By drawing a comparison between himself and the demise of Wesley Snipes, Lamar comes to a stark conclusion: America will attempt to sabotage your success, especially if you are African American. The former, produced by experimental musician Flying Lotus, examines the ways in which American society aims to tempt the ambition of Lamar, with Uncle Sam ultimately trying to sabotage the young black man’s success with tax evasion charges. These complex issues are at play in “Wesley’s Theory” and “The Blacker The Berry,” two of the most powerful songs on this record. In spite of his success, Lamar is plagued not only by issues of philosophy and religion, but about how his fear of failure intertwines with his conceptions of race and ambition in America. Instead it is an internal odyssey through one man’s insecurities and fears in realizing his dreams.
KENDRICK LAMAR PIMP A BUTTERFLY ALBUM COVER WINDOWS
city” or even “Section.80.” It is not meant to be a banger of a rap album that sounds great blasting from your car with the windows down in summer. That potential is the fundamental focus of “To Pimp A Butterfly.” When taken at face value, “Butterfly” is a very different album than “good kid, m.A.A.d. Instead of shaming the rapper, he reminds Lamar that his “potential is bittersweet.” In a twist of fate, the homeless man reveals himself to be God. Telling the story of a homeless man that challenges Lamar for not giving him change, Lamar retreats into himself, trying to justify his selfishness over the lines of a haunting piano progression. Nowhere is this more evident than on tracks like “u,” which sounds like a broken medley of twisted pop songs, or “How Much A Dollar Cost,” a narrative that shows the rapper at his philosophical best. These attributes may make the record unappealing to some, but the album’s complexity is admirable, as is Lamar’s ability to follow his own trippy muse wherever it may lead. Clocking in at a sprawling hour and 19 minutes in length and featuring very few of the bravado-heavy singles we have come to know and often love in hip-hop (save the funky gem, “King Kunta,” which comes off sounding like a swaggering Parliament-Funkadelic cover of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal”), the music here is dense, complicated and best approached as a cohesive listening experience. In many ways, Kendrick Lamar’s second masterwork, “To Pimp A Butterfly,” is the antithesis of the modern rap album.
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Kendrick Lamar’s latest album, released out of nowhere last week, explores issues of race in America and show off the rapper’s non-mainstream style.