![]() ![]() They don't just exist they have a right to be appreciated and celebrated. Kendrick Lamar wrote this album in order to point out differences between colors. As Rapsody, featured rapper in “Complexion (A Zulu Love,)” puts it: “we all on the same team / blues and pirus, no colors ain’t a thing.” This can be difficult for a newfound man of means, especially when his connections from childhood could very well resent him for his success- and To Pimp A Butterfly is about this conflict, as well as the overwhelmingly ill-founded sentiment that any particular person, regardless of skin color, deserves anything less than what they want in this world. Lamar sees this as his obligation, his duty, now that he’s garnered the audience he has sought this whole time. He is aiming to make the voices of the oppressed louder. Now that Kendrick has found success, his main desire is to help raise up those who have helped him along the way. “You can live at the mall,” offers Lamar’s portrayal of Uncle Sam towards his successful rapper self in “Wesley’s Theory,” but this is not the future he wants. These songs are not just about skin color but about its implications- how, for instance, Lamar is treated by the music industry for being part of a culture that is hastily and thoughtlessly thrown in with one status symbol after another. Race is emphasized because it is relevant the surrounding inequalities, after all, single-handedly spawned rap in the first place. There’s no bigger topic on To Pimp A Butterfly than race relations- it’s something the 27-year-old rapper has focused on throughout his musical career. Kendrick Lamar writes his music about color. And the lyrical wonders Lamar works on top of all this is even more worthy of praise. Because of the wide array of contributors to ensure the album meets the emotional quotas Kendrick has set forth for it, every song possesses a distinctive identity, a different color fleshed out by its instrumentation. ![]() The blueprint of the sinister “U” is as laced with rife tension as its counterpoint “I” is abundant with jaunty self-confirmation. And for anyone who’s truly immersed themselves in To Pimp A Butterfly for the past week, this artistic feat seems more and more like cause to celebrate- the backdrop always suits the accompanying lyrical themes exceptionally well. This begins to explain why this album is so musically diverse- it flies from ‘70s-styled funk to neo-soul influences, all in accordance with Lamar’s personal visions. These particular hues, whether “purple” or even “light green,” dictated the moods deemed necessary for the themes at hand. According to Ali, Lamar demanded certain colors be created within the songs on To Pimp A Butterfly. “Lamar works synesthetically,” says audio engineer Derek Ali in the Compton-based rapper’s Rolling Stone feature out this month. Kendrick Lamar writes his music through colors. Review Summary: "We ain't even really rappin', we just letting our dead homies tell stories for us." ![]()
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