Music: Poetic Lyrics Elevate “To Pimp a Butterfly”

Story by Ryan Fontenette-Mitchell, Reporter

West Coast rapper and Compton native Kendrick Lamar unveiled his new album “To Pimp A Butterfly” on March 15. Lamar’s poetic lyrics bring America’s issues to life with upbeat tracks, a heavy jazz influence and strong vocals.

Lamar shows growth from his previous album “good kid m.A.A.d city” by pushing listeners to think deeply about how they can bring about social change in America.

West Coast rapper and Compton native Kendrick Lamar unveiled his new album “To Pimp A Butterfly” on March 15. Lamar’s poetic lyrics bring America’s issues to life with upbeat tracks, a heavy jazz influence and strong vocals.

Lamar shows growth from his previous album “good kid m.A.A.d city” by pushing listeners to think deeply about how they can bring about social change in America.

The order in which Lamar lays out his tracks allows listeners to journey through his mind, experience thoughts and emotions. The album challenges popular views on politics and racism. It also addresses the depression and suicidal thoughts Lamar has faced.

In the song “Mortal Man,” Lamar includes audio from a 1994 interview with the last great king of Hip-Hop, Tupac Shakur.

In the interview, taken from Swedish radio show P3 Soul, Lamar realized the best way to reach out to teens and help them change the world is through music.

“In my opinion, only hope that we kinda have left is music and vibrations. A lot of people don’t understand how important that is,” Lamar said.

“To Pimp A Butterfly” should be listened to closely in order to discover its full meaning. Online music magazine Pitchfork has ranked the album No. 2 on its highest rated album of 2015 list. Parental advisory is on the album for use of profane language.

Courtesy picture by Hypebeast.com, Interscope Records,Top Dawg Entertainment