41 thoughts on “No Country For Old (Rap) Men: To Review A Butterfly”

  3. Yeah right on the money. After all the hype i thought it was just me….

  4. Haven’t heard it, I’m too busy playing obscure Rap-A-Lot albums from the mid 90’s.

  5. I can respect he was trying to push the envelope and be different but I thought the whole point of a rap album is to hear someone rap not weird experimental shit that isn’t rap music.

  6. Well written sir, took the words right out of my mouth, out of the 16 tracks (including interludes) I only really liked 2 and maybe half of a third one. 2.5/16

  7. Nailed it @”gremlin voice”.. Never was a huge KL fan, I actually prefer to hear Jay-Rock over him.. But everyone said that this is THEE album..it’s great to know that I’m not everyone..

  8. This is the best hiphop album out right now. Might b over your head, give it a chance to sink in. He expressed a very complex series of ideas in a narrative style comparable to a theatre performance

  10. “He expressed a very complex series of ideas in a narrative style comparable to a theatre performance”

    Haha get the fcuk outta here

  12. Ahahahahahah hating peace of shit! Kendrick is the best thing happening to hip hop and music in general, nigga please!! Your wack and irrelevant underground rappers ain’t doing shit for the people and the culture. I can understand the hate coming from Drake fan not this kind of blog! I’ll never come back to your site, this can’t be serious.

  13. Never really checked for Kendrick Lamar but I listened to the album straight through for the hell of it. The album won me over. The production was awesome, the kids intelligent and can rap his ass off. Reminds me of Nas a lot in the way he tells a story and breaks down certain rhymes. He may surpass Nas career wise because he comes across more grounded and prob not caught up in the extra cirricular bullshit. Either way, classic post 90’s album. Give it another listen without a critical ear.

  14. THE POINT is it’s MUSIC we are listening to, and the MUSICAL elements are fucking TRASH!!! Kendrick should have just put out a spoken word album or made the shit for Broadway. At least then it would be cut and dry and focused on what the actual good elements of this project are. Not only that it would be targeted to the fruitcakes that like that shit, and stay way out of the chatter about “Classic Hip Hop.” It has the messages of a classic, but not the delivery nor musicality of one. No way I’d consider this a classic without actually having the classic MUSIC to accompany the lyrics and bullshit theatrics.

  15. Never heard this guy before, but if he changed him name to Kendrick O’Keefe, then I might listen.

  16. I think the album was cool first listen but Im sure it will take a few for it to sink in.. I think the factor of having to go back an re listen to stuff to catch it is lost in this era.. we are to into this spoon fed formula.. I personally dont want to hear music that sounds like when I was in Highschool and im 38. the 90s are over..respect an embrace history but we gotta grow.. and I believe kendrick is that growth or one example of an mc that is pushing creativity.. peace

  17. Don’t believe the hype as Flav said. But you should in the case of Kendrick Lamar. I’m a 39 year old hip hop student and I can’t hate, Kendrick is obviously the hip hop genius of this generation. Old ass haters need to understand that if you really love and understand the culture, he’s our best ally.
    You need time to value a classic, the phenomenal To Pimp A Butterfly is way more than that: it’s art. Art is difficult. It’s hard to make an album that encourages you to contemplate religion, society, politics, mortality, and art itself. It’s hard to produce a record that blends tasteful influence while keeping an ear to the future. Art is difficult but achievable. A painting that demands its own college courses is art. A movie that, decades later, sparks a two hour conversation is art. That review is wrong, you know bad faith when you see it. I’m glad for hip hop. Don’ hate, it’s time to celebrate.

  18. Idk why i instantly “got” Kendrick but im glad i did..
    Nowhere near the fuckery of the drake’s , Kanye’s etc..
    Dude is the fuckin truth..
    Im 38, Red Alert & Stretch n Bob cassette recording, backpage, elightest, “old head” etc lol but the kid is fucking amazing..He took the torch from Nas and is rightfully running with it..
    TDE is the truth..Ask Pete Rock, Chuck D, Nas himself etc..
    But hey shit aint for everybody

  19. Just realized i essentially wrote the same thing as Markem, minus the typos..
    Glad im not alone on this board lol

  20. ”
    You need time to value a classic, the phenomenal To Pimp A Butterfly is way more than that: it’s art. Art is difficult. It’s hard to make an album that encourages you to contemplate religion, society, politics, mortality, and art itself. It’s hard to produce a record that blends tasteful influence while keeping an ear to the future. Art is difficult but achievable. A painting that demands its own college courses is art. A movie that, decades later, sparks a two hour conversation is art”

    Like the dude said above this comment, if the MUSIC itself is half ass/garbage then it ain’t a classic, no matter how “artsy” it is.. A Tribe Called Quest made artsy-type albums but they were listenable unlike KL’s new one, which BTW I do like a couple of cuts from

  21. A lot of old heads and so-called “purists” are abashed about the Kendrick Lamar movement. Funny.
    What’s your definition of garbage, dude? Believe me, you don’t want to know what Q-Tip and all your favorite rappers think about To Pimp A Butterfly and the cultural power of Kendrick Lamar. I’m out. Peace

  22. Don’t know where the “old heads/purists” comment is coming from cause I actually like a few Kendrick Lamar tracks.. my bad for shittin on the KL ” movement” lol

  24. C’mon, how did all of you even end up at unkut? Are you searching the internet for KL slander? I am not a fan of Kendrick, but why would anyone expect me to be? Lose the expectations kids. I’m sure you wouldn’t be able to appreciate Hard to Earn, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t the dopest shit to me.

  25. It’s just cool to see someone at least point out what they dont like about the album instead of just jumping on the whole “it’s artistic” BS just because there’s some spoken word, music switch ups, and weird voices. I’m just the actual rap portion is dope cuz Kendrick can spit. But all of that spoken word/p-funk/alien voices stuff dont push it to another level cuz it’s been done before and to a certain degree takes away from the whole album. And then to have songs that are super long? I’m almost positive that’s the point Robbie was trying to make. I didn’t really see no hate in that review. It’s how you read it that determines if you think it’s hate. A hard core Kendrick fan (Standrick) will read it that way. I personally took it as “Dont buy into the big hype – Here’s what it really breaks down to be” type of review.

  26. It’s just cool to see someone at least point out what they dont like about the album instead of just jumping on the whole “it’s artistic” BS just because there’s some spoken word, music switch ups, and weird voices. I’m sure just the actual rap portion is dope cuz Kendrick can spit. But all of that spoken word/p-funk/alien voices stuff dont push it to another level cuz it’s been done before and to a certain degree takes away from the whole album. And then to have songs that are super long? I’m almost positive that’s the point Robbie was trying to make. I didn’t really see no hate in that review. It’s how you read it that determines if you think it’s hate. A hard core Kendrick fan (Standrick) will read it that way. I personally took it as “Dont buy into the big hype – Here’s what it really breaks down to be” type of review.

  28. As a West coast elitest akin to Robbie’s East coast elitism, I’m surprised he even reviewed this album. But money talks. As a West coast elitest I was ready to disagree with your review before I read it. But I got no gripes here, you’ve hit the nail on the head once again. When I used to freestyle in the cypher with my friends and my voice cracked (what Robbie refers to as Gremlin rap) I got called out and clowned on, rightfully so, that shit sounds terrible and if you do it for an entire song you are trolling the shit out of your fans forcing us to listen to that nonsense. I didn’t hear the Coup influence until you mentioned it and then I realized it borrows heavily from them. To Pimp a Butterfly is definitely a failed attempt at a throwback and the long songs, though appreciated are just an attempt to build hype and not get radio play to get buried in the underground and Kendrick is no longer considered underground. I am glad to hear the homage paid to crews like N.W.A., Public Enemy and MCs like KRS-ONE and Nas because too much of rap today is guys like Drake, Migos and Tyga. Maybe next time around he can actually get DJ Quik to produce him a beat or two or feature P-Funk on a song. In the meantime the Stans can shit on your comments section lapping up the detritus that Kendrick plays off as art. As much as I enjoyed the commentary on being Black in America by Kendrick, sometimes those powerful words were lost among the less meaningful attempts at artistry.

  29. This album is a solid purchase for me. I’ve been enjoying it these past few days.. Its definitely got a lot of the elements I’ve come to expect from aftermath releases but with a bit of a different angle conceptually. I appreciate this message coming from someone at the top of the hip hop hierarchy in 2015. I think its important. We all cry for balance in the mainstream yet when it finally arrives people still refute it. I thought Robbie’s article came off as a fair assessment of his review. Although he doesn’t dig it as much as me, this reads like he gave it a legit shot and expressed his honest impression. Its become very hard to listen to something that’s receiving a ton of critical praise with an objective ear. Most people seem to love or hate this shit. I personally love it.

  30. Good comment Lex. For some reason I feel like a lot people that bought the album either wanna fall in line with the hype so they dont feel left out or……… Dont wann feel like they wasted their money and give it more praise than needed. I dont doubt that it’s not a dope album, howerver I do doubt that it deserves all the Van Glorious praise that it’s getting.

  31. I feel like the people knocking this album are simply on autopilot. As someone who felt GKMC was just “good” and not warranting all of the praise it got, this album obliterates it in every way, especially from a musical angle. At least it seems to have successfully backed all traditionalist elements of the hip hop world into irrelevance and insecurity.

  32. Album is Classic Material FUCK OUTTA HERE,cats on here got no soul…If all MC’s put as much HEART AND Soul and Creativity behind there music as this kid does HIPHOP would be dam near Perfect. Dude is Slick Rick 3000 with a dash of RAKIM and KRS..He Embodies everything that a great MC is suppose to be, like how the fuck can you not see that dude can do it all…kill yourself, SMH sorry but cats be sounding lost on here..I grew up in the golden era cats had styles and subject matter there was never one fucking vibe all the way through an album. Well Dude has two classics under his belt, this is like DA LA SOUL is Dead or Death Certifacate, glad too see HIPHOP is in good hands.

  33. I youtubed the joint with an open mind, ready to see what the hoopla’s all about. I didn’t even make it to the last song. The only time this album had my attention for an extended period was Rapsody’s verse on Complexion, by far, the highlight of the album, imo. I can tell that KL is talented and has something to say but I could not get into this album at all. Does that make me a (lmao…) HATER???…

  34. This is how I feel… While there are people who truly love Kendrick’s music and this new album of his, there’s a lot of people who are just riding the bandwagon cuz they feel he’s “saving hip-hop” so they automatic call it a “classic” whether they actually like the music or not..

  35. Well, not every classic was recognized at its release. I won’t even go that far to say TPAB is there yet, but it feels like it to me. All hail King Kunta!

  36. Finally gave this a listen. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it. Classic? I don’t know. But this played more like a soul album rather than a hip-hop album. For the first half of the album, I wondered when the rapping would be start. Maybe due to KL’s flow and gremlin voice. Reminds me of Like Water For Chocolate/Soulquarians as opposed to most of CRC approved stuff I normally listen too.

  37. Don’t agree with the review at all, this is a very dope hip-hop/concept album. Very deep and takes multiple listens to really digest. From a production and lyrical stand point this is top notch!!

  38. I gotta disagree about you thinking the “chaotic feel” of it is a bad thing. Almost amateur. I think that’s what music (especially rebellious youth music) is about. Getting lost and a little out of control. That’s what I felt when I heard this album was Kendrick going free and being as crazy on a beat as he felt. It’s cool to hear your opinion but I really dig this album. The song “u” is such an amazing joint. This record is mad personal and compelling. Even if people don’t appreciate the score behind it, the message it brings man is powerful and Kendrick delivers it dope and original fashion.

  40. 3 times I’ve put this on in the car planning to settle in with it. Haven’t got past the third track yet,

  41. Kendrick Lamar just sounds like Devin x Outkast to me (with added theatric voices).

    TPaB sounds more like a college project than a rap album. It’s far too referential and “meta” to ever be entertaining or interesting (unless you’re into chin-stroking). It’s the rap equivalent of TS Eliot’s “The wasteland” or Jean Toomer’s “Cane” but far less interesting as the postmodernist ship sailed decades ago. Literature aside, “ArtFag” rap was already doing stuff like this (and much better) 98-04.
    The emperor is naked.

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