Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly |OT| It's The American Dream

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Got depressed when he called for Pac and no reply.

The first time I heard it I thought he said "Pop!? Pop!?" and thought he was talking to his dead father that whole time (I have no idea if his dad is dead or alive). I didn't make the connection with the voice or anything like that until the 2nd playthru.
 
Love how in many tracks when listening with headphones, the vocals have a surround sound effect.

I also prefer the previous version of "i", more so because of the transition of voices when
"From a negative and letting them annihilate me
And it's evident I'm moving at a meteor speed
Finna run into a building, lay my body"
 
kendrick actually topped gkmc, no one thought that was possible

new "i" so much better
tbtb makes more sense now
mortal man
alright
the intros, the interludes/skits
momma
hood politics
intro to outro, all a1

when the shit hit the fan, is u still a fan?

god damn
 
I'm getting the feeling he has done something extremely special here. It's something we will be talking about yeArs to come and looking back appon as a turning point in the muisc industry.

It's just an exceptional piece of work
 
After like the umpteenth listen Im thinking the best songs on the album are as follows
How Much a Dollar Cost-5/5, Top to bottom perfectly executed and one of Kdot's best songs ever.
The Blacker the Berry-5/5
These Walls-5/5,The instrumentation on this one is incredible, the first 20 seconds of the beat feel like audio sex.
Mortal Man-4.5/5
Hood Politics:4.5/5
Institutionalized-4.5/5 Another sonically amazing track, the "zoom, zoom,zoom" part when the instruments kick sounds like some incredible floating on clouds shit and it's good enough to make you forget you just heard Ana Wise say "Massa take these chains off me"
The Snoop cameo is on point.
Complexion:4.5/5-Love the strings on this one and the Pete Rock cameo is appreciated.
King Kunta:4.5/5-Loving the funky beat on this one and the sardonic humour in kdot's lyrics.
 
Man, its so disturbing how These Walls's intro doesnt quite sounds like a woman having sex, the song reassures me about it but there is something unpleasant in the sound she is making, like childbirth/rape or something.
 
This just gets better and more affecting the more I listen to it. And, like gkmc it gets better the more I read about it. He's 3 for 3, and incredibly improving with each album.
 
Love how in many tracks when listening with headphones, the vocals have a surround sound effect.
My favourite application of this is on the last verse of These Walls. I was lying down in bed and it felt like Kendrick was hovering just above me.
 
Man, its so disturbing how These Walls's intro doesnt quite sounds like a woman having sex, the song reassures me about it but there is something unpleasant in the sound she is making, like childbirth/rape or something.

to me it's like the agony that they both feel before they ha-a-a-a-a-a-ve....SEX. that's why the buildup is like that. they are temporarily muting that pain by having sex, hence the drop into the song proper.

they aren't having sex for noble reasons, they're both trying to fill a void within themselves. they're both just trying to cover up the pain that they feel when they're not having sex.

Love how in many tracks when listening with headphones, the vocals have a surround sound effect.

yeah listening to this album with proper headphones is an experience. Institutionalized is the headphones jam for me too. the way Kendrick's voice on the first beat slowly goes through your head as he's talking about being trapped inside the ghetto and then the way the "zoom"s flutter around your head later. the production on this album is flawless.

WE SHOULDA NEVAH GAVE

WE SHOULDA NEVAH GAVE DEEZ NIGGAS MONEY

070F8KN.gif


you goddamn right

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxdZHXS8DN4

(also not sure if this nod specifically is included but almost every shout out to other artists on this album are artists that had some issues with fame, one way or another. dave had some serious issues with not wanting to do certain things for his show and had to dip out of the country for a while. I think Kendrick knows some evil fucking things that happen in the industry that he isn't able to explicitly talk about. hence the song part of mortal man.)
 
Man, its so disturbing how These Walls's intro doesnt quite sounds like a woman having sex, the song reassures me about it but there is something unpleasant in the sound she is making, like childbirth/rape or something.

I just want to point THIS out again in case anyone missed when I posted it a few days ago. The finger snapping, the piano, the chorus chant building slowly, the way the song starts, and even that particular inflection of moaning is all from the Smooth Criminal video (I'm not even sure if MJ wasn't already referencing something else as well). I'd say the odd pain/pleasure ambiguity is intentional.
 
oh and after hearing that one of the albums that they were listening to was Abbey Road I can definitely hear some Paul McCartney influence specifically on the bass in For Sale? both in the bass tone and the style of playing/note choices. the bass tone is a touch brighter and more percussive than Paul's warm tone but compared to the rest of the album it definitely stands out. good stuff.

These Walls slowly making its way as my favorite now.

yes! it kind of bugs me how much that beginning drop has grown on me haha.

she just wants to close her eyes and sway
with youuu
with youuu
with youuu


ever since the Colbert performance I've been loving Anna Wise
 
Honestly can't take that line as seriously as I should being that I'm instantly reminded of Chapelle's Prince skit.

I think that's intentional though. most of, if not all, of the shout outs and nods Kendrick has on this album are for people who struggled with the evils of the industry. Dave mysteriously left the country and did not fulfill his contract for the rest of Chappelle's Show. he clarified later that it was the stress of being a cash cow and being controlled. there's probably a bit more to it than that, I would imagine.

If I’m tried in a court of law, if the industry cut me off
If the government want me dead, plant cocaine in my car
Would you judge me a drug kid or see me as K. Lamar
Or question my character and degrade me on every blog


I think now that Kendrick is famous he knows some shit that can happen in the industry. when Chappelle dipped out of the country did we buy into the media's speculation that he was psychotic? or did we give him the benefit of the doubt as fans?
 
I think that's intentional though. most of, if not all, of the shout outs and nods Kendrick has on this album are for people who struggled with the evils of the industry. Dave mysteriously left the country and did not fulfill his contract for the rest of Chappelle's Show.

If I’m tried in a court of law, if the industry cut me off
If the government want me dead, plant cocaine in my car
Would you judge me a drug kid or see me as K. Lamar
Or question my character and degrade me on every blog


I think now that Kendrick is famous he knows some shit that can happen in the industry. when Chappelle dipped out of the country did we buy into the media's speculation that he was psychotic? or did we give him the benefit of the doubt as fans?

Good point, I didn't think of it like that. I knew Dave had dealt with some major shit from CC during his run, but didn't connect the dots here.
 
Good point, I didn't think of it like that. I knew Dave had dealt with some major shit from CC during his run, but didn't connect the dots here.

Lucy just want your trust and loyalty
Avoiding me?
It's not so easy I'm at these functions accordingly


this album deals with some shit. Kendrick basically implicates the entertainment industry for being evil.
 
The production itself and sound of his voice are good enough
Shit, sometimes people don't even catch the words.

I'm a white Australian. Kendrick's lyrics are so succinct that you gain part of an understanding of the situation. The things Kendrick's dealt with due to his race/geography are relatable to things most of us have felt to some degree. Low pride, no direction in life, hopeless. I fully support everything Kendrick says based on his story.

And there's truth to be gained by anyone. Respect yourself or you'll get none. Greed stinks. Love the underdogs. Persevere. That doesn't require much prior knowledge--it's all in the songs.

I know what American blacks have dealt with only based on the stories they've told in rap and on the news, but that's enough to empathize, feel some of that hurt and anger. That makes it even more appreciable on top of it's music, his flow and the album's lyrical cohesiveness.

I don't think it's generally a problem. That said, there's a pretty damn thorough deconstruction of the album's lyrics here you can use. Might require a scant bit of Wikipedia work outside of that but nothing too serious.

I'm not from the US and I can still find so many things in this album that I can relate to.

Gotcha; thank you.
Good ol' Rap Genius. :D
 
Lucy just want your trust and loyalty
Avoiding me?
It's not so easy I'm at these functions accordingly


this album deals with some shit. Kendrick basically implicates the entertainment industry for being evil.

Frightening, so fucking frightening
Enough to drive a man insane, a woman insane
The reason Lauryn Hill don't sing, or Kurt Cobain
Loaded that clip and then said bang, the drama it bring is crazy


This was in hiipower.
 

Frightening, so fucking frightening
Enough to drive a man insane, a woman insane
The reason Lauryn Hill don't sing, or Kurt Cobain
Loaded that clip and then said bang, the drama it bring is crazy


This was in hiipower.

yep. scary shit for sure and now with his fame Kendrick has seen first hand how scary it can be.
 
I fucking love this Album - from what i have read before listening it i had mixed feeling and thought Kendrick would stray away to far from what he is known far...but its the opposite, thats exactly the kind of LP i expected from an artist like Kendrick.

Album is getting better with every re-listen. I am at 3-4 times now, keep pushing the format.

My favorites so far:

The Blacker the Berry
u
King Kunta
How much cost a Dollar
Mortal Man
Hood Politics

Gotta hit rapgenius this weekend, havent had time for it yet but its probably needed for that LP.
 
Honestly can't take that line as seriously as I should being that I'm instantly reminded of Chapelle's Prince skit.

you mean Rick James

I think now that Kendrick is famous he knows some shit that can happen in the industry. when Chappelle dipped out of the country did we buy into the media's speculation that he was psychotic? or did we give him the benefit of the doubt as fans?

Man I remember everyone calling Dave crazy when he did that. They even did on the show.
 
we should never ate
we should never ate
Prince's pancakes go back home
pancakes go back home

see I was thinking of the Chapelle skit where he shouted "they should have never gave you nigga's money!" while crawling on the floor and I was assuming he was nodding to Rick James struggle in the music industry and perhaps drug problems.
 
see I was thinking of the Chapelle skit where he shouted "they should have never gave you nigga's money!" while crawling on the floor and I was assuming he was nodding to Rick James struggle in the music industry and perhaps drug problems.

You're right, I meant Rick James from the beginning. It was that exact line and scene I had in mind as well. Thanks for the correction!
 
Wesley's Theory is underrated. I think it's my favorite track after Institutionalized and How Much A Dollar Cost. King Kunta is hot fire.
 
see I was thinking of the Chapelle skit where he shouted "they should have never gave you nigga's money!" while crawling on the floor and I was assuming he was nodding to Rick James struggle in the music industry and perhaps drug problems.

yeah I know that was a joke ;p


and I think he's also referencing Dave Chappelle and how he left Chappelle's Show and the country mid-production because he felt like he was being milked and controlled. the media tried to spin it like he was psychotic but he was not.

when shit hits the fan...
 
This album has officially surpassed gkmc for me. There is no way I thought this would be possible, this man already has two classic studio albums in his early career
 
You're right, I meant Rick James from the beginning. It was that exact line and scene I had in mind as well. Thanks for the correction!

yeah I know that was a joke ;p


and I think he's also referencing Dave Chappelle and how he left Chappelle's Show and the country mid-production because he felt like he was being milked and controlled. the media tried to spin it like he was psychotic but he was not.

when shit hits the fan...

god dammit. -_-

lol! I thought I missed a verse or something. But reading back clearly it was a joke.... I need coffee...
 
god dammit. -_-

lol! I thought I missed a verse or something. But reading back clearly it was a joke.... I need coffee...

haha no worries man. I drink about 4 cups every morning so I feel you ;p


I would have also shit a brick laughing if that was actually a verse on the album

kenny, remix pls
 
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