To Pimp A Butterfly (studio album) by Kendrick Lamar

Although Good Kid MAAD City truly hits home for me personally, this is a landmark contemporary record, and absolutely one of the most important hip hop records ever made.

its just perfect, theres not much else to be said. i could talk about this album for hours but saying its perfect just pretty much sums up everything that could be said about it. 10/10

Amazing jazz infused beats with next level rapping.

A fantastic hip hop album that smoothly incorporates other genres into the music which creates a unique experience. The fusion of hip hop with jazz, funk and soul works beautifully on here with Kendrick creating a rich soundscape with loads for us to explore. He accomplishes this by utilising a variety of diverse instrumentation which suit the style he is going for brilliantly. The production is very strong as well with the music flowing so smoothly and everything sounds so clean and modern. Kendrick's delivery is also enjoyable to listen to with his ability to demonstrate his emotion through his voice being extremely impressive. The main selling point of this album is the lyrics with Kendrick exploring hard hitting themes such as depression, racism and discrimination. His words are best showcased on The Blacker The Berry which captures his feelings and thoughts in an intelligent and engaging way that makes you listen to everything he has to say. The rest of the album follows suit in relation to quality of lyrics but Kendrick is at his best on that song. Overall, one of the most enjoyable and thought provoking hip hop albums of all time and it deserves its title of being a modern phenomenon.

I've always liked Kendrick Lamar but I've never sat down and listened through this whole album and I've never been so satisfied with an album in my life. Every single song flows into the next and the lyricism explores complex themes of politics and racial injustice. The whole album is tied together at the end with Mortal Man and I've never felt so content with an album. The production as well is incredible with the overall jazz, funk, and soul sound the album gives and it is unique and breathtaking.

97/100

There is no better masterpiece that can perfectly encapsulate the essence, roots and culture of Hip Hop than this. It's all here, condensed into a seamless lesson. At the same time it is the reflection of a society under tension, in absolute contradiction, as the world has always turned since the dawn of time

Key songs : all, except You Ain't Gotta Lie (Momma Said)

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Some good moments, but overall a bit too long and too much filler. Tracks like U and the two interludes for example. As a whole album it's a bit of a chore to listen to. Highlights are I, King Kunta, These Walls, How Much A Dollar Cost and Complexion.

Decent, but really struggling to see how it's the 20th best album of all time.

Kendrick might genuinly be the most complete rapper of all time, he has the technical skills, the recognisable voice, the emotion, the storytelling, so why are the beats so generic and forgettable?

Ok, I'll have to listen to this again... On first listen it felt unbalanced.