To Pimp A Butterfly

Now we know why it's been 3 years. It took me 4 months just to write a review.

A review is simultaneously an expansion and a condensation of a body of work, so I have the displeasure of trying to concisely convey to you my interpretation of the sonic and literary expression of a man's soul, in a digestible amount of words. In my best attempt to get there let me say this, Kendrick Lamar's second album, To Pimp A Butterfly, is incredibly complex.

To be honest with you I consulted Genius.com on this one (I try to avoid going before album reviews, but I just couldn't understand some of the lyrics). While I was there, though, I read some of the annotations and I'm glad I did, there were some references that went over my head, and some consenting opinions, thematically speaking.

One of the most important things I found was an annotation to the last verse in the album, an insight to his title choice - the parallelism with To Kill A Mockingbird. In the explanation of the outro poem during his final reading to Tupac (if you haven't heard the song this sentence is probably very confusing so far, just go listen to Mortal Man), Kendrick basically insinuates that the ambiguity of the title's concept is in part the answer to its leading question. Let me explain what I mean. To start a sentence with "To [verb phrase]" suggests the appendage "is to [verb phrase]". In the case of "To Kill A Mockingbird", the suggested appendage might be something like "is to make evident your self-hatred", based on the book's themes. In the case of To Pimp A Butterfly, though, the suggested ending is irresolute. We know from Kendrick's own words that he means the butterfly to be a metaphor for a person's potential, and that those caterpillars with myopic vision may see it as an opportunity to make a quick come up, not realizing they're foregoing their own future. But what's left unsaid, yet beautifully implied, by the lack of response from Tupac to the question "What's your perspective on that?" is, to me, the point of the album, and Kendrick's biggest internal struggle: Who's to blame? And does it matter? Is pimping a butterfly a result of a man's condition or the natural allure of evil? I don't think he (or anyone) has the answer, so he comes to the conclusion that despite the indeterminate root of the desire to pimp, no one is more than a mortal man, and the only hope we have in overcoming that desire is recognizing the value of anyone's potential as greater than the value of their own temporary personal gain.

So that was a lot to swallow. Let's talk about the music itself before we hop back into prevailing themes.

The instrumentation is just real. It's this mix of analog and digital that can only exist by procurement by someone who knows them both intimately. Enter Dr. Dre. My uncle Gerald once said that whenever you listen to a Dre song you get the notion that there's nothing that can be added or taken away that would enhance it. It's satisfying. Well if that level of perfection is executively producing and mastering your album, this is the result. And let's not forget the supporting cast - Thundercat, Flying Lotus, Terrace Martin, Sounwave, TI$A, Pharrell, Boi-1da, to name some. What chance was there that the soundscape would come out mishandled?

Let's be clear too since we're talking about producers, the reason this is a hip hop album is because Kendrick Lamar isn't holding a tune. If you strip away the preconceived notions of music genres and really break this down, this is a funk/jazz album with aggressive lyricism. As a matter of fact if I had to pick an instrument (besides the drums), I'd say the saxaphone probably has the most airtime, not counting samples. And even still the sampled bits are mostly comprised of 70s soul records with vinyl scratches and bass riffs recorded over the top. And the featured singers are so authentically soulful (Anna Wise, Bilal, Fauntleroy, etc) that whether they graced the airwaves 40 years ago or today their voice sits well within the comfort range of a piano or bass accompaniment. This is music made by musicians.

And I don't even need that level of production to appreciate the music; not everyone has the skill, money, or time to create as well as his team. I'm not asking anyone to solve the world's problems, either. When you create a rap album, I only ask one thing, speak on what you know.

And that he does. If his lead single "i" wasn't enough of an indication that this album wouldn't be a 79 minute "Control" verse, "u" should make it abundantly clear that this LP didn't come into existence so K Dot could flex. Matter of fact the second half of “u" is basically "The Book of Soul". The album lends perspective from everyone from a bum to God himself; it's a bold take on the state of man and his internal struggle, and it was made for everyone who takes the time to listen.

Honestly, I've spent about a week trying to come up with things to dislike and I keep playing my own devils advocate (Lucy). Every thing I don't like is just a matter of preference, not technical laziness. And the album is so abstract and touches on so many subjects it's hard to say anything doesn't fit, thematically, so I won't write any negatives just to say I had them; I'll just say there are parts I like more than others.

Okay, back to thematic purpose. Now that we agree the instrumentation is sound, and the flow is on point, so what? What's the purpose of a song? Why do I take the time to digest and share something as simple as an hour of sound? Because it’s healing. Music isn't a cure per se, it has no technical formative power. The only reason music, rap in particular, has the gravitas it does is because of the conditions under which we interpret it. Even with its stigma, people who truly appreciate hip hop find its value in the fact that someone, some human being somewhere, is trying to express a message they feel is important; it's not an anonymous art. That message may not be wholesome, or may be more a representation of their current state than what they wish they were to the world, but it's their story. That honesty is engrained in the culture that appreciates it, and Kendrick Lamar depends on that assumption to give this music that formative power.

Unfortunately, there are some things missing.

This album begs the question: does portraying bad still have a place in serving a good purpose? In somewhat recent history there were periods where certain groups felt so discredited that even saying the worst of things was such a positive release that it brought people together. I'm sure that feeling isn't gone, but I think in 2015 most people recognize that even if you've been repressed it's not cool to just say outlandish stuff and demand you be taken seriously. That idea is the reason rap has that stigma I touched on earlier. But the reality is, if current events haven't made this evident, that underrepresented people still very much need a release to speak on a system that seems plotted against them. Kendrick Lamar is the representative of those people, and To Pimp A Butterfly is a verbal letter of both understanding and advice to them; the latter has no credibility without the former. And the advice is simple: respect and support your fellow man in their time of growth, rather than dismiss or take advantage of them, lest you suppress your own potential.

Rating: 9.5

Favorite Song: u