Being a White Guy, I am not the intended audience for this album.
- There are references, concepts, and experiences which will never be a part of my life except as something I can have an academic understanding of. I can be (and certainly am) empathetic to its themes, but I do not have and can never even come close to the lived experience required to fully get what this album is going for.
Song Notes
- “Wesley’s Theory” - Already loving the sounds. The optimistic beginning including a slur into the darker sound and more predatory themes are definitely setting a tone.
- “For Free” - Starting with a gospel choir, and going straight into transactional relationships.
- “King Kunta” - The bass is so funky, damn. Then, the drop into the backing vocals and guitar is HOT with the way it fills out the sound. Setting the tone for the
- “Institutionalized” - The syncopated drums are really wonderful. Shit really don’t change until you wash your ass.
- “These Walls” - I love the smooth, psychedelic feel here. Double entendre is the name of the game in this genre, but here it’s up in lights and all caps.
- “u” - The transition from the more structured, relaxing sounds of “These Walls” to the dissonant, isolated scream and intense vocals is excellent.
- Definitely an unsteady journey here.
- “Alright” - The spoken word ending is powerful here.
- “For Sale?” - THESE C H O R D S are so good. We’re floaty and back to the psychedelic sounds.
- “Momma” - I love the way the sound shifts partway through.
- “Hood Politics” - The chord progression in the beginning is so effective at conveying the tone. It’s a fascinating progression.
- “How Much a Dollar Cost” - Well damn if the title don’t say it all.
- “Complexion (A Zulu Love)” - A love song for black folks, and what a wonderful groove to carry the tone.
- “The Blacker the Berry” - A much darker sound starting out, and its anger and emotion are sharpened by following “Complexion (A Zulu Love)“.
- “You Ain’t Gotta Lie (Momma Said)” - Just keep it real, which the album does.
- “i” - A hell of a climax, that outro is a hard punch.
- “Mortal Man” - A big period coming down from the rest of the album. Its conclusion and atmosphere are what are needed to ruminate on the message for the rest of it, and the interview with Tupac at the end is such a poignant ending.
General Thoughts
- Early in the album, the density and speed of the themes being presented is prodigious.
- I really appreciate how obvious the collaborations on this album are, even if I can’t pick out exactly who is who.
- All of the music on this album is hitting my ear at least “really good”.
- The pacing is very much on point, and has a great flow.
- I’m a sucker for vocal harmonies, but then you make ‘em jazzy? Damn!
- This is yet another album that makes me wish I was better at parsing lyrics.
- The repetition of Kendrick Lamar’s poem is very effective.
- Every time a song uses that deep growling synth bass, it just feels so good.
- This album keeps it real as fuck in all it represents.
- I don’t know how the Pulitzer Prize administration only gave this album one award. The judging committee really cheaped out on it, damn.
More Thoughts
To Pimp a Butterfly obviously is a lyrical journey through Kendrick Lamar’s experience. Albums that are based off of personal life journeys are nothing new, but this one really feels deep and wide and far beyond just a personal journey, but the way the music matches and contrasts the themes of the story is mind-blowing. The internal struggles framed as an interview with Tupac Shakur really lends extra weight and a thoughtful conclusion to what I believe to be an attainably perfect album.
Had I listened to this as a younger man and really paid attention, I have certainty it would have changed my life. Listening to it now is just a reinforcement of the things I’ve learned of other peoples’ experiences.