Kendrick Lamar
To Pimp A Butterfly (Universal Music)
Breakdown: American rapper Kendrick Lamar has been hard at work recording his third album, To Pimp A Butterfly, and it’s finally here! The record has already spawned the smash hits ‘i’, ‘The Blacker The Berry’ and ‘King Kunta’ was streamed 9.6 million times in its first day on Spotify, setting the service’s global first-day streaming record.
How Many Good Tracks: 15 of the 16.
What I Liked: The one advantage Kendrick Lamar has always had was his ability to write some fantastic raps – and this album is filled with brilliant songs from start to finish. That, paired with some of the best hip-hop productions I’ve heard in a long time has made this record an instant classic. Kendrick added elements of jazz, pop and R&B and it’s great to see the rapper experimenting with genres that have had an influence on his life. Many of the themes on the album speak about race and how racism in America has hightened over the past few years – making this album incredibly relevant as well.
What I Didn’t Like: The album is a bit depressing at times and that is not what I most look forward to when listening to a hip-hop album.
Best Track: Alright
Rating: 5/5
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