The Cultural Significance of Kendrick Lamar's "To Pimp A Butterfly"

 

A narrative concept album tells a message, but a thematic concept album shows that message through a theme. Kendrick Lamar's 2015 revolutionary masterpiece, To Pimp a Butterfly, does both. TPAB is possibly the most significant and one of the best albums of the 2010s. It tackles political commentary and personal themes concerning Black culture, racial inequality, and institutional discrimination. Lamar addresses how society views and treats African Americans, while explaining his own experiences and struggles. Musically, TPAB incorporates hip-hop, jazz, blues, soul, and funk, demonstrating a pallet of Black history sounds. Lamar creates an everlasting, thematic project which highlights the fusion of art and protest and lyrically alludes to deeper meanings of African American issues. 

TPAB's significance can be broken down into four parts. Firstly, Lamar releases his LP in a time of renewed Black activism and the Black Lives Matter movement. The album is looked upon as motivation for Black activism and a unique expression of important themes that hasn’t been addressed before in music. Secondly, Lamar focuses his album not only on Black empowerment, but also on the importance of understanding how social constructs such as race and color have affected society. Thirdly, most impressively, Lamar touches dense social and political commentary in a way that appeals to the youth. Yet, glorified themes of violence and inequality flow through the album, so do ideas of optimism and hope. And lastly, TPAB is an important thematic concept album of the 2010s, which demonstrates themes and strong messages that flow throughout the whole album. 

Lyrically, Lamar expresses his emotions, thoughts, and commentary in a truthful way that does not hold back. The songs on TPAB prove that he is supportive of the Black Lives Matter movement and comprehends the importance of Black history and the continuation of protest. "King Kunta" concerns the history of negative stereotypes all African Americans have to reconcile. "These Walls" is a metaphor about the power of peace. And "Alright" is a direct rally cry for the Black Lives Matter movement: a message of hope. TPAB also addresses the political turmoil of the police brutality controversy. Yet again, "Alright" preaches positivity and reassurance that better times are ahead. Additionally, although "The Blacker the Berry" is dark, it communicates the troubles African Americans still face today like police brutality. 

The song "i" plays on the idea of Black self hatred and elements of positivity, Black love, and redemption. Plus, “Institutionalize” answers social questions like how cultural background plays a role in personality and one’s future life. However, I think the most powerful song is "Mortal Man," which consists of a conversation between Lamar and late Tupac Shakur; It's only fitting for an influential hip-hop artist of a past generation to engage in a dialogue with Lamar to develop a powerful voice for this generation. 

The title and cover art influences a fantastic album to become even more iconic, and TPAB does this very well. The album is called To Pimp A Butterfly to demonstrate that the music industry ‘pimps out’ artists to produce whatever kind of music the industry wants at a point in time. Nonetheless, Lamar goes against this standard and creates his own music. The album cover art on TPAB also strikes as an importance. The art depicts a group of primarily Black men and children celebrating in front of the White House. At their feet lies a White judge with his eyes crossed out, presuming he’s dead. The image represents the hard work of Black activism and the closing of the gap between Blacks and Whites. Another interpretation of the cover art symbolizes Obama’s invitation of hip-hop and blackness into the White House. 

TPAB’s cultural and social impact continues to thrive today. The rise of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 reminds listeners to continue to protest and activize. The album has aged very well, as fans and listeners continue to preserve its importance and meaning. Lamar expresses his blatant emotions and puts his everything into this album. To Pimp A Butterfly will be remembered for decades as a crucial symbol of Black empowerment and one of the most significant albums in music.