![]() ![]() TPAB Contributions: production on “Wesley’s Theory” And what’s compelling beneath the surface of To Pimp A Butterfly is that even with some of the hitmakers and marquee names involved (Pharrell, Boi 1-da, Lalah Hathaway, James Fauntleroy, Ron Isley) and a collection of peerless soul/jazz/hip-hop polyglots like keyboardist Robert Glasper and saxophonist Kamasi Washington directing the album’s post-Soulquarian feel, there are cohorts on this record that reveal just as much about Kendrick’s approach with their very presence as his actual lyrics do. ![]() In a case like this, where the followup to a career-defining blockbuster work of art can be a downhill-sloping minefield, figuring out a compatible selection of collaborators is more crucial than ever. ![]() It’s like he stepped back from his world-beater napalm verse on “Control” and started questioning how far that fury could get him. Kendrick writes and raps like he’s trying to figure out how to harness that weight, how to square the last few years of his recent life with the first twenty or so that made him who he is, how to represent himself and his home and his community without turning that representation into a distortion or a corruption of everyone involved. Kendrick’s focus on working his post-fame nerves from every angle - self-awareness, self-doubt, self-centeredness, self-love - pushes back against the ego-trip narrative so often placed on artists who are realizing the growing rush of fame and power. Even after less than a week’s worth of impressions, To Pimp A Butterfly leaves a distinct impression: Kendrick Lamar needs a lot of collaborators to help him figure out who has his back. ![]()
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