already surrounded by this mad city, the caterpillar goes to work on the cocoon, which institutionalizes him he can no longer see past his own thoughts. he's trapped. when trapped inside these walls, certain ideas take root, such as going home, and bringing back new concepts to this mad city. the result? wings begin to emerge, breaking the cycle of feeling stagnant. finally free, the butterfly sheds light on situations the caterpillar never considered. ending the internal struggle. although the butterfly and the caterpillar are completely different, they are one and the same. before we get started, i just want to say thank you for not spoiling anything for me. these last couple months since i listened to Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers have been insane i got a lot more comments, a lot more views, a lot more eyes than i originally anticipated, and i'm just grateful that i came across the right group of people who are encouraging me to listen to this rather than gatekeeping or spoiling, so. ok. i dont know i've been procrastinating all morning, it's been like an hour that i've been sitting here; let's just, um, yeah. let's just get started. i don't think i've yet heard a hip-hop album start off with funk, and funk in a minor key at that. Despite upbeat lyrics about Kendrick's egocentric success, the instrumental is leering, like a warning that Kendrick should never let his guard down. oh my god. okay. the bass: insane, and i just saw that it was produced by thundercat so, not surprised. wow. ok capitalism thrives on the exploitation of the lower classes. Uncle Sam, or U.S. capitalism, was built on racism and slavery. at the same time, it seems like kendrick is making an allusion to the pimping of musicians by the music industry. i get that the chorus is supposed to be about his relationship with music, but the last couple lines are still unclear to me. "Bridges burned and what for", is he referring to cutting ties with his "old life"? to pursue music, he had to leave Compton, a decision he later comes to regret. ok, i think that he's referring to... wasn't it dre that he went to record Compton? and they just got along so quickly and started recording. if it wasn't dre, i'm just going to cut that out of the edit. but i really like that messaging. a lot of spotlight, mine included, like even though mine is not nearly to the reach of Kendrick, but it's mostly luck which does have a lot to do with being in the right place at the right time but once you get it, keeping it is really hard. that's why you should never take things for granted, and that's why you should always try your best. ok, maybe it might help to know who wesley is.. because this song is called Wesley's Theory, so... woah. stacked portfolio i'm guessing what's relevant to the song, though, is that he was sentenced to jail for.. oh my god... 23 million dollars in federal tax liabilities wow! Anna Wise and Whitney Alford on that outro. I can already tell, this is gonna be so much to dive into... oooh this track seems to be a tongue- in-cheek commentary of the state of modern society, with Kendrick poking fun at the many ways in which people are willing to compromise their principles to get ahead. holy shit it's extremely sharp and witty, covering a wide range of topics in a short span of time. it's information overload on top of playfull jazz polyphony. ahhh. oh my god. i feel like i have to listen to that at like 0.5 times speed seriously, thank you for not spoiling this for me, i had no idea this was going to be so jazzy... imagine him giving that, like, live?? oh my god the funky beat and the call and response between Kendrick and the backing vocals are just so fun. this one was played out at the steppers tour, and i had only listened to it once at that point, but i could still participate and be one with the crowd. oh my gawwwd kendrick noted that the beat of King Kunta is from "Get Nekkid" by Mausberg, another Compton kid, but his life was cut short before reaching his full potential when he was shot and killed at age 21. One thing I'm loving about hip hop is that it uses a lot of samples, inspiration, and tributes; it's really a melting pot of art and creativity. oh. it's kind of crazy how much he packs into this. i'm kind of scared for my comprehension skills. really putting it to the test oh that's so harsh mmmm much like how a butterfly can't go back to being a caterpillar after metamorphosis, you can't really go back to a normal life life after the immense fame and success Kendrick has experienced but just because Kendrick's life is better today, it doesn't mean that he can erase the 25 years he lived in Compton, a place rife with violence, gang politics, and abject poverty. Kendrick discusses systemic racism and discrimination and how it can deeply impact people within a community. He uses an example of a time he took his friend, another caterpillar from Compton, to the BET Awards while he was still "institutionalized," still in a poverty mindset, and looking for ways to pimp the butterflies at the event. wow, thank you snoop dogg. I think i also saw he just won something at the bet awards for Mr. Morale. Right? am i making that up? i dunno. I'm kind of confused about the title of this one because it's called "Institutionalized", i dunno i'm also scared of giving the wrong first impression, but... i guess that's kind of the point of this channel. it seems more like they're dreaming or romanticising what you could do with more money, and i dont know, and then maybe the chorus is like actually having money doesn't solve the problem, it depends on what you do with it. money solves a lot of problems so... especially in very low- income places, but you do still have to be responsible with it because if you're not and it's super easy, like, you've seen how money corrupts people, right it turns them greedy. i think he did also talk about that in DAMN a little bit. anyway. money solves some problems, causes a lot more i know i've mentioned this before, but Anna and Kendrick have the best creative friendship. i love seeing her name pop up here and there across the albums. mmm it completely flew over my head that the second verse is about the walls of the woman's vagina. I just took it as "these walls" of a hotel room, behind closed doors, because they weren't supposed to be together. if these walls could talk, it would shed light on their infidelity. oh, thundercat's on this one too what a mindfuck it is to switch from the woman's vaginal walls to the prison cell walls of the man she loves and is cheating on it really shows us some of Kendrick's lowest points, misusing his influence. oh my god i don't know why it keeps skipping the ends of songs, but he says "found myself screaming in a hotel room" and then he cries. i have the inclination to like. so usually- ok. so usually when i do these videos, i listen through first, give my first impressions, but this one is making me want to stop and research while i'm listening to it because a lot of it is flying over my head, and a lot of it i'm like huh i have a feeling that this is kind of similar to how he viewed sex in mr morale which is like.. i mean, specifically retaliation, but through this other girl with her whole situation and him, i don't know if that makes sense. anyway, so as i'm listening to this it's making me want to go and do research, i want to click so badly on these genius annotations but i'm gonna keep that for my shallow-dive afterward. kendrick has said that "u" was one of the most challenging songs he's ever written, but that it has also helped him heal he draws on his own guilt and his dark, internal thoughts and shows a side of him we've never seen before. Who would have thought that King Kunta, or King Kendrick, was struggling with self-hatred and suicidal ideation? oh my god oh my god oh my god this distortion and the panning he talked about this event a little bit in mr. morale, huh i don't remember the story exactly because it was like a one line, so i didn't dig too deep, but man. this really... this really got to him, huh and his voice the second half of the song, the one that really got me, has credits attributed to Whoarei, and there are tons of vocal intricacies from Bilal, Jessica Vielmas, and SZA, which i thought was interesting since i'm thinking of reacting to her stuff eventually oh my god. so many emotions in this one. like actual hatred. hatred for himself. "I know depression is resting on your heart for two reasons" that's so... oh my god oh, Pharrell is here it's always so jarring right after "u," but "Alright" is such a powerful and politically charged piece that resonated with many people protesting against police brutality and systemic racism at the time. The song's upbeat and energetic tone made it the perfect anthem and rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement. ohhh wohhhhhhh it was such a special, sacred moment for me when he played out this song at the Steppers Tour. I had only listened to it once at the time of the concert, but everyone around me knew it by heart; everyone was singing along. it was touching that i had tears welling up. i couldn't help myself. mmmm hohohoo oh my god oh my god. is this gonna keep building? like this spoken word oh, it does say poem. that's so creative. like just throughout the album, building this up. "the evils of lucy" i'm assuming Lucifer. this is such an uplifting song, especially right after "u" oh my god. and then this was the line that Fox news quoted and said that they didn't like it. i like it. i really, really like it. oh, wait he did a video with rick rubin? i will have to watch that later. this track feels like a dream sequence and it's so pretty with the temptations of lucy all around us. i don't know if it was intentional, but this song has a very shimmering quality to it, which is fitting given that the name Lucifer means "the Shining One" mmm :) hehehe this is so pretty the outro bells will randomly ring in my head, and i'll think it's real, expecting the poem to be read aloud in the most random places. on the metro, in the store, in my dreams... i didn't realise it on first listen, but many of the songs on To Pimp A Butterfly were inspired by a trip Kendrick took to South Africa, which he considers his motherland - Momma considering he didn't leave Compton until right around the time good kid, m.A.A.d city came out, this must have been a profoundly eye-opening experience for him. wow ohhh. oh my god, this actually reminds me of Mother I Sober which is kind of fitting because this song's called Momma But instead of "I know everything" i think it was "I feel everything" or "I heal everybody" i don't know if that's relevant or if i'm just pulling from thin air but that's my immediate thought. aww hehehe part two on a personal note, even though i don't feel super attached to my Asian heritage, I have definitely felt the need to connect to my roots. i think it's part of growing up and realising the world is bigger than what you're surrounded by right now. wow ohhh, the fade out. man. this description is so endearing. like, you can tell that meant a lot to him ohhh what i took from this song is that it's going to be difficult to make change, and as Rolling Stone put it, "Shit is fucked up from Compton to Congress." demo-crips and re-blood-icans. wow its crazy that he made that work. i'm confused though, he said he doesn't want to talk politics but i've heard him speak a lot about politics including now. i wonder if that's just like. i don't know i feel like the main message, at least while i was growing up was like 'oh i hate politics, i hate talking about politics' but now that im older, everyone's realising 'oh, politics are kind of everything' so you have to pay attention now. oh i had never heard the term "conscious rap" before researching this album. this subgenre is known for addressing social issues, political themes, and personal struggles. i think this is something i'd like to dive more into, so if you have other artist suggestions who do something similar, let me know J. Cole, Common, and Tupac seem to be other popular conscious rap artists. hmmm wow some people have asked, and there are a few reasons why i hadn't heard of kendrick lamar before this series. but the most relevant one is that i was raised in a religious household and was repeatedly warned to stay away from rap music because it was "devil music" and that certainly wouldn't help me grow spiritually. but, actually, the more i get into it, the more i believe that these stories and experiences are critical for people to discuss and hear about. i was re-listening to this song while on a walk, and i felt like the beat and the horns made it a million times more dramatic. this song challenges the notion that material wealth is the most important measure of a person's worth and instead argues that true value comes from empathy and compassion. woah exodus 14 is the story of the Israelites' escape from slavery in Egypt. They're trapped between the Pharaoh's army and the Red Sea, afraid that they will be killed. but God chose Moses to lead, asked him to put his faith in Him, and worked through him to part the Red Sea so the Israelites could cross to freedom. i do really appreciate when i can follow along and it's just one story instead of a million things so i think the allusion to exodus 14 is meant to foreshadow god's selection of kendrick as a leader and the subsequent use of Kendrick's voice, talents, and platform for good. and yeah. i did dust off my trusty Old Testament to look up the scripture. wow. plot twist! wow! i kind of felt like something like that was going to happen because he was putting so much emphasis on this guy that was asking for a dollar, but. also i feel like it's not that uncommon of a story. sometimes it's the- not the opposite, but like instead of god, it would be a witch, right? who would curse you, i mean the story has been told before. but still told very beautifully. i like that one a lot. i was so silent for the next three tracks during my initial reaction i am so sorry. well, at least we have the voiceovers right? the first time i heard the saying "10 toes down" was on Flower Boy. and apparently it just means to be incredibly committed or devoted to something. For this one, i was really trying to understand how Complexion would fit in the greater narrative, and I like Dissect Podcast's interpretation that Kendrick was humbled by what happened with God and used the next few tracks to speak to his community. I'm glad Kendrick brought Rapsody on to lend her powerful voice to this song. She adds a new layer of depth and emotion that speaks directly to Kendrick's intention to address the impact of skin tone on young black women. beauty is more than skin deep, and that's something that's emphasised by the soulful soundscape and the layering with the background vocals. wow let me know if i'm wrong on this one, but i think Complexion and The Blacker The Berry are foils to each other. both are about race and the colour of your skin, but Complexion is framed more upliftingly, embracing the colour of your skin. The Blacker the Berry depicts Kendrick's own experience with more aggressive frustration. Not only is there colorism within the community, but there is also racism across the entire spectrum of skintones and a long history behind it ouugh the overdrive, beat, and powerful bass line set up the perfect backdrop for Kendrick and Assassin's expressive features. As soon as he heard about Trayvon Martin, 16 years old, being shot and killed, he was inspired to write this song. i remember that it caused such an uproar; it was all too real for many black people in america, kendrick included. holy shit and that tension and release, the building and the explosion, the actual goddamn mic drop. speechless. hmm my chest is literally so tight right now. ahhhhhh the transition to this breather track was beautiful in contrast i mostly just sat there and mulled over what i'd just experienced in the previous song. i think the cohesive tie-in to the album is that it's based off of a song by Tupac called "lie to kick it" and it's his matured outlook on how he was, let's say at age 16, and exploring "the art of peer pressure," though sonically it reminds me more of "Real" hmm it's a very explicit track that says, despite peer pressure to act or look a certain way, you should be honest and authentic in your actions and words and stay true to yourself hmm? oh my god the antithesis of "u," kendrick is celebrating self-love and self-acceptance. he encourages others to embrace themselves as they are, as he is learning to do himself. oh oh that piano i saw a lot of Outkast and André 3000 comparisons to this song especially when the original single was released before the rest of the album. i feel like i'm going to have to check out André at some point because he keeps popping up on these things and Outkast seems like a hip hop classic i should listen to as well. mmmm kendrick said he wrote "i" as an uplifting message for his imprisoned friends, but he also wrote it for himself to keep negative thoughts at bay. oh my god oh my god wow, i learned something. wait it says album version, i don't know if there's another version, but i love that for "u" it was all about self-hatred and then "i" is just all self-love. i mean he broke up a fight, or a potential fight i guess and gave this whole speech. the duality on DAMN makes so much more sense uh, with this like... i feel like this was him testing the waters, right? and then flipping everything. ok last song 12 minutes long. oh my goodness. uh. buckle up i guess oh and you can totally see the growth like from "u" to "i" oh! and the duality in To Pimp A Butterfly, by the title itself why would you pimp a butterfly, you know? but from "u" to "i" he's also growing. oh. oh my god i can't wait to dive into this i think Mortal Man is the foil to the track "Savior" in Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers. There is a lot to be said about legacy, about leadership, and how everyone you look up to is still human. will you stand by them in even the worst light? celebrity worship is an intriguing concept. even an average person can be given more credibility and power overnight. it doesn't mean they will always be right or that you should always stand by them. your heroes are not your Saviors. though at this time, kendrick seemed to have a bit of a saviour complex. eat the rich that's a good question tupac has been mentioned so much in kendrick's albums that i really feel like i have to visit his discography. to emphasise his significance in his life, kendrick almost called the album To Pimp A Caterpillar, which could be shortened to 2PAC. he was his leader, and now he's gone. now he has to think for himself and be a leader for others. oh my god. wow. wow. yeah. what a masterpiece. i really.. i don't even know what to say right now, but definitely gonna be diving more into this and... oh. i feel lightheaded. and i just want to give a big thank you for your support on my channel this far. i don't really know what's next. i know everyone was really looking forward to To Pimp A Butterfly so i guess we'll see. if you like my first listen and my interpretation of the album, i would really appreciate if you checked out my new patreon. i launched it just a couple days ago, i'm really excited about it. it's just a place for me to offer you some backstage stuff and build a little bit more of a community, which i'm really looking forward to. so, not necessary, of course, but truly appreciated, and even if you can't spare just a dollar, i mean, how much a dollar cost um, no, but just watching my videos and leaving a comment especially leaving a comment, please leave a comment, i love reading comments. i really appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. so thank you, be safe, and be kind.
