Kendrick Lamar’s ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’ Turns 10

From the moment that Kendrick Lamar gained major label recognition, he was ordained as a leader, both for his Compton stomping grounds and for hip-hop as a whole. After the release of his album Section.80, the West Coast icons he looked up to growing up — Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, the Game, Kurupt — formally passed the torch to Kendrick on stage at Music Box Theatre in Los Angeles. And after the release of his brilliant Aftermath debut good kid, m.A.A.d city, his status was further fortified: He had spiritual and religious foundations without being preachy, he had prodigious storytelling abilities, and he could still make his own brand of bangers. On “The Heart Pt. 3,” released weeks before GKMC, he gave thought to his impending role as one of hip-hop’s new cultural generals. “When the whole world see you as Pac reincarnated, that’s enough pressure to live your whole life sedated,” he rapped. Released 10 years ago this Saturday, his second album, To Pimp A Butterfly, was an even deeper meditation on Black leadership, released during a time in the country that desperately needed it.