Hip hop artiste Kendrick lamar clears controversies around his album, To Pimp a Butterfly, saying that it is about deciding how to use one’s fame and fortune
Pharrell Williams has described the song King Kunta as “unapologetically Black” and few people have talked about the “overwhelming Blackness” of the album To Pimp a Butterfly. Does the album resonate with the Black peopleIJ
I love the response to it. But when you really break down the album, it’s not only for Blacks. I have just as equal people outside of my culture understanding the album. This album is more about deciding what you’re going do with your fame and your fortune. When you look at the first half of the album, it’s really me trying to figure it out. I’m being flamboyant, boasting and being vengeful in certain places. Then going down that line of saying, ‘Ok, I can do something better with it.’ So I don’t think it only resonates with Blacks but with people all around the world who can respect the idea of going through a journey or a rebellion and figuring it out.
How did you put the album togetherIJ
The album is about what I want to convey first. It is about the emotions and feelings I want to get across. If you did not hear one lyric I said on the album, what (does the music) make you feel likeIJ I want that first. So, sonically it had to match up to how I heard it in my head. Next is what do I want to convey as far as my lyrics go. What do I want to talk aboutIJ And how do I want to talk about itIJ And last but not least, how do I want to go about executing the story. And I respect Earl for that because it is a similar pattern when you’re constructing music, when you’re constructing art. You got to look at it as a book or a movie. It’s a real process. And a lot of times I have to write down ideas and formulate it as an actual book.
Someone on the Internet pointed out that Section 80 is outlined like a book; good kid, m.A.A.d city like a film and To Pimp A Butterfly like a poem. Is that how you see itIJ
Yes, definitely. There’s actually a sketch of Braille that’s added to the title hidden inside the CD booklet that I don’t think anybody has caught yet. You can actually feel the bump lines.
You mentioned in an interview that the original title was going to be 2 Pimp A Caterpillar, since the acronym would be 2.P.A.C. Why did you change itIJ
Well, I just liked the contrast. These are things that I think about for a long time. It is not intricate but it is important for me. It was something about ‘butterfly,’ how soft it sounds and how hard ‘pimp’ sounds. It was just the contrast. That’s how my music is. It’s a roller-coaster. It’s cohesive enough and it’s up and down. It is like going through these different emotions and I wanted the title to reflect that.
Could you break down These WallsIJ You go from speaking about sugar walls to prison walls.
It’s actually a theme about no matter how much money you have, no matter how much success you have, you’re always human. You always feel the same emotions. Whether it’s love or hate. Or in this case, whether you’re being spiteful or being vengeful in some type of way. I think that the last verse represents a lot of my friends who go to any length to get back at their enemies.
What do you think is the future of your generationIJ
I think the future of my generation is in entrepreneurship. We’ll probably be one of the most prosperous generations in history. Not only do we have the belief, but we have the work ethic to go out there and get it. We are very independent. We are very confident in our own identity, which is a great thing. Because what this generation has, is more people starting their own business and not being confined to what an existing company has to offer. But, on the other hand, our belief system is going to play a major part in it. Our belief system is not the way how my parents or my grandparents were. And with passing time, we lose the thought of God and energy. So what happens is that we stop caring for people and we stop honouring and respecting them. I think once we grab that aspect back into my generation we’re going to be alright.