Kendrick Lamar
To Pimp A Butterfly
So exactly how I ended up being the one to write the intro for Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly New Release Tuesday was happenstance at best. I feel like I should have passed the baton to someone who had a more visceral response to it than I. But at this late hour, punting isn't an option. I gotta go for it!
To Pimp A Butterfly is unquestionably an epic: an album on the scale of very few releases in this EP/internet-driven environment. It not only avoids any kind of sophomore slump, it might be The Empire Strikes Back to M.A.A.D. City's Star Wars.
That being said, it listened a couple of times, once really deeply while driving, and simply moved on. I thought it was good but it never grabbed me. I commend its creativity, and scale, and very obvious talent, but I was left feeling like maybe I wasn't in the record's target demographic. I felt like maybe I was sitting in on somebody else's party.
Our staff is just as divided. Check it out:
Syffal Staff Opinions
This is like asking me which child do I love more!! This album is fucking perfect and the best track can change from day to day, or moment to moment. Off top right now, "King Kunta" and it's chest thumping 'Fuck y'all' feeling gets me primed to fight a dragon. On the other hand, songs like "The Blacker The Berry" and "u" move me emotionally. fucking Kendrick man.
Doing nothing other than LISTENING! This isn't something to put on while folding laundry or cleaning the house. I mean you can do those things, but there is so much being said here that your first two weeks with this should be listening. Then play that shit everywhere to share the experience. I want my kids to know this album like I knew "Exodus" or "Yo... Bum rush the show".
So fucking much. Scenes from "Do The Right Thing", " Bamboozled ", Malcolm X speaking to a crowd about knowledge of self and tricknowledgy of white Americans. I pictured families in mourning over the death of a teenage boy who was killed because he was tall, black, and a " threat "... Because he's black. I pictured burning this shit structure down and playing " Alright " when it's done.
An album about black empowerment and calls for change have happened already. I grew up on X-Clan, Public Enemy, Jungle Brothers, and Brand Nubian. This is different in how all encompassing it is in the message. It's the best of what all of Kendrick's musical forefathers said, but with the perspective of a millennial who's heard that shit has changed and he has opportunities, only to realize it hasn't REALLY changed much. It's the voice of that waking up and seeing the police squads, the dogs, the dead bodies and riots and realizing this shit has to stop. The album is heart, soul, patience in its creation, purpose in its words, it's moving outside of the "sound" of now for something more textured and rich. This album is a motherfucking classic. I'm still listening to this shit and getting chills when he breaks down on "u", or when he has a haunting conversation with the ghost of Tupac on " Mortal Men", or when he weighs in on the struggles of the homeless, and how we interact/view what/who they are on "How Much a Dollar Costs". The tradition of great Griots continues.
"King Kunta" - The beat and flow of the song makes me want to put on my dancing shoes and do this weird white version of a Donald Glover dance. This song has a crazy bassline that blends the West Coast steez and old school funk. It's sort of Dre/Chronic like but also has Kendrick's gritty voice slapping on top. Runner up is “i” because that shit still bangs. That was the track that got everyone hype about this album.
wearing BluBlockers while driving the PCH with the sunroof open and the windows down, doing that wave motion with your hand. Basically being Del on any given day. For all the talk of empowerment that this album contains, it also has the major Cali vibe. This time of year is perfect for this record. I don't think the timing of the drop was an accident. Spring forward or fall back.
going on vacation to somewhere with a beach. Renting a convertible and just cruising with nowhere in particular to go and nowhere in particular to be. Just alone with the road and my thoughts. The smell of salt water and cool breeze in the distance. Smiling and nodding at the beautiful people on the street. Searching for answers to the universe.
I was surprised at how quick critics were to jump into the circle jerk about this album. On first listen I thought it was good but not spectacular. A good solid sophomore release that shows positive progression as an artist. I feel like Good Kid jumped out of the gate as a monster and now Butterfly is like, ok we need to chill a bit but we still out here killing it. It's a very smooth record. Smoother than the collective balls of the SYFFAL squad. It doesn't have any giant singles and I don't see myself getting super hype to any particular track. I feel like it's something I vibe out to more than anything. Nothing wrong with that.
One thing I was happy to see is a lot of people pulling quotes from different verses on the album. It is refreshing to see people paying attention to the lyrics and it is important for hip-hop to have a lyricist like Kendrick get attention. If he inspires young kids and shapes the future of rap then the future is bright. Kendrick has certainly come on strong and he didn't disappoint with this release. He has our attention and I hope he continues to drop solid records. Now if you don't mind... I'm going to wash my ass.
Let's just come right in STRONG with the wishy washiness: It's a tie! "u" is one of the most emotional rap recordings ever, well, recorded. The way Kendrick's voice cracks and strains allows all the frustration and resentment and hurt to gush forth from the speakers. "Hood Politics" with it's "boo boo" is great for a completely different reason and provides one of the much needed light moments in this epic.
Driving somewhere. I listened to this record three times before any of it actually sunk in. I put it on while cleaning up the kitchen and I realized I barely heard a word. I put it on while I graded papers and same. It wasnt until I was driving up north and had a chance to listen uninterupted that it hit me what a monumental acheivement this record is. I mean that in terms of production value, and the cultural value of some rapper's sophomore release. Like it or love it or its opposite: you can't deny Kendrick's transcendent appeal.
This look on my face. Despite TPaB's near universal appeal and the praise heaped on it like a gospel brunch being held in a dump truck, I still feel like if Kendrick is getting the creative genius label for making an unapologetic "black" record, it begs the question: why is blackness still revolutionary? I mean IT IS! There are blogs on top of blogs on top of review on top of review that calls this record revolutionary. Judging by the popular response Kendrick's made something brave. But I wish it wasn't.
Nah... It's a great record. Bump it.