The Compton Emcee’s Good Kid Ma.a.d City follow-up is a melodrama masterpiece of political and spiritual undertones, midnight jazz and self-reflection.
Kendrick Lamar’s studio albums are audio versions of Broadway-ready stage plays. To Pimp a Butterfly exemplifies cinema quality with an array of dramatic themes, like the poem that leads the narrative and ties each song together like fresh linen pinned to a clothesline.
The first track titled Wesley’s Theory that sampled the Boris Gardiner’s “Every Nigger is a Star” is a musical motif that provides knowledge about the financial inequities or issues that tend to lead black and brown people to federal prison due to the lack of knowledge on money management and economic empowerment.
“At first sight they love you/ but I just want to fuck,” rapped by Kendrick.
The Wesley's Theory record indicates the sought after finesse tactics that record labels utilize to lure artists by dangling persuasive offers before their eyes that they feel artists cannot refuse. Therefore, placing these artists, where the majority come from unfortunate situations, into bad contracts with labels is inevitably an act of being “pimped.”
The For Free? Interlude compliments the first track’s statement and aggressive funk production with a double entendre spoken-word piece, with a sprinkle of jazz, where it could seem like an argument between a man and a woman that’s in an unhealthy relationship about materialism that this woman needs to keep her satisfied and content.
However, the underlying theme of For Free? could also be understood as a fickle relationship between the record label and the recording artist, where artists can be considered expendable in an ever- changing industry.
Whereas, Kendrick gives an enraged response back “this dick ain’t free!” to demonstrate that he has values and morals that cannot be compromised with the most tempting offers this world can offer him.
How Much a Dollar Costs?
The production and the engineering that structured and gave Kendrick’s follow-up album haunting spirits of Suga Free’s Street Gospel, Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle, Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, and negro spirituals of the enslaved freedom runners. These rooted influences encompassed a journey—more like a séance to drive home the ideology that we must know where we come from to correct the generational curses of our past.
Nonetheless, the For Sale? Interlude exemplifies that with its seductive and attractive voiceovers wrapped in an alluring aroma of incense, dense smoke, and morning trumpets identical to a roosters’ crow. As appealing the For Sale? record is, Kendrick has made it apparent that not all things that glitter are gold.
When the pleasant voice of Lucy, which turns out to be Lucifer, is the subject Kendrick has been flirting with all along when she says, “I loosely heard prayers on your first album, truly Lucy don’t mind, ‘cause at the end of the day you’ll pursue me.”
The For Sale? Interlude is a significant piece to the mystery of this melodrama, as it coincides with the For Free? Interlude and gives a thrilling indication of how Kendrick’s value as a musician is just as significant as the person. The two interludes are the same. The intermissions are represent the choices or compromises that not only musicians take into consideration of their artistic integrity, but how people entertain unjust decisions that go against their virtue.
Kendrick’s climactic journey continues to unravel. Introspection tunnels through the Momma record when the tapping of instruments, like pots and pans, in the middle of an indigenous population gives the eerie arrival of Kendrick returning to the roots of where humanity started—Africa.
The Momma record is a detoxing method between the mother and her son, Africa, and Kendrick. The trip to Africa grounds Kendrick in a foundation of universal proverbs about racial identity, affiliation, and purpose that transcends from the indigenous areas of Africa to the ghettoes of Compton, California.
What drives this musical experience is the ambitious “coming to Jesus” undertones like the ‘u’ record that paints a profound, blackout moment of Kendrick expressing self-doubt over
rough-hitting jazz.
Revisiting harsh comments of his friends back home leads to survival’s guilt where he is leaving behind friends and family suffering at the hands of gang-related activities, incarceration, and substance abuse places a significant burden on him to contemplate suicide for being one of the few to make it out.
The ‘u’ track serves its purpose as a record deep-diving into the subconscious of Kendrick as he wrestles with the thought of living up to his standards of impacting lives through his music when he reverts to Section .80’s Keisha’s Song.
The record plays an intricate role where he discloses the time he sat down his 11-year-old sister and pressed play to this song that she did not connect with on a personal level which made him rethink his purpose when his inner voice whispers “you preach to 100,000 but never reached her . . . you ain’t no leader!”
The significance of the first half of the album is dark and eerie, demonstrating the struggle of faith, love, and respect for oneself is a true testament to self-love and soul- searching. Whereas, the second half of the album gives an understood notion of realizing his worth and his purpose and how he can help combat the issues that plague his community in Compton and universally when Kendrick states while breaking up a fight during a live version of i:
Did my homework fast before the government caught me
So I'm a dedicate this one verse to Oprah
On how the infamous, sensitive N-word control us
So many artists gave her an explanation to hold us
Well, this is my explanation straight from Ethiopia
N-E-G-U-S definition: royalty; King royalty - wait listen
N-E-G-U-S description: Black emperor, King, ruler, now let me finish.
Kendrick concludes the album with reminiscent foreshadowing when the entire poem he was reciting in couplets throughout the record is a poem he is reading to Tupac Amaru Shakur. The unheard voiceovers from Tupac surfaced from a 1994 interview with Mat Mileskär from a Swedish radio station Svergios Radio.
Hearing Kendrick interview Tupac is a change of the guard moment where two emcees, one from the past and another representing the future, discuss the fate of the poor and upper class.
“I think that n— is tired of grabbin' sh— out the stores
And next time it's a riot it's gonna be like, uh, bloodshed,” said Tupac.
Kendrick reciting the poem indicates not only a personal journey but an analyzation of the artist that he embodies spiritually, which is Tupac.
"I remember you was conflicted. Misusing your influence. Sometimes I did the same.
Abusing my power, full of resentment,” said Kendrick.
Although Tupac didn’t emerge into the ‘butterfly’ that coincided with his revolutionary lyrics because of his unfortunate demise to street violence, his mission to “spark the brain to change the world” reigned true when he posthumously spoke on Mortal Man.
“Because it's spirits, we ain’t even really rappin’
We just letting our dead homies tell stories for us,” said Tupac.
Well, with Kendrick carrying on the legacy of Tupac through his musical efforts that transcend into social action in the community, then Kendrick is the manifestation of a caterpillar that sheds from its cacoon, which is the Compton, Ca to use his talents for the greater good of the communities he represents.