Kendrick Lamar

Hip-Hop · 2009 · 16 tracks · 1h 6m

Kendrick Lamar

A young rapper shedding his alias to find his true voice over dusty soul samples, warm Rhodes keys, and raw, deeply personal West Coast storytelling.

This is the exact moment Kendrick became Kendrick, rapping his heart out over beautiful, dusty soul loops.

An ambitious, deeply reflective hunger wrapped in warm, nostalgic soul loops.

Kendrick Lamar · vs · Kendrick Lamar

Medium Energy-1.1σ

It runs notably cooler and more held-back than this artist's baseline.

Tracklist · 16 Tracks · 1h 6m

01

Is It Love

4:00

02

Celebration

3:51

03

P and P

4:42

04

She Needs Me

3:31

05

Iam

1:20

06

Wanna Be Heard

4:37

07

I Do This

4:08

08

Uncle Bobby and Jason Keaton

4:00

09

Faith

4:51

10

Trip

3:50

11

Vanity Slaves

4:15

12

Far from Here

3:53

13

Thanksgiving

3:39

14

Let Me Be Me

7:19

15

Determined

4:31

17

Uncle Bobby and Jason Keaton

4:00

Moments Worth Waiting For

The sudden, raw emotional shift on 'Wanna Be Heard' where the drums drop out to let his desperate hunger for artistic recognition take center stage.

The warm, jazzy horn loops on 'She Needs Me' that contrast beautifully with his sharp, conversational flow.

The heavy, storytelling-driven narrative of 'Uncle Bobby and Jason Keaton' where the sparse, dusty beat leaves room for vivid family portraits.

Sits BesideSee all

Overly Dedicated

Overly Dedicated

Shares conscious hip-hop, analog_warmth, boom bap, raw (subgenre)

Jackman.

Shares conscious hip-hop, boom bap, raw, vulnerable (signature)

The Confidence of Knowing

The Confidence of Knowing

Shares conscious hip-hop, jazz fusion, analog_warmth, boom bap (signature)

The Crossroads

Shares conscious hip-hop, analog_warmth, boom bap, vulnerable (signature)

Truly Yours 2

Shares conscious hip-hop, jazz fusion, boom bap, saxophone (subgenre)

Confidential

Shares conscious hip-hop, jazz fusion, analog_warmth, boom bap (signature)

The Old Prince

Shares conscious hip-hop, jazz fusion, boom bap, vulnerable (signature)

Tragedy: Saga of a Hoodlum

Tragedy: Saga of a Hoodlum

Tragedy Khadafi

Shares conscious hip-hop, jazz fusion, boom bap, saxophone (signature)

B4.DA.$$

Shares conscious hip-hop, jazz fusion, analog_warmth, boom bap (subgenre)

Chapter One: Testing the Waters

Chapter One: Testing the Waters

Shares conscious hip-hop, boom bap, stripped_back, lo_fi (subgenre)

Reviews

The Guardian4/ 5 stars

“As angry as Kanye, as funky as D’Angelo, more self-flagellating than Drake and as righteously cosmic as Erykah Badu, Kendrick Lamar’s latest album does not disappoint”

Under the Radar

“To Pimp a Butterfly is Lamar firmly embracing his place at the pulpit, looking into himself and out into the world simultaneously, and using his influence to paint a powerful, enduring picture of the black American experience”

Spin10/ 10

“This album is mandatory listening”

musicOMH

“To Pimp A Butterfly’s combination of expansive scope and microscopic detail may come as something of a revelation”

Rolling Stone4.5/ 5 stars

“A densely packed, dizzying rush of unfiltered rage and unapologetic romanticism, true-crime confessionals, come-to-Jesus sidebars, blunted-swing sophistication, scathing self-critique and rap-quotable riot acts”

The Quietus

“To Pimp A Butterfly stands as a fearless and uncompromising manifestation of Lamar’s desire to push the culture of rap forwards”

Pitchfork9.3/ 10

“A celebration of the audacity to wake up each morning to try to be better, knowing it could all end in a second, for no reason at all”

Exclaim!

“Will likely be one of 2015’s most discussed, dissected and debated album releases, regardless of genre”

NME8/ 10

“Has Lamar followed a classic with another classic? Not quite, but in laying his demons and his contradictions bare, he has stayed true to his formidable talent”

The Line of Best Fit

“Uncompromising, thoughtful, and with enough buried complexities to keep people arguing for years to come”

AllMusic5/ 5 stars

“To Pimp a Butterfly is as dark, intense, complicated, and violent as Picasso’s Guernica, and should hold the same importance for its genre and the same beauty for its intended audience”

Slant Magazine

“Lamar is also greatly invested in the post-rap sound he’s aligned himself with, which is another pointed departure from Good Kid, M.A.A.D City”

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