Kendrick Lamar has a lot to say about the state of politics, inequality, and being Black in America and worldwide, and he doesn't waste a single second on these tracks talking about these topics. Now that I've heard this entire album, I feel even stronger: there is nothing else quite like this album. I was absolutely wowed by the message and the production I had never heard anything like it. I remember the first time I heard Wesley's Theory. Shoutout to everyone involved in this project. Every song is a treat and every moment is executed flawlessly. Whichever way you slice it, there isn’t a single bump in the road here, nothing to take your mind away from the overwhelming musical explosion that’s happening in front of you. From its unbelievable jazz-influenced production, its seamless use of nearly every theme hip hop has come to know and love (which, lyrically, Kendrick took to the umpteenth), all the way to its narrative flow, including a poem that grows throughout the album to eventually culminate in a facsimile conversation he’s having with TUPAC SHAKUR. The sheer magnitude of what this album is doing throughout its playtime is some of the most marvelous music making we as humans have put to wax.
To Pimp a Butterfly sets itself apart from all of those. Seismic eruptions in the game, from The Chronic to Illmatic to Aquemini, are all vital pieces of art that will be respected for years to come. The artists involved over the years have pushed the genre to its breaking point, changing the definition of hip hop year to year, and sometimes month to month. Hip Hop has come quite a ways since its inception. Every time I started to get drawn in by a creative arrangement or an original musical idea, I'd get pulled out by Kendrick's tedious raps or by a track which tried to get by solely on production tricks.It's frustrating, but at least there's some ambition here. Sometimes, the tunes are basic and boring-at other times, they point at the complexity and interest that's possible in hip hop. Kendrick Lamar is a poor lyricist and barely an okay rapper. The production is consistently first rate. In terms of quality, To Pimp A Butterfly is all over the map. Broken rhythms, choral elements which cut against the rhythms, production tricks, subtractive strategies straight out of Stockhausen, evocative use of jazz samples, and for once Kendrick Lamar has an interesting subject, although he doesn't approach it with much insight or grace or wit. Can't fault the production-lots of bells and whistles, but it isn't enough to sustain interest.The album recovers nicely with Institutionalized. This tune has a driving rhythm and bass line, but it's pretty darned straightforward musically. The next cut King Kunta takes several steps back in terms of complexity and interest. Boring, but musically it's interesting.Oh, okay, I thought I was losing my mind. The rap is the usual bitches and money whinging. It's legit modern jazz with hip hop influenced drums. Again uncharacteristically, the music that underscores the interlude that follows isn't tossed off. More to the point, it's tastefully arranged and its interesting. You could listen to this track a dozen times and not catch everything. It's a pity the lyric content isn't more interesting, but you can't have everything. A sinuous synth bass is interwoven with a chorus that cuts against the primary rhythm (I'm hearing the influence of George Clinton here), the main rap, seemingly arrhythmic Fender Rhodes tinkling, horn hits, and so on.
Thankfully, the lame and childish attempt to parody early seventies soul only lasts a few seconds before a knotty swaggering rhythm kicks in. I'm always complaining about how basic most hip hop and rap is, but you can't easily level that criticism at To Pimp A Butterfly.
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