Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly | (Discussion Thread) *Stream*

[rantanamo]

If this album is widely considered a classic then I've outgrown hip hop. I'll concede that I'm just out of touch with today's music and it's fans

As someone that considers himself way out of touch with today's music, I will say this is a damn good album. Maybe great. I think one of my problems with a lot of music today is that they lack a musicality. Like these young cats don't truly know how to get down. I will say, after about 3 listens(just daily driving) I will say this is a beautiful musical piece. Very funky at times, lots of detail sounds, some entertaining musical changes. A lot of albums like this are a little flat musically and just try to sample the jazz element. This is as nicely fleshed out as some of the jazz I listen to. Even on Hood Politics, the song I consider the banger of this album, its a pretty detailed effort.

Lyrically and content wise, I don't care how out of touch we are, this is some real classic shyt. This paints a great picture. Its very funk album like in that it tells a story overall. I grew up listening my dad's funk, and those albums told stories much moreso than R&B or soul. This to me is in that same vein and links it to GKMC. This album is like a narrative of the black soul. Like some Isaac Hayes or Parliament. Not saying he's them. Just saying, thematically its like that, which makes it consistent for Kendrick.

I don't know how you can't call this classic. Its not an album of singles upon the first listen, but the individual songs seem to sound better with more listens. I could see These Walls and Hood Politics being top 10 type singles with radio edits. Could see "boo boo" becoming a common slang. I think songs like Alright(just let this play on a good system. Such a beautiful, soulful song) and How Much a dollar cost are already classic to me after a couple of listens and could possibly catch on mainstream.

I will admit, I didn't know what to think initially, so I just let it run in the whip. I didn't think it was what I expected, but the more I listen how did I expect different. K.dot has always rapped to the beat of a different drummer. This has become such a great album to me personally. One of my favorites.

edit: When I got in the car this morning, Complexion was the first song on with the sunrise in the background . Another beautiful song

 

[No1]

You get it, breh. Even 2 more pro-black MCs that are on Kendricks vibe and status will SHAKE EVERYTHING UP. That means a lot of clubs will shut down, a lot of strippers will quit and go to church or nursing , the crackbabies will do their best to sound smart , and intelligence will at long last come back and help the black community when we need it the most. Just in time for the 150th anniversary of the End of American Slavery.

This pretentious smart-dumb nikka is like 95% of the reason why K. Dot and Cole have detractors (he also is a coward who can never defend his opinions against anyone educated enough to actually understand what he pretends to understand). Dudes are supposedly pro-black but believe in dumb ass shyt like music being the primary or a substantial cause of black strife and we're supposedly weak enough to be held down my some songs on the radio. If everyone else listens to hip hop and are not negatively affected, then the conclusion is that there is something mentally wrong with black and latino people that makes us conditioned to act out rap fantasies. Even though all the issues of poverty pre-date rap. Kendrick dropped a dope fukking album, do not veer this shyt off again with your usual pseudo-intellectual nonsense.

 

[wild100sboy]

I think this album is amazing and will only get better with each listen. Some people are writing it off without giving it a minute to breathe. It's only been out for a FEW days!

I can't wait for all the "this shyt starting to grow on me" posts coming up...

I've seen those post in this exact thread already

 

[rantanamo]

That damn sax on Mortal Man literally makes me hit the

lol, I literally did this, this morning. Didn't even think about it. Head was noddin'

 

[RTF]

For an album that has a lot of funk influence, it's not very "funky" in the literal sense. It doesn't make you want to dance or seriously nod your head. I think it's a very well put together album at this point with some great highs. But a classic? Nah.

 

[Wild self]

This pretentious smart-dumb nikka is like 95% of the reason why K. Dot and Cole have detractors (he also is a coward he can never defends his opinions against anyone educated enough to actually understand what he pretends to understand). Dudes are supposedly pro-black but believe in dumb ass shyt like music being the primary or a substantial cause of black strife and we're supposedly weak enough to be held down my some songs on the radio. If everyone else listens to hip hop and are not negatively affected, then the conclusion is that there is something mentally wrong with black and latino people that makes us conditioned to act out rap fantasies. Even though all the issues of poverty pre-date rap. Kendrick dropped a dope fukking album, do not veer this shyt off again with your usual pseudo-intellectual nonsense.

its an opinion.

You take some people's shyt too serious.

 

[GoldenGlove]

As someone that considers himself way out of touch with today's music, I will say this is a damn good album. Maybe great. I think one of my problems with a lot of music today is that they lack a musicality. Like these young cats don't truly know how to get down. I will say, after about 3 listens(just daily driving) I will say this is a beautiful musical piece. Very funky at times, lots of detail sounds, some entertaining musical changes. A lot of albums like this are a little flat musically and just try to sample the jazz element. This is as nicely fleshed out as some of the jazz I listen to. Even on Hood Politics, the song I consider the banger of this album, its a pretty detailed effort.

Lyrically and content wise, I don't care how out of touch we are, this is some real classic shyt. This paints a great picture. Its very funk album like in that it tells a story overall. I grew up listening my dad's funk, and those albums told stories much moreso than R&B or soul. This to me is in that same vein and links it to GKMC. This album is like a narrative of the black soul. Like some Isaac Hayes or Parliament. Not saying he's them. Just saying, thematically its like that, which makes it consistent for Kendrick.

I don't know how you can't call this classic. Its not an album of singles upon the first listen, but the individual songs seem to sound better with more listens. I could see These Walls and Hood Politics being top 10 type singles with radio edits. Could see "boo boo" becoming a common slang. I think songs like Alright(just let this play on a good system. Such a beautiful, soulful song) and How Much a dollar cost are already classic to me after a couple of listens and could possibly catch on mainstream.

I will admit, I didn't know what to think initially, so I just let it run in the whip. I didn't think it was what I expected, but the more I listen how did I expect different. K.dot has always rapped to the beat of a different drummer. This has become such a great album to me personally. One of my favorites.

edit: When I got in the car this morning, Complexion was the first song on with the sunrise in the background . Another beautiful song

Alright is the "banger" on the album. And nobody is going to be walking around saying "boo boo" cause of Hood Politics

Really breh?

 

[Bawon Samedi]

Like I said praise from all walks of life...

 

[rantanamo]

For an album that has a lot of funk influence, it's not very "funky" in the literal sense. It doesn't make you want to dance or seriously nod your head. I think it's a very well put together album at this point with some great highs. But a classic? Nah.

"Alright" disagrees with you.

 

[rantanamo]

Alright is the "banger" on the album. And nobody is going to be walking around saying "boo boo" cause of Hood Politics

Really breh?

Have heard it a few times already. We're talking about 2015 now.

 

[Deadman187]

Wesleys Theory

 

[RTF]

"Alright" disagrees with you.

The way James Brown's The Payback makes you want to get up and Schmoney Dance? Nah b.



The album is a bit too tight to give me that same funk feel. The live version if i is much better than the original for just feeling a bit more loose.

The album has various funk elements and evokes that sound and era but the feeling in the jams? Not close.

 

[Ineedmoney504]

I think Wesley's Theory is a weak way to start an album imo...I think for For Free is growing on me but it's too strange sounding to be track 2...way too early for a track like that...King Kunta is kinda weak...Institutionalized and These Walls are pretty good...I can't stand "U"..I can't take his voice on that shyt...from Alright and on I pretty much fukk with everything heavy tho...I think Alright is where shyt really picks up...

I totally disagree, I think the album starts off perfect, and starts to to go downwards towards the middle, then quickly jumps back up

I totally agree with you on the first 2 tracks. However, I mess with King Kunta... I just think it's a smooth catchy song.

But back to the first 2 songs, I like the concept for Wesley's Theory, but I'm not feeling the sound of it to kick off the album. Then to follow that up directly with a 4 minute skit? I can tell that I won't be listening to that "This dikk ain't freeeeeee" shyt too much, after a few times, I really don't need to hear it.

And I haven't heard anybody complain about how pretentious and preachy he is on this album. The way he connects the concept of this album heavily relies on the skits, and him straight up spoon feeding the listener with those. It's almost like he was saying, "Ok, do you get it?... let me make sure they get it" with how he presented his message. I knew he was talking about taxes and 'Uncle Sam' in the first song (surprisingly, somebody mentioned that they didn't catch how the first 2 tracks are linked)... I didn't need ol girl hammering it home again in the skit "I'm gonna get my Uncle Sam to fukk you up"...Kind of felt like he didn't feel like he could fully connect all of his ideas without the skits/speeches reaffirming his message.

He does the same thing after Alright with the skit For Sale about "Lucy/Lucifer" and selling his soul. Kendrick clearly didn't have enough confidence in the listener to decode this without the skits.

And I agree with U, the 2nd part he over did it with the crying rap.

I feel what u saying about his skits, but he is making this album for the masses, he not just making it for us hip hop heads who study the lyrics. And tbh most Normal listeners would not be able to tie the story together without the skits

 

[RTF]

That "boo boo" ish is going to take off, no doubt.

I'm about to call Manchester City boo boo after tonight on twitter.

 

[Ineedmoney504]

For an album that has a lot of funk influence, it's not very "funky" in the literal sense. It doesn't make you want to dance or seriously nod your head. I think it's a very well put together album at this point with some great highs. But a classic? Nah.

It's not meant to be a funk album tho, it's still rap at the end of the day