“To Pimp A Butterfly” A Provocative and Ground-Breaking Collage

Kendrick Lamar has already proven himself to be the sort of artist one can take seriously when he proclaims, “Now I run the game, got the whole world talkin’”; 2012’s astonishingly impactful “good kid, m.A.A.d. city” was more than enough to establish him as one of the best rappers active today. Of course, Lamar is far too subtle a writer to sing his own praises so simply—in the same line, and in the track’s title, he refers to himself as “King Kunta,” simultaneously adopting the roles of ruler and slave. This degree of lyrical complexity is characteristic of the album as a whole: Though Lamar abandons the compelling storyline structure of his previous release, he more than makes up for the lack of a central storyline, displaying an even greater command of language throughout “To Pimp a Butterfly.” Even the album’s title, initially jarring, gains a deep significance through a frankly beautiful extended metaphor in the outro of the final track, “Mortal Man.” What’s more, Lamar’s progress since “good kid” is not simply limited to his increasing skill as a writer: Throughout “To Pimp a Butterfly” wend strains of jazz and funk elevate its tracks far beyond anything Lamar has previously accomplished musically. “To Pimp a Butterfly” is artistically exquisite and emotionally profound— Kendrick Lamar is not simply a rapper but an artist of the highest caliber.

The upbeat production of lead single “i” constitutes an apt introduction to the substantial shift in style Lamar has made since his sophomore release. “To Pimp a Butterfly”’s opening track, “Wesley’s Theory,” produced by Flying Lotus, builds on Lamar’s new musical diversity by featuring a funky synth bassline. The backing works with Lamar’s vocals to create a tone that could perhaps best be described as darkly fun—appropriate accompaniment for lyrics that introduce the themes of fame, race, and commercialism that pervade the album. On the following track, “For Free? (Interlude),” produced by Terrace Martin, Lamar raps with astonishing speed over a fully fleshed-out and impressively layered jazz instrumental.

Within the domain of production, however, lies the album’s sole major flaw. Lamar has elected to include a version of “i” on the album that differs from the single release—it is crafted to sound like a live performance, a choice that does have the advantage of giving Lamar the opportunity to interrupt the song to talk explicitly about the importance of retaining a sense of positivity and camaraderie in the black community. The single “i,” however, is so well-composed and effervescent that the album’s “live” version feels jarringly thin in comparison. Especially in the context of such an impeccably produced album, the choice to include a less-refined version falls flat.

But the album version of “i” does succeed in bringing home its message, and in this regard it fits in neatly with the rest of “To Pimp a Butterfly.” Lamar in particular focuses in his [third album][FC] on violence and hatred within the black community, as in “The Blacker the Berry,” where he ingeniously turns what initially listens as a vindication of blackness when he describes himself as a killer of other black men. In “Complexion (A Zulu Love),” he paints himself as a slave “dark as the midnight hour” who cares for his master’s half-black daughter. Lamar’s own work on the track, a verse from female rapper Rapsody, and piano melody-focused production from The Antydote and Sounwave unite both to craft a compelling love story and a moving critique of discrimination based on skin color within the black community—and, arguably, the album’s strongest track.

“To Pimp a Butterfly” is not only an album comprised of 16 impressive tracks: It is a cohesive work, united not only by musical style and poetic lyrics but also by the smooth, sometimes unnoticeable transitions between tracks. Clearly, Lamar has not mastered only the art of the track but also the art of the album. Though he may have been understandably jarred when his album dropped a week early due to a mistake by his record label, his listeners are all the luckier for it—an additional week to enjoy an album such as this is a valuable week indeed.