The album’s jazzy beats, poetic lyrics, interwoven story and ever-relevant themes - all coupled with the masterful skill of Lamar supplemented by knockout features ranging from George Clinton to Snoop Dog - shine through in each track. Songs like “How Much a Dollar Cost” draw the listener into another world with the descriptive ability of a spoken-word poet while “The Blacker the Berry” minces no words in both its celebration of Black culture and its confrontation with systemic racism in American society. All of the tracks on the album - dealing with issues as vast and intricate as identity, race and commercialism and as individualized as failure, imperfection and legacy - root themselves in Kendrick’s brilliant ability to weave stories for the listener. Here, Lamar is never preaching to his audience. Lamar wishes to explore what perpetuates such exploitative alienation. The title itself is a metaphor for society’s “pimping” of young black men for their artistic talent - the butterfly - while simultaneously driving them towards materialistic self-destruction. The genius of “To Pimp a Butterfly” is clear even before the first drumbeat. Today, his words remain as relevant as ever in the wake of the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others. Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” reflected the misunderstanding and frustration of that era. The future of race relations in America is uncertain. The shooting of Michael Brown and violent clashes between protestors and police remain fresh in the minds of the public. President Obama’s second term is wrapping up.

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