Packed with jazzy, dreamlike production and staggering lyrical work, To Pimp a Butterfly finds Kendrick Lamar grappling with the weight of his newfound fameas a representative of his community and as a young black man.Through the funky menace of King Kunta, Lamar makes blistering reference to the protagonist of Alex Haleys Roots, while the feverish standout, The Blacker the Berry, sees him attack black-on-black crime with singular precision and ferocity.
Afterwards, producer Thundercat was brought into the process, after Flying Lotus brought him along to see Lamars performance on The Yeezus Tour. 13 The albums lead single, titled I, was produced by Rahki, who also produced a song for the album entitled Institutionalized. It was released on March 15, 2015, by Top Dawg Entertainment, distributed by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album was recorded in studios throughout the United States, with production from Sounwave, Terrace Martin, Taz Tisa Arnold, Thundercat, Rahki, LoveDragon, Flying Lotus, Pharrell Williams, Boi-1da, Knxwledge, and several other high-profile hip hop producers, as well as executive production from Dr. Dre and Anthony Top Dawg Tiffith. Guest appearances include Thundercat, George Clinton, Bilal, Anna Wise, Snoop Dogg, James Fauntleroy, Ronald Isley, and Rapsody. Lyrically, it features political commentary and personal themes concerning African-American culture, racial inequality, depression, and institutional discrimination. This thematic direction was inspired by Lamars tour of historic sites during his visit to South Africa, such as Nelson Mandela s jail cell on Robben Island. It was eventually certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sold one million copies in the US by 2017. Five singles were released in promotion of the album, including the top 40 hit I. It earned Lamar 11 nominations at the 2016 Grammy Awards, which was the most nominations for any rapper in a single night, including wins for Best Rap Album and an Album of the Year nomination. In the years following its release, several publications have named it one of the best albums of the decade. Touring the country and visiting historic sites such as Nelson Mandela s jail cell on Robben Island heavily influenced the direction of the record 2 and led to Lamar scrapping two or three albums worth of material. Regarding his visit to South Africa, Lamar said, I felt like I belonged in Africa. Probably one of the hardest things to do is put together a concept on how beautiful a place can be, and tell a person this while theyre still in the ghettos of Compton. I wanted to put that experience in the music. In addition, Lamar said, The idea was to make a record that reflected all complexions of black women. Kendrick Lamar To Pimp Skin Because ItsTheres a separation between the light and the dark skin because its just in our nature to do so, but were all black. This concept came from South Africa and I saw all these different colors speaking a beautiful language. Lamar wrote the lyrics to the song Mortal Man while on Kanye West s Yeezus Tour. During the whole tour, producer Flying Lotus played Lamar a selection of tracks that was intended for Captain Murphy s album (Flying Lotuss alter ego). Lamar kept all the tracks, but only opener Wesleys Theory, which also features Thundercat and George Clinton, made the final cut onto the album. Lotus had produced a version of For Sale (Interlude) that was ultimately discarded, with Lamar using Taz Arnolds version of the song on the album instead. Lotus stated that it is unlikely his version of the song will see a release. American rapper Rapsody appeared on the album, contributing a verse to the song Complexion (A Zulu Love). Lamar had requested that 9th Wonder contact Rapsody and request her appearance. Rapsody and Lamar discussed the song but there was little instruction from Lamar regarding her contribution. Speaking about the song, she stated that Lamar had already decided on the concept of the song and stated that the only instructions he gave were the songs title and the idea that.we are beautiful no matter our race but he really wanted to speak to our people and address this light versus dark complex. Reportedly, at one time it featured a guest appearance from American rapper Fabolous. The album went through three different phases before the production team could move forward with the idea. Afterwards, producer Thundercat was brought into the process, after Flying Lotus brought him along to see Lamars performance on The Yeezus Tour. The albums lead single, titled I, was produced by Rahki, who also produced a song for the album entitled Institutionalized.
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