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Music's effect on listeners can be difficult to measure. "If you see everybody dying because of what you saying, it don't matter that you didn't make them die, it just matters that you didn't save them." "If we really are saying rap is an art form, then we got to be true to it and be more responsible for our lyrics," Tupac told Vibe in 1995. It's a similar conclusion that rapper Tupac - Lamar's idol and one of only a handful guests who shares vocal duties on the album - once came to before the end of his life. He decides he must lead by example, and determines that a traditional hip-hop example is flawed. "Uneducated but I got a million-dollar check, like that." But Lamar's own conclusion is that he must use his fame to spread knowledge and offer solutions to the problems his community faces. He plays out a parody of what he sees as hip-hop's lionization of wealth and violence on the album's opening track: "When I get signed homie I'mma buy a strap / Straight from the CIA, set it on my lap / Take a few M-16s to the hood / Pass 'em all out on the block, what's good?" he raps. That's the sort of influence Lamar is tearing down on To Pimp A Butterfly. Sociologists and media figures have long blamed the genre's glorification of drugs, guns and violence for encouraging delinquency in the black community. Hip-hop, specifically, played a big role in Michael Brown's case, with a New York Times obituary suggesting that Brown's hip-hop aspirations somehow factored into the youth's untimely end. So we ain't got time to waste time." Conversations about race and race relations have hit a cultural spotlight in a big way after the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner last year. 5 Native American Women U.S.Hip-hop's responsibility. "How many niggas we done lost bro? This, this year alone," Lamar asks on the outro to "i." "Exactly.Explore Your Creative Side During NaNoWriMo.Sign up for email notifications about fresh content. Posted in Movies and Music | Tagged with grammy awards, hip hop and music Photo in body of post: Kendrick Lamar Pulitzer 2018 portraits by Fuzheado via Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons license). He enjoys reading poetry, studying history as well as listening to and playing music in genres ranging from Jazz to Rap to Rock n’ Roll.įeatured image: Black and white photo of Kendrick Lamar by Batiste Safont via Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons license). With instrumental virtuosity, ingenious song writing and virtually every lyric in "To Pimp a Butterfly" being packed with meaning it is clear that there is a rap industry before this album and a music industry after this album that will never be the same.īenji is a senior at Bowling Green State University, pursuing his Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. While the message always comes first in this case, there is no way to win a Grammy without engaging the listener, which this album does incredibly with club hits, “King Kunta” and “Alright” as well as funk inspired songs like “Wesley’s Theory”. The audio autobiography is woven together by a poem Kendrick has written to explain the negative effects his career has had on his global outlook. The revolutionary rapper tackles themes of gang violence, systemic racism and personal identity, chronicling every step on his journey from poverty to success. However, it may come as a shock to some that rapper, Kendrick Lamar tops the list for this year’s Grammy nominations with a whopping 11 for his concept album "To Pimp a Butterfly."įeaturing an eclectic array of studio musicians, Hip hop has never before been used as such a fertile vessel for experimentation. In a year with so much turmoil in the headlines, it’s no surprise a record with a socially conscience message is up for album of the year. Albums to Adore: To Pimp a Butterfly Posted over 6 years ago by Andy LechlakĪudience: Parental Advisory – Explicit Content