10 Best Hip Hop Albums Of The Decade
1. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly
Kendrick Lamar set an impossibly high standard with 2012’s good kid, m.A.A.d city. His career-defining record was branded a classic as soon as it hit shelves, scoring incredible reviews across the board, and shooting him towards mainstream prominence. As such, it seemed inevitable that the follow up would be a letdown, and when Kendrick released the pop-heavy single “i” in 2014, many were worried that the Compton native was about to drop the ball.
Fortunately, those fears were unfounded. Released in March 2015, To Pimp A Butterfly almost makes GKMC sound like the work of an amateur. Dense with ideas and riddled with complexity, TPAB is incredibly ambitious and it’s jazz-heavy instrumentals aren’t as immediate as GKMC’s more conventional beats, but it’s an intoxicating listen, and one that consumes you more and more with each new play-through.
Thematically, TPAB focuses primarily on Kendrick’s struggles with his identity as an African-American in a troubled modern world. This is never more apparent than on tracks like “The Blacker The Berry” and “Alright,” a quintessential modern protest song. Lamar benefits from keeping taking a personal slant, and while he’s not shy of dipping into politics, at no point does he feel condescending or overbearing.
To Pimp A Butterfly is more than just a great rap album: it’s one that’ll be held up as an a classic for decades to come, with its lyrical, thematic, and instrumental depth ensuring its timelessness.