From out of nowhere on March 15, Kendrick Lamar’s new album To Pimp A Butterfly was leaked in clean version format and subsequently released in his original format. Despite the monkey wrench in plans, the rushed release has translated into a tremendous buzz and awareness campaign, most visibly on Spotify where it has broken records previously set by Drake’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.
With numbers of that magnitude, the entire world is undoubtedly listening collectively in an indirect force. HipHopDX, one of the last of the Mohicans in terms of credible rap album reviews, has decided to lay their journalistic credibility at the mercy of Internet critiques and give the album a perfect rating.
HHDX Editor-in-Chief Justin Hunte highlights K. Dot’s gripes with facing the reality that he is indeed a superstar, albeit a reluctant one tracks like “Institutionalized” and “Momma.” Hunte also calls the project “bold and intentional” while still pointing out that the album’s grand design is flawlessly executed even its free fall form.
Take a look at DX’s To Pimp a Butterfly review here. For further reading, see Hip-Hop Wired’s definitive list of Kendrick Lamar’s verses here.
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Photo: Interscope Records/Top Dawg Entertainment
