20 Hip Hop Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

13. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly

Some may say it's still a little early to call Kendrick Lamar's second album, To Pimp a Butterfly, a classic, but listen to it a few times on some really good headphones in a place where you can't be distracted and you'll come to same realisation. The first thing you have to say about the album is that it is a dense, complicated record. Kendrick is trying to fit so many ideas into his songs that it can be quite difficult to listen to at first, but it gradually becomes a lot easier to get your head around. In terms of lyrics, there's not much to say about Kendrick that hasn't been said before.

He seems as if he can do it all on the microphone, flipping his flow and cadence with ease and talking about subjects 90% of rappers these days simply wouldn't feel comfortable speaking on. Like on Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, Kendrick made sure the production on the album was stellar too. He uses a few different producers for 16-track album, but it's such a cohesive effort that it almost feels like it's one person. A great album from one of the world's most important rappers.