Kendrick Lamar had a mountain to climb after 2013’s ‘Good Kid, MAAD City‘. It seemed the mountain was no obstacle; The long awaited sequel ‘To Pimp A Butterfly‘ was every bit the masterpiece it promised to be.
T.R. Wicks kicked off things saying “Kendrick Lamar is a solid example of a fearless artist. Having to follow up from the quite brilliant ‘Good Kid, M.A.A.D City‘, Lamar has created some unforgettable. Using a highly effective jazz backing band for many arrangements, his ideas are both relentless and uncompromising, barking like a cross between James Brown and Tupac Shakur. Lamar appears as many personas and has so many layers; musically, lyrically and spiritually. From themes of race, sex, spirituality and fame, Lamar is equal parts captivating and exhausting to take in. I’ve owned this album for nearly a year and I still have only touched the surface of this deeply moving and complicated soul. To Pimp A Butterfly is quite simply a masterpiece”.
“I’ve heard this album described as “the Great American Novel, in rap album format”, and it might even be greater than that, having spawned protest chants in the streets. By design it’s not an easy listen, but whenever I do revisit TPAB, I find new things to appreciate” added Roger Jao
Yifat perhaps summed it up best when she called it “A celebration of self-observation and social statements expressed by memorable beats and stuck-in-your-head melodies”
