UMG Vinyl Kendrick Lamar LP Record - To Pimp A Butterfly

para mi, de los mejores albums de la historia del hip hop vino en perfecto estado.

Another masterclass by Kendrick Lamar with this project that goes through all the phases. No damage to the vinyl and package

Kendrick Lamar has finally released the successor to his gigantic success and modern-day classic "Good Kid m.A.A.d City" (2012). Many people, myself included, wondered how he could possibly match the enormous success of GKMC. After all, it was widely-regarded as the best hip-hop album in years, and in my opinion is the greatest hip-hop album of the 2000's or 2010's. So it's impossible Kendrick could possibly find enough inspiration to match the masterpiece that was GKMC, right? Wrong. He proved that completely and utterly wrong with "To Pimp a Butterfly." From the opening sample of the album that quickly turns into a cacophony of old-school west coast G-funk assembling the bassline for the opening track, "Wesley's Theory," it's clear that Kendrick has taken an artistic turn since GKMC, which with some exceptions had a very modern hip-hop sound. P-funk legend George Clinton even laces the track with vocals to make the funk influence more conspicuous. After hearing the next song, the "interlude" (even though both interludes are decently long) "For Free?," it is apparent that this album's sound will be very funk- and jazz- heavy. "For Free?" really displays how Lamar is not at all looking for a mainstream audience with this album as it has Kendrick rapping in a scat-like form over a straight-up jazz backbeat. No bass, no catchy hook, just quick-hitting rapping of "This d*** ain't freeee" over saxophone, piano, and some jazzy percussion. "King Kunta" then displays a James Brown-esque groovy rhythm and "These Walls" combines some soul and funk with great vocals contributed by Anna Wise. While there are some tracks later on the album such as "Alright" or "Hood Politics" that have more traditional percussion-led hip hop beats, there is a major jazz and funk influence on the overall sound of the album. It also must be noted that a majority of the songs contain some sort of beat change mid-song to keep the listener on their feet and rarely ever able to get comfortable with the music. This is a complete 180 from GKMC, which from the first listen was very listener-friendly with its sound. Building on top of the unsettling effect of having so many beat changes within songs is the lyrical content of the album. Anyone that heard the single "The Blacker the Berry" knows that this album has some major racial and social themes running through it. While many concept albums fall victim to the church effect of coming off as too preachy, Kendrick is absolutely incredible at never coming off as haughty or self-righteous. He does this by acting more as a reporter than as someone that is above the topics he's talking about. This gift reminds me of how Nas was able to tell stories fairly objectively in his early career. A good example of this is the song "How Much a Dollar Cost," which is a story about Lamar's confrontation with a homeless person in South Africa. While many rappers may simplify the societal issue of homelessness by rapping something along the lines of "Steal from the rich, give to the poor, you're terrible if you don't support a homeless person," Kendrick takes us through the roller coaster of emotions he experiences in this confrontation that really give you the feeling that this is a true story. Furthermore, it allows the listener to connect to an experience with which they likely have had similar experiences in the past. Overall, I could go on for days and break down each track's brilliant complexity lyrically/sonically, but I'll save that for professional music critics, and I'll just say that: The lyrics on this album explore a huge bevy of societal issues along with personal struggles giving insight into Kendrick's not-so-perfect life ("u"). What I love about it is that he explores how messy and seemingly impossible these problems are to solve, but resolves the album with a track like "i." The message is very similar to MLK Jr. or Gandhi's "Be the change you wish to see in the world," and this isn't even to mention the two beautiful poems that interweave throughout the album and wrap up its themes incredibly well in the final track, "Mortal Man." It's great that such a big artist is so focused on providing a positive message for the countless youth that listen to his music. And he still displays artistic brilliance while doing so. Another instant classic for King Kendrick!

Anche se il mio album preferito è Mr. Morale (per me un 10/10) Capisco perché è così da critica e pubblico (per me è un 9,75/10). È un album con dei testi profondi e delle rime fantastiche, con una jazz che rende il tutto più spettacolare. E non mancano neanche le hit. Alright è un singolo fantastico. Kendrick è un grande

Nie ta płyta którą zamówiłam