To Pimp A Butterfly [VINYL] explicit_lyrics

The most lyrically excellent album of any genre in years, Kendrick Lamar raps fluently on the subjects of social injustice, inequality, greed, religious philosophy, personal anxiety and a lot more. His execution is near flawless but surprisingly diverse, creating characters through his voice to emphasise points of view and topics, adding depth and intrigue to his stories. The musical accompaniment is funky and reminds me a bit of early rhcp, who were inspired by the likes of sly and the family stone and others. Some of the songs would be incredible as instrumentals (listen to the first track) but the music doesn't distract from Lamar's vocal presentation. Instead it drives the album forward and kept me interested the whole way through. The final point to mention is that the album works in itself as a brilliant and concise rap classic, but there's also a unique concept that reveals itself right at the end in the last track that is sure to reward dedicated followers of the genre. I gave this album 5 stars because the lyrical content combined with the musical background and Lamar's execution has given me something new each time I listen to individual tracks, but more when hearing the whole album from start to end.

Pretty good quality, the inside cover is cool, imo side C is the best of the 4 song wise, but this is undoubtedly one of if not the greatest hip hop album of all time

Christmas gift for my son

Best Kendrick album

To Pimp a Butterfly, a musical play, where each song represents a scene of the unfolding drama. Through the course of the sixteen titles on the album, Kendrick describes his rise as a rap star, the temptations he faced with it, the self-hatred that ensued, and the epiphany that allowed him to remain grounded. Although he understands that he is part of a system that is ruled by “the evils of Lucy”, Kendrick feels that his influence can be used to heal, uplift, unify and inspire his community. By becoming an outspoken leader, Kendrick also realizes that he might be sacrificing himself – Uncle Sam and Lucy have no problems crushing those who stand up to them. In short, To Pimp a Butterfly goes against everything the music business is about. It is harsh, honest, difficult, brilliant, unpredictable, anti-mainstream, Afrocentric, a little religious and filled with clarinet solos. There is however one thing Kendrick needs to remember: Lucy does not give up that easily.

Everybody knows the album and it’s great ofc like we already knew from Kendrick. The only negative really is that the pictures that are shown on Amazon aren’t as it seems as it makes it seem as if you get 2 insert pictures of Kendrick included, which you don’t. Not the biggest issue but just a bit disappointing. Overall though a quality album and if you haven’t listened before it’s an incredible album to refresh your mind from all the ear diarrhoea mumble auto tune. Some real music here from Kendrick one of the all time greats

This album is nothing short of stunning, I know that the hype machine on Kendrick Lamar has gone into overdrive in recent months but I truly believe it's justified. The thought that has gone into this album is commendable, it touches on so many musical genres yet sounds completely cohesive. Also, the gradually revealing poem that weaves it's way through the album is a very clever idea and ends in an outrageous fashion that shouldn't work but totally does. The songs are amazing - King Kunta, The Blacker The Berry, I and Alright are my personal favourites. A future classic in every sense of the word - buy it.

More hooks than a fishing pier... this is edgy heartrending rap, danceable pop, adult jazz and Cab Calloway to Chris Rock lunacy with a hefty dose of old fashioned activism. Does not wear out on repeated playing. A new way of linking tracks that I never heard before. A poem about self destructiveness mounts line by line, longer and longer, the tracks pinned to its developing narrative. So when the narrator goes home, you get a track with a family chorus of what sounds like four generations singing 'We been waiting for you, waiting for you.' Best record since Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

Par ces temps absurdes où la critique dispose de quelques heures pour se prononcer sur des albums publiés à l'improviste et diffusés à une vitesse supersonique, tous les chroniqueurs de la planète ont levé le pouce en un rien de temps : Kendrick Lamar est bien le nouveau génie que le rap attendait ! Trois ans après la révélation de Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, fascinant autoportrait d'un gamin élevé dans le brasier du Los Angeles des gangs, l'audace, la liberté et la véhémence de son deuxième album forcent le respect. L'unanimité a quand même de quoi surprendre : To pimp a butterfly (1) n'est ni un disque aimable, ni un disque facile. Comme le Black Messiah de D'Angelo, il est porté par l'onde de choc des émeutes de Ferguson et marque le retour en force d'une musique black pugnace qui ne s'occupe guère du commerce pour garder la tête dans les étoiles. Le rap de l'anxieux Californien est aspiré par un tourbillon où le funk est roi (celui, barré, de Funkadelic ou du Prince de Sign o' the times), mais se perd volontiers du côté du free jazz, de l'ambient et du slam. Les voix se mordent, se tordent et s'altèrent, comme autant de personnages hantés par les cauchemars de l'Amérique noire. De la charge politico-érotique hallucinante de For free ? aux métaphores de l'enragé The Blacker the berry (« Plus la mûre est noire, plus le jus est doux »), les textes sont denses, les sentiments enchevêtrés. Il faudra une multitude d'écoutes pour en épuiser la force, en percer les secrets.

I am going to try to write a review here that is hype-minimal, even given my title is a bit strong. I know lots have been waiting for this album, as have I, and I want to put out something here that has some substance. It is rare that I am moved a great deal by a modern hip-hop album. We are far-removed from genre-shaping classics like "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" and "The Low End Theory". Upon hearing Kendrick's 2012 classic GKMC, I had renewed faith in the concept album in hip-hop, and after his "Control" verse, I was happy to see hip-hop's response to the challenge; specifically I think albums like "Cadillactica" last year, which for Big K.R.I.T. was quite a bit deeper than his debut "Live from the Underground", were developed with such precision and dedication to the craft *because* of the "Control" situation. I thought Lamar was almost certainly headed for a sophomore disappointment, solely for the reason that his major-label debut studio album was so intelligent, and captured his entire adolescence on wax. I thought, "what else will he have to draw on? Where will he find the fire?" I was thinking that this would be a "Reasonable Doubt"-"In My Lifetime, Vol 1" situation. Today, after hearing this album, I stand corrected, and am moved by what I heard. The central theme is Kendrick's take on the escalating racial tensions in the US resulting from institutional racism, and seemingly "takes place" in the 2+ years since the release of his first album, as there are several references to Lamar going through a post-GKMC depression on the album. With respect to institutional racism, Lamar discusses the multi-faceted emotional response to these escalating racial tensions; at some points the rapper is celebratory of his blackness, at others he is angry at the institution, and yet at others he is critical of the state of black culture and cries for change and self-empowerment. All the while Kendrick is also mapping out his personal emotional struggles since the release of GKMC and parallels these with the collective black culture, culminating in the powerful indictment "The Blacker the Berry". In this song Kendrick rasps out a lyrical assault on the institution, celebrating blackness unapologetically. The song describes a man who loves his blackness so much he desires to be more black, or to be perceived more black, to be perceived as the epitome of black culture. The crescendoes to a somber ending, citing the irony that such a strong stance may result in, explicitly naming black-on-black crime. The album then turns to its denouement, reinforcing the hypothesis that it's not about how you are perceived, not about the persona you put off ("You Ain't Gotta Lie (Momma Said)"); it's about self-respect, self-love, and the album narrative effectively ends on the album's premier single, with "Mortal Man" serving as a coda. Kendrick ties the underlying themes of self-doubt, naïvete, respect, self-pity, jealousy, perceived success and failure, and love from his own struggles and establishes a connection between these emotions and the black culture collective. The album is brilliant in its paradoxes, in its emotion, in his depiction of his life. Its blatant disregard of hip-hop's formula for success is its thesis: don't be number, don't fit in, you ain't gotta lie; be yourself, love yourself, empower yourself, and that is indeed beautiful. On top of all that, Kendrick's lyricism is absolutely insane on this album. I was a huge fan of Logic's "Under Pressure" last year, and thought lyrically that was perhaps a little better than GKMC, but that the album was a little too personal to be quite as good as GKMC. To Pimp a Butterfly took it to another level. "Momma" and "Hood Politics" to me stood out as just lyrical masterpieces. The production is very funk-heavy, obviously well-done considering the production team at TDE and the guest producers on this project. I'm not sure where this sits with the classics, only time will tell, but on my first listen through I feel that the moniker "King Kendrick" is definitely fitting. He has done it again.

para mi, de los mejores albums de la historia del hip hop vino en perfecto estado.

Anche se il mio album preferito è Mr. Morale (per me un 10/10) Capisco perché è così da critica e pubblico (per me è un 9,75/10). È un album con dei testi profondi e delle rime fantastiche, con una jazz che rende il tutto più spettacolare. E non mancano neanche le hit. Alright è un singolo fantastico. Kendrick è un grande

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