EFFUSIVE PRAISE FOR KENDRICK LAMAR'S SOARING TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY
The initial critical reaction to Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly has been uniformly rapturous. Some examples:
ABC News: "This whole album is about survival in the face of hardship and the battle against societal underestimation. It is his view of what it is like to be black in this country.”
GQ UK: "Make no mistake—this is an extraordinary record, full of poignancy, power, emotion and incredible production.
USA Today: "Like Kanye West's monumental Yeezus in 2013, Lamar has made something that feels truly genre-shattering with Butterfly—further cementing his status as not only one of the most innovative rappers, but artists, of the moment."
Our own Michelle S.: “I was moved to tears by this album—it’s THAT emotional. TPAB is so cerebral that it may well go over a lot of heads, much like OutKast’s southernplayalisticadillacmuzik—NOBODY got that record when it came out, which is why the group didn’t actually “break" until they dropped ATLiens. Their production was so future-forward, and Andre’s rhymes were such an intelligent observation about being black in Atlanta that the masses, all those white kid hip-hop fans, couldn’t relate. Same here with Kendrick; he’s so monumentally brave to make this album at this stage in his career. I think it will alter rap music.”
Even Yeezy himself was humbled by Kendrick's instant classic:
KENDRICK IS AN INSPIRATION. THANK YOU FOR THE VIBRATIONS AND THE SPIRIT. YOUR MEANING, MESSAGE AND EXECUTION ARE GIFTS TO THE WORLD.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) March 17, 2015
