To Pimp a Butterfly Released March 15, 2015 (2015-03-15 ) Recorded 2013-15 Genre
Length 78 :51 Label
Top Dawg Entertainment
Aftermath Entertainment
Interscope
Producer
Boi-1da
Flippa
Flying Lotus
Knxwledge
KOZ
Larrance Dopson
LoveDragon
Pharrell Williams
Rahki
Sounwave
Tae Beast
Taz Arnold
Terrace Martin
Thundercat
Tommy Black
Whoarei
"I " Released: September 16, 2014
"The Blacker the Berry" Released: February 9, 2015
"King Kunta" Released: March 24, 2015
"Alright" Released: June 30, 2015
"These Walls" Released: October 13, 2015
To Pimp a Butterfly is the third studio album by Kendrick Lamar . It was released on March 15, 2015. It was released by Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records . The album had many different producers and musicians that helped make it. Some producers were Dr. Dre , Thundercat , Pharrell Williams , Sounwave , Terrace Martin , and Rahki. Some musicians that helped make the album were Thundercat, George Clinton , Bilal, Snoop Dogg , Ronald Isley , and Rapsody.
The album combines many different types of music. It is mainly hip hop music. However, it also has other types of music important to African-American history , such as jazz , soul and funk .[2] [3] [4] It has lyrics that talk about political problems (such as not treating people fairly ) and African-American culture .[5] [6]
Over one million copies of the album have been sold. When it was released, it was number one on the Billboard 200 . This is an American music chart . It was Lamar's first number one album on the UK Albums Chart . It was also certified platinum by the RIAA . The album had five singles .[7] The most popular song from the album is "I". It went into the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 .[8] Many critics liked the album. It was nominated for seven Grammy Awards .[9] One of these was for Album of the Year . To Pimp a Butterfly is one of the best rated albums of 2015, as well as the 2010s.[10] [11] [12] Many critics have said it is one of the best albums ever made.[13] [14] [10]
Producer(s)
1.
"Wesley's Theory" (featuring George Clinton and Thundercat) Flying Lotus Flippa Sounwave[a ] Thundercat[a ]
4:47
2.
"For Free? (Interlude)" Martin
2:10
3.
"King Kunta"
3:54
4.
"Institutionalized" (featuring Bilal, Anna Wise and Snoop Dogg )
4:31
5.
"These Walls" (featuring Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat)
5:00
6.
"U"
4:28
7.
"Alright"
3:39
8.
"For Sale? (Interlude)" Arnold Sounwave[a ] Martin[a ]
4:51
9.
"Momma"
4:43
10.
"Hood Politics" Tae Beast Sounwave Thundercat
4:52
11.
"How Much a Dollar Cost" (featuring James Fauntleroy and Ronald Isley ) LoveDragon
4:21
12.
"Complexion (A Zulu Love)" (featuring Rapsody) Thundercat Sounwave Martin[a ] The Antydote[a ]
4:23
13.
"The Blacker the Berry"
5:28
14.
"You Ain't Gotta Lie (Momma Said)" LoveDragon
4:01
15.
"I " Rahki
5:36
16.
"Mortal Man" Sounwave
12:07
Total length:
78:51
^[a] is for an extra producer
"U" and "I" are written in lowercase letters
↑ Charity, Justin (March 20, 2015). "Interview: Bilal Rejects 'Neo-Soul,' Says Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp a Butterfly' Is Jazz" . Complex . Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020 .
↑ Anderson, Kyle (March 26, 2015). " 'To Pimp a Butterfly' by Kendrick Lamar: EW review" . Entertainment Weekly . New York. Archived from the original on April 7, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2015 .
↑ " 'To Pimp a Butterfly:' How Kendrick's Masterpiece Changed Culture" . Highsnobiety . March 24, 2020. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020 .
↑ Andres Hale (February 9, 2016). "The Oral History Of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly" . The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on February 11, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2016 .
↑ "Billboard.com's 25 Best Albums of 2015: Critics' Picks" . Billboard . December 15, 2015. Archived from the original on December 18, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015 .
↑ Graham, Natalie (2017). "What Slaves We Are: Narrative, Trauma, and Power in Kendrick Lamar's Roots". Transition (122): 123–132. doi :10.2979/transition.122.1.18 . JSTOR 10.2979/transition.122.1.18 .
↑ "Kendrick Lamar Picks Fifth Single from 'To Pimp A Butterfly' " . 24Urban. September 24, 2015. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015 .
↑ Zach Frydenlund (September 23, 2014). "Listen to Kendrick Lamar's "I" " . Complex . Archived from the original on September 26, 2014. Retrieved September 24, 2014 .
↑ "Grammys 2016: The Complete Winners List" . Rolling Stone . February 16, 2016. Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016 .
↑ 10.0 10.1 "Top 10 Best Albums" . Time . December 1, 2015. Archived from the original on December 15, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2015 .
↑ "The 50 best albums of the decade, from Frank Ocean's 'Blond' to Adele's '21' " . The Independent . November 18, 2019. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2020 .
↑ Singleton, Micah (March 19, 2015). "To Pimp a Butterfly: Kendrick Lamar's new album is perfect" . The Verge . Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020 .
↑ Butler, Will (September 15, 2015). "Six months of Kendrick Lamar's masterpiece, To Pimp A Butterfly" . Gigwise . Archived from the original on April 12, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2016 .
↑ "Music Critic Top 10 Lists—Best Albums of 2015" . Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2016 .