It is a known fact the pressure to follow up with a critically acclaimed album adds an immense amount of stress to an artist. If you change directions, it throws people off; if you replicate the same sound, it type casts the artist. So how does one execute the follow up well? Kendrick Lamar’s third album, To Pimp a Butterfly does so with an unforeseen bravado that a lot of rappers need to take notes.
Kendrick, known to have very complex opinions on religion, life, race and music addresses these points throughput Butterfly. Butterfly finds Kendrick constantly addressing his struggles between “Lucy” (short for Lucifer) and his love for his “Father”. Butterfly also finds Lamar tacking other issues with an unmatched and eloquent confidence. He breezes through concepts such as Self-Love (“i”), Self-hatred (“Blacker the Berry”), and being one of the new voice of black climate (“Mortal Man”). Unlike many of his contemporaries that try to tackle these topics, Butterfly touches on these topics with a delicate urgency. Lamar takes his time to give all of the topics he address their due diligence. He spends less time talking about why he is the greatest and more time on how all his listeners can better themselves and achieve their own pinnacle.
Outside of the fantastic work that Lamar has brought to the table, the production is also one of the many highlights on Butterfly. Executive Producers Dr. Dre and Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith help Kendrick reach those creative high points without sounding contrived. “Institutionalized” takes a D’Angelo/Erykah Badu-esque beat with a tinge G-funk (with Snoop Dogg (The Dogfather of G-funk on the bridge), “For Free?” uses a Spoken Word forum, and things get slow down during How Much a Dollar Cost (with aid of Ron Isley and James Fauntleroy). Though a lot of the tracks on Butterfly aren’t really meant to heavily impact radio, it really is apparent that was not the ultimate goal when mixing the album.
The excerpt at the end of the album in which he is having a “conversation” with 2Pac is one of the most telling moments on Butterfly. The interview caps the whole album (specifically the title) together. Without having the parallel between the caterpillar and the butterfly, Butterfly may come off as unpleasantly disjointed. it’s always such a heavy statement to compare yourself to the immortals, in this case 2Pac, but Lamar strong execution to his convictions on Butterfly makes him one of the few contemporary musicians who can make the comparison.
Lamar himself calls the album “honest, fearful and unapologetic”. What makes Butterfly so compelling is that, Lamar and Co. had a roadmap set for this album and achieved everything without forgoing the social commentary. The lyrics dig deep, the beats are adventurous and Kendrick shows up for an album that will easily be remembered in high regard.
Rating: 10/10
Omar's Music Blog 
Yo would like to hear your thoughts on the Drake v Kendrick debate going into awards shows/if that is even a debate. How do you feel about the new Drake album?