This spring, many artists are releasing long awaited, highly anticipated albums, especially in the hip-hop genre. One of the more notable is Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp A Butterfly”.
Lamar’s previous album, “good kid, m.A.A.d city”, received four Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year. His album was scheduled to be released on March 23, but it came out a week early on iTunes. This came as a surprise to many, and it has gotten a mixed reaction from students at Springbrook. Unlike his last album, “To Pimp A Butterfly” has no hits that really stick out other than “i”, a Grammy-winning single that Lamar released in September. But for people who can appreciate good production and lyrics that speak on topics relevant in today’s society, Kendrick Lamar’s album has much to offer.
“To Pimp A Butterfly” defies the convention of stereotypical rap that the songs are dumbed down with basic themes to them. Many songs have a playful jazz vibe with a variety of horns, combined with a bit of funk, and finished off with staggering lyricism to make many songs sound like an entire new genre of music. Butterfly also had many contributions from Flying Lotus, an experimental, multi-genre music producer who has collaborated with Lamar in the past.
“Butterfly” is not easy to listen to, but is extremely rewarding to those who take the time to go deeper than face value and really decipher the lyrics. For hip-hop fans who enjoy to listen to lyrically watered-down music that revolves around the pursuit of material possessions, partying, and selling drugs, this album might not be for you. Although that sub-genre of hip-hop is just as legitimate as the more intelligent, metaphorical, and cultural-norm-defying style that is being brought into hip-hop by artists like Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and Lupe Fiasco, there is not nearly as much to be gained intellectually from it.
Kendrick Lamar has brought something new and refreshing into the rap game with “To Pimp A Butterfly”. It is an album that speaks on racism, institutionalization, and many of Lamar’s own fears and failures in his own life, spun together in an album that is bound to defy conventions and is built to stand the test of time. I give this album 4 out of 5 tridents.