he just started breaking down everything, the science, going back to Miles, Herbie Hancock.” “You don't understand: You a jazz musician by default. “He was like, man, a lot of the chords that you pick are jazz-influenced,” Lamar told GQ. Dabbling with horns and other brassy inflections on both his breakout mixtape Section 80 and Good Kid M.A.A.D City, Kendrick renounced the relative safety of the 808-laden bombast that defined his work in favor of a sound that more closely resembled the former project’s "Ab-Soul Outro." A fusion of hip-hop and jazz orchestrated by Terrace Martin, it was this decorated multi-instrumentalist who first acknowledged Kendrick’s unconscious tendencies.
But when it came to the musicality of Butterfly, Lamar threw caution to the wind like few before or since. No enduring piece of artistry was made without a degree of risk. Rather than mimicking the formula that had taken him from obscurity to superstardom with Good Kid M.A.A.D City, Kendrick funneled his energy into crafting a musically and thematically rich project which surveyed a crumbling society and all of its grotesque, systemic ills. Trayvon, Ferguson… I couldn’t write these songs after these events, it’s too intricate.” “Thinking ‘how can I make that something positive for my community?’ As I’m doing this, all these events are happening. “I started this album already knowing what I wanted to talk about, just based off the idea of feeling like you’re being pimped and manuevered in the industry,” Lamar reflected to MTV. Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly arrived with the force of a sledgehammer, remaining just as (if not more) impactful now as it did on first arrival. Overrun by triviality and self-obsession, relief would come in March 2015, courtesy of a Compton-born artist who used his platform as his forebears had intended. Lacking its informative might, hip-hop’s retreat from the frontlines of social discourse was incongruous at a time when Black Lives Matter’s hashtag activism and police brutality demonstrations had reached a fever pitch. Previously defined by Chuck D as “black America’s CNN,” most of the biggest hip-hop albums in recent years had felt apolitical or, at worst, consciously apathetic. Heading southward, internal conflict between Lil Wayne and Birdman became public knowledge, while Young Money’s golden child Drake racked up another triumph with If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.Īmid these tremulous events, and with Big Sean’s Dark Sky Paradise holding court at the top of the charts, a crucial component of what made the genre vital was missing.
KENDRICK LAMAR PIMP A BUTTERFLY EXPLICIT PRO
As much of the East Coast’s new breed mourned A$AP YAMS, Pro Era’s Joey Bada$$ was coming of age on his major label debut. Lamar had already shared two new songs, "The Blacker the Berry" and "King Kunta," both of which appear on the album.The beginning of 2015 was a transitionary period for hip-hop. The 16-track album opens with "Wesley's Theory," featuring George Clinton and Thundercat, and there's collabs with the likes of Bilal, Anna Wise, Snoop Dogg, James Fauntleroy, Ronald Isley and Rapsody. lets focus on the album.TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY. A subsequent tweet suggested Tiffith had calmed down, but his anger at Interscope was still palpable. The "explicit" version of the album dropped soon after. SOMEBODY GOTS 2 PAY 4 THIS MISTAKE !!!! #TOP I WOULD LIKE 2 PERSONALLY THANK FOR FUCKING UP OUR RELEASE. SOMEBODY GOTS 2 PAY 4 THIS MISTAKE !!!! #TOP" "I WOULD LIKE 2 PERSONALLY THANK FOR FUCKING UP OUR RELEASE. Anthony Tiffith, the CEO of Top Dawg Entertainment, which represents Lamar, was less than impressed. Seems the early release also came as a surprise for some of Lamar's inner sanctum. Kendrick Lamar Reveals Title, Artwork for New Album