real and also unmitigatedly Black. In retrospect, To Pimp a Butterfly feels like just the beginning of Kendrick turning his focus to art & truth and giving a middle finger to commercial success. While it maybe isn't as cohesive as Damn or Mr. Morale, it's still an amazing album with so many references (Ralph Ellison, Alex Haley, Wallace Thurman, breaking out of hip hop constraints to bring in jazz instrumentation) that lift up and reflect Black culture – simultaneously proving success doesn’t have to be a barrier to doing so, while also demonstrating just how and why that happens.

really good album. Some of the songs seemed very experimental. Different than what you hear as popular tracks from Kendrick.

A bit of a fever dream. The opening tracks are from a completely different level, but I honestly think they lead into a bit of a lull before going full throttle at the end. Even if I think parts of the album are slightly boring, the total score can only be a solid 5.

Kendrick is simply the best. Every release of his demands attention, and this is no exception. Favorite track “King Kunta”.

Almost perfect album. There are a few songs I don’t listen to but work well in the context of the album. Rating: 4.8

Best album of the 21st Century so far? It could well be. A seminal effort from a seminal artist. Nothing alike it before, now or after. A shining example of what humans are capable of. Unparallelled.

Wesley's Theory King Kunta Alright How Much a Dollar Cost The Blacker The Berry I Mortal Man (Listen to the podcast 'Dissect' that analyzes this album)

A jazzy, soulful hiphop record, which is considered one of the best hip-hop records of 2015, arguably the 2010s. The fast paced Wesley's Theory to the chilled out yet meaningful 'Institutionalized', to the chaotic 'u' to the track more reminiscent of its gangsta rap roots 'Alright', to the darker sounding 'The Blacker The Berry', to the happy, motivational live song 'i' that slowly decends into a riot in the audience, ending with an inspirational speech by Lamar, to the 12 minute finalising 'Mortal Man' which also completes the poem said throughout the album. A solid listen at its finest. Even if you're not a fan of rap, anyone can at least have something to appreciate about this record, whether it be the detailed, complex production, the jazzy, acoustic instrumentals or simply some chilled beats to kick back to. A lot of Kendrick's lyrics throughout the album really make you sit there and think 'wow. he just said that?' and even if you didn't grow up in Section 8 housing in Compton, anyone, privileged or not, can relate to this album. Overall, it doesn't sound like much at first listen, but once you let it grow on you, it really sticks in your mind, at least for a while.

When you open an album with a song like Wesley's Theory, then it's bound to be a masterpiece.

A sonic and lyrical challenge. One of my favorite albums. A gold standard of what makes the last decade in music so special.

This is one of the best albums ever!!!

5+

Generational quality

very good songs

Sensacional, maravilhoso!!

Don't really need to explain why this is 5 stars

This album was my introduction to Kendrick back in 2015 which was a memorable year as I became a father for the first time. Listening back has given me flashbacks to memories I had forgotten. The power of music. Great album, even without the reveries.

A third listen for me and I still know I'm missing things. A true masterpiece full of layers. Wesley's Theory - 4.9/5 For Free? (Interlude) - 4.7/5 King Kunta - 5/5 Institutionalized - 5/5 These Walls - 4.9/5 u - 5/5 Alright - 5/5 For Sake? (Interlude) - 5/5 Momma - 4.9/5 Hood Politics - 4.7/5 How Much A Dollar Cost - 5/5 Complexion (A Zulu Love) - 5/5 The Blacker The Berry - 5/5 You Ain't Gotta Lie (Momma Said) - 4.6/5 I - 5/5 Mortal Man - 5/5 Total - 4.9/5

A modern masterpiece and a perfect album.

When To Pimp a Butterfly first came out, I was firmly in the camp of “It is technically flawless, but it has very little replay value because there’s no song on here that I would play outside the context of the album.” I liked it, but I revisited GKMC way more. Time has proven that critique wrong. If GKMC was a standout designer perfume like YSL Libre that could be enjoyed by anyone regardless if they’ve developed a nose not, TPAB is a popular niche house that pulls from different influences and incorporates it into something unique, like D.S. & Durga’s Debaser. You can still appreciate TPAB without a nose, and walk in blind, but a developed nose will get more out of it, and the longer you let it macerate, the better it smells. I think songs like “King Kunta” and “Alright” have transcended culture, and their impact has made them more timeless than they felt upon release. Meanwhile, songs that were initially panned by fans like “i” or “u” or “These Walls” for being a bit stranger make a lot more sense in retrospect when reflecting on Kendrick’s career and hip-hop’s aesthetics today. Some of the deeper cuts that used contemporary synths that I thought would age poorly (“Mortal Man,” “Hood Politics,” “Institutionalized,” “How Much a Dollar Cost”) all won me over this time because of their strong songwriting. And then there’s still bangers throughout, like “Wesley’s Theory” and “You Ain’t Gotta Lie,” and most obviously “The Blacker the Berry.” TPAB has also benefited from its own creative incubation. As people like Kamasi Washington, James Fauntleroy, and Thundercat have grown in popularity, the sounds being explored on TPAB are a lot more digestible than I thought they were initially. And I would say the same for a lot of the more overt lyrical topics, especially on “How Much a Dollar Cost” and “Complexion,” where that blunt writing style is a bit less jarring today. If you asked, I would still say I prefer GKMC over TPAB. But I think it’s just a taste thing, and GKMC fits more neatly into what I traditionally listen to in my day to day life. That said, TPAB has a lot of replayability, and is arguably the more masterfully crafted record. To say it’s not a classic would be an insane statement, and it is neck-and-neck with GKMC. Both records are incredible, and easily some of the greatest offerings in hip-hop history, and even in music history in general.

Great album. Well known for me. A lot of great beats. One of the best HH albums of all time.

Modern fucking masterpiece. Got me back into rap when it was first released, such a genius move to incorporate jazz. Socially conscious and forever relevant.

One of THE best albums of all time

Wowza! No matter how many times I listen to this landmark release in West Coast hip-hop, I always feel like I'm just a step away from fully grasping what it's really trying to say. I mean on the surface level, it seems to be an album about Kendrick's struggle with fame and self in a society that thrives on dwindling African-American achievement, growth, and agency - but its nuances run deeper than that and each track offers some variant spin on that overarching theme. Grapples with self-love and hate, sexuality, consumerism, and institutionalism are all key topics discussed in the various songs here. I can't lie, this is a dense album, and I can see why some may prefer the predecessor to this one 'GKMC' for that exact reason. In that album, the story is linear, while here, it's divided into little chunks, and there is no plot, just an overarching concept. I prefer GKMC, but more so for nostalgic reasons (and I just enjoy the songs there more). Conceptually though, this album always won for me. Each song is like an insightful deep dive into a section of Kendrick's psyche relating to his status at the time. Sonically, it feels like all of Hip-Hop's ideas in the past 25 years (at the time of its release) coming to a head in one of the most immaculately intricate productions in the genre. Jazz, rock, funk, and soul fuse seamlessly on many of these instrumentals. The opener 'Wesley's Theory', for example, has so many layers of synth, vocals, and brass constantly panning in and out that it's almost overwhelming upon first listen. 'King Kunta' is an absolute bop with one of my favorite outros and 'The Blacker the Berry' has the most ferocious boom-bap beat here. The imbalanced panning during the 'u' transition and the bass on 'Mortal Man' or two other highlights here. This album is ginormous, and Kendrick and his production crew pull out all the stops to make sure each sound and detail here is as fleshed out as can be. Lyrically and flow-wise, it'd be redundant to call Kendrick Lamar an all-timer. His overt "gimmickiness" on many of these songs where a single rhythmic motif is established over a unique cadence can turn some people off - it works wonders for me though. My favorite has to be 'u' which is a song that until this day, blows me away with just how emotive Kendrick is with describing his feelings of self-loathing and guilt. I really didn't need to write all that much for this album, it speaks for itself. 'To Pimp A Butterfly' defies all of what mainstream hip-hop was pushing around 2015 (a trend that I particularly like still), while still managing to do numbers on the chart with songs like 'i', 'King Kunta', and 'Alright'. It's a one-of-a-kind release in a decade and deserves all the praise it got - and continues to get.

Nothing much to say about this beside…

Just so good.

I had kinda given up on modern rap music until this came along. I was enticed into listening to it after seeing the production credits and features - Flying Lotus, Thurdercat, Kamasi Washington, some of the best from the LA best scene - not to mention George Clinton. The blend of Jazz, P-funk and the overall concept of the album was so refreshing, even if it didn’t tick the boxes for fans of rhyming triplets over 808s and trap hi-hats. I haven’t heard anything like it since, solidifying this as a stand out classic.

a personal favorite

Ovo će bit predvidljivi pet dva rating gog krlo

Fantastic

Best hip hop album of the decade

an immaculate album that i had played to the point that i couldn’t hear it anymore.. twas nice to listen to the whole thing.. man, king kunta still slaps

6/5

A modern classic

THIS IS A WORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRLD PREMIERE

It's currently May 5th, 2024 when I write this and I feel like this generator just gives out albums at the most perfect time. For future reference there is an ongoing beef with Kendrick and Drake and Kendrick is just killing him with the hardest diss songs. So for that to happening while it generated this is truly funny. Another great coincidence what literally the day the Queen of England died, this site recommended The Queen is Dead by The Smiths. To move on to the actual album itself, I mean, how can I sum up a perfect album like this. It's been in my rotation since I first heard back in 2017. The mix of jazz and the hardesr drum beats (especially on The Blacker The Berry). The messages each song are still as relevant and more hard hitting nearly 10 years later. From police brutality on Alright, to the topic of survivors guilt and un-dealt trauma from the past and how no matter how successful Kendrick might be, he still feels like he is a hypocrite for being to busy to help his friends and family who still live in Compton. Or how his success might be making lose his sense and connection to his culture with what fame has brought and that leads to the song How Much A Dollar Cost where because Kendrick has achieved such wealth and success after going to through a rough childhood as detailed in Good Kid mAAd City, he became more selfish and wouldn't give a homeless man a dollar and it metaphorically and litteraly lost him a spot in heaven because he ignored a message that even his mom told near the end of the last album "When you do make it, give back with your words of encouragement and that's the best way to give back to your city" and just how he chose to value his material belongings and couldn't give back to held a person in need just one dollar. Going back to him being a hypocrite, even he knows that he can be in the wrong and might care because the song These Walls, despite being one of the best sounding songs on the album. It's about him getting the most petty revenge by having sex with a girl who's boyfriend shot Kendrick's friend in Sing About Me on GKMC, and is now in prison, basically humiliating this guy to the world that his girl in unfaithful and sleeping with his opps. I think one of the top 3 songs though has to be The Blacker The Berry. Kendrick is pissed in this song and you can hear the hatred and anger in his voice, not only towards racist white people, but near the end when he explains that he can reclaim stereotypes of black people, and he can twist any insult towards him or his people, but he still feels like a hypocrite when he showed remose for the murder of Trayvon Martin, but still lead a life where before he would gun down black people as well showing how he want's the unnecessary and cruel violence towards black people to stop but knows he was in a similar situation himself and continued that cycle of violence. I could go on and on about each track but I'll just say, this is a required listening experience. From the obvious poem that Kendrick reveals more and more at the end of songs and you only hear the full poem and understand it's meaning from where it stops to what song comes immediately afterwards. The lushish jazz influenced beats, the songs U and I, and the last song Mortal Man with that last part of the song, if you know you know because I don't want to spoil it for someone who hasn't listened before and doesn't know what to entail because there's still a bunch a stuff I haven't yet talked about. Just give this a listen it. It's truly one of the best albums in the last 10 years and maybe ever.

instant 5/5, replay value is immense

Oh yes, hell yes. I've listened to this dozens of times. This is undoubtedly one of the greatest albums of all time. The best conscious hip-hop you can find. "Mortal Man" gives me ASMR every time I listen to this album. Kendrick conveys emotion so easily. His delivery leaves nothing to be desired, The production is scary good. Just amazing.

Better than J Cole. Better than Drake. Better than your favorite rapper. Singer songwriter. Better than pancakes on a Sunday. Wish more artists took the time to be this thorough and specific. Anyways, I thought you was conflicted.

And here's Kendrick *second* masterpiece in a row, right after official debut album *good kid, m.A.A.d city*. Just like the artwork on its cover, it's unruly, wild, provocative, filled to the brim with brilliant ideas and nice touches--its questioning of the American dream as African Americans can perceive it, its autobiographical musings, its different "characterizations", the wide variety of different rap flows and intents performed according to the "character" (or side of Kendrick's persona) this genius rapper puts under the spotlight, plus music styles so varied--drawing from P funk, hard funk, jazz, r'n'b, and of course hip hop--that the whole shebang is bound to make your head spin when you reach the end of this record. The last five minutes where, through an editing trick, K-Dot interviews the idol of his youth 2Pac and then leaves his final "thoughts" to him (and to the listener), is a moment that can easily make you shiver--even if, like me, you're not really a fan of Tupac Shakur's work. Evidence enough that Kendrick Lamar is a genius songwriter and storyteller. Of course, many other stellar moments abound in this essential LP. First you've got the highlights, which are too numerous to be all mentioned here, from "King Kunta to BLM's unofficial anthem "Alright", from enticing "These Walls" to the draker "How Much A Dollar Cost", and from the tense and intense "The Blacker The Berry" to the moving closer "Mortal Man". And then you have all the secondary tracks and 'interludes", which never distract from the whole but actually strengthen it--adding layers upon layers on the "fabric" unspooled here. A rare occurence for a hip hop LP, often pestered with too many unnecessary "skits". Versatile, multi-facetd, infectious, conceptually ambitious... One of the best rap albums of all time, which left us so many details to discover (again), and whose "rough" and raw power of attraction is potentially inexhaustible. Number of albums left to review: 215 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 344 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 199 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 251

Forms of media often have critical consensus albums that are used as the benchmark for the top of the top. It’s become the tired cliché for writers to lazily dub their top pick as the “Citizen Kane” of its format. If I were to do the same with an album as the example. To Pimp A Butterfly would be the project of my choice. This album is the greatest album of all time according to users on RYM, AOTY, and many other sources. I’m coming out to the gate with no shame in saying that I strongly agree. To Pimp a Butterfly is the greatest album of all time, not by a complete longshot but if any album surplants its placement, it’s going to need to beat the sheer scale, influence, audience consensus, personal impact, and plethora of other factors that influence my placement. First off, this album was the album that got me into taking Hip-Hop and rap as an art form as well as listening to albums seriously. I was young at the time I first heard TPAB. When I first heard the impressive flows, creative lyricism, powerful performances, and unique jazz production, I was hooked. It showed me that Hip-Hop could be both mind-blowingly cool, intelligent, and mainstream. It showed me how music could sequence well to tell impressive expansive stories and give wonderful extended experiences. I fell in love with just playing tracks off of it, but I slowly fell more into listening to albums, I saw how well it was acclaimed, I started searching for more rap, more music that people rated highly collectively. By 2020, I was writing short reviews on as many albums as I possibly could during covid as my main hobby that brought comfort and peace during Quarantine. I wouldn’t be doing this right now without Kendrick Lamar and To Pimp a Butterfly As for the project itself, Kendrick Lamar took his colorful personal storytelling and internal introspection on good kid, m.A.A.d city and elevated it to a different intersectional level on To Pimp A Butterfly. The wonderful narrative device of a powerful yet memetic poem reveals itself track by track. The way it shows hardships and personal struggle caused by what should be a triumphant return to home as a hero who can do something about it only to find out he can’t. The wonderful things Kendrick Learns from it are taught through a multitude of excellently detailed musical elements. The intense Jazz heavy boom-bap production is something that is so unique and astounding that no one even dared to attempt anything similar in the rap world or revisit it due to how extremely well the talented cast of guest musicians and featured producers crafted it. It’s a musical style that will stand out well beyond time. Kendricks flows showcase his musical excellence through tight unwavering control and dynamic showcase. Even his singing is produced well enough to be pleasing. His lyricism is beyond another level, weaving tight layered references into mind blowing rhymes while constructing these impressive layered stories. There is an immense amount of depth to be uncovered from this project and it still keeps TPAB fresh every time I return to it. Tracklist and sequencing is extremely well done but it’s impossible to mess up when every song on this album is an arguable top five, maybe even best in his discography. It's easier for most people to pick a song they dislike from this project and say everything else is the best. Even decisions like throwing in a Live version of I and having the length of the project be decently overwhelming work well in its favor due to the quality of everything around it. As much as it could be a part of me not wanting to let something personal go, every time I’ve had an album challenge TPAB for the top spot, I go back and I listen to it and it wins. I’m open to the idea that there may be an album or two I come across during this project that may have the chance and I’ll know if it wins but this project is undefeated vs what has to be over 3,000 others I’ve put a rating and ranking on and many more that I haven’t. TPAB is the ultimate expression of love for everything that made Kendrick into the person he is despite everything in the world against him and especially the people around him who aren’t there, whether they are with him or not. It moves and motivates you through every challenge, difficulty, and challenge that seems to present itself through the artistic way Kendrick literally battles his demons. Not only did I get TPAB at the perfect time for myself but the world did for itself too. Kendick Lamar is the G.O.A.T. With the greatest album of all time A.K.A. To Pimp A Butterfly.

one of the greatest

Finally some rap. Complex album. I don't know if it's my favourite from Kendrick but still fantastic. Love 'Alright' and 'How Much a Dollar Cost.' King Kunta of course.

This is easily the best hip hop album of all time.

This is a movie, with a story and a point of view.

Wow. Put this on to make some crafts on a Saturday night but by the end I was only staring at the lyrics and couldn't look away.

Awesome. Original. Eye opening.

not even ten years old, and it’s already a classic.

El mejor disco de la década de los 2010. En una mezcla perfecta de talento musical por parte de los productores del LP, las letras de Kendrick y de sus colaboradores, las cuales se centran en la realidad afroamericana, sus luchas y sus creencias políticas, Lamar nos entrega una obra maestra que será para siempre recordada en los panteones más altos del Hip-Hop norteamericano.

This was a WHOLE movie, I've never heard anything like it. I'll need to go back and listen to it a few more times because I'm absolutely certain I missed some things. Even if I'm not the biggest rap fan, I really like Kendrick's style of rap, especially with the jazz and funk influences. Favorite song: For Free? (Interlude) Least favorite song: Hood Politics

This is a stunning work of experimental and conscious hip hop. So many eclectic touches. Just a brilliant record.

The best rap album of all time. If you think this album is just about money and girls and usual rap stuff, you completely misunderstood both the lyrics and the background knowledge needed for it. Please do yourself a favour and listen to this album with genius lyrics so people with actual brain cells can help you understand what he is saying

Doesn't have the carefree summer- time vibe of Good Kid, Maad City, but the more introspective turn doesn't disappoint. This album takes the listener on a rollercoaster through temptation and addiction with the light of salvation at the end. Still upset this album lost Album of the Year to Taylor Swift's '1989'

CLASSIC CLASSIC CLASSIC Ik vind zelf stiekem Good Kid, Maad City beter, maar dit is echt nog altijd top 5 albums van 2010s voor mij. Als je dit nog nooit hebt gehoord moet je dit gewoon aanzetten, er zijn weinig albums die zo impactvol zijn qua muziek, qua tekst, qua tijdsgeest. Kendrick Lamar is voor mij sowieso de allerbeste rapper op dit moment. Dat was hij na TPAB, dat was hij nog meer naar DAMN. en hij heeft zn positie verstevigd met Mr Morale & the big steppers. Er zijn hele essays geschreven over de teksten op dit album over alle dubbele en triple entendres. Maar zelfs als je dat buiten beschouwing laat is het ook gewoon nog een goed album om te luisteren. Echt insane als je het mij vraagt. Fuck it, ik wilde het eerst 4 sterren geven, maar eigenlijk kan ik geen matig nummer noemen op dit album, het heeft geen skips voor mij, dus dit moet gewoon 5 sterren zijn. Dan is GKMC wel 6 ofzo tegen dit tijd. FAVO: Alles. Misschien het minste zijn For Free? en For Sale? en dat zijn fucking interludes.

I didn't even have to re-listen to this album to know that I was going to score it 5 stars. It initially took me a while to get into when I first heard it a few years back, but when it hit, it hit HARD. I'd now put this album in my top 10 of all time; it's just that good. It's lyrically thought provoking, musically diverse, extremely emotional in places; just everything I want out of a record. The production is so layered and complex, I literally hear new things every time I listen to it. If I HAD to say something negative, it would b...nah, only kidding. Favourite songs: yes.

cant stay focused. i feel like im going insane.

Jazzy conscious west coast hip hop. I mean there's a reason RYM has this rated as the best album of all time. I don't necessarily agree with it but there's definitely a reason. A beautifully introspective political concept album, TPAB is so dense that even though I have heard it many times before, I am still noticing new things I never heard before. Kendrick's flow and lyricism is nearly unmatched in all of the hip hop or rap I have ever heard. I love the poem that serves as a through-line for the whole album, popping up and adding more each time. With over an hour run time, it's amazing that it remained so consistently entertaining. I can't praise this album nearly enough, and others have already done so in ways I could never. This is an all time classic, people already look back on it as a decade defining release. A rewarding listen both for the brain and the heart. I will no doubt continue to revisit this album. Perfect album. 5/5

G.O.A.T K-dot album.

I think everyone knew when this came out that it was something special, something that would become an instant classic and have immense staying power, changing the shape of modern music. It’s the 5th highest-ranked album of all time on Metacritic, and it’s quickly risen to #17 on Acclaimed Music, #19 on Best Ever Albums, #19 by Rolling Stone, #7 by Consequence of Sound, and #1 on Rate Your Music. With the possible exception of Rolling Stone, it’s the best rap album ever in all of these lists. Nearly 10 years after release, I’d say it for sure holds up. It’s an absolute masterpiece. Sometimes when you gather so much great talent together on one album, it doesn’t equal the sum of its parts. That’s not the case here. There’s a variety of producers including Thundercat and Flying Lotus. There’s a variety of guest musicians like Snoop Dogg, SZA, and Robert Isley. But it’s really Kamasi Washington who shines above all else (other than Kendrick Lamar himself of course): while he only plays sax on “U”, he arranged strings and instrumentals for most of the album, and in my opinion that’s what really skyrockets this album to the heights it achieved. Regardless of how good the lyrics are (and Kendrick’s are bar none), you need great backing music to get the songs to stick in your mind.

Want to give six stars and I’m not even a hip hop fan

Really interesting album. The production is amazing and I enjoyed the mixed of styles. You can hear Thundercat and flying lotus’s influence. It reminded me of the weirdness of Outkast. The album is too long though(this is always a pitfall of hip hop albums). Also It’s pretty funny that even in alternative hip hop there is still a requirement to rap about having sex and being rich. It’s a good album though and it’s nice to hear something groundbreaking and different.

4,6

Immaculate

An all-timer. Never listened to it back to front and I’m glad I did. It tells a story that I would never be able to experience. You can feel the weight of Kendrick’s words in places. In others, I’d say it’s more lighthearted. That or he’s just that passionate about the size of his dong. Either way 5/5.

Masterpiece

Incredible of course

yes

I think Kendrick is super talented. 5/5

I’ve never listened to more than one Kendrick song at a time. I now understand the hype. This would be best listened to on vinyl as you get to experience the seamlessness of one track into the next. Truely moving.

We all knew this was a 5 outta 5. There’s so much that’s been said on so many levels about this album, so I’d just like to say that what I appreciate most about Kendrick, on this album and in general, is that he gives his ALL in these performances. No one can ever question Kendrick’s dedication to his craft, his consideration in his lyricism, or his effort in his performances. I’m glad I’m around at the same time Kendrick is around, I’m glad he makes it cool to push oneself in dedication to one’s craft. This album is a crowning achievement and a brilliant ode to specifically the black experience and the human experience in general.

An incredible album. TPAB is so densely packed with ideas and themes that I think to properly appreciate it, you'd have to go through every track with Genius open (which I have done for a few of them). I'm always conscious of missing some of his metaphors! His lyrics are really incredible, it's the magnum opus of one of the greatest rappers ever. Kendrick pulls absolutely no punches in his commentary of racial tension in America, while also being incredibly personal at times too. The musical styles and collaborations across this record also show what a great songwriter he is, as well as lyricist.

My favorite Kendrick album. Songs like King Kunta, Alright, and How Much a Dollar Cost are masterful, funky, and soulful, but, it is difficult to get past the misogyny laced throughout and some of the interludes just didn't do it for me.

Masterpiece

One of the best rap albums of the 2010’s. I think good kid maad city is the best of his and one of the best of all time. Ez one of the goats.

One of the most moving rap albums of all time for me. I do personally prefer GKMC but this is his magnum opus.

There is a reason this album surpassed OK COMPUTER on rateyourmusic. Album is perfect, has the best lyricism of the past decade, and incredible production. This is a must listen for everyone. Highlights: all, but favorites are 1, 2, 3, 11, and 16.

One of the best hip hop albums of the decade. Nuff said, this was impressive and excellent.

This is a great example of the constant evolution of rap. Where other genres stall, rap continues to prove how things don’t need to, nor should they stay the same.

I listened to this many times before

Heard it! Classic

I don't even like rap. Album Score: 10/10 Best Song: i Worst Song: You Ain't Gotta Lie (Momma Said)

10/10

More of the last album, but with this super unique Neo-Neo Soul funk jazz production. Obviously incredible. A+

One of the best hip-hop albums ever created.

I remember you was conflicted

The best rap album of all time

Kendrick is the man. No notes.

it blew my mind the first time i heard it and continues to blow my mind every time. maybe a perfect album.

I've been waiting for Kendrick. I'm hopeful for little enough misogyny to accept him as the greatest of all time. ...Wow. Such power. Incredible. Absolutely deserves the title. That Tupac interview at the end? So good. Loved the Thundercat features, what a great ride.

Creative and well executed, less catchy than good kid maad city. Better than most if not all rap out there so gets the 5

"Sky could fall down wind could cry now look at me motherfu** I smile, I love myself".

great beautiful and stunning twists and turns.

I’m very familiar with this album. Going into it, the only question was whether I’d rate it 4 or 5 stars. I think this gets better every time I listen. Knowing that the poem is going to culminate in a conversation with Tupac helps. Going to rate it five stars. It’s so inventive and layered. It would be easier to list the songs I don’t love.

Speaks for itself

I mean how good is Wesley s theory though. That song is so layered and funky. The only song that hasn't held up as well over the years is king kunta, but it's still a fun bop. Probably in my top 3 albums

Two Kendrick albums in one week! And they’re both masterpieces! This is so fucking good. Every song while it’s playing, I’m thinking “this is my fave,” and then the next one comes on. Incredible!

Bringing funk into a new millennium, Kendrick created a classic.

Top ten all time album

Wow. 5

Just totally ahead of what was coming out in 2015. Kendrick going from Good Kid MAAD City to this is fucking crazy. 5/5

banging

Incredibly hard-hitting, powerful and thought provoking poetry set to some great beats. Good stuff. I was amazed!

4.5/5

Absolutely incredible

One of the greatest Hip-Hop albums ever made, and arguably one of the best albums, period. Conceptually brilliant from start to finish, immaculate production throughout with many different influences and styles studied and blended together seamlessly, and lyrics that are creative, intricately crafted, and captivating from one of the best to ever do it. This album is the perfect, Grade-A example of an artist's magnum opus

A damn good hip hop album. Lots of experimental tracks pulling influences from literally everywhere. I've never heard anything like this before and I'm sad it took this long to hear it. Standout tracks: King Kunta, These Walls, Momma, The Blacker the Berry

Wow

A masterpiece

This doesn't sound like anything I've heard before!

This is awesome.

Hip hop is by far my worst genre on here, but holy mother of something this album is absolutely insane! I've listened to it casually here and there before, but giving it a bit more attention opens up a whole new dimension. The lyrics are funny here and devastating here. The instrumentals and samples are both amazingly utilized, and the inclusion of the interview at the end is surprisingly beautiful.

I remember you was conflicted. Kendrick Lamar is the best rapper of all time and this is the best rap album of all time. This album had a huge effect on me. As someone who was always a casual rap fan, the release of this album made me dive deeper into rap. Years later, I still love all the songs. It’s hard to pick a favorite.

I like “King Kunta” and “How Much A Dollar Cost.” Like the jazzy elements. “The Blacker the Berry” DAMN.

Coming in, TPAB was not the absolute top-tier listen that Good Kid, m.A.A.d City or DAMN. is, but still a really amazing rap album. Felt like it sat in that category of mid-2010s hip-hop album that is making strides in advanced in its scope and artistry, but somewhat at the cost of listenability and fun factor, similar to Frank Ocean's Blonde and Solange Knowles' A Seat At The Table. And listening now, I feel I was wrong. Incredible and newfound respect for it.

Beautiful album

fua hace mucho no escuchaba un disco q me guste tanto de 1

Modern classic, and potentially the greatest hip hop album ever.

Seminal hip hop album. Love the mix of jazz etc. Kendrick on top form.

Überraschend funky und abwechslungsreich

Another one I needed a physical copy of

Don't have anything anything to criticize about this albums really. It's simply extraordinary. From the genially written hitting poetic, but also raw, lyrics, the insane production giving it a really polished feel to the masterful, educated and tastful blend of music genres that takes inspiration from and honors a wide range of influential pieces of the history of music and many other aspects that make this a true piece of art. I also really like how the album works as a cohorent piece of music that works with the fact that it's supposed to be listened to as a one piece with really nice song transitions and interludes. It's truly a wonderful album that I will for sure be coming back to in the future. 9/10

This goes way too hard given I'm not exactly an avid hip hop listener. Love the different musical styles.

A hip hop masterpiece. Some of the songs are more like sketches, but the entirety feels complete. King Kunta is worthy of a 5 star rating by itself.

This is a big, dense album but the music always carries me through it. It's a mash-up of G-funk and sensual R&B with sudden bursts of free jazz. There's always some new detail to discover or a groove I forgot about. Some great bass lines throughout the album too. Kendrick Lamar is a rapper who has flows for days. He's restless on the mic, constantly changing up his style and rhythm. And he plays with his voice too. Most of the time he raps in that nasally tone but sometimes he growls, sometimes he sings, sometimes he's out of breath. On "U" he raps a verse while acting like he's drunk and crying. The lyrics are dense and it's hard to keep up with him because he moves through ideas so fast. You could probably spend a week in a college course pulling at the different threads of race, politics and sex. But I also like how a lot of the album is confessional. He's getting things off his chest, struggling with guilt and working through his personal anger. "King Kunta" is a such a killer, funky jam. And the jazzy "For Free?" is always fun (amazing music video too). The middle of the album has a lot of slower R&B-styled songs and the production on those tracks is great too.

I was reeeaaallly blown away by Kendrick Lamar the first time I gave him a good listen. I had heard some tracks from "good kid maad city" in passing but it wasn't until this album that I sat and give him a listen and man did it blow me away. I kind of felt like at the time for me personally there was a dearth of good rap for years, even though I know that wasn't the case. I was just behind on acts. I was late on Mac Miller and MF DOOM and Death Grips and RTJ. I liked Kanye and would listen but he was never my favorite. I loved J Dilla and Nujabes but they were different. The last time I was hard into a rapper was The Game, and "The Documentary" came out in 2005- ten years prior to "To Pimp A Butterfly". I had a ten year gap of minimal rap! Then this comes out and I can't get "King Kunta" or "Alright" out of my head. I'm driving to work and pumping myself up and singing "WE GON BE ALRIGHT". I'm walking around my apartment complex to get my mail and i'm singing "Now I run the game got the whole world talkin King Kunta" to a cadence that matches my footsteps. I am forever impressed by his rhythmic modulation and metric subdivisions. On "For Free?”, it’s highlighted so well (and smooth!) as the accents change when he gets to the lyrics: "Matter of fact, see our friendship based on business Pension, more pension, you're pinchin my percents It's been relentless, fuck forgiveness, fuck your feelings" "Fuck your sources, all distortion, if you fuck it's more abortion More divorce courts and portion" This free jazzy rhythmic improv style flow is so impressively fresh and new feeling. I mean it's an element of music that's been done before but here he is taking this concept and bringing it to a genre that seldom hears something like this. I love it! And it's definitely not easy to incorporate these sounds into a rap song and not sound "weird" or "off". That's something that I think must be incredibly difficult in rap- to explore ideas and push boundaries while not upsetting the conventions. There's just so much posturing and issues / importance centering around personal image in the rap game and once you get a negative label I’m sure it’s near impossible to shake off. You have to make the risk worth it. I can't believe that "For Free?" is #14 out of 16 in play counts on this record (as per Spotify). This is one of my favorite rap songs ever. Possibly a top 100 song of all time for me. His flow is just one of the important parts. His voice is cool. It's silky. It's smooth. It's scathing. In the middle of "Institutionalized" he sounds like Snoop Dogg (right before a Snoop feature on the same track lol). Then two songs later he is cry-singing on "u". His lyrics are the third part of the equation. They are a social commentary. They are personal. They are intimate. They are funny as hell! Outside of pulling from jazz, he also pulls from classical music. Somehow he uses motifs as well (and I suspect leitmotif, (of Richard Wagner fame) but I need to do a deeper look at the lyrics and people he is talking about to get a fuller understanding). An example of this is in Track 1, "Wesley's Theory", just prior to the gangsta rap west coast 90's high pitched synth callback: "What you want you? A house or a car? Forty acres and a mule, a piano, a guitar? Anythin', see, my name is Uncle Sam, I'm your dog Motherfucker, you can live at the mall" and then again on "Alright": "What you want you, a house? You, a car? Forty acres and a mule? A piano, a guitar? Anything, see my name is Lucy, I'm your dog Motherfucker, you can live at the mall" Also the big lyrical section that pervades throughout and evolves - the one that starts at the end of "King Kunta", "I remember you was conflicted Misusing your influence" and then the lyric further develops at the start of "These Walls" Sometimes I did the same" and then the lyric further develops at the end of "These Walls" "Abusing my power full of resentment Resentment that turned into a deep depression Finding myself screaming in a hotel room" and then further developed at the end of "Alright": "I didn't want to self-destruct The evils of Lucy was all around me So I went running for answers" and then further developed at the end of "For Sale?": "until I came home." and then on "Hood Politics": "but that didn't stop survivor's guilt going back and forth trying to convince myself the stripes i earned or maybe how A1 my foundation was. But while my loved ones was fighting a continuous war back in the city I was entering in a new one." Then we get the final verses from the final track in the album "Mortal Man": "A war that was based on apartheid and discrimination Made me wanna go back to the city and tell the homies what I learned The word was respect Just because you wore a different gang color than mine's Doesn't mean I can't respect you as a black man Forgetting all the pain and hurt we caused each other in these streets If I respect you, we unify and stop the enemy from killing us But I don't know, I'm no mortal man, maybe I'm just another nigga" Interesting stuff right? It's obvious that it is a conversation that he wanted with Tupac with the spliced back and forth that they have at the end of the album. I assume he is a hero of Kendrick's, and someone who went through similar life circumstances, only to end up with the same potential problem- not maximizing what you are doing for the world with your fame. I see this final conversation as maybe a realization of a dream that Kendrick had, because obviously it couldn’t have actually happened, with Tupac dying when Kendrick was only 9. There’s something sad about how this whole album plays out with him writing this poem (even though he says “it ain’t really a poem”) and the conclusion of it maybe being some kind of final magical event that summons Tupac for him to have the conversation, but only for it to come and go and leave Kendrick with wanting to say more… or wanting more advice. "What's your perspective on that? Pac? Pac? Pac?!" Maybe it’s a passing of the torch, and Tupac has gifted everything that he can. I really love the idea of this album evolving and growing as the poem does, and having the poem repeated over and over again. What a gift to hear this on studio speakers too. I've been listening to this on bad bluetooth headphones, or through bad car speakers for years and this is my first time bumpin this in my studio. Hell yea. The mix is even better. The spread is sick, and his voice cuts right through the center. The more I've dived into this album the more I've enjoyed it. It's not my favorite album of all time (despite my lengthy review here), but it's certainly an incredible one and potentially my favorite rap album of all time. I don't think I will ever get sick of listening to it, and I will never exhaust the seemingly endless amounts of quality moments in the record. Solid 5/5. Please rap game, make more albums like this.

love this album - I didn't enjoy it hugely when I was younger but now I appreciate it massively.

A great album.

Its such a great album and if these walls could talk, they would agree. The Jazz Funk Inluences are Crazy and brings so much to the Genre of Rap. Such a Genius move letting Thundercat be a big part of this Masterpiece. SHIT DONT CHANGE UNTIL YOU STAND UP AND WASH YOUR ASS NIG*A! Its so energetic and the Message is clear. Gotta give it 5 Stars. Its not like a Go-To Album from k-dot usual for me, but when I listen to it, I LISTEN TO IT. "i" is such ah groovy masterpiece and covers so much love and energy.

Struggled whether to rate this 4 or 5.

game changer

Rolly gang rolly gang rolly gang

Masterpiece

Pretty damn good album. The instrumentals on the album are insanely good and the artist meshed the genres together so well. This album is an absolute masterpiece for someone who was never fully into hip-hop/rap.

Just simply brilliant - sprawling, inventive, lyrical, fierce, coherent and eclectic at the same time. A master class in delving into the multicultural zeitgeist of the day by enveloping it in the sound and feel of LA. Particularly Kendrick’s LA. Have on vinyl and listen constantly. Great lyrics and tunes - just sublime.

Had listened to before but Momma and Hood Politics and How Much A Dollar Costs hit different this time

Masterpiece

A certified classic. If you haven't already I highly recommend listening to the Dissect podcasts series on this album as they do a great job explaining exactly why this album is a masterpiece. Anybody who is a fan of rap/hip-hop has this album in their top 10 and it's not hard to see why.

Been here before but it's nice to see you again. :) This album never gets old. Kendrick is my favourite rapper for a reason.

Literary and penetrating Like listening to an anxiety attack But probably not a lot different from living in America as a Black man.

fantastic

I mean cmon....

Top quality rap album that I don't get back to enough.

Dense. He’s awesome. Long album, over 70 minutes. The blacker the berry got my attention. Need to hear more of his stuff.

This was my favourite album of 2015 and it's no less potent, vitriolic, and on point almost 9 fuckin' years later. A roaring treatise on our fucked up society that really goes to show that ain't nothing changes but the date. "King Kunta" and "I" still bang harder than they had any right to.

Consistent

Can he do no wrong? KL4L

This was an easy 5/5, one of the greatest hip-hop records of all time

Joat 🐐

Some say it's overrated, but I genuinely think it's a classic already. Every track is fantastic, the production is stellar, and I can listen to it front to back every time -- I don't care that it's an hour and twenty minutes. Fav Tracks: ALL, Momma (Underated)

I've had a greater appreciation for this album ever since I took a class in college called The Great American Novel and we talked about this album as a non-literary example of the Great American Novel. Liked it before, have loved it since.

This album actually leaked early a couple of days before the release date, I stayed home from school to listen to it. I can still remember laying on my bed in the dark, staring at the ceiling and hearing the first song on this album fade in and feeling like I was listening to something meaningful. This album taught me more about life then any class could on that Friday Best song: all of them Worst song: none of them PS: this is the greatest album I’ve ever heard

This album is a literary masterpiece. I adore the poet in Duckworth. It narrates the intricate journey to self-love through the life cycle of the caterpillar, the cocoon, and the butterfly, capturing the complex dynamics between humans and their environments – a theme that is both cohesive and inspiring. “The caterpillar is a prisoner to the streets that conceived it Its only job is to eat or consume everything around it In order to protect itself from this mad city While consuming its environment The caterpillar begins to notice ways to survive One thing it noticed is how much the world shuns him But praises the butterfly The butterfly represents the talent, the thoughtfulness And the beauty within the caterpillar But having a harsh outlook on life The caterpillar sees the butterfly as weak And figures out a way to pimp it to his own benefits Already surrounded by this mad city The caterpillar goes to work on the cocoon Which institutionalizes him He can no longer see past his own thoughts He's trapped When trapped inside these walls certain ideas take root, such as Going home, and bringing back new concepts to this mad city The result? Wings begin to emerge, breaking the cycle of feeling stagnant Finally free, the butterfly sheds light on situations That the caterpillar never considered, ending the internal struggle Although the butterfly and caterpillar are completely different They are one and the same"

Important and genius.

One of the best rap albums ever. The production is so complex. The raps are impeccable. This is Kendrick at the top of his game in the midst of the best rap album trifecta of all time.

5 stars. No notes. In my opinion, this is not a hip-hop album. To Pimp a Butterfly is a jazz album.

One of the greatest albums ever made. Perfectly created.

GOAT

Some of the Christian undertones hit in a much weirder way than they used to here. I still think this album is, on the whole, absolutely brilliant.

Absolutely love this one

If you gave this 1 star because it's a rap album, I assume you are either a racist or a loser.

Easy

Don't even need to listen to this as it's one of my favorite records of all time. Curious to see if other Kendrick albums will show up on this list. 9/10

luv it. an album which is an experience vv cool

Album is heavy but v good

This is sick, loved the vibes, instrumentalism and lyrics. One to repeat often.

This is the No.1 album on RYM and I see why. This album got me into hip hop and without it and especially Mortal Man I wouldn't enjoy Hip Hop as much as I do. And yeah it is pretty much perfect. Not my favourite hip hop albums but it is top 5. favourites: Wesleys Theory, King Kunta, Alright, Institutionalized, The Blacker the Berry, Mortal Man least favs: For Sale?, You Ain't Gotta Lie Rating: light 10

5*

I'm finding this hard to review this album, this was my next album to listen to on my 1001 list, and I have listened to it a few times, but I'm not as versed in hip hop and I don't think I have anything intelligent to say about this album. But here I am trying...I love the music and I end up reading the lyrics and have found that Kendrick is so poetic and always has interesting flows. From that first song, I knew I had to check out some more Kendrick and also why haven't I listened to some Funkadelic. The more I listen to this album, the more I like it, I think this will have to be one of those albums I will be changing my rating on in the future. I find it hard to rate something like this because I think my opinion is always growing and changing. Standouts: Wesley's Theory, King Kunta, These Walls, Alright, Momma, How Much a Dollar Cost, The Blacker the Berry, i

The GOAT. Gleder meg til dagen det kommer et bedre album enn dette. Ikke bare er albumet fylt til randen av 10/10 sanger, men det har mange fler lag. Gjennom albumet utfolder det seg et dikt, som igjen reflekterer hele albumets spilleliste. Historien som blir fortalt, og hvordan alt ender med en diskusjon/interview med Mr. Shakur i enden av Mortal Man er fullstendig gåsehud. Krever kanskje å lytte et par ganger gjennom albumet for å forstå, men det er verdt det. Etter å ha hørt albumet et par hundre ganger fortsetter dette albumet å gi enda. Albumet inneholder komplekse rim, forskjellige kung fu flows med babystemmer og drita kenny, og vokalen er overall variert og ubestridt. Hovedsaklig er instrumentalene funk-inspirerte, med en tone som blir satt tidlig i Wesley's Theory. Det er fortsatt sanger som er så mye mer enn bare funk, med grusomt aggressive sanger som The blacker the berry. Hele albumet består av highlights, men hvis jeg skal velge noen personlige favoritter er det Wesley's Theory, For Free?, Institutionalized, u, Alright, Momma, The Blacker The Berry, Hood Politics, How Much A Dollar Cost og Mortal Man.

Echt een van mijn favoriete hip hop albums ooit gemaakt! Het moet wel een beetje je ding zijn, maar muzikaal, en qua tekst zo vernieuwend (zeker toen het uitkwam).

Great album, even better seeing it performed live!!!