Dissect

We begin our season-long examination of Kendrick Lamar‘s To Pimp a Butterfly with the history of Compton, California and Kendrick’s transformation from K Dot, a young mixtape rapper, to Kendrick Lamar, a true artist.

We continue our serialized analysis of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly by dissecting its predecessor, 2012's good kid, m.A.A.d. city.

We continue our serialized analysis of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly by dissecting "Wesley’s Theory."

We continue our serialized analysis of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly by dissecting "For Free?"

We continue our serialized analysis of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly by dissecting "King Kunta"

We continue our serialized analysis of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly by dissecting "Institutionalized."

We continue our serialized analysis of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly by dissecting "These Walls."

We continue our serialized analysis of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly by dissecting "u."

We continue our serialized analysis of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly by dissecting "Alright."

We continue our serialized analysis of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly by dissecting "For Sale?"

We continue our serialized analysis of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly by dissecting "Momma."

We continue our serialized analysis of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly by dissecting "Hood Politics."

We continue our serialized analysis of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly by dissecting "How Much a Dollar Cost?"

We continue our serialized analysis of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly by dissecting "Complexion (A Zulu Love)."

We continue our serialized analysis of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly by dissecting "The Blacker the Berry."

We continue our serialized analysis of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly by dissecting "You Ain't Gotta Lie (Momma Said)."

We continue our serialized analysis of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly by dissecting "i."

We continue our serialized analysis of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly by dissecting "Mortal Man."

Our season long examination of To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar concludes with our final thoughts on the album. Then we'll hear directly from Dissect listeners who share their thoughts on the season.

Maybe it’s time we pray for Kendrick Lamar. On his 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick undergoes a metamorphosis from self-loathing Compton rapper to self-loving global icon, a transformation he likens to caterpillar turned butterfly. It seemed to function as a blueprint for salvation, aimed especially at the African-American community navigating the racially charged strains of modern America. But rather than end Butterfly on the euphoria of the song “i,” Kendrick instead concludes with the epilogue “Mortal Man.” After spending the majority of the album questioning himself and the world around him, “Mortal Man” asks us, his listeners, to question ourselves, specifically the build-them-up watch-them-fall relationship we have with our leaders. He reminds us that however large his mythos has become, he’s human and he’ll need our loyalty when “shit hits the fan.”