Sixteen tracks, chock-full of jazz, soul and funk, with the same storytelling elements, cranked up to the max. 

Editor’s note: This story includes a reference to suicidal thoughts.

The word “greatest” is thrown around a lot nowadays, whether it’s with sports, food, movies or music. But how do you quantify the greatness of something? Is it through numbers and statistics? Or is it through how it makes you feel in the moment?

On March 15, 2015, Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar released his third studio album, To Pimp a Butterfly. What a weird name for an album, right? Based off his previous releases, Section 80 and Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, fans expected another grimy, hard-hitting collection of songs, with his signature self-reflective storytelling mixed in with powerful lyricism. However, no one was prepared for what was about to hit them.

Sixteen tracks, chock-full of jazz, soul and funk, with the same storytelling elements, cranked up to the max. Much like his previous two albums, this one told a very real story that captured listeners’ attention for 78 minutes and 51 seconds. It told a story about how Lamar struggled to deal with the fame and attention he once sought. It showed a full-fledged movie about how the main protagonist, Good Kid, made it in the music industry only to be tempted by Lucifer, or Lucy, as he calls it. 

It deals with themes like greed, depression, resentment, guilt, vices, racism and understanding oneself, while trying to navigate superstardom. The album has a poem that progressively builds through the track list and serves as somewhat of a guide to what the listener can expect next. At the end of the album, you learn that Lamar is actually talking to an archived recording of Tupac Shakur, asking him for guidance.

Lamar’s raspy, shrill voice tells this powerful tale over some of the smoothest, funkiest beats that have ever been produced, with the likes of Thundercat, Pharrell Williams, Flying Lotus and more, all on production.

But it’s hard to explain why I think “To Pimp a Butterfly” is the greatest hip-hop album of all time, without breaking down the songs. So, that’s exactly what we’re going to do. Sixteen tracks, why I like them and why you should, too.

1. Wesley’s Theory (feat. George Clinton, Thundercat)

The opening track is named “Wesley’s Theory,” named after an African American actor, Wesley Snipes, who was famously sentenced to jail for tax evasion.

The song sets the tone of the album. It begins with an explosion into a funky beat, with Lamar boasting about his extravagant lifestyle that comes with fame and success. He had to leave his hometown, Compton, to pursue his music career — a decision that he would come to regret later on in the album.

There’s a bridge in the song where he raps as “Uncle Sam,” who represents American capitalism. “He” offers Kendrick the world but in the next verse, also says that he can see the dollar in him. That’s how the name of the album comes about. People in power “pimping,” or taking advantage of, those who are less fortunate, the butterflies.

“What you want, you? A house or a car?

Forty acres and a mule, a piano, a guitar?

Anything, see, my name is Uncle Sam on your dollar

M—f—,  you can live at the mall”

There’s a hint of what’s to come in the leering, almost ominous production. The instrumental is fast paced, unsettling, in a way. It’s like Lamar is doing too much too quickly and “Uncle Sam” is patiently waiting for him to fall into his trap.

2. For Fee? – Interlude

From funk to up-tempo bebop jazz, this interlude is just Lamar poking fun at the people who compromise on their morals to get ahead. His delivery on this song is sharp, quick, and witty.

It is one of the more light-hearted tracks on the album in terms of how it sounds, even though some of the lyrics are hard-hitting.

“Oh America, you bad b—, I picked cotton and made you rich”

A great way to lead into the next song.

3. King Kunta

“By the time you hear the next pop, the funk shall be within you”

We wanted the funk, and this song delivered it in abundance. Let’s be honest, most people have heard this song a million times, but you can’t help but bop your head to the infectious beat. The call-and-response delivery from Lamar and the back-up singers and the outrageous lyrics make this song an all-time classic. 

The title “King Kunta” is an oxymoron. Kunta Kinte was a slave who refused to accept the name his master gave him, which led to him having his foot cut off. The chorus has a line that alludes to the people around him wanting to cut off his legs, waiting for him to fail. Kendrick calls himself “King Kunta” – the king of Hip-Hop, but a slave to American society. The song ends with the first two lines of his poem “Another N—a” (To Pimp a Butterfly).

4. Institutionalized (feat. Bilal, Anna Wise, Snoop Dogg)

You can’t rewrite the past. This song is about change and having to accept it. Just like how a butterfly can’t turn back into a caterpillar after metamorphosis, Lamar has to accept the life he has now after becoming famous. Despite his fame and superstardom, the violence, gang culture and poverty that he’s been through will stay with him forever.

This song explores how people’s mindsets change after living in lower-income communities, and facing discrimination. Lamar uses his friend from Compton as an example of being institutionalized to this mindset.

“S— don’t change till you get up and wash your a–”

West Coast hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg is featured on this track and gives us some of his best work since the early 2000s. His buttery flow and relaxed delivery meld together with the smooth instrumentals.

5. These Walls (feat. Bilal, Anna Wise, Thundercat)

“If these walls could talk”

Probably in my top five songs of the album, this song has three main themes that it plays with, each being represented by walls. Lamar’s lyrics can be interpreted using any of the three. The walls in question are those of his conscience, a jail cell and a vagina.

Lamar brings out the double and triple entendres in this performance, with each verse fitting in perfectly with any of the themes. The lyrics deal with self-reflection, guilt, revenge, lust and seduction. Anna Wise’s feathery vocals are a perfect refrain to Lamar’s charismatic delivery.

The song is a head-bopper with a light, airy beat and Thundercat playing an almost psychedelic piano melody in the background.

6.  u

No, it’s not a mistake. That’s the name of the song and it’s probably the most vulnerable we’ve ever seen Lamar. He starts off the track by screaming at the top of his voice. It sounds like he’s lost and in pain.

“Loving you is complicated”

“You” is himself. Lamar talks about his struggles dealing with self-hatred and depression that led him to suicidal thoughts. He spends most of the song chastising himself for the decisions he’s made in life, drawing on his own guilt.

But as the beat switches, his anger suddenly changes to sorrow. Lamar’s delivery sounds like he’s on the verge of tears. He blames himself. For everything. The glasses clinking in the background, him turning to the bottle for answers.

“Shoulda killed yo’ a– a long time ago/

You shoulda felt that black revolver blast a long time ago/

And if those mirrors could talk it would say ‘you gotta go’/

And if I told your secrets/

The world’ll know money can’t stop a suicidal weakness”

Both the jazz instrumentals used in the production mirror how Lamar is feeling. The first one is frantic, the second one is melancholic. The song is both heartbreaking and real.

7. Alright (feat. Pharrell Williams)

“Do you hear me? Do you feel me? We gon’ be alright”

I don’t have much to say about this one. Everybody knows how powerful and important this song has become.

The one thing that I find interesting is that Kendrick calls back to the “Wesley’s Theory” bridge but replaces “Uncle Sam” with “Lucy” or Lucifer.

“What you want, you? A house? You, a car?

40 acres and a mule? A piano, a guitar?

Anything, see my name is Lucy, I’m your dog

M—, you can live at the mall”

The song shows Lamar still has faith he can get out of the dark place. The production is upbeat and a huge contrast to the previous track.

This is an anthem.

8. For Sale? – Interlude

This interlude is short but an important part of the story. The track starts with “Lucy” talking to Lamar, offering him the world. As he mentions in his poem, the evils of “Lucy” were all around him, and he is fighting with the temptation to give in.

The instrumental is ethereal, with bells chiming in the background. The track incorporates the poem as part of the final verse, with Lamar deciding to go back home to find answers.

9. Momma

This is my favorite song on the album. This track was inspired by Lamar’s trip to South Africa, which he considers his motherland – Momma.

Lamar talks about going back home to Compton and how it helped him in his journey to heal. It showed me how going back to your roots can help you deal with all the bulls— life throws at you. No matter how far away you are, just talking to someone from back home can bring you solace.

At times in my life when I felt like the world was against me, when it felt like I couldn’t do anything right, talking to my friends and family has been a way to ground myself. Living alone and fending for yourself in a different country can be a daunting task, but this song reminds me that I always have a place to call home.

“Thank God for rap, I would say it got me a plaque

But what’s better than that?

The fact it brought me back home”

For Lamar, going back reignited his passion for making music, and helped him escape from the evils around him. The song ends with “Lucy” frantically offering money and other luxuries in a desperate attempt to stay in his life.

10. Hood Politics

Another head-bopper that comes at a perfect time. This song is Lamar realizing and acknowledging his fame and what he means to the Black community.

“Streets don’t fail me now, they tell me it’s a new gang in town

From Compton to Congress, set trippin’ all around

Ain’t nothin’ new, but a flu of new Demo-Crips and Re-Blood-licans

Red state versus a blue state, which one you governin’?”

The bouncy beat and Lamar’s staccato delivery make this a fun song to listen to, even though he delves into a more politically charged subject matter. He talks about both national politics as well as the politics that happen in Compton gang culture.

11. How Much A Dollar Cost (feat. James Fauntleroy, Ronald Isley)

This song is a masterpiece – a work of art. From the haunting production to the lyrical genius in Lamar’s storytelling, this song has it all.

Lamar raps about how material wealth is fleeting and how empathy and compassion is where true value lies. He talks about a fictional encounter with a panhandler who asked him for a dollar. The song shows how much power money still holds in Lamar’s life and in society as a whole.

“He looked at me and said, ‘Your potential is bittersweet’

I looked at him and said, ‘Every nickel is mines to keep’

He looked at me and said, ‘Know the truth, it’ll set you free’

‘You’re lookin’ at the Messiah, the son of Jehovah, the Higher Power

‘The choir that spoke the word, the Holy Spirit, the nerve of Nazareth

‘And I’ll tell you just how much a dollar cost

‘The price of having a spot in Heaven, embrace your loss, I am God’”

Lamar’s lack of empathy comes back to bite him as it turns out that the panhandler wasn’t just asking for money but was testing him. The last line of his verse reveals that the panhandler was actually God in disguise.

12. Complexion (A Zulu Love) (feat. Rapsody)

This is probably one of my least favorite tracks on the album, not because it’s a bad song, but because it doesn’t really fit the story.

“Dark as the midnight hour or bright as the mornin’ sun”

Lamar talks about loving yourself in your own skin. He talks about self-esteem issues that people of color go through. Rapsody’s verse reinforces the theme, while talking about women with a darker skin tone.  The production is solid, with a strong bassline on a slower funky beat.

13. The Blacker The Berry

Rage. Pure unadulterated rage. That’s what this song is all about. It’s like Lamar almost uses the previous track as a foil for this one. 

He expresses his anger at the discrimination and oppression that his people have been subjected to while living in this country. He was inspired to write this song after the death of Trayvon Martin.

The production is menacing. It makes you want to break everything around you. You can feel the wrath of Lamar’s words.

“You hate me, don’t you?

You hate my people, your plan is to terminate my culture

You’re f–’in evil”

This is catharsis in song-form.

14. You Ain’t Gotta Lie (Momma Said)

The funk is back. Take a breath. We can all relax now. This track, again, is not one I come back to a lot.

“I could spot you a mile away

I could see your insecurities written all on your face

So predictable your words, I know what you gonna say

Who you foolin’? Oh, you assuming you can just come and hang

With the homies but your level of realness ain’t the same”

Lamar drew heavy inspiration from 2Pac’s song “Lie To Kick It” for this track. He reflects on how he dealt with peer pressure and fitting into his environment while growing up in Compton. It’s a decent song, but nothing special.

15. i

Again, this isn’t a mistake, it’s just the song title. This is Lamar’s lap of victory. The antithesis to “u.” He’s overcome the temptations and even though he still has his struggles, he’s learned to accept that it’s all a part of the process.

“I love myself”

This song puts a smile on your face. It’s upbeat, uplifting and triumphant with a really catchy guitar riff. It’s a celebration of what you’ve gone through and what lies ahead.

16. Mortal Man

“When s— hit the fan, is you still a fan?”

Another one of my favorites, Lamar asks the listeners if they would still love and support him at his worst. He asks for his fans to make room for his mistakes and his struggles. It is an amazing track with some great lyricism and imagery.

The boom-bap production mixed with funk and soul elements is spectacular and helps with the storytelling. But the pièce de resistance of the track and the album as a whole comes after the music stops.

Lamar finishes his poem that he was building through the album and starts to interview 2Pac. He had received permission to use the recording from 2Pac’s mother, Afeni Shakur. He changes the questions to match the themes of the album, with 2Pac’s answers fitting perfectly. 

He ends the song with another poem about a caterpillar and how its only job is to consume everything around it. He says even though the caterpillar and butterfly are different, they’re still one and the same. He asks 2Pac for his opinion on the poem, to which he receives no answer.

This album holds a very important place in the zeitgeist with regards to racial equality and police brutality against Black people in this country. But, on a personal level, To Pimp A Butterfly came at a crucial point in my life. It shaped my view on the world and opened my eyes to the different experiences that people from varying backgrounds go through. 

The album also greatly influenced my taste in music and made me learn to appreciate conscious and meaningful hip-hop, rather than just mainstream club bangers. It’s an album that you need to listen to and an album that will change your perception of hip-hop music and music as a whole.

Header by MJ White

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, you can call the national Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or text “HOME” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741. 

To learn more about counseling services at DePaul University, visit the Division of Student Affairs website.

You can also call the Illinois Warm Line at 866-359-7953 for peer and family mental health support from Monday through Friday during the work day. 

For more information about Chicago mental health resources, you can visit the NAMI Chicago’s website, as well as the City of Chicago website. In addition, the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health provides links to Chicago-specific organizations and websites. 211 is another online resource that provides essential community services.