I wiped the crust from my eyes this morning and checked instagram to delightfully awaken to (thanks to my trendy Eastcoast folks) the release of Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp A Butterfly” album. I immediately got up and searched for an outlet to listen to it before I began my pre-work rituals. (Soundcloud, check.)

First go round, I let it play in the background as I got ready for work. Nothing caught my ear (that I haven’t already heard). I wasn’t impressed with the first listen (except the faux interview at the end with Tupac.)

(My methodology when listening to new music is, first go round, I passively listen and evaluate how sonically pleasing the songs are i.e. which song productions slap the most or have the best melody. I basically search for songs I can fall in love with at first listen.)

What I realized was, this is not a rap album for that or 808’s lovers. My shallow interpretation was, “this some open mic spoken word shit.”

2nd go round, I turn my antennas on and begin to actively listen to the album i.e. lyrics/content/arrangements.

That’s when it grasped my full attention and provoked me to evaluate this shift in thought being re-introduced to the mainstream.

I’m not here to declare this album a classic because it’s way too soon for that, nor will I attempt to describe the sound or compare it to Good Kid, M.a.a.d City. What I will say is the thought it inspired within me.

This album perfectly captures the paradoxical (seemingly absurd or self-contradictory) nature of the American experience for many, black/white, rich/poor, male/female. It is the quintessential narrative of dual consciousness (the way in which we must simultaneously embrace two different cultural identities.)

“I remember you was conflicted
Misusing your influence
Sometimes I did the same
Abusing my power, full of resentment
Resentment that turned into a deep depression
Found myself screaming in the hotel room
I didn’t wanna self destruct
The evils of Lucy was all around me
So I went running for answers
Until I came home
But that didn’t stop survivor’s guilt”

Beyond these identity dualities, it addresses the economic and social climate provoked by the culmination of events in the past 7 years.

When the financial market collapsed and robbed millions of Americans their livelihood and created the Great Recession (2007-2009), there has been a shift in thought, stimulating the conversation of “individualism vs society” (refers to the tension or drama that results when an individual does not want to live within the confines of their culture or society.)

Rapid real time dissemination and accessibility of information amplified the longstanding issues of racism, sexism, and classism with what seems like thousands of videos (& voices via trolling) of injustices perpetrated by the rich and law enforcement against people of color, women, and poor people.

Thanks to sensationalism and advertising dollars, negative and harmful images dominated screens(TV, computer, smart phones). Racially motivated & senseless murders of black males by law enforcement captured on video, domestic violence against women, and the displacement of poor people by way of gentrification and a plethora of many other negative & harmful images became the norm . It became a misguided reality for many across the country. This challenged and redefined what many millennials from lower and middle class communities thought it meant to be an American.

#tbt The Harlem Renaissance was spawned by the end of World War 1 (1918) and the first Great Migration (1910-1930’s). Blacks moved north, became educated and acclimated to this new life. Black culture became popular and cool while white racism simultaneously became more rampant. As an outlet of expression & frustration, a community of black artists, scholars, writers, poets, and musicians in Harlem began to speak candidly about their identity and celebrate their culture while challenging this new Jim Crow racism and privileged abuse.

A renaissance has been emerging in the undercurrent of America the past 7 years as a mechanism to counter the regression we’re ridiculously experiencing and it was no longer solely a black thing. It is a renaissance for humanity. (I assume the regression is a result of some closet racists losing their shit when Obama became president.) The renaissance is revealing itself everyday through social networks, community events, arts, music, (and did I mention #BlackTwitter?)

To Pimp A Butterfly represents one of the many voices in this renaissance. It unravels the many layers of identity we were born into, systematically or traditionally, but are eager to change and transcend from for the sake of humanity. It is the voice of those that may not appreciate or understand its contribution immediately, but its their voice nonetheless. If you listen diligently, you just may hear something that may inspire something within you.

This album may not be for everyone, but it is for everyone.