To Pimp a Butterfly

File:Kendrick Lamar, Bonnaroo 2012.jpg.]]

On February 28, 2014, Kendrick Lamar first revealed the plans to release a follow-up to his second studio album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012), during an interview with Billboard.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/5922946/top-dawg-entertainment-cover-story-kendrick-lamar-schoolboy-q-anthony-tiffith?page=0%2C0 |title=Top Dawg's Kendrick Lamar & ScHoolboy Q Cover Story: Enter the House of Pain |magazine=Billboard |date=February 28, 2014 |access-date=April 22, 2014 |archive-date=March 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304031459/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/5922946/top-dawg-entertainment-cover-story-kendrick-lamar-schoolboy-q-anthony-tiffith?page=0,0 |url-status=live }} Between the releases of Good Kid, M.A.A.D City and To Pimp a Butterfly, Lamar traveled to South Africa. Touring the country  and visiting historic sites such as Nelson Mandela's jail cell on Robben Island heavily influenced the direction of the record{{cite web | url=http://www.grammy.com/news/the-oral-history-of-kendrick-lamars-to-pimp-a-butterfly | title=The Oral History Of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly | publisher=The Recording Academy | date=February 9, 2016 | access-date=February 11, 2016 | author=Andres Hale | archive-date=February 11, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160211020705/http://www.grammy.com/news/the-oral-history-of-kendrick-lamars-to-pimp-a-butterfly | url-status=live }} and led to Lamar scrapping "two or three albums worth of material".{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/pimp-butterfly-kendrick-lamar-shares-history|title=6 key players discuss Lamar's 'To Pimp A Butterfly|publisher=Grammy.com|date=May 15, 2017|access-date=May 26, 2020|archive-date=April 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412021610/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/pimp-butterfly-kendrick-lamar-shares-history|url-status=live}}

Co-producer Sounwave spoke on Lamar's visit, saying, "I remember [Lamar] took a trip to [South] Africa and something in his mind just clicked. For me, that's when this album really started."{{cite web|url=https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-analysis/|title='To Pimp a Butterfly:' How Kendrick's Masterpiece Changed Culture|website=Highsnobiety|date=March 24, 2020|access-date=May 26, 2020|archive-date=May 26, 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200526131957/https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-analysis/|url-status=live}} Regarding his visit to South Africa, Lamar said, "I felt like I belonged in Africa. I saw all the things that I wasn't taught. Probably one of the hardest things to do is put [together] a concept on how beautiful a place can be, and tell a person this while they're still in the ghettos of Compton. I wanted to put that experience in the music." In addition, Lamar said, "The idea was to make a record that reflected all complexions of black women. There's a separation between the light and the dark skin because it's just in our nature to do so, but we're all black. This concept came from South Africa and I saw all these different colors speaking a beautiful language."

File:72 channel SSL desk at Chalice Studios Hollywood (5521074580).jpg at Chalice Recording Studios in Hollywood]]

To Pimp a Butterfly was recorded at a variety of studios; including Chalice Recording Studios, Downtown Studios, House Studios, Notifi Studios and No Excuses Studios. Lamar wrote the lyrics to the song "Mortal Man" while on Kanye West's Yeezus Tour.{{cite web|author=Zach Frydenlund|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2015/03/kendrick-lamar-hot-97-2015-interview|title=Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole Still Want to Release That Joint Album|work=Complex|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-date=April 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403075825/http://www.complex.com/music/2015/03/kendrick-lamar-hot-97-2015-interview|url-status=live}} During the whole tour, producer Flying Lotus played Lamar a selection of tracks that was intended for Captain Murphy's album (Flying Lotus's alter ego). Lamar kept all the tracks, but only opener "Wesley's Theory", which also features Thundercat and George Clinton, made the final cut onto the album.{{cite web|url=http://www.factmag.com/2015/03/16/flying-lotus-folder-kendrick-lamar-collaborations-wont-be-released/|title=Flying Lotus details involvement on Kendrick Lamar's new album|work=Fact|access-date=September 16, 2015|date=March 16, 2015|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924053137/http://www.factmag.com/2015/03/16/flying-lotus-folder-kendrick-lamar-collaborations-wont-be-released/|url-status=live}} Lotus had produced a version of "For Sale? (Interlude)" that was ultimately discarded, with Lamar using Taz Arnold's version of the song on the album instead. Lotus stated that it is unlikely his version of the song will see a release.{{cite web|date=March 16, 2015|url=http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.32974/title.flying-lotus-details-his-to-pimp-a-butterfly-involvement|title=Flying Lotus Details His 'To Pimp A Butterfly' Involvement|work=HipHopDX|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504060314/http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.32974/title.flying-lotus-details-his-to-pimp-a-butterfly-involvement|archive-date=May 4, 2015|url-status=dead}} American rapper Rapsody appeared on the album, contributing a verse to the song "Complexion (A Zulu Love)". Lamar had requested that 9th Wonder contact Rapsody and request her appearance. Rapsody and Lamar discussed the song but there was little instruction from Lamar regarding her contribution. Speaking about the song, she stated that Lamar had already decided on the concept of the song and stated that the only instructions he gave were the song's title and the idea that "...we are beautiful no matter our race but he really wanted to speak to our people and address this light versus dark complex".{{cite web|author=Eric Diep|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2015/03/rapsody-to-pimp-a-butterfly-album-interview|title=Interview: Rapsody Details Her Feature On Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp A Butterfly' Album|work=Complex|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-date=December 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201233025/http://www.complex.com/music/2015/03/rapsody-to-pimp-a-butterfly-album-interview|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.spin.com/2015/03/rapsody-kendrick-lamar-interview-to-pimp-a-butterfly/|title=Q&: Rapsody Talks Secretly Working on Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp a Butterfly'|work=Spin|access-date=March 16, 2015|date=March 16, 2015|archive-date=April 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403062940/http://www.spin.com/2015/03/rapsody-kendrick-lamar-interview-to-pimp-a-butterfly/|url-status=live}} Lamar also contacted Madlib to seek his collaboration on the record but was unable to reach him.{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jan/30/madlib-rap-right-now-should-be-like-public-enemy-but-its-just-not-there|title=Madlib: 'Rap right now should be like Public Enemy – but it's just not there'|website=The Guardian|last=Hutchinson|first=Kate|date=January 30, 2021|access-date=January 31, 2021}}

In 2014, Pharrell Williams, who previously worked with Lamar, along with producer Sounwave, played the track "Alright" at the Holy Ship Festival. The track features the same unidentified sample that Williams used on Rick Ross' track "Presidential" from his album God Forgives, I Don't (2012). Reportedly, at one time it featured a guest appearance from American rapper Fabolous.{{cite web|url=http://theearlyregistration.com/2015/03/16/3158/|title=Was Kendrick Lamar's Pharrell Produced "Alright" Track was Originally for Fabolous?|work=The Early Registration|access-date=March 16, 2015|date=March 16, 2015|archive-date=March 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320030350/http://theearlyregistration.com/2015/03/16/3158/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://theneptunes.org/2015/03/kendrick-lamar-alright-feat-pharrell-thundercat-pharrell-williams-sounwave-15/|title=Kendrick Lamar—Alright feat. Pharrell & Thundercat (Pharrell Williams, Sounwave) (15')|date=March 2015|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-date=June 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626111634/http://theneptunes.org/2015/03/kendrick-lamar-alright-feat-pharrell-thundercat-pharrell-williams-sounwave-15/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://watchloud.com/pharrell-alright-fools-gold/|title=Pharrell Shared A Version Of "Alright" From To Pimp A Butterfly With Fabolous Last Year [VIDEO]|access-date=September 16, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626112518/http://watchloud.com/pharrell-alright-fools-gold/|archive-date=June 26, 2015}} The album went through three different phases before the production team could move forward with the idea. Afterwards, producer Thundercat was brought into the process, after Flying Lotus brought him along to see Lamar's performance on The Yeezus Tour.{{cite web|author=Dan Rys|date=March 18, 2015|url=http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2015/03/sounwave-kendrick-lamar-pimp-butterfly-interview/|title=Sounwave Says Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp a Butterfly' Went Through Three Phases|work=XXL|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-date=September 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919211440/http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2015/03/sounwave-kendrick-lamar-pimp-butterfly-interview/|url-status=live}} The album's lead single, titled "I", was produced by Rahki, who also produced a song for the album entitled "Institutionalized". Although the version of "I" appearing on the album is drastically different from that on the single release, both versions contained a sample of the song "That Lady" performed by The Isley Brothers. Lamar personally visited The Isley Brothers, to receive permission from lead vocalist Ronald Isley to sample the song.{{cite web|date=September 24, 2014|url=https://www.nme.com/news/kendrick-lamar/79966|title=NME News Kendrick Lamar says he visited Ronald Isley to ask to use 'That Lady' on new track 'I'|work=NME|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-date=June 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626132044/http://www.nme.com/news/kendrick-lamar/79966|url-status=live}}

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Lamar began traveling to St. Louis and began working with Isley at the studio. Isley also performed on the song "How Much a Dollar Cost" alongside the singer-songwriter James Fauntleroy. Producer and rapper Pete Rock provided some backing vocals and scratches to the song "Complexion (A Zulu Love)", and as he stated, the contribution was unusual, as he was not the producer for the track.{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2110213/kendrick-lamar-pete-rock-to-pimp-a-butterfly/|title=This Iconic Producer Just Called Kendrick's To Pimp A Butterfly 'The Best Album Out'|publisher=MTV News|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-date=June 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627012947/http://www.mtv.com/news/2110213/kendrick-lamar-pete-rock-to-pimp-a-butterfly/|url-status=dead}} Singer Bilal features on the songs "Institutionalized" and "These Walls", and has provided uncredited backing vocals on the songs "U", "For Sale? (Interlude)", "Momma" and "Hood Politics". Bilal stated that he and Lamar were initially unsure of how many songs he would be featured on, stating he worked on various tracks, but did not yet know the outcome. "For a lot of the material, Kendrick had an idea of what he wanted. He would sing out the melody and some of the words, and I would interpret what he was telling me." On the songs where Bilal added backing vocals, he stated that "...some of it was freestyle; just adding color to make it a fuller sound."{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6502408/kendrick-lamar-bilal-to-pimp-a-butterfly-interview|title=Kendrick Lamar|magazine=Billboard|date=March 17, 2015|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-date=September 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916231931/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6502408/kendrick-lamar-bilal-to-pimp-a-butterfly-interview|url-status=live}} Lamar also reportedly worked with American musician Prince; however, the duo were too pressed for time during the recording session and therefore were unable to complete any work for inclusion on the album.{{cite web|url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/04/kendrick-lamar-and-prince-hit-the-studio-together/|title=Kendrick Lamar and Prince hit the studio together|date=April 2, 2015|access-date=April 23, 2015|archive-date=May 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150505070759/http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/04/kendrick-lamar-and-prince-hit-the-studio-together/|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kendrick-lamar-recorded-with-prince-for-to-pimp-a-butterfly-20150401|title=Kendrick Lamar Recorded With Prince for 'To Pimp a Butterfly'|magazine=Rolling Stone |date=April 1, 2015|access-date=April 23, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150420020347/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kendrick-lamar-recorded-with-prince-for-to-pimp-a-butterfly-20150401|archive-date=April 20, 2015}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/kendrick-lamar/84152|title=Kendrick Lamar reveals he and Prince hit the studio together|website=NME |date=April 2, 2015|access-date=April 23, 2015|archive-date=April 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150408123459/http://www.nme.com/news/kendrick-lamar/84152|url-status=live}} Lamar professed to having listened often to Miles Davis and Parliament-Funkadelic during the album's recording.{{cite web |url=http://www.rap-up.com/2015/03/12/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-tracklisting/ |title=Tracklisting: Kendrick Lamar—'To Pimp a Butterfly' |work=Rap-Up |date=March 13, 2015 |access-date=March 17, 2015 |archive-date=September 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906185438/http://www.rap-up.com/2015/03/12/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-tracklisting/ |url-status=live }}

In 2016, Lamar released Untitled Unmastered, a compilation album, which contains previously unreleased demos that originated during the recording of To Pimp a Butterfly. According to producer Thundercat, it "completes the sentence" of Lamar's third studio album.{{cite magazine | url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/6898281/thundercat-kendrick-lamar-untitled-unmastered-interview | title=Thundercat on How Kendrick Lamar's New Project 'Completes the Sentence' of 'To Pimp a Butterfly' | magazine=Billboard | date=March 4, 2016 | access-date=March 5, 2016 | author=Natalie Weiner | archive-date=March 6, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306110124/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/6898281/thundercat-kendrick-lamar-untitled-unmastered-interview | url-status=live }}

According to musicologist Will Fulton, To Pimp a Butterfly engages in and celebrates the black music tradition. Much like the singer D'Angelo on his 2014 album Black Messiah, Lamar "consciously indexes African American musical styles of the past in a dynamic relationship of nostalgic revivalism and vanguardism."{{Cite journal|last=Fulton|first=Will|date=Spring 2015|title=The Performer as Historian: Black Messiah, To Pimp a Butterfly, and the Matter of Albums|url=http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/academics/centers/hitchcock/publications/amr/v44-2/fulton.php|journal=American Music Review|volume=44|issue=2|pages=1–11|access-date=March 20, 2018|archive-date=March 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320110414/http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/academics/centers/hitchcock/publications/amr/v44-2/fulton.php|url-status=live}} Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly described the album as "embracing the entire history of black American music." Lamar's co-engineer/mixer MixedByAli praised Lamar, saying, "[Lamar is] a sponge. He incorporated everything that was going on [in Africa] and in his life to complete a million-piece puzzle." Lamar described the album as an "honest, fearful and unapologetic" work that draws on funk, hard bop, spoken word and soul while critics also noted elements of West Coast hip-hop{{cite web | url=http://www.complex.com/music/2015/03/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-underground-rap-inspirations/ | title='90s Underground West Coast Rap Albums That Preceded Kendrick Lamar's New Album | work=Complex | date=March 26, 2015 | access-date=December 15, 2015 | author=Matt Welty | archive-date=December 22, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222160222/http://www.complex.com/music/2015/03/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-underground-rap-inspirations/ | url-status=live }} and avant-garde.{{cite news|last=Kot|first=Greg|author-link=Greg Kot|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-kendrick-lamar-untitled-unmastered-review-20160304-column.html|title=Kendrick Lamar's surprise 'Untitled, Unmastered' rarely sounds unfinished|work=Chicago Tribune|date=March 4, 2016|access-date=March 4, 2016|archive-date=March 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306104107/http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-kendrick-lamar-untitled-unmastered-review-20160304-column.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Charity|first=Justin|title=Review: Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp a Butterfly' Is a Dark Album for a Dark Time|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2015/03/album-review-kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly|work=Complex|date=March 17, 2015|access-date=July 30, 2017|archive-date=July 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730235346/http://www.complex.com/music/2015/03/album-review-kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly|url-status=live}} Allison Stewart from The Washington Post says the album is "threaded" with G-funk.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/with-to-pimp-a-butterfly-kendrick-lamar-brushes-all-hip-hop-rivals-aside/2015/03/17/6228c1c6-ccd5-11e4-8c54-ffb5ba6f2f69_story.html|title=With "To Pimp a Butterfly," Kendrick Lamar brushes all hip-hop rivals aside|newspaper=The Washington Post|last=Stewart|first=Allison|date=March 17, 2015|access-date=May 22, 2020|archive-date=October 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020202848/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/with-to-pimp-a-butterfly-kendrick-lamar-brushes-all-hip-hop-rivals-aside/2015/03/17/6228c1c6-ccd5-11e4-8c54-ffb5ba6f2f69_story.html|url-status=live}} Speaking on the album's styles, co-producer Terrace Martin said, "If you dig deeper you hear the lineage of James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Mahalia Jackson, the sounds of Africa, and our people when they started over here. I hear something different every time. I heard Cuban elements in it the other day."

The album features contributions from the collective of musicians called the West Coast Get Down, who experiment with jazz and progressive hip-hop sounds, and feature Lamar, Flying Lotus, Martin, and saxophonist Kamasi Washington, among others. Consequently, the music is "jazz-like in spirit if not always in sound", according to Ben Ratliff,{{cite news|last=Ratliff|first=Ben|authorlink=Ben Ratliff|date=April 24, 2015|url=https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/popcast-kamasi-washington-and-the-west-coast-get-down/|title=Popcast: Kamasi Washington and the West Coast Get Down|newspaper=The New York Times|accessdate=July 15, 2021|archive-date=July 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210703194205/https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/popcast-kamasi-washington-and-the-west-coast-get-down/|url-status=live}} while Mosi Reeves from Deadspin observes a virtuosic quality to its "prog-rap cornucopia".{{cite news|last=Reeves|first=Mosi|date=March 18, 2015|url=https://deadspin.com/all-eyez-on-me-kendrick-lamars-dense-neurotic-to-pimp-1692113040|title=All Eyez On Me: Kendrick Lamar's Dense, Neurotic To Pimp A Butterfly|website=Deadspin|accessdate=July 15, 2021|archive-date=July 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715143642/https://deadspin.com/all-eyez-on-me-kendrick-lamars-dense-neurotic-to-pimp-1692113040|url-status=live}} Stereogum described To Pimp a Butterfly as an "ambitious avant-jazz-rap statement,"{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1788068/kendrick-lamars-to-pimp-a-butterfly-sets-spotifys-global-one-day-streaming-record/news/|title=Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly Sets Spotify's Global One-Day Streaming Record|website=Stereogum|access-date=October 4, 2018|date=March 17, 2015|last=Helman|first=Peter|archive-date=October 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004103921/https://www.stereogum.com/1788068/kendrick-lamars-to-pimp-a-butterfly-sets-spotifys-global-one-day-streaming-record/news/|url-status=live}} and The Source categorized the album as an experimental hip-hop release.{{cite web|last1=Garofalo|first1=Jack|title=A LOOK AT DAVID BOWIE'S LEGACY AND IMPACT ON HIP HOP|url=http://thesource.com/2016/01/12/a-look-at-david-bowies-legacy-and-impact-on-hip-hop/|work=The Source|access-date=April 29, 2016|date=January 12, 2016|archive-date=June 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601033525/http://thesource.com/2016/01/12/a-look-at-david-bowies-legacy-and-impact-on-hip-hop/|url-status=live}} Dan Weiss of Spin noted "shades of Miles Davis' On the Corner and free jazz all over [...], as well as Sly Stone's There's a Riot Goin' On and Funkadelic and Erykah Badu's similarly wah-crazy but comparatively lo-fi New Amerykah (4th World War)," but stated nonetheless that "the sense of this album is vividly contemporary." Other critics regard it as "throwback" to neo soul music of the 1990s.{{cite magazine|last=Charity|first=Justin|date=March 20, 2015|url=https://www.complex.com/music/2015/03/interview-bilal-talks-kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly|title=Interview: Bilal Rejects 'Neo-Soul,' Says Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp a Butterfly' Is Jazz|magazine=Complex|access-date=August 22, 2020|archive-date=August 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811155630/https://www.complex.com/music/2015/03/interview-bilal-talks-kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly|url-status=live}} Greg Kot of Chicago Tribune noted the album's affinities with previous black music, but argued that "Lamar takes familiar musical tropes into new territory." The Atlantic noted the influence of collaborator Flying Lotus, writing that "his signature sound—jazz instrumentation and hip-hop layered into chaotic collages—is all over the album."{{cite web|title=The Power in Kendrick Lamar's Complexity|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/03/kendrick-lamars-bittersweet-cacophony-to-pimp-a-butterfly/387949/|work=The Atlantic|access-date=March 21, 2016|date=March 17, 2015|archive-date=March 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311221501/http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/03/kendrick-lamars-bittersweet-cacophony-to-pimp-a-butterfly/387949/|url-status=live}} Steve Mallon of The Quietus noted an "eerily warped psychedelia bursting out of its idiosyncratic arrangements."{{cite web|url=http://thequietus.com/articles/17482-kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-review|title=The Quietus|date=March 23, 2015|access-date=February 1, 2016|archive-date=April 21, 2016|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20160421043135/http://thequietus.com/articles/17482-kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-review|url-status=live}}

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Categorized by Billboard as a "politically-charged" conscious rap album,{{cite magazine | url=https://www.billboard.com/photos/6792633/best-albums-of-2015/1 | title=Billboard.com's 25 Best Albums of 2015: Critics' Picks | magazine=Billboard | date=December 15, 2015 | access-date=December 15, 2015 | archive-date=December 18, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151218080508/http://www.billboard.com/photos/6792633/best-albums-of-2015/1 | url-status=live }} To Pimp a Butterfly explores a variety of political and personal themes related to race, culture, and discrimination. Critic Neil Kulkarni said it appraises "the broken promises and bloody pathways in and out of America's heartland malaise".{{cite journal|last=Kulkarni|first=Neil|title=The Periodic Table of Hip Hop|journal=Ebury/Penguin Publishing}} Jay Caspian Kang observed elements of critical race theory, respectability politics, theology, and meta-analysis examining Lamar's success and revered status in the hip-hop community.{{cite news|last=King|first=Jay Caspian|date=March 24, 2015|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/24/magazine/notes-on-the-hip-hop-messiah.html|title=Notes on the Hip-Hop Messiah|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=October 4, 2018|archive-date=October 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004111156/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/24/magazine/notes-on-the-hip-hop-messiah.html|url-status=live}} It was compared by California State University, Fullerton professor Natalie Graham to the 1977 television miniseries Roots. While "Roots compresses and simplifies" black history, Graham said To Pimp a Butterfly "radically disrupt[s] meanings of black respectability, heroic morality, trauma, and memory".{{Cite journal|last=Graham|first=Natalie|year=2017|title=What Slaves We Are: Narrative, Trauma, and Power in Kendrick Lamar's Roots|jstor=10.2979/transition.122.1.18|journal=Transition|issue=122|pages=123–132|doi=10.2979/transition.122.1.18}}

In the Toronto Journal of Theology, James D. McLeod Jr. drew parallels between Lamar's examination of death's domineering significance in the African-American experience and the works of Christian theologian Paul Tillich, with McLeod calling To Pimp a Butterfly an original example of "existentialist hip hop."{{Cite journal|last=McLeod Jr.|first=James D.|date=Spring 2017|title=If God Got Us: Kendrick Lamar, Paul Tillich, and the Advent of Existentialist Hip Hop|journal=Toronto Journal of Theology|volume=33|issue=1|pages=123–135|doi=10.3138/tjt.2017-0006|s2cid=152265044|doi-access=free}} Meanwhile, Adam Blum discerned connections between To Pimp a Butterfly and the writings of psychoanalysts such as Wilfred Bion, Nicolas Abraham, and Sigmund Freud.{{Cite journal|last=Blum|first=Adam|date=August 2016|title=Rhythm Nation|journal=Studies in Gender and Sexuality|volume=17|issue=3|pages=141–149|doi=10.1080/15240657.2016.1199923|s2cid=219641281}} In an essay published in The Lancet Psychiatry, University of Cambridge professors Akeem Sule and Becky Inkster described Lamar as the "street poet of mental health," noting how To Pimp a Butterfly (as well as its predecessor, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City) explore topics such as addiction, anxiety, depression, and resilience.{{Cite journal|last1=Sule|first1=Akeem|last2=Inkster|first2=Becky|date=June 2015|title=Kendrick Lamar, street poet of mental health|journal=The Lancet Psychiatry|volume=2|issue=6|pages=496–497|doi=10.1016/S2215-0366(15)00216-3|pmid=26360440}}

The album continues a nuanced dialogue about weighty topics that affect the African-American community. Releasing his album in a time of renewed black activism, Lamar's song "Alright" has become a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement.{{cite web|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2015/08/black_lives_matter_protesters_chant_kendrick_lamar_s_alright_what_makes.html|title=Is Kendrick Lamar's "Alright" the New Black National Anthem?|last=Harris|first=Aisha|date=August 3, 2015|work=Slate|access-date=April 12, 2016|archive-date=December 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181213231433/http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2015/08/black_lives_matter_protesters_chant_kendrick_lamar_s_alright_what_makes.html|url-status=live}} With lyrics like "and we hate po-po / Wanna kill us dead in the street fo sho, nigga" he makes it clear that he is supportive of the movement and the families of black men and women like Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, and others who have fallen victim to police brutality in the United States. Lamar takes his opinions further to lend his position on black crime in the song "The Blacker the Berry". He criticizes himself and his community by rapping, "So why did I weep when Trayvon Martin was in the street? / When gang bangin' make me kill a nigga blacker than me?". Some critics claim that his attitude facilitates the rhetoric that silences the Black Lives Matter movement. Stereo Williams of The Daily Beast wrote in response to his lyrics that "it's dangerous to use that violence as a silencing tactic when the public is angry about the systematic subjugation of black people."{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/02/11/who-exactly-is-kendrick-lamar-raging-against-in-the-blacker-the-berry.html|title=Who Exactly Is Kendrick Lamar Raging Against in 'Blacker the Berry?'|last=Williams|first=Stereo|date=February 11, 2015|newspaper=The Daily Beast|access-date=April 12, 2016|archive-date=April 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407172129/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/02/11/who-exactly-is-kendrick-lamar-raging-against-in-the-blacker-the-berry.html|url-status=live}}

Lamar has offered explanations of the meanings behind songs such as "Wesley's Theory" and "King Kunta".{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6517089/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-caterpillar-album-title|title=Kendrick Lamar's Latest Album Wasn't Always Called To Pimp a Butterfly|magazine=Billboard |date=March 31, 2015|access-date=April 23, 2015|archive-date=April 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150425100026/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6517089/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-caterpillar-album-title|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/kendrick-lamar-reveals-meaning-behind-to-pimp-a-butterfly-album-title-news.14641.html|title=Kendrick Lamar Reveals Meaning Behind 'To Pimp A Butterfly' Album Title|website=HNHH |date=March 31, 2015|access-date=April 23, 2015|archive-date=September 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908005734/http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/kendrick-lamar-reveals-meaning-behind-to-pimp-a-butterfly-album-title-news.14641.html|url-status=live}} The album's 1970s funk-inspired{{cite magazine|last=Rolling Stone|first=Staff|date=March 16, 2015|title=Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp a Butterfly': Track by Track|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/kendrick-lamars-to-pimp-a-butterfly-a-track-by-track-guide-200991/|access-date=July 27, 2020|magazine=Rolling Stone|archive-date=November 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117052154/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/kendrick-lamars-to-pimp-a-butterfly-a-track-by-track-guide-200991/|url-status=live}} opening track "Wesley's Theory" is a reference to Wesley Snipes and how the actor was jailed for tax evasion; according to Lamar, "no one teaches poor black males how to manage money or celebrity, so if they do achieve success, the powers that be can take it from right under them". "For Free? (Interlude)" sees Lamar rapping in a dense, spoken word-esque manner with musical accompaniment by jazz pianist Robert Glasper.

"King Kunta" is concerned with the "history of negative stereotypes all African-Americans have to reconcile". Lamar also explained his criticism of rappers who use ghostwriters on "King Kunta", revealing that he came to prominence as a ghostwriter, and has respect for writers, but says that "as a new artist, you have to stand behind your work."

"These Walls" has been described by Billboard as "pondering sex and existence in equal measure; it's a yoni metaphor about the power of peace, with sugar walls being escape and real walls being obstacles."{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/review/6502318/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-album-review |title=Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp A Butterfly' Challenges and Rewards: Album Review |magazine=Billboard |date=March 16, 2015 |access-date=March 17, 2015 |archive-date=March 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317010054/http://www.billboard.com/articles/review/6502318/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-album-review |url-status=live }} Lamar revealed that "U" was inspired by his own experience of depression and suicidal thoughts.{{cite web|last=Boardman|first=Madeline|url=http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/kendrick-lamar-opens-up-about-depression-suicidal-thoughts-watch-201534|title=Kendrick Lamar Opens Up About Depression, Suicidal Thoughts: Watch|work=Us Weekly|date=April 3, 2015|access-date=February 20, 2016|archive-date=February 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160217185544/http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/kendrick-lamar-opens-up-about-depression-suicidal-thoughts-watch-201534|url-status=live}} He also mentioned feelings of survivor's guilt as inspirations for the album.{{cite web|last=Golding|first=Shenequa|url=http://www.vibe.com/2015/04/kendrick-lamar-mtv-interview/|title=Kendrick Lamar Talks Survivor's Guilt, Depression and the Dangers of Lucy|work=Vibe|date=April 1, 2015|access-date=February 20, 2016|archive-date=March 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306020621/http://www.vibe.com/2015/04/kendrick-lamar-mtv-interview/|url-status=live}} "Alright" begins as a spoken-word treatise before exploding into a shapeshifting portrait of America that brings in jazz horns, skittering drum beats and Lamar's mellifluous rapping as he struggles with troubles and temptations. Yet at the end of each verse, he reassures himself that "We gon' be alright"—a simple rallying cry for a nation reeling from gun violence and police brutality.{{cite magazine|title="SONG OF THE YEAR". Billboard—The International Newsweekly of Music, Video and Home Entertainment|magazine=Billboard|date=January 2, 2016|page=28}} For critics a "celebration of being alive",{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/45-best-albums-of-2015-so-far-20150616/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-20150605|title=Kendrick Lamar, 'To Pimp a Butterfly'|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=June 16, 2015|access-date=August 9, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722010837/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/45-best-albums-of-2015-so-far-20150616/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-20150605|archive-date=July 22, 2015}} Lamar described "Alright" as a message of hope.{{cite web | url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/06/kendrick-lamar-responds-to-geraldo-rivera_n_7737826.html | title=Kendrick Lamar To Geraldo Rivera: 'How Can You Take A Song That's About Hope And Turn It Into Hatred?' | work=HuffPost | date=July 6, 2015 | access-date=September 18, 2015 | author=Brennan Williams | archive-date=September 30, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930072825/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/06/kendrick-lamar-responds-to-geraldo-rivera_n_7737826.html | url-status=live }} "The Blacker the Berry" features a "boom bap beat" and lyrics that celebrate Lamar's African-American heritage and "tackle hatred, racism, and hypocrisy head on."{{cite web |url=http://www.rap-up.com/2015/02/09/new-music-kendrick-lamar-the-blacker-the-berry/ |title=New Music: Kendrick Lamar—'The Blacker The Berry' |work=Rap-Up |date=February 9, 2015 |access-date=February 27, 2015 |archive-date=February 28, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150228021422/http://www.rap-up.com/2015/02/09/new-music-kendrick-lamar-the-blacker-the-berry/ |url-status=live }} The song's hook is performed by Jamaican dancehall artist Assassin, notable for performing on Kanye West's 2013 album Yeezus, whose lyrics similarly address racial inequality, specifically against African Americans.{{cite web|url=http://old.jamaica-star.com/thestar/20150211/ent/ent1.html|title=Assassin collobs with Kendrick Lamar|access-date=April 23, 2015|archive-date=December 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222125737/http://old.jamaica-star.com/thestar/20150211/ent/ent1.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2015/02/assassin-kendrick-lamar-blacker-the-berry/ |title=Assassin Breaks Down Kendrick Lamar's 'The Blacker The Berry' |work=XXL |date=February 11, 2015 |access-date=February 27, 2015 |author=Emmanuel C. M. |archive-date=February 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215040618/http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2015/02/assassin-kendrick-lamar-blacker-the-berry/ |url-status=live }}

In the final track of the album, the 12-minute song "Mortal Man", Lamar reflects on everything he has explored throughout the album. He delves into both historical and contemporary views on black identity, while also grappling with his own relationship with fame. He repeats some of the album's most impactful lines: "When shit hits the fan, is you still a fan", also addressing his misuse of power and the inner struggles he faces in managing his influence.{{Cite magazine |date=March 16, 2015 |title=Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp a Butterfly': Track by Track |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/kendrick-lamars-to-pimp-a-butterfly-a-track-by-track-guide-200991/4/ |access-date=October 5, 2024 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}} The song ends with an "interview" between Lamar and Tupac Shakur which was recorded "using audio excerpts from a rare 1994 interview between Shakur and the host of Swedish radio show P3 Soul, Mats Nileskar".{{Cite web |last=Jang |first=Meena |date=March 16, 2015 |title=Listen to Rare Tupac Interview Featured on Kendrick Lamar's "Mortal Man" (Audio) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/listen-rare-tupac-interview-featured-781697/ |access-date=October 5, 2024 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}

The album was originally going to be titled Tu Pimp a Caterpillar, a backronym for Tu.P.A.C., itself an allusion to the rapper Tupac. Lamar decided to replace "caterpillar" in the original title to "butterfly", which he explained in an interview for MTV, "I just really wanted to show the brightness of life and the word 'pimp' has so much aggression and that represents several things. For me, it represents using my celebrity for good. Another reason is, not being pimped by the industry through my celebrity ... It gets even deeper than that for me. I could be talking all day about it."{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2120689/kendrick-lamar-tu-pimp-a-caterpillar-tupac/|title=Kendrick Lamar Reveals To Pimp A Butterfly's Original Title And Its Tupac Connection|website=MTV |date=March 31, 2015|access-date=April 23, 2015|archive-date=April 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150429104702/http://www.mtv.com/news/2120689/kendrick-lamar-tu-pimp-a-caterpillar-tupac/|url-status=dead}} Lamar later also told Rolling Stone, "Just putting the word 'pimp' next to 'butterfly'... It's a trip. That's something that will be a phrase forever. It'll be taught in college courses—I truly believe that."{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/kendrick-lamars-new-album-everything-we-know-20150311/it-is-no-longer-untitled-20150310 |title=It Is No Longer Untitled – Kendrick Lamar's New Album: Everything We Know |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=March 17, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317000927/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/kendrick-lamars-new-album-everything-we-know-20150311/it-is-no-longer-untitled-20150310 |archive-date=March 17, 2015 |date=March 11, 2015 }}

The album's CD and vinyl releases included a booklet produced with braille letterings; according to Lamar, these characters, when translated, reveal the "actual full title of the album."{{cite web|last1=Nostro|first1=Lauren|title=Here's What the Braille in Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp a Butterfly' Album Booklet Means|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2015/04/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-braille|work=Complex|access-date=January 7, 2016|archive-date=January 26, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126131341/http://www.complex.com/music/2015/04/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-braille|url-status=live}} Complex commissioned a braille translator, who found that it translated to A Kendrick by Letter Blank Lamar which Complex noted was most likely supposed to read as A Blank Letter by Kendrick Lamar.{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1798147/hidden-braille-message-reveals-full-title-of-kendrick-lamars-to-pimp-a-butterfly/news/|title=Hidden Braille Message Reveals Full Title Of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly|work=Stereogum|date=April 29, 2015|access-date=January 8, 2016|archive-date=January 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119171358/http://www.stereogum.com/1798147/hidden-braille-message-reveals-full-title-of-kendrick-lamars-to-pimp-a-butterfly/news/|url-status=live}}

The album's release was preceded by the release of two singles, "I", on September 23, 2014,{{cite web|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2014/09/kendrick-lamar-i|title=Listen to Kendrick Lamar's "I"|work=Complex|author=Zach Frydenlund|date=September 23, 2014|access-date=September 24, 2014|archive-date=September 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140926071522/http://www.complex.com/music/2014/09/kendrick-lamar-i|url-status=live}} and "The Blacker the Berry" in February 2015.{{cite web|url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/02/kendrick-lamar-premieres-new-single-the-blacker-the-berry/|title=Kendrick Lamar premieres 'The Blacker The Berry', his intense, racially-charged new single—listen|work=Consequence|date=February 2015|access-date=March 7, 2015|archive-date=June 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625204552/http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/02/kendrick-lamar-premieres-new-single-the-blacker-the-berry/|url-status=live}} The former became Lamar's sixth top-40 single on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was performed on Saturday Night Live.{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kendrick-lamar-makes-a-triumphant-return-to-snl-20141116 | title=Kendrick Lamar Makes a Triumphant Return to 'SNL' | magazine=Rolling Stone | date=November 16, 2014 | access-date=January 20, 2016 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151127203414/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kendrick-lamar-makes-a-triumphant-return-to-snl-20141116 | archive-date=November 27, 2015 | df=mdy-all }} "King Kunta" was released as the third single in March 2015,{{cite magazine|title=Kendrick Lamar's New Album: Everything We Know|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/kendrick-lamars-new-album-everything-we-know-20150311/definite-inclusion-king-kunta-20150310|date=March 10, 2015|access-date=June 30, 2015|magazine=Rolling Stone|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703000903/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/kendrick-lamars-new-album-everything-we-know-20150311/definite-inclusion-king-kunta-20150310|archive-date=July 3, 2015}} and "Alright" was released to radio stations on June 30.{{cite web |url=http://www.24urban.com/news/kendrick-lamar-picks-fourth-single-from-to-pimp-a-butterfly |title=Kendrick Lamar Picks Fourth Single from 'To Pimp a Butterfly' |publisher=24Urban |date=June 11, 2015 |access-date=June 11, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612085642/http://www.24urban.com/news/kendrick-lamar-picks-fourth-single-from-to-pimp-a-butterfly |archive-date=June 12, 2015 }} With the latter's release, several contemporary progressive news outlets, including BET, raised the idea of "Alright" being the modern Black National Anthem,{{cite web|last1=Hernandez|first1=Victoria|title=Kendrick Lamar's "Alright" Dubbed The New "We Shall Overcome" By Chicago Rapper Ric Wilson|url=http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.34952/title.kendrick-lamars-alright-dubbed-the-new-we-shall-overcome-by-chicago-rapper-ric-wilson|work=HipHopDX|access-date=December 10, 2015|date=August 5, 2015|archive-date=December 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151221175606/http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.34952/title.kendrick-lamars-alright-dubbed-the-new-we-shall-overcome-by-chicago-rapper-ric-wilson|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last1=Kennedy|first1=John|title=Kendrick Lamar's 'Alright' Should Be The New Black National Anthem|url=https://www.bet.com/article/7yd826/kendrick-lamar-s-alright-the-new-black-national-anthem|publisher=BET|date=March 31, 2015|access-date=December 10, 2015|archive-date=December 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151212160540/http://www.bet.com/news/music/2015/03/30/kendrick-lamar-alright-new-black-national-anthem.html|url-status=live}} while the media reported youth-lead protests against police brutality across the country chanted the chorus of the song.{{cite web|last1=Henry|first1=Dusty|title=Cleveland State University conference attendees chant Kendrick Lamar's "Alright" in protest against police|url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/07/cleveland-state-university-protesters-chant-kendrick-lamars-alright-in-protest-against-police/|access-date=July 28, 2015|work=Consequence|date=July 28, 2015|archive-date=July 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150730030415/http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/07/cleveland-state-university-protesters-chant-kendrick-lamars-alright-in-protest-against-police/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last1=Hendicott|first1=James|title=Kendrick Lamar's 'Alright' chanted at Million Man March for racial equality|url=https://www.nme.com/news/kendrick-lamar/88937|access-date=October 29, 2015|work=NME|date=October 11, 2015|archive-date=October 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151012130536/http://www.nme.com/news/kendrick-lamar/88937|url-status=live}} Primarily for the latter, Lamar was featured on Ebony magazine's Power 100, an annual list that recognizes many leaders of the African-American community.{{cite web | url=http://www.ebony.com/power100-2015/?nl=morning-briefing&em_pos=large&emc=edit_nn_20151202 | title=Ebony Power 100—2015 Honorees | work=Ebony | access-date=December 2, 2015 | archive-date=December 8, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208054751/http://www.ebony.com/power100-2015/?nl=morning-briefing&em_pos=large&emc=edit_nn_20151202 | url-status=live }} "These Walls" was released as the album's fifth single on October 13.{{cite web|url=http://www.24urban.com/news/kendrick-lamar-picks-fifth-single-from-to-pimp-a-butterfly|title=Kendrick Lamar Picks Fifth Single from 'To Pimp A Butterfly'|publisher=24Urban|date=September 24, 2015|access-date=September 24, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925134817/http://www.24urban.com/news/kendrick-lamar-picks-fifth-single-from-to-pimp-a-butterfly|archive-date=September 25, 2015}} Aside from the singles' accompanying music videos, the song "For Free? (Interlude)" also featured visuals,{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6649422/kendrick-lamar-for-free-interlude-video |title=Kendrick Lamar Goes 'Looney' Living the American Dream in 'For Free?' Video: Watch |first=Colin |last=Stutz |magazine=Billboard |date=July 31, 2015 |access-date=July 31, 2015 |archive-date=August 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150805010659/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6649422/kendrick-lamar-for-free-interlude-video |url-status=live }} as did "U" with "For Sale? (Interlude)" as part of the short film God Is Gangsta.{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kendrick-lamar-confronts-demons-temptation-in-god-is-gangsta-short-20151231 | title=Kendrick Lamar Confronts Demons, Temptation in 'God Is Gangsta' Short | magazine=Rolling Stone | date=December 31, 2015 | access-date=January 1, 2016 | author=Jon Blistein | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160103021200/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kendrick-lamar-confronts-demons-temptation-in-god-is-gangsta-short-20151231 | archive-date=January 3, 2016 | df=mdy-all }} In support of the album, Lamar embarked on the Kunta's Groove Sessions Tour, which included eight shows in eight cities during October and November.{{cite web | url=http://www.rap-up.com/2015/10/05/kendrick-lamar-announces-kuntas-groove-sessions-tour/ | title=Kendrick Lamar announces the Kunta's Groove Sessions Tour | work=Rap-Up | date=October 5, 2015 | access-date=October 28, 2015 | archive-date=November 8, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151108082019/http://www.rap-up.com/2015/10/05/kendrick-lamar-announces-kuntas-groove-sessions-tour/ | url-status=live }}

To Pimp a Butterfly was first released to the iTunes Store and Spotify on March 15, 2015, eight days ahead of its scheduled release date.{{cite web |url=http://www.24urban.com/news/tde-feigns-vitriol-after-early-kendrick-lamar-release |title=TDE Feigns Vitriol after Early Kendrick Lamar Release |publisher=24Urban |date=March 16, 2015 |access-date=April 22, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150505054824/http://www.24urban.com/news/tde-feigns-vitriol-after-early-kendrick-lamar-release |archive-date=May 5, 2015 }} According to Anthony Tiffith, CEO of Top Dawg Entertainment, the album's early release was unintentional, apparently caused by an error on the part of Interscope Records.{{cite web |url=http://rapdose.com/2015/03/16/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-album-leaked-by-itunes |title=Kendrick Lamar 'To Pimp A Butterfly' Album Leaked By iTunes |access-date=March 17, 2015 |date=March 16, 2015 |archive-date=March 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318194501/http://rapdose.com/2015/03/16/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-album-leaked-by-itunes |url-status=live }} The following day, it was made unavailable on iTunes, and the release was rescheduled for March 23, although it was still available for streaming on Spotify.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6502232/update-kendrick-lamars-to-pimp-a-butterfly-gets-surprise-digital |title=Update: Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp a Butterfly' Gets Surprise Digital Release |magazine=Billboard |date=March 16, 2015 |access-date=March 17, 2015 |archive-date=March 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319153823/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6502232/update-kendrick-lamars-to-pimp-a-butterfly-gets-surprise-digital |url-status=live }} In its first week of release, To Pimp a Butterfly debuted at number one on record charts in the United Kingdom, Australia,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6509421/kendrick-lamars-to-pimp-a-butterfly-lands-at-no-1-in-uk|title=Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp a Butterfly' Lands at No. 1 in U.K.|magazine=Billboard |date=March 23, 2015|access-date=April 23, 2015|archive-date=April 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427061735/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6509421/kendrick-lamars-to-pimp-a-butterfly-lands-at-no-1-in-uk|url-status=live}} and the United States, where it recorded first-week sales of 324,000 copies.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6509698/kendrick-lamar-first-week-album-sales-comparison|title=How Do Kendrick Lamar's First-Week Album Sales Stack Up Against Other Rappers?|magazine=Billboard|last=Lynch|first=Joe|date=March 25, 2015|access-date=April 4, 2020|archive-date=October 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191017070253/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6509698/kendrick-lamar-first-week-album-sales-comparison|url-status=live}} The album was streamed 9.6 million times in its first day on Spotify, setting the service's global first-day streaming record.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6649555/yasiin-bey-mos-def-joined-kendrick-lamar-for-alright-performance-at-osheaga |title=Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) Joined Kendrick Lamar for 'Alright' Performance at Osheaga |magazine=Billboard |date=August 3, 2015 |access-date=August 3, 2015 |archive-date=August 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150806015257/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6649555/yasiin-bey-mos-def-joined-kendrick-lamar-for-alright-performance-at-osheaga |url-status=live }} By the end of 2015, To Pimp a Butterfly was ranked the sixteenth most popular album on the Billboard 200 that year and reached sales of one million copies worldwide.{{cite web | url=http://ici.radio-canada.ca/regions/ottawa/2015/12/12/008-album-2015-ecoute-incontournables-musique.shtml | title=15 albums à écouter avant la fin de 2015 | publisher=Ici Radio-Canada Télé | date=December 12, 2015 | access-date=March 5, 2016 | language=fr | location=Canada | archive-date=March 17, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317194953/http://ici.radio-canada.ca/regions/ottawa/2015/12/12/008-album-2015-ecoute-incontournables-musique.shtml | url-status=live }} By March 2016, it had sold 850,000 copies in the US,{{cite web|url=http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/charts-dont-lie-march-2-news.20430.html|title=Charts Don't Lie: March 2|work=hotnewhiphop|author=Chris Tart|date=March 2, 2016|access-date=March 2, 2016|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304062716/http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/charts-dont-lie-march-2-news.20430.html|url-status=live}} where it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In June 2017, it reached one million copies sold in the US.{{Cite news |url=https://www.yahoo.com/music/chart-watch-dj-khaled-classic-late-bloomer-201958356.html |title=Chart Watch Chart Watch: DJ Khaled, a Classic Late-Bloomer |last=Grein |first=Paul |date=June 26, 2017 |publisher=Yahoo! Music |access-date=June 27, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627174651/https://www.yahoo.com/music/chart-watch-dj-khaled-classic-late-bloomer-201958356.html |archive-date=June 27, 2017 }}

{{Music ratings

| title = To Pimp a Butterfly ratings

| ADM = 9.3/10{{cite web|url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/7071/Kendrick-Lamar-To-Pimp-A-Butterfly.aspx|title=To Pimp A Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar reviews|publisher=AnyDecentMusic?|access-date=October 31, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114185258/http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/7071/Kendrick-Lamar-To-Pimp-A-Butterfly.aspx|archive-date=November 14, 2016}}

| MC = 96/100{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/to-pimp-a-butterfly/kendrick-lamar |title=Reviews for To Pimp A Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar |access-date=March 17, 2015 |publisher=Metacritic |archive-date=March 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319180434/http://www.metacritic.com/music/to-pimp-a-butterfly/kendrick-lamar |url-status=live }}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/to-pimp-a-butterfly-mw0002835159 |title=To Pimp a Butterfly – Kendrick Lamar |first=David |last=Jeffries |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=April 20, 2017 |archive-date=May 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170512195924/http://www.allmusic.com/album/to-pimp-a-butterfly-mw0002835159 |url-status=live }}

| rev2 = The Daily Telegraph

| rev2Score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/cdreviews/11510932/Kendrick-Lamar-To-Pimp-a-Butterfly-review-a-bravura-masterpiece.html |title=Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly review |first=Neil |last=McCormick |author-link=Neil McCormick |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |date=March 19, 2015 |access-date=February 1, 2016 |archive-date=February 2, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202231630/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/cdreviews/11510932/Kendrick-Lamar-To-Pimp-a-Butterfly-review-a-bravura-masterpiece.html |url-status=live }}

| rev3 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev3Score = A

| rev4 = The Guardian

| rev4Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/mar/19/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-review |title=Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly review – challenging but gripping |first=Alexis |last=Petridis |author-link=Alexis Petridis |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=March 19, 2015 |access-date=April 3, 2015 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402152558/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/mar/19/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-review |url-status=live }}

| rev5 = The Irish Times

| rev5Score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-album-review-a-record-for-the-times-we-re-in-1.2162924 |title=Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly album review: a record for the times we're in |first=Jim |last=Carroll |author-link=Jim Carroll (journalist) |newspaper=The Irish Times |location=Dublin |date=April 2, 2015 |access-date=September 25, 2016 |archive-date=October 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005155651/http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-album-review-a-record-for-the-times-we-re-in-1.2162924 |url-status=live }}

| rev6 = NME

| rev6Score = 8/10{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/kendrick-lamar/15989 |title=Kendrick Lamar – 'To Pimp a Butterfly' |work=NME |location=London |first=Alex |last=Denney |date=March 18, 2015 |access-date=September 25, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150324005509/http://www.nme.com/reviews/kendrick-lamar/15989 |archive-date=March 24, 2015}}

| rev7 = Pitchfork

| rev7Score = 9.3/10{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20390-to-pimp-a-butterfly/ |title=Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly |first=Craig |last=Jenkins |work=Pitchfork |date=March 19, 2015 |access-date=March 19, 2015 |archive-date=March 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150322102829/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20390-to-pimp-a-butterfly/ |url-status=live }}

| rev8 = Rolling Stone

| rev8Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-20150319 |title=To Pimp a Butterfly |first=Greg |last=Tate |author-link=Greg Tate |magazine=Rolling Stone |location=New York |date=March 19, 2015 |access-date=December 18, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219050830/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-20150319 |archive-date=December 19, 2015 }}

| rev9 = Spin

| rev9Score = 10/10{{cite web |url=http://www.spin.com/reviews/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly/ |title=Review: Kendrick Lamar Returns With the Great American Hip-Hop Album, 'To Pimp a Butterfly' |first=Dan |last=Weiss |work=Spin |location=New York |date=March 20, 2015 |access-date=March 20, 2015 |archive-date=August 31, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150831075723/http://www.spin.com/reviews/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly/ |url-status=live }}

| rev10 = USA Today

| rev10Score = {{Rating|4|4}}{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2015/03/16/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly/24847853/ |title=Album review: Lamar's mighty 'Butterfly' |first=Patrick |last=Ryan |work=USA Today |location=McLean |date=March 16, 2015 |access-date=September 25, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161014083122/http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2015/03/16/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly/24847853/ |archive-date=October 14, 2016 }}

}}

To Pimp a Butterfly was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 96, based on 44 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 9.3 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. According to Gigwise writer Will Butler, it was universally hailed by critics as an "instant classic".{{cite web|title=Six months of Kendrick Lamar's masterpiece, To Pimp A Butterfly|url=http://www.gigwise.com/blogs/102811/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-6-months-later-feature|last=Butler|first=Will|date=September 15, 2015|work=Gigwise|access-date=April 22, 2016|archive-date=April 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412065859/http://www.gigwise.com/blogs/102811/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-6-months-later-feature|url-status=live}}

Spin magazine's Dan Weiss regarded To Pimp a Butterfly as the "Great American Hip-Hop Album" and an essential listen, while Neil McCormick from The Daily Telegraph called it a dense but dazzling masterpiece. Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Kyle Anderson found the record twice as substantial as Lamar's debut major label album and more comprehensive of African-American music styles, with supremely "cinematic" production qualities but "the freedom of a mixtape".{{cite magazine|last=Anderson|first=Kyle|date=March 26, 2015|url=https://www.ew.com/article/2015/03/26/kendrick-lamar-review|title='To Pimp a Butterfly' by Kendrick Lamar: EW review|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|location=New York|access-date=April 3, 2015|archive-date=April 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150407075907/http://www.ew.com/article/2015/03/26/kendrick-lamar-review|url-status=live}} Irish Times journalist Jim Carroll deemed it "a record for the times we're in", in which Lamar transitioned from his past narratives about Compton to fierce but precise reflections on "black America". In Rolling Stone, Greg Tate deemed To Pimp a Butterfly "a masterpiece of fiery outrage, deep jazz and ruthless self-critique" that along with D'Angelo's third album Black Messiah, made 2015 "the year radical Black politics and for-real Black music resurged in tandem to converge on the nation's pop mainstream." Robert Christgau wrote in his review on Cuepoint that not many artists were as passionate and understanding as Lamar, who offered "a strong, brave effective bid to reinstate hip hop as black America's CNN" during an era of social media.{{cite web|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=April 2, 2015|url=https://medium.com/cuepoint/robert-christgau-expert-witness-9fa87a06ebde|title=Robert Christgau: Expert Witness|work=Cuepoint|access-date=April 3, 2015|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304121059/https://medium.com/cuepoint/robert-christgau-expert-witness-9fa87a06ebde|url-status=live}} To Pimp a Butterfly also received a rare "10" rating from YouTuber and music critic Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop.{{Cite news|last=Coscarelli|first=Joe|date=September 30, 2020|title=The Only Music Critic Who Matters (if You're Under 25)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/30/arts/music/anthony-fantano-the-needle-drop.html|access-date=August 29, 2023|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720095514/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/30/arts/music/anthony-fantano-the-needle-drop.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Gordon|first=Jeremy|date=November 30, 2016|title=How Anthony Fantano, aka The Needle Drop, Became Today's Most Successful Music Critic|language=en-US|work=Spin|url=https://www.spin.com/featured/anthony-fantano-the-needle-drop-profile-interview/|access-date=August 29, 2023|archive-date=October 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027022254/https://www.spin.com/featured/anthony-fantano-the-needle-drop-profile-interview/|url-status=live}}{{efn|Only counting ratings given in formal video reviews, and not retrospective ratings.}}

Nonetheless, several reviews criticized some aspects of the album. For instance, New York Times critic Jon Caramanica said Lamar still struggled in reconciling his density as a lyricist with the music he rapped over: "He hasn't outrun his tendency towards clutter [and] still runs the risk of suffocation."{{cite news|last1=Caramanica|first1=Jon|author-link=Jon Caramanica|title=Kendrick Lamar, Emboldened, but Burdened, by Success|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/18/arts/music/kendrick-lamar-emboldened-but-burdened-by-success.html|work=The New York Times|date=March 18, 2015|access-date=March 23, 2015|archive-date=March 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150322035226/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/18/arts/music/kendrick-lamar-emboldened-but-burdened-by-success.html|url-status=live}} In The Guardian, Alexis Petridis found the music somewhat erratic and lamented "moments of self-indulgence" such as the twelve-minute "Mortal Man" and Lamar's reflections on fame.

At the end of 2015, To Pimp a Butterfly was the most frequently ranked record in top ten lists of the year's best albums. According to Metacritic, it appeared 101 times in the top ten of lists published by critics, magazines, websites, and music stores. The record topped 51 lists, including those by Rolling Stone, Billboard, Pitchfork, Slant Magazine, Spin, The Guardian, Complex, Consequence, The Irish Times, and Vice.{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/feature/critics-pick-top-10-best-albums-of-2015|title=Music Critic Top 10 Lists—Best Albums of 2015|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=February 2, 2016|archive-date=March 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307175140/http://www.metacritic.com/feature/critics-pick-top-10-best-albums-of-2015|url-status=live}} NME ranked it second on their list, while Time named it the year's third best album.{{cite magazine | url=http://time.com/4131352/top-10-albums/ | title=Top 10 Best Albums | magazine=Time | date=December 1, 2015 | access-date=December 13, 2015 | archive-date=December 15, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151215043318/http://time.com/4131352/top-10-albums/ | url-status=live }} It was voted the best album of 2015 in the Pazz & Jop, an annual poll of American critics nationwide, published by The Village Voice.{{cite news|url=http://www.laweekly.com/music/kendrick-lamar-tops-village-voices-pazz-and-jop-critics-poll-6472353|title=Kendrick Lamar Tops Village Voice's Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll|work=LA Weekly|date=January 12, 2016|access-date=April 19, 2016|last=Hermann|first=Andy|archive-date=March 31, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331193513/http://www.laweekly.com/music/kendrick-lamar-tops-village-voices-pazz-and-jop-critics-poll-6472353|url-status=live}} Christgau, the Pazz & Jop's creator, ranked it fourth in his ballot for the poll.{{cite web|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/pazznjop/critics/2015/robert-christgau-6593683|title=Ballots: Robert Christgau|work=The Village Voice|access-date=September 25, 2016|archive-date=September 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927071215/http://www.villagevoice.com/pazznjop/critics/2015/robert-christgau-6593683|url-status=live}} The album placed ninth in British magazine The Wire{{'}}s annual critics' poll.{{Cite magazine |title=2015 Rewind: Releases of the Year 1–50 |date=January 2016 |magazine=The Wire |issue=383 |page=33 |location=London |url=https://reader.exacteditions.com/issues/47629/spread/32 |via=Exact Editions |access-date=July 23, 2018 |archive-date=July 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711022125/https://reader.exacteditions.com/issues/47629/spread/32 |url-status=live }}{{subscription required}}

On their lists of best albums of the decade, The Independent placed it first,{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/best-albums-decade-2010s-frank-ocean-adele-taylor-swift-kanye-west-ranked-a9204121.html|title=The 50 best albums of the decade, from Frank Ocean's 'Blond' to Adele's '21'|work=The Independent|date=November 18, 2019|access-date=March 19, 2020|archive-date=December 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221103130/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/best-albums-decade-2010s-frank-ocean-adele-taylor-swift-kanye-west-ranked-a9204121.html|url-status=live}} Consequence second,{{cite web|url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2019/12/top-albums-of-the-2010s/11/|work=Consequence|title=The 100 Top Albums of the 2010s|date=December 29, 2019|access-date=March 19, 2020|archive-date=March 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319082038/https://consequenceofsound.net/2019/12/top-albums-of-the-2010s/11/|url-status=live}} Rolling Stone third,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-2010s-ranked-913997/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-album-917421/|title=100 Best Albums of the 2010s, Ranked by Rolling Stone|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=December 3, 2019|access-date=March 19, 2020|archive-date=April 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200420014432/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-2010s-ranked-913997/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-album-917421/|url-status=live}} and Pitchfork fourth.{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-200-best-albums-of-the-2010s/|title=The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s|work=Pitchfork|date=October 8, 2019|access-date=March 19, 2020|archive-date=March 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200314025207/https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-200-best-albums-of-the-2010s/|url-status=live}} In The Guardian{{'}}s 2019 poll of 45 music journalists, To Pimp a Butterfly was voted the fourth best album of the 21st century, and contributing writer Ben Beaumont-Thomas said in an accompanying that, "as a celebration of the richness of black artistry, the whole album was a riposte to bigotry."{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/sep/13/100-best-albums-of-the-21st-century|title=The 100 best albums of the 21st century|work=The Guardian|date=September 13, 2019|access-date=May 26, 2020|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=September 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913091456/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/sep/13/100-best-albums-of-the-21st-century|url-status=live}} Similarly, in his March 2015 review of the album for The Verge, editor and journalist Micah Singleton had hailed it as "the best album of the 21st century, the best hip-hop album since The Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die and Nas' Illmatic in 1994, and it cements Kendrick Lamar's spot as an all-time great."{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/3/19/8257319/kendrick-lamar-album-review-to-pimp-a-butterfly|title=To Pimp a Butterfly: Kendrick Lamar's new album is perfect|website=The Verge|last=Singleton|first=Micah|date=March 19, 2015|access-date=May 26, 2020|archive-date=July 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728191650/https://www.theverge.com/2015/3/19/8257319/kendrick-lamar-album-review-to-pimp-a-butterfly|url-status=live}} The Tampa Bay Times placed the album as the second on their list of "The 10 Best Albums of the 2010s".{{Cite web |title=The 10 best albums of the 2010s: Kanye, Kendrick, Beyonce and more |url=https://www.tampabay.com/arts-entertainment/music/2019/12/26/the-10-best-albums-of-the-2010s-kanye-kendrick-beyonce-and-more/ |access-date=October 10, 2022 |website=Tampa Bay Times |language=en |archive-date=August 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200824150253/https://www.tampabay.com/arts-entertainment/music/2019/12/26/the-10-best-albums-of-the-2010s-kanye-kendrick-beyonce-and-more/ |url-status=live }} In September 2020, Rolling Stone released an updated version of their "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list, based on the opinions of over 300 artists, music journalists, and industry insiders, which ranked To Pimp a Butterfly as the 19th-best album of all time.{{cite magazine |title=500 Best Albums of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-5-1063214/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=September 22, 2020 |date=September 22, 2020 |archive-date=November 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117052258/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-5-1063214/ |url-status=live }} To Pimp a Butterfly became the No. 1 overall ranked album on music cataloging website Rate Your Music in February 2023, surpassing Radiohead's OK Computer (1997) with an average rating of 4.34 out of 5 at the time of reaching that spot.{{Cite web |last=Krol |first=Charlotte |date=February 2, 2023 |title=Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp A Butterfly' overtakes Radiohead's 'OK Computer' as top rated album on Rate Your Music |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/kendrick-lamars-to-pimp-a-butterfly-overtakes-radioheads-ok-computer-as-top-rated-album-on-rate-your-music-3391372 |access-date=April 25, 2024 |website=NME |archive-date=April 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240408084434/https://www.nme.com/news/music/kendrick-lamars-to-pimp-a-butterfly-overtakes-radioheads-ok-computer-as-top-rated-album-on-rate-your-music-3391372 |url-status=live }} In 2024, Paste ranked To Pimp a Butterfly number 22 on its list of "The 300 Greatest Albums of All Time".{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/greatest-albums/the-300-greatest-albums-of-all-time-2|title=The 300 Greatest Albums of All Time|website=Paste|last=Gonzalez|first=Alex|date=June 3, 2024|access-date=December 12, 2024}}

To Pimp a Butterfly also earned Lamar seven nominations at the 2016 Grammy Awards. It was nominated in the categories of Album of the Year and Best Rap Album, winning the latter but losing the former to Taylor Swift's 1989, regarded by many as a Grammy snub.{{cite web |last1=Howard |first1=Adam |title=#GrammysSoWhite?: Kendrick Lamar, hip-hop snubbed again for Album of the Year |url=https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/grammyssowhite-kendrick-lamar-hip-hop-snubbed-again-album-the-year-msna796291 |website=MSNBC |access-date=May 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230513164100/https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/grammyssowhite-kendrick-lamar-hip-hop-snubbed-again-album-the-year-msna796291 |archive-date=May 13, 2023 |date=February 16, 2016}} "Alright" won for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song while also being nominated for Song of the Year and Best Music Video. "These Walls" won for Best Rap/Sung Performance.{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/grammy-awards-2016-the-complete-winners-list-20160215 | title=Grammys 2016: The Complete Winners List | magazine=Rolling Stone | date=February 16, 2016 | access-date=February 16, 2016 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216075538/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/grammy-awards-2016-the-complete-winners-list-20160215 | archive-date=February 16, 2016 | df=mdy-all }} He would also receive four additional nominations for other musical collaborations from that year, making it a total of eleven Grammy nominations for Lamar. This earned Lamar the most Grammy nominations for a rapper in a single night and the second most by any artist in a single night. Michael Jackson and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds are tied for the artists with the most Grammy nominations in a single night with twelve; Jackson in 1984 and Babyface in 1997.{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/58th-annual-grammy-awards-2015|title=58th Annual GRAMMY Awards|publisher=Grammy.com|access-date=November 16, 2020|archive-date=April 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424060235/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/58th-annual-grammy-awards|url-status=dead}}{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-grammys-2016-kendrick-lamar-grammy-history-20151206-story.html | title=Grammy Awards 2016: Kendrick Lamar made history with an unapologetically black album | work=Los Angeles Times | date=December 7, 2015 | access-date=December 8, 2015 | archive-date=December 7, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151207164523/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-grammys-2016-kendrick-lamar-grammy-history-20151206-story.html | url-status=live }} At the previous year's ceremony, "I" had won Grammy Awards for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance.{{cite magazine|title=Grammys 2015: And the Winners Are ...|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/events/grammys-2015/6465551/grammys-2015-winners-57th-annual|magazine=Billboard|date=February 8, 2015|access-date=June 28, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210175833/http://www.billboard.com/articles/events/grammys-2015/6465551/grammys-2015-winners-57th-annual|archive-date=February 10, 2015}} To Pimp a Butterfly also received a nomination for Top Rap Album at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards.{{cite magazine | url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/bbma/7326512/billboard-music-awards-2016-nominations | title=Billboard Music Awards 2016: See the Finalists | magazine=Billboard | date=April 11, 2016 | access-date=April 11, 2016 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411215913/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/bbma/7326512/billboard-music-awards-2016-nominations | archive-date=April 11, 2016 | df=mdy-all }}

The album's immediate influence was felt as "a pantheon for racial empowerment", according to Butler, who also argued that the record helped create a respected space for conscious hip-hop and "will be revered not just at the top of some list at the end of the year, but in the subconscious of music fans for decades to come". Writing for Highsnobiety, Robert Blair said, "[To Pimp a Butterfly] is the crystallized moment in time where Kendrick became a generation's most potent artistic voice." Uproxx journalist Aaron Williams said the album "proved that left-field, experimental rap can function in both the critical and commercial realms".{{cite web|title=Vince Staples' 'Big Fish Theory' Deserves A Grammy For Creating The Blueprint For Rap's Next Decade|url=https://uproxx.com/hiphop/vince-staples-big-fish-theory-grammy-rap-futurism/|last=Williams|first=Aaron|date=October 26, 2017|publisher=Uproxx|access-date=September 1, 2018|archive-date=September 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902151750/https://uproxx.com/hiphop/vince-staples-big-fish-theory-grammy-rap-futurism/|url-status=live}} Jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington said that the album "changed music, and we're still seeing the effects of it [...] [the album] meant that intellectually stimulating music doesn't have to be underground. It just didn't change the music. It changed the audience." To Pimp a Butterfly was an influence on David Bowie's 2016 album Blackstar. As its producer Tony Visconti recalled, he and Bowie were "listening to a lot of Kendrick Lamar [...] we loved the fact Kendrick was so open-minded and he didn't do a straight-up hip-hop record. He threw everything on there, and that's exactly what we wanted to do."{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/nov/24/david-bowie-blackstar-inspired-by-kendrick-lamar-features-lcd-james-murphy | title=New David Bowie album, inspired by Kendrick Lamar, features LCD's James Murphy | date=November 24, 2015 | access-date=February 17, 2016 | work=The Guardian | archive-date=September 14, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914142558/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/nov/24/david-bowie-blackstar-inspired-by-kendrick-lamar-features-lcd-james-murphy | url-status=live }}

{{Track listing

| headline = To Pimp a Butterfly track listing

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| total_length = 78:51

| title1 = Wesley's Theory

| note1 = featuring George Clinton and Thundercat

| writer1 = {{hlist|Kendrick Duckworth|George Clinton|Steven Ellison|Ronald Colson|Stephen Bruner|Boris Gardiner}}

| extra1 = {{hlist|Flying Lotus|Flippa|Sounwave{{ref|a|[a]}}|Thundercat{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length1 = 4:47

| title2 = For Free? (Interlude)

| writer2 = {{hlist|Duckworth|Terrace Martin|Rose McKinney}}

| extra2 = Martin

| length2 = 2:10

| title3 = King Kunta

| writer3 = {{hlist|Duckworth|Mark Spears|Johnny Burns|Michael Jackson|Ahmad Lewis|Stefan Gordy}}

| extra3 = {{hlist|Sounwave|Martin{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length3 = 3:54

| title4 = Institutionalized

| note4 = featuring Bilal, Anna Wise and Snoop Dogg

| writer4 = {{hlist|Duckworth|Columbus Smith|Fredrik Halldin|Sam Barsh}}

| extra4 = {{hlist|Rahki|Tommy Black}}

| length4 = 4:31

| title5 = These Walls

| note5 = featuring Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat

| writer5 = {{hlist|Duckworth|Martin|Larrance Dopson|James Fauntleroy|McKinney}}

| extra5 = {{hlist|Martin|Dopson|Sounwave{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length5 = 5:00

| title6 = U

| writer6 = {{hlist|Duckworth|Taz Arnold|Michael Brown}}

| extra6 = {{hlist|Arnold|Whoarei|Sounwave{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length6 = 4:28

| title7 = Alright

| writer7 = {{hlist|Duckworth|Pharrell Williams|Spears}}

| extra7 = {{hlist|Williams|Sounwave}}

| length7 = 3:39

| title8 = For Sale? (Interlude)

| writer8 = {{hlist|Duckworth|Arnold}}

| extra8 = {{hlist|Arnold|Sounwave{{ref|a|[a]}}|Martin{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length8 = 4:51

| title9 = Momma

| writer9 = {{hlist|Duckworth|Glen Boothe|Arnold|Sylvester Stewart|Lalah Hathaway|Rahsaan Patterson|Rex Rideout}}

| extra9 = {{hlist|Knxwledge|Arnold}}

| length9 = 4:43

| title10 = Hood Politics

| writer10 = {{hlist|Duckworth|Donte Perkins|Spears|Bruner|Sufjan Stevens}}

| extra10 = {{hlist|Tae Beast|Sounwave|Thundercat}}

| length10 = 4:52

| title11 = How Much a Dollar Cost

| note11 = featuring James Fauntleroy and Ronald Isley

| writer11 = {{hlist|Duckworth|Martin|Josef Leimberg|McKinney|Fauntleroy|Ronald Isley}}

| extra11 = LoveDragon

| length11 = 4:21

| title12 = Complexion (A Zulu Love)

| note12 = featuring Rapsody

| writer12 = {{hlist|Duckworth|Bruner|Spears|Marlanna Evans}}

| extra12 = {{hlist|Thundercat|Sounwave|Martin{{ref|a|[a]}}|The Antydote{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length12 = 4:23

| title13 = The Blacker the Berry

| writer13 = {{hlist|Duckworth|Matthew Samuels|Stephen Kozmeniuk|Ken Lewis|Brent Kolatalo|Jefferey Campbell|Alexander Izquierdo|Zale Epstein}}

| extra13 = {{hlist|Boi-1da|KOZ|Martin{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length13 = 5:28

| title14 = You Ain't Gotta Lie (Momma Said)

| writer14 = {{hlist|Duckworth|Martin|McKinney|Leimberg|Spears}}

| extra14 = LoveDragon

| length14 = 4:01

| title15 = I

| writer15 = {{hlist|Duckworth|Smith|Ro. Isley|O'Kelly Isley, Jr.|Ernie Isley|Marvin Isley|Rudolph Isley|Christopher Jasper}}

| extra15 = Rahki

| length15 = 5:36

| title16 = Mortal Man

| writer16 = {{hlist|Duckworth|Spears|Bruner|Fela Anikulapo Kuti}}

| extra16 = Sounwave

| length16 = 12:07

}}

• {{sup|{{note|a|[a]}}}} signifies an additional producer

• "Wesley's Theory" contains elements of "Every Nigger is a Star", written and performed by Boris Gardiner.
• "King Kunta" contains interpolations of "Get Nekkid", written by Johnny Burns; resung lyrics from "Smooth Criminal", written by Michael Jackson; elements from "The Payback", written by James Brown, Fred Wesley and John Starks; and samples from "We Want the Funk", written by Ahmad Lewis and Stefan Gordy, and performed by Lewis.
• "Momma" contains elements of "Wishful Thinking" written by Sylvester Stewart and performed by Sly and the Family Stone; and elements and samples of "On Your Own", written by Lalah Hathaway, Rahsaan Patterson and Rex Rideout, performed by Lalah Hathaway.
• "Hood Politics" contains a sample of "All for Myself", written and performed by Sufjan Stevens.
• "I" contains portions of "That Lady", written by Ronald Isley, Christopher Jasper, O'Kelly Isley, Jr., Ernie Isley, Marvin Isley and Rudolph Isley.
• "Mortal Man" contains excerpts from "I No Get Eye for Back", written by Fela Anikulapo Kuti and performed by Houston Person; and featuring parts from the music journalist Mats Nileskär's November 1994 interview with Tupac Shakur for P3 Soul in Sveriges Radio P3.

Credits for To Pimp a Butterfly adapted from AllMusic and the album's digital booklet.{{cite AV media notes |title=To Pimp a Butterfly |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/to-pimp-a-butterfly-mw0002835159/credits |publisher=Interscope Records |access-date=April 21, 2020 |archive-date=August 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809055207/https://www.allmusic.com/album/to-pimp-a-butterfly-mw0002835159/credits |url-status=live }}{{cite AV media notes|url=https://www.scribd.com/document/259619383/Digital-Booklet-To-Pimp-a-Butterfly|title=Digital Booklet – To Pimp a Butterfly|others=Kendrick Lamar|year=2015|publisher=Top Dawg Entertainment|access-date=July 26, 2017|archive-date=March 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170302001519/https://www.scribd.com/document/259619383/Digital-Booklet-To-Pimp-a-Butterfly|url-status=live}}

{{Div col|colwidth=22em}}

• Kendrick Lamar – vocals; art direction
• George Clinton – vocals (track 1)
• Thundercat – vocals (tracks 1, 5); background vocals (tracks 7, 12, 14); bass (tracks 1, 3, 13, 15, 16); additional bass (track 5); producer (tracks 10, 12); additional production (track 1)
• Anna Wise – vocals (tracks 4, 5); backing vocals (tracks 1, 2, 10)
• Bilal – vocals (tracks 4, 5); backing vocals (6, 8–10)
• Snoop Dogg – vocals (track 4)
• James Fauntleroy – vocals (track 11); background vocals (track 16)
• Ronald Isley – vocals (track 11); additional vocals (track 15)
• Rapsody – vocals (track 12)
• Flying Lotus – producer (track 1)
• Ronald "Flippa" Colson – producer (track 1)
• Sounwave – producer (tracks 3, 7, 10, 12, 16); additional production (tracks 1, 5, 6, 8, 10); keyboards (track 14); string arrangements
• Terrace Martin – alto saxophone (tracks 1, 2, 6–9, 11, 13, 14, 16); horns (track 1); keyboards (tracks 5, 6, 8–12); producer (tracks 2, 5); additional production (tracks 3, 8, 12, 13); vocoder (tracks 9, 14); string arrangements
• Rahki – producer (tracks 4, 15); percussion (track 15)
• Fredrik "Tommy Black" Halldin – producer (track 4)
• Larrance Dopson – percussion (tracks 5, 11–14); keyboards, producer (track 5)
• Taz Arnold aka Tisa – background vocals (tracks 4, 8, 9, 15); producer (tracks 6, 8)
• Whoarei – producer (track 6)
• Pharrell Williams – producer, vocals (track 7)
• Knxwledge – producer (track 9)
• Tae Beast – producer (track 10)
• Lovedragon – producer (tracks 11, 14)
• Boi-1da – producer (track 13)
• KOZ – producer (track 13)
• Dr. Dre – executive producer; background vocals (track 1)
• James Hunt – engineer (tracks 1–7, 13–16); mix assistant
• Derek "MixedByAli" Ali – engineer (tracks 1–6, 8–16), mixer
• Katalyst – additional drum programming, additional engineering (track 13)
• Mike Bozzi – mastering engineer
• Ash Riser – background vocals (track 1)
• Josef Leimberg – trumpet (tracks 1, 5, 8, 11, 12, 14, 16), vocals (track 1)
• Whitney Alford – background vocals (tracks 1, 3)
• Robert "Sput" Searight – drums (track 2); keyboards (track 10)
• Robert Glasper – piano (track 2); keyboards (tracks 5, 12, 13, 16)
• Brandon Owens – bass (tracks 2, 16)
• Craig Brockman – organ (track 2)
• Marlon Williams – guitar (tracks 2, 5, 6, 11, 14, 16); additional guitar (track 3)
• Darlene Tibbs – background vocals (track 2)
• Matt Schaeffer – additional guitar (track 3); engineer (tracks 3, 6, 11–16)
• Sam Barsh – keyboards (tracks 4, 15)
• Pedro Castro – clarinet (track 4)
• Gabriel Noel – cello (track 4), upright bass (track 11)
• Paul Cartwright – violin (tracks 4, 11, 16)
• Gregory Moore – guitar (track 5)
• Kamasi Washington – tenor saxophone (track 6); string arrangements
• Adam Turchan – baritone saxophone (track 6)
• Jessica Vielmas – background vocals (track 6)
• SZA – background vocals (tracks 6, 8)
• Candace Wakefield – background vocals (tracks 7, 15)
• Preston Harris – background vocals (tracks 8, 10, 14)
• Lalah Hathaway – background vocals (tracks 9, 12, 13)
• Dion Friley – background vocals (tracks 10, 15)
• Talkbox Monte – background vocals (track 12)
• JaVonté – background vocals (tracks 12, 14, 16)
• Pete Rock – background vocals/scratches (track 12)
• Ronald Bruner Jr. – drums (track 13)
• Wyann Vaughn – background vocals (track 14)
• Keith Askey – guitar (track 15)
• Kendall Lewis – drums (track 15)
• Chris Smith – bass (track 15)
• William Sweat – background vocals (track 15)
• Devon Downing – background vocals (track 15)
• Edwin Orellana – background vocals (track 15)
• Dave Free – background vocals (track 15)
• Junius Bervine – keyboards (track 16)
• Ambrose Akinmusire – trumpet (track 16)

{{div col end}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for To Pimp a Butterfly}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|award=Platinum|type=album|relyear=2015|certyear=2023|access-date=June 10, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Austria|title=To Pimp a Butterfly|artist=Kendrick Lamar|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=2015|certyear=2024|access-date=September 22, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|title=To Pimp a Butterfly|artist=Kendrick Lamar|relyear=2015|certyear=2021|region=Canada|award=Platinum|number=2|access-date=April 13, 2021}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|title=To Pimp a Butterfly|artist=Kendrick Lamar|relyear=2015|certyear=2020|region=Denmark|award=Platinum|id=8884|access-date=January 23, 2020}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|title=To Pimp a Butterfly|artist=Kendrick Lamar|relyear=2015|certyear=2024|region=Italy|award=Gold|id=12718|access-date=June 10, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Poland|artist=Kendrick Lamar|title=To Pimp a Butterfly|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=2015|certyear=2023|access-date=May 10, 2023}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=To Pimp a Butterfly|award=Platinum|type=album|artist=Kendrick Lamar|relyear=2015|certyear=2023|id=13282-3292-2|access-date=February 18, 2023}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|award=Platinum|artist=Kendrick Lamar|title=To Pimp a Butterfly|type=album|relyear=2015|certyear=2016|refname="RIAA"|salesamount=1,050,000|salesref={{cite web |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8295475/kendrick-lamar-damn-sells-million-copies |first=Keith |last=Caulfield |title=Kendrick Lamar Scores Third Million-Selling Album in U.S. With 'DAMN.' |magazine=Billboard |date=April 6, 2018 |access-date=September 2, 2020 |archive-date=April 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180407042334/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8295475/kendrick-lamar-damn-sells-million-copies |url-status=live }}}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}

• 2015 in hip-hop
• List of number-one albums of 2015 (Australia)
• List of number-one albums of 2015 (Canada)
• List of number-one albums from the 2010s (New Zealand)
• List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 2010s
• List of UK R&B Albums Chart number ones of 2015
• List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 2015
• List of Billboard number-one R&B/hip-hop albums of 2015
• List of Billboard number-one R&B/hip-hop albums of 2016

{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

{{reflist|30em}}

• {{Cite journal|ref=none|last=Ewell|first=Philip A.|authorlink=Philip Ewell|date=March 1, 2019|title=Introduction to the Symposium on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly|url=https://mtosmt.org/issues/mto.19.25.1/mto.19.25.1.ewell.html|journal=Music Theory Online|volume=25|issue=1|doi=10.30535/mto.25.1.7|doi-access=free}}
• {{cite journal|ref=none|last=Futlon|first=Will|date=Spring 2015|url=http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/academics/centers/hitchcock/publications/amr/v44-2/fulton.php|title=The Performer as Historian: Black Messiah, To Pimp a Butterfly, and the Matter of Albums|journal=American Music Review|volume=XLIV|issue=2}}
• {{cite web|ref=none|last=Pizzo|first=Mike "DJ"|year=2015|url=https://medium.com/@djpizzo/how-kendrick-lamar-j-cole-rebooted-conscious-rap-c13237c27399#.ki86zl9w7|title=How Kendrick Lamar & J. Cole Rebooted Conscious Rap|work=Cuepoint}}

• {{Discogs master|810214|type=album}}

{{Kendrick Lamar}}

{{Grammy Award for Best Rap Album}}

{{Pitchfork}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2015 albums

Category:Aftermath Entertainment albums

Category:Albums produced by Boi-1da

Category:Albums produced by Dr. Dre

Category:Albums produced by Flying Lotus

Category:Albums produced by Pharrell Williams

Category:Albums produced by Terrace Martin

Category:Albums produced by Sounwave

Category:Albums produced by Thundercat (musician)

Category:Albums produced by Knxwledge

Category:Albums produced by Tae Beast

Category:Albums produced by Dave Free

Category:2010s concept albums

Category:Alternative hip-hop albums

Category:Experimental music albums by American artists

Category:Grammy Award for Best Rap Album

Category:Interscope Geffen A&M Records albums

Category:Interscope Records albums

Category:Jazz rap albums

Category:Kendrick Lamar albums

Category:Neo soul albums

Category:Progressive rap albums

Category:Top Dawg Entertainment albums

Category:Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time