I feel like To Pimp A Butterfly is the album I wanted in 2014 as I watched so much racial fuckery explode across the country. Instead of directly addressing a laundry list of the things that have happened over the last few years, Kendrick turns his focus inside. Much like Richard Wright and a host of other black writers he's concerned with understanding his own soul, his vices, his weaknesses, and how they relate to his community as a whole.
It's an ambitious album that could have easily missed its target with overly preachy lyricism or a boring narrative. Kendrick avoids this by putting his contradictions on full display, refusing to provide direct answers to the questions he raises, and rocking over some truly amazing production. The album touches nearly every aspect of black music with effortless precision. The funk of Wesley Snipes, the slam poetry of For Free, the r&b vibes of You Ain't Gotta Life...you can't pull this off without being a great, versatile artist. Throughout the album he displays near perfect control of his voice as an instrument, bending and strangling it to whatever emotion is required.
I genuinely don't think there's a bad song on the album. More impressively, the standout tracks aren't just standouts - they're some of Kendrick's best songs. These Walls (which reminds me of Stevie Wonder), the Dilla-esque marvel that is Momma, Hood Politics, and How Much A Dollar Cost - Kendrick's best song, period. The depressing u, the rage of The Blacker The Berry...there are too many standouts here.
And then he tops it off with Mortal Man. I've been a 2pac stan since I was a kid, I cried when he died...and I have no qualms about admitting Mortal Man brought water to my eyes. As with GKMC I haven't really found any urge to skip the skits throughout the album, or the long dialogue on this particular track. And each time it hits me in the gut.
After GKMC I reserved my expectations for its followup. I figured it would be good, but didn't expect it to surpass or match GKMC. Yet the more I listen to TPAB the more I want to declare it superior. I'm not there yet, but I strongly believe its standout tracks are better, and the songwriting is better. And I prefer the organic production. Regardless both are two of the best rap albums of the last decade. Kendrick could have easily given us GKMC 2.0, and I doubt fans would be disappointed in that. Instead he gave us the rap Sign O The Times.
9.5/10
