Year of the Butterfly: My Year of Living with Kendrick Lamar’s Groundbreaking Album ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’
I didn’t plan on living with this album for a year and then writing about it on its one year anniversary. No, I’m not that damn clever nor am I that patient. It honestly just happened.
I was already a week into Kendrick Lamar’s ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’ album before it was officially released on March 15th, 2015. The project had leaked early online, and people immediately took to breaking the album down song by song before giving their final say on it.
My initial plan was to give the album a couple of spins and then write an album review for my music site, The Dope Show, within the month of March.
Things changed once I took in the sounds of timeless funk from the legendary George Clinton and the phenomenal vocal and instrumentation contributions from Thundercat and Terrace Martin.
The album sounded and felt different from the start, but I wanted to see how it would hold up down the road. So like a boyfriend who’s so broke but so cute, I decided to let K.Dot’s third studio album stay with me for awhile, rent-free.
I played the album at home on my laptop, sometimes with headphones, sometimes without. I played it in the car while running errands. I requested a couple of songs when I frequented my favorite bar. I played it on my phone while showering. I even had a clean version of the album so I could listen to it while my daughter was present.
I had days when I really just wanted to hear specific songs. “Alright” was played the most on sunny, warm days in Michigan while “Momma” got the most spins on rainy, gloomy days. I found myself reaching for “Mortal Man” during times of reflection, and “King Kunta” when I was just happy being black. All in all, every song was my favorite at one point.
On his previous album, ‘Good Kid, M.A.A.D City,’ Kendrick took us to his hometown of Compton and let us roam freely through the streets that shaped him into the man and artist he is today.
Now with his latest album, he was taking us to a lucid area that we can’t find on any map: his mind. In the form of a poem that would start over from the beginning and add a little more with the introduction of each song, K.Dot let us explore the inner workings of his thoughts on racism in America, police brutality and politics of the hood as well as politricks of the government. He also gave us a fly-on-the-wall view of his self-love and self-hatred.
Kendrick put himself under a microscope for us to praise him, tear him apart, or go deeper within ourselves to explore our own issues, and this is the sole reason why I chose to live with this album for and year and some change. However, it wasn’t until the end of summer 2015 until I decided this, certainly way past due my original due date of the album review.
No matter how long it took though, you guys were still gonna get these words. And so, here we are.
Below is my song by song analysis of To Pimp A Butterfly as well as my overall thoughts about the album as a whole. Walk with me.
01. Wesley’s Theory (ft. George Clinton & Thundercat)
The intro alone is epic. When “Every n*gga is a star” blared from my speakers for the first time, I damn-near put my hand over my heart like it was the n*gga national anthem. I honestly didn’t expect the sound of “Wesley’s Theory” when I heard it because it was so different from any song on GKMC. It was funky, melodic and addictive. I thought that the presence of Dr. Dre was genius, like a mentor showing up to give you his blessings before heading out and letting you run the show. The song set the perfect tone for the album as we would hear a constant stream of West-coast funk and its influences throughout TPAB.
(By the way, if you haven’t yet, check out the original song “Every Nigger Is A Star” by Boris Gardiner, it’s actually pretty inspirational)
02. For Free? (Interlude)
This song reminds me of a fly-ass scene in an early Spike Lee joint, just a jazzy, poetic vibe. The girl cursing Kendrick out in the beginning threw me for a loop because I instantly thought of some hood-rat worrying about where her next Brazilian wavy was going to come from, but that wasn’t the case. After hearing him declare that ‘this dick ain’t free!’ I realized that the girl represented America and how the country has taken and demanded so much from black folks for free. So much to the point that we now do the same to each other, but that’s a whole other think-piece for another day.
03. King Kunta
A more up-tempo song on the album, “King Kunta” is bouncy and as warm as the California sun. The song’s theme is an excellent predication of a black man declaring himself a king. Kendrick is comfortable with that title now and you can tell with the confidence in his flow. The duality of soprano and baritone vocals in the background add depth to this song and makes it feel complete.
04. Institutionalized (ft. Bilal, Anna Wise & Snoop Dogg)
I almost didn’t recognize Anna Wise’s vocals on the song as they’re a lot more strong and earthier than her features on GKMC. She definitely gave me the hook on Good Times vibe on this one. Kendrick’s story of how you can’t take some of the homies to the BET Awards is stellar, and what makes this song stand out is the reply from that thieving homie who attempts to make sense of his jack-moves at the awards. Snoop’s placement on the song is classic as he delivers the song’s additional hook in a breezy, Slick Rick-esque tone.
05. These Walls (ft. Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat)
I honestly thought that the girl moaning in the beginning of this song was a goat, but I digress. I felt like Kendrick didn’t want to make it too sexual with actual full-on moaning since the song is a double entendre on sex and incarceration. Bilal’s vocals on the hook are infectious and adds a nostalgic tone to the airy beat. Throughout the song, Kendrick does a great job at describing what seems like a woman’s vagina that could easily double as prison walls. The third verse is accompanied by a gloomier undertone as the beat winds down and guides us into one of the darker songs on TPAB.
06. u
This song is like the evil twin of Michael Jackson’s “Man In The Mirror.” It’s a sporadic episode of self-loathing and depression as Kendrick laments to his own self that “loving you is complicated.” The second part of “u” finds him in a hotel room, blaming himself for not being there for a fellow homie that was recently slain. Kendrick faces his demons as a riled up side of himself questions his whereabouts when it all went down, making him face his actions head-on. A strong saxophone presence and SZA’s subtle vocals add to the ingenuity of the song.
07. Alright
The tone of TPAB picks back up as Pharrell provides upbeat and contagious production and even assures us on the hook that we gon’ be alright. In a high-powered delivery, Kendrick seems revitalized in comparison to “u.” It’s as if he had that good cry and picked himself up to see another day. Since the release of TPAB, the song’s chorus has went on to be chanted at protests by hopeful demonstrators in Cleveland and Chicago among others. It’s a simple yet powerful message that I’m sure will stand the test of time.
08. For Sale? (Interlude)
If you go back to “For Free?” you’ll notice that it was America urging Kendrick to work for free. On “For Sale?” we find the devil or “Luci” tempting him to sell his soul for material wealth. It’s pretty much like “Oh you don’t want to work for free? Cool. I’ll give you all the money you want, but it still comes with a price.” On the song, we follow Kendrick as he recants on his first encounter with Luci and then we hear from Luci as he gives Kendrick an enticing offer.
09. Momma
Produced by Knxwledge, this is one of the smoothest tracks on the album and holds interchangeable meanings with each verse. On the first verse, Kendrick reflects on becoming successful in the music industry but still being able to tell the story of his home of Compton. The second verse goes a little deeper as he expresses how much he knows about life, until he dies and realizes that he doesn’t know anything.
The third verse gets a little tricky because it seems as though Kendrick meets an African boy who urges him and homies to come back home. I initially thought the boy was an angel telling his homies to return back to God since Kendrick previously speaks about death in his second verse.
Of course, these verses can be interpreted differently from someone else, but this is how I viewed them after continuous listens. “Momma” also introduces Lalah Hathaway’s ridiculously dope vocals that we’re blessed to hear on several more songs going forward on the album.
10. Hood Politics
I felt like “Hood Politics” was the summer anthem in 2015, on the dead homies. It’s just pure West-coast rap with a mean bass-line and an interesting theme that pokes around the similarities of street gang culture and political parties. On the song, we find Kendrick comparing Crips and Bloods to Democrats and Republicans followed by a clever reference to his infamous “Control” verse.
11. How Much A Dollar Cost (ft. James Fauntleroy & Ronald Isley)
A tale of God disguised as a homeless man who only wants a dollar finds Kendrick contemplating the true price of money on “How Much A Dollar Cost.” Ron Isley comes in at the right time to establish understanding and redemption on Kendrick’s behalf.
12. Complexion (A Zulu Love) (ft. Rapsody)
An ode to the numerous skin shades of black people, this song also addresses the color complex many us have within the race, i.e. light-skinned vs. dark-skinned. Kendrick throws in some sneak-disses as he plays on a couple of racial stereotypes. Rapsody shines as she delivers an impressive verse about learning to love her complexion as well as the importance of unity in the black community.
13. The Blacker The Berry
On this brash and electrifying track, Kendrick addresses racism in America head-on, giving a distinct rundown of racial stereotypes put upon blacks. On the flip-side, he explores a certain hypocrisy within the black community where we’ll stand up and combat against police brutality, but not address black-on-black crime. It’s a hard pill to swallow but the theme of the song sets the tone to have that conversation amongst each other. I also want to note that Lalah’s vocals near the end of the song are everything.
14. You Ain’t Gotta Lie (Momma Said)
One of the more laid-back songs on TPAB, this is another Cali-infused track where Kendrick just vibes out and gives us a little wisdom from his mama nem. Terrace Martin does a great job with the beat, giving us a mellow feel with that authentic West-coast sound.
15. i
This song is a stark difference between “u” and shows Kendrick proclaiming unconditional love for himself. Aside from the radio/video version, it’s performed live on the album in front of a crowd. I picture Kendrick and his band on a basketball court outside performing for the youth when a fight breaks out. The fight gives him the opportunity to speak directly to a crowd full of young black men and how unity is needed in order to survive in a world that’s been against them since their birth. Kendrick spits a freestyle acapella after the speech and introduces the word “negus” which is the root meaning of “nigga” and how it was originated from African royalty.
16. Mortal Man
Lalah Hathaway opens up the track to help Kendrick beautifully close out the album. Through the song, he gives numerous situations that often tests a loved one’s loyalty when things start to go awry in our lives. Kendrick also questions our loyalty as fans to musicians when trouble comes their way. It’s an introspective song that pulls at your heartstrings and causes you to go within yourself to see if your own heart is in the right place when it comes to certain people.
When the song ends, Kendrick recites the full poem that we heard partially throughout the album. We soon find out that he’s reciting the piece to the late-great Tupac Shakur who goes on to speak on young black men in America. The way this encounter with Tupac was put together is pure genius, more so on Kendrick’s part since he has been compared to Tupac on numerous occasions. Kendrick closes the album with another poem which sums up the meaning behind the album’s title.
Overall, ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’ is an amazing piece of work that makes it a point to hold the mirror up to America, black folks, Kendrick himself and everyone else in between. The album highlights good intentions and contradictions; the proverbial angel and devil on our shoulders and in our minds. The production is artistically gorgeous with each beat seamlessly flowing together to tell the poignant stories of Kendrick Lamar.
It doesn’t have any club bangers or songs dedicated to the ladies, and that’s fine. The album as a whole is a mood, a vibe, a preservation of moments in time that Kendrick wanted to capture, in which he did so eloquently.
After living with ‘TPAB’ for an entire year, my final thought is that the album is simply dope. Kudos to Kendrick and kudos to you for reading this entire review. Until the next piece, peace.
