To Pimp A Butterfly
by Kendrick Lamar
User Score
9.0

Universal acclaim- based on 4386 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,962 out of 4386
  2. Mixed: 91 out of 4386
  3. Negative: 333 out of 4386
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  1. heehaw14
    Jan 22, 2020
    10
    To Pimp a Butterfly is an extravagant study into the soul of black america. Through lavish jazz production and expert lyricism, Kendrick Lamar expresses the exploitation o black americans at the hands of american commercialism and relates it back to his own survivor’s guilt , feeling like he hasn’t properly given back to his community. It is an excellent, poetic tale of a black artist’sTo Pimp a Butterfly is an extravagant study into the soul of black america. Through lavish jazz production and expert lyricism, Kendrick Lamar expresses the exploitation o black americans at the hands of american commercialism and relates it back to his own survivor’s guilt , feeling like he hasn’t properly given back to his community. It is an excellent, poetic tale of a black artist’s rise to stardom and return back home.… Expand
  2. vhsultra
    Jan 22, 2020
    10
    Kendrick Lamar’s 2015 masterpiece, To Pimp a Butterfly, consists of some of the smartest, most concise, and engaging lyrics on race relations and poverty in America, accompanied by precise and perfect instrumentation as well.
  3. Metahypnotoad
    Jan 22, 2020
    10
    A perfect concept album that still resonates long after its release, certainly Kendrick Lamar's best album to date and one of my favourite albums of all time. While not a novel concept, few can pull off the fusion of multiple genres, including: rap & hip hop, rnb, jazz, and poetry, in the way that Lamar and his collaborators do here.
  4. Cozyhenny
    Jan 22, 2020
    10
    To Pimp a Butterfly is easily one of the most important Hip-hop albums of the decade, and possibly of all time. As the album plays through, Kendrick slowly builds a poem that builds on the themes so beautifully that it gives listeners chills on their first listen. The interludes are great transition tracks and this is another part of the album where Kendrick’s pen game shines. The jazzy,To Pimp a Butterfly is easily one of the most important Hip-hop albums of the decade, and possibly of all time. As the album plays through, Kendrick slowly builds a poem that builds on the themes so beautifully that it gives listeners chills on their first listen. The interludes are great transition tracks and this is another part of the album where Kendrick’s pen game shines. The jazzy, funk based, politically charged record is a proper celebration of where the genre has been, and where it’s going.… Expand
  5. Siphumelele
    Jan 22, 2020
    10
    It's without a doubt the best hip hop album of all time. It will live for many more generations.
  6. okbuddyjosh
    Jan 22, 2020
    10
    The jazzy and almost simplistic instrumentals mixed with the smart and engaging story-telling makes this an album for the ages. Throughout the album, we are gifted a poem that continues throughout the story until it culminates in the 12-minute epic, Mortal Man. To add to this, the last line of the poem has to do with the song following it. For example, the poem at the end of These WallsThe jazzy and almost simplistic instrumentals mixed with the smart and engaging story-telling makes this an album for the ages. Throughout the album, we are gifted a poem that continues throughout the story until it culminates in the 12-minute epic, Mortal Man. To add to this, the last line of the poem has to do with the song following it. For example, the poem at the end of These Walls ends with "I found myself screaming in the hotel room" and the next song, u, begins with Lamar screaming. If you want to know more about the complex story, I recommend listening to the Spotify Dissect Podcast. Meaning aside, the album just sounds great. Most of the album takes influence from smooth jazz, but there are certainly outliers. For example, one of my favorite songs on it, The Blacker The Berry, has a sort of rock instrumental that really works well with the message it is delivering. All in all, this is a perfect album that should be up there with All Eyez On Me and Ready To Die for the most influential rap albums of all time.… Expand
  7. KarimShuman
    Jan 22, 2020
    10
    Only got greater and greater over time. Easily the best album of the 2010s.
  8. bananapeeler52
    Jan 22, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. very goof and i love it so much i is my favorite song on the album , but they are all great… Expand
  9. Gamemod
    Aug 8, 2018
    10
    I can see why everyone loves this album. The best album of 2015........................................
  10. urnolb
    Jan 22, 2020
    10
    the idea that any eminem song is even in breathing distance of this masterpiece is offensive
  11. Barlog
    Jan 22, 2020
    6
    Lyrically very good and creative, his technique as well as production are not as good as on DAMN.
  12. bonjourxz
    Jan 19, 2020
    10
    incrível e o melhor álbum de rap já feito, Kendrick não impressiona por ser um artista completo e nunca esquece da pauta importante que é o BLM - não só nos EUA - no mundo todo.
  13. somemusicpageig
    Jan 18, 2020
    10
    Looking back on this album, it’s still amazing. It”s aged very well and has both great production and rapping. Kendrick’s storytelling is off the charts here and the amount of emotion on songs such as ‘u’ is absolutely amazing. Possibly the greatest hip-hop/rap album of all time. 10/10
  14. Tylerp
    Jan 17, 2020
    8
    Great follow up to good kid maad city. Really shows off Kendrick's talents as a lyricist if not poet.
  15. wlsnwlsnwsl
    Jan 17, 2020
    10
    glad to live in this era and hear this, every song means something, a nice pick from lamar on beats.
  16. Malachi14
    Jan 2, 2020
    3
    Overrated album that has some nice instrumentals, flows, and verses here and there but I mostly just found myself bored throughout.
  17. kermie_the_frog
    Dec 26, 2019
    10
    Best rap record of the decade. The only album to compete is Kanye's MBDTF and this record edges out ahead.
  18. Danurbex
    Dec 22, 2019
    10
    Hands down, album of the decade. 5000 words isn't even enough to explain how much I love this album. From the structure of the album to the world class song writing and from the jazz and soul influences to the versatility of Kendrick Lamar voice really brings the entire album to life.
  19. JaneMetascore
    Dec 18, 2019
    2
    Kendrick doesn't live up to the promise of P.E., Wu-Tang, Pac, and Dre. The more fans know about him the less pleasing is this recording. This music is no longer groundbreaking, and its initial boringness, or repetition, is now childishly simple. When audiences respond to Lamar they have given up on Hip-Hop, like its kiddie Jackson 5, or just crap.
  20. cbogert4
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    A true masterpiece. Quite possibly the best album of all time, in any genre. This album is as close to perfect as Walter White's blue meth is to 100% pure. Kendrick's storytelling is revolutionary and better than anything Shakespeare or Homer has ever done. Nearly all of this album's tracks are in my top 50 songs of all time. U, How much a Dollar Cost?, and These Walls are in my top 15.A true masterpiece. Quite possibly the best album of all time, in any genre. This album is as close to perfect as Walter White's blue meth is to 100% pure. Kendrick's storytelling is revolutionary and better than anything Shakespeare or Homer has ever done. Nearly all of this album's tracks are in my top 50 songs of all time. U, How much a Dollar Cost?, and These Walls are in my top 15. With this album, Kendrick has set the bar for all future releases. If anyone can match this album's elite level or musicality, they deserve all of the praise in the world.… Expand
  21. bc11
    Nov 5, 2019
    4
    Very critically overrated. I praise it's production, it was cool to see Kenny do something different with the funk, jazz & soul instrumentation influence. But a big flaw was the frequent use of interludes at the end. What if someone just wants to hear the song, he should've done the decent thing and put them as a seperate track. The album overall had incredibly poor track listingVery critically overrated. I praise it's production, it was cool to see Kenny do something different with the funk, jazz & soul instrumentation influence. But a big flaw was the frequent use of interludes at the end. What if someone just wants to hear the song, he should've done the decent thing and put them as a seperate track. The album overall had incredibly poor track listing structure. However where this album ultimatley flawed is it's lyricism. For many tracks, Kendrick has very political lyrics, politics and music should absolutley be seperate. Music is where we come to get away from all that, to sit back and entertain our ears with sounds we like and have a good time. Very divisive.… Expand
  22. Ciuffo
    Nov 3, 2019
    10
    Incredible album, almost perfect i should say. I haven't seen such a great album for quite a while. The sound is just incredible and most of the song feel like poems for example the intro of most of the songs where Kendrick is not even singing, just telling you a poem, a poem we find out, in Mortal man, that was dedicaded to 2pac
    I think the oly reason albums like Ghosteen or Ten Freedom    Incredible album, almost perfect i should say. I haven't seen such a great album for quite a while. The sound is just incredible and most of the song feel like poems for example the intro of most of the songs where Kendrick is not even singing, just telling you a poem, a poem we find out, in Mortal man, that was dedicaded to 2pac
    I think the oly reason albums like Ghosteen or Ten Freedom Summers have higher reviews is because they have a tenth of to pimp a butterfly reviews    … Expand
  23. bryanwithno_b
    Nov 1, 2019
    10
    The most impressive storytelling I've seen in any studio project, this is a masterpiece and my favorite album of all time.
  24. Barbosz
    Oct 29, 2019
    10
    10/10, probably the best album of the decade, nothing sucks balls on it. Perfect album, would listen again anytime!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  25. Jackpatrick
    Oct 13, 2019
    1
    Not good at all defo not 5th best of all time, gives me a headache to listen to it
  26. ddidid
    Oct 4, 2019
    10
    This is a top 10 all time lmao. You who hate it most probably barely checked genius or whatever to see the deep meanings of this album. Truly a masterpiece and no words to be said no more. A big 10
  27. inoffensive
    Sep 28, 2019
    10
    The album that made me interested in music. Before this i didn't care much for music albums, but TPAB has changed that and is still one of the best rap albums I ever heard.
  28. sebastianmina
    Sep 25, 2019
    10
    Amazing album but not as good as good kid m.a.a.d city but in my opinion, they're both tens.
  29. Croner
    Sep 10, 2019
    10
    Muito provavelmente o melhor álbum de rap da década. Álbuns como esse serão usados como referência na história do rap.
  30. SovirakchhaiS
    Sep 9, 2019
    10
    I have no negative thing to say about this album. This is one of the greatest rap album of all time, even Kendrick's best album so far! This is an instant classic and a masterpiece! Nothing to say more. sorry.
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best Album of 2015
3
#3 Most Discussed Album of 2015
11
#11 Most Shared Album of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
96

Universal acclaim - based on 44 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 44
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 44
  3. Negative: 0 out of 44
  1. The Wire
    May 15, 2015
    90
    Lamar offers a commitment to effect change through the work itself. Whether or not that's realistic ideal the delivery is so powerful it's hard not to get caught up in the rapture. [May 2015, p.50]
  2. The Source
    May 6, 2015
    90
    Each song means more with reference to the project's overall concept than it does as a standalone record, which shouldn't take away from its impact, but rather speak of the courage of its creator. [Apr-May 2015, p.87]
  3. Q Magazine
    Apr 29, 2015
    80
    It's a challenging, ambitious combination of words and music that becomes increasingly absorbing over time. [Jun 2015, p.103]
See all critic reviews »