Punch is a talented wordsmith in his own right. The man born Terrence Henderson is best known for running Top Dawg Entertainment alongside Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith. That said, Punch has dropped guest verses on Kendrick Lamar and Ab-Soul albums in the past. Punch reflected on his musical output via Instagram on August 21. He not only revealed that he was involved in the making of Lamar’s seminal album To Pimp a Butterfly, but he was crucial in the resolution of its narrative concept. The way Punch tells it, the album would have been very different had he not been working alongside Dot.
The closing track on To Pimp a Butterfly is “Mortal Man.” Kendrick Lamar reads a poem to Tupac, referring to said poem as something a “good friend had wrote.” Punch told Instagram followers that he was the “good friend in question.” The poem he wrote effectively lays out the thesis and title of To Pimp a Butterfly, which is something he claims Lamar struggled with. “I remember K. Dot was feeling a bit lost in the concept,” Punch recalled. “It happens sometimes when your in the thick of the battle. It’s easy to kind of lose sight of the original purpose as new ideas and thought enter in.” The TDE boss claims that Lamar asked him to write a poem that would help snap the narrative into place. He obliged.
“I thought about it and wrote some words and sent it to him,” Punch added. “He said ‘thanks’ and we kept moving with business as usual.” The TDE boss noted that weeks went by with no mention of the poem. It wasn’t until Punch sat down to listen to “Mortal Man” that he discovered Lamar had used the poem as the album’s capper. “I realized these were the words that I sent Dot months before! I had no idea he was using it for the album,” he recalled. “Even when we played it back during the process he never played that section.”
Punch doesn’t have a credit on “Mortal Man.” However, he remains grateful to Lamar for involving him in such a notable piece of music. “This will always be a special moment for me,” he concluded on his IG post. “Because of our connection and understanding and also being apart of that masterpiece in that way.” It’s difficult to imagine the end of “Mortal Man,” and by extension, To Pimp a Butterfly, without Punch’s poem serving as the cherry on top.
Kendrick Lamar’s new song “Not Like Us” has upended the hip-hop landscape, and such a seismic single warrants an equally world-shaking music video. That’s what K. Dot provided with the supporting visual for “Not Like Us,” a four-minute celebration of not just his victory over one of the biggest stars on the planet, but also of his city, Compton, and LA culture in general.
Those elements often appear in Kendrick’s videography, which spans far longer than the obvious decade or so since he became a Grammy-winning, Fox News-terrifying, esoteric yet somehow ubiquitous fixture of pop culture. The following list was debated, discussed, and even outright dissed by my colleague Wongo and I (with our long-suffering editor, Phil, playing referee) until we got to his best — both in their visual representation of K Dot’s messaging and for their dynamic and memorable imagery.
Disclaimer: We left “The Heart Part 5” off this list over its use of deepfake AI — contrived and problematic technology on its own — that we believe aged poorly in hindsight.
12. “Michael Jordan”
The song that put Kendrick Lamar on the map in the city of LA. If the unofficial through-line of this list is how deeply Kendrick connects to his city through his visuals, this is where that line begins. It may not be as visually striking as other clips on this list, but it is likely one of the most thematically impactful — look no further than the fact that the then-relatively unknown Kendrick, considered something of a sidekick at the time to TDE’s “real” star, Jay Rock, shut down the 110 Freeway in Downtown Los Angeles to shoot much of this video. For non-Angelenos, this is vaguely akin to choking off the superior vena cava of the human heart. For a less heady comparison, consider this: The only other times this is done is to film major Hollywood productions like San Andreas and La La Land, or for major protests like the ones against police brutality in 2020 and advocation for a Gaza ceasefire. Basically, Kendrick was saying, “I AM LA. I am bigger than Hollywood. I am a world-changing event.” He wasn’t wrong. — Aaron Williams
11. “The Hillbillies” w/ Baby Keem
Though “Family Ties” launched it, “The Hillbillies” solidified the pgLang era of Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem’s careers. Released without much warning, the vlog-style Neal Farmer-directed video captures the true laid-back personas of both Lamar and Keem. Between time in London and Los Angeles (where Tyler The Creator joins them), Lamar and Keem do everything from dance outside a private jet, prance through a shopping mall, flex clothes and jewels, play video games, help Tyler tease news about Camp Flag Gnaw Carnival at Dodger Stadium, and more. Quirky camera tricks and numerous meme-worthy moments from Lamar and Keem add to the carefree and fun energy that the duo brings to the video, a rarity for the former when it comes to his visuals. — Wongo Okon
10. “B*tch, Don’t Kill My Vibe”
An early standout from Kendrick’s catalog, the video for “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe” lays much of the groundwork for what will become recurring motifs throughout his videography: Striking, spiritualistic imagery (a funeral in a well-appointed church, with mourners dressed in white-on-white rather than the traditional black), an unexpected cameo from a Los Angeles legend (in this case, standup comic Mike Epps, who baptizes Kendrick in a “pool full a liquor,” a callback to another Good Kid, M.A.A.D single, “Swimming Pools”), and the abiding contrast/coexistence of communal celebration and solo introspection. A bonus highlight: The very 2010s unsubtle product placement shot, which scans as one of K. Dot’s most “here, damn” concessions to commercialism in a career full of them. — A.W.
9. “Element”
Kendrick Lamar’s promise to “make it look sexy” if he ever had to “slap a p*ssy ass n****” on “Element” hits a lot differently in the wake of his beef with Drake. Prophetic foreshadowing aside, “Element” is a prime example of the persona Lamar carries today: impenetrable, undefeatable, and unconquerable. Its visual, directed by Jonas Lindstroem & The Little Homies, captures Lamar in militant form. Nearly every time Lamar appears in the video, he is either standing above us or surrounded by a crew of supporters who are all on standby for a brutal fight. For three-and-a-half minutes, Lamar, bloody white t-shirt and all, embraces the boogeyman characteristic in a fine display of kingship in the rap game that resonates more than ever today. — W.O.
8. “These Walls” Feat. Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat
“It was Kendrick! Yeah, Kendrick Lamar!” Corey Holcomb proclaims this in the opening scene of the “These Walls” video which is actually titled “Behind The Walls: A Black Comedy.” The video, directed by Colin Tilley and The Little Homies, lives up to that title as we’re invited into a house party complete with drinking, drugs, fights, and loud music. In this one, Lamar doesn’t even rap the Grammy-winning song’s words until the very end. Instead, he enjoys a dance with a woman against a wall before breaking through it and falling into another room, all to continue the fun in another room. He also teams up with an overzealous Terry Crews to perform the Hit The Quan dance at a talent show. The colorful visual continues with a shift back to the party where Holcomb arrives to see Lamar with his lady, something that doesn’t entirely mind as he finds two for himself. The fun is short-lived for Holcomb who gets hauled away by two cops after he crashed into a police cruiser as he parked before entering the party. Comedic angle aside, the video, true to the song’s message, is a true visual representation of what occurs within the walls of the mind and a home as men like Kendrick and Holcomb aspire to explore the walls of a woman. — W.O.
7. “Loyalty” Feat. Rihanna
“Loyalty,” Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna’s first-ever collaboration, is a standout on DAMN. for many reasons, one being the perilous visual the song received. For four minutes, Lamar and Rihanna flirt with many of life’s harmful dangers to prove that their love and loyalty to each other are unmatched. Rihanna taunts a man by spitting her gum on him, and when he angrily approaches her, Lamar is there to knock him out. He later dangles Rihanna off the roof of a building before they both lay on its edge as if they’re on ground level and not hundreds of feet in the air. The “Loyalty” visual ends with Lamar and Rihanna absorbing the blow of a tractor-trailer crashing into their car as Lamar does donuts in the middle of an intersection. — W.O.
6. “Count Me Out”
Though Kendrick Lamar’s video for “Count Me Out” isn’t as eventful as the other standout visuals in his videography, it excels by capturing the mindset that created< em>Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. The visual begins with a conversation with his therapist, played by Oscar award-winning actress Helen Mirren, where the two laugh about Lamar stealing a woman’s parking spot and delve into a more serious discussion about his self-doubts. The Dave Free and Kendrick Lamar-directed video then splits into three screens with a visual of Lamar rapping the first verse of “Count Me Out,” another of Mirren listening intently, and a third that pairs images of pain, anger, fear, joy, strife, contention, and more to Lamar’s words. — W.O.
5. “N95”
“N95” is hands-down the best video to come down from the Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers era for a multitude of reasons. It succinctly captures the erratic and chaotic atmosphere of the song and the album as a whole. Want to see and hear where Kendrick’s head was in 2022? Look no further than the “N95” video. Furthermore, from a more general standpoint, it’s just a sick visual. It juxtaposes itself over and over again in just seconds, going from Kendrick in full sprint as he evades an angry mob to watching the rapper gracefully scales down steps by a waterfall. He sits in peace and reads a pgLang magazine before a car tumbles by a clears out chairs just a few away from the one he sits in. Add in shots of Lamar doing burpees, floating over the ocean in a Christ-like position, hitting donuts in a car with Baby Keem, and more, and you have a visual worthy of a top-five slot in Lamar’s career. — W.O.
4. “Alright”
Arguably the best of Kendrick Lamar’s videos, “Alright” earns its place thanks in part to bearing the hallmarks of Kendrick’s videos — community, camaraderie, visual metaphors for resilience — and throwing in one of the best-sounding unreleased songs of Kendrick’s entire catalog. It’s still the only place to hear this song, which by itself should be enough of a recommendation for this video, but just for the sake of argument, “Alright” is also the recipient of the 2016 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song and was nominated for that year’s MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year. — A.W.
3. “Not Like Us”
This is why we’re here, people. A visual representation of Los Angeles culture, of Kendrick’s rap dominance, of his hometown hero status, the video also doubles as a bit of a wake for that poor OVO owl. From smashing an owl piñata to putting a live owl inside a cage, the video reflects the song’s primary goal of burying Kendrick’s longtime foe Drake, while at the same time, uses the controversy as an opportunity to highlight K Dot’s hometown, from the Tommy The Clown and DeMar DeRozan cameos to its raucous, impromptu community gathering at Compton City Hall. — A.W.
2. “DNA”
The best videos in Kendrick Lamar’s career came from his DAMN. era. Look no further than the “DNA” visual for proof of this. Don Cheadle stars as an interrogator ready to give Lamar a lie detector test when he is shocked into the same rhythm as the rapper, rapping the lyrics of “DNA” as if they both wrote the song from the same experience of anger and struggle. The moment takes a mental toll on both men, but Lamar reigns supreme as Cheadle succumbs to Lamar and lets him go before falling to his knees in defeat. For the rest of the “DNA” video, we watch an erratic Lamar shoot dice with friends, recount past events, show off his Grammys, and more all while a group of girls drive a car recklessly through city streets – a conclusion that pairs perfectly with the song’s chaotic second half. — W.O.
1. “Humble”
“Humble” was the first single from Kendrick’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2017 album, DAMN., and its release heralded the largest leap the Compton artist had taken in public awareness in his career. It was his first solo No. 1 on the Hot 100, and it won Grammys for Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and most relevant here, Best Music Video. The video is another Dave Free masterwork, incorporating more of the religious iconography that Kendrick has grappled with throughout his career, borrowing as much from the distinctive visual style of Hype Williams as from Leonardo da Vinci, whose “Last Supper” plays centerpiece to the point Kendrick makes lyrically on “Humble.” To this day, it is still the most-viewed video on his YouTube channel. — A.W.
Rapsody addressed the previous feud between Kendrick Lamar and J Cole, both of whom she’s collaborated with in the past, during an appearance on The Bootleg Kev Podcast. In doing so, she praised Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly and remarked that if it were her in the battle, she would’ve avoided going at Lamar’s discography. Cole labeled the project overrated during his diss track, “7 Minute Drill,” which he’s since removed from streaming services.
“I try not to speak on these things – the whole thoughts, myself, I mean,” Rapsody said. “But, eh. He’s a man. He made his decision. But if I’m just speaking from me? If I’m in that position? I love this – the spirit of what this is, the sport of what this is.” From there, she spoke on To Pimp a Butterfly. “When Cole made his apology, and when he did it, I was like, ‘I would never approach it, going at his discography.’ But the art of war is just…war is war,” she said.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – APRIL 7: J Cole performs during the 2024 Dreamville Music Festival at Dorothea Dix Park on April 7, 2024, in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Prince Williams/FilmMagic)
The feud began when Lamar dissed Cole and Drake on Metro Boomin and Future’s “Like That.” Although Cole responded with “7 Minute Drill,” he apologized for doing so just days later. “That sh*t disrupts my f*cking peace,” he admitted at Dreamville Festival. “So what I want to say right here tonight is in the midst of me doing that, trying to find a little angle and downplay this n***a’s f*cking catalog and his greatness, I want to say right now tonight, how many people think Kendrick Lamar is one of the greatest motherf*ckers to ever touch a f*cking microphone? Dreamville, y’all love Kendrick Lamar, correct? As do I.”
Rapsody Reacts To J Cole’s Apology To Kendrick Lamar
Rapsody reluctantly addresses J. Cole vs. Kendrick beef & shares thoughts on “TPAB”
Check out Rapsody’s opinion on the feud as well as Cole’s apology above. Regardless of Cole’s move, Lamar is still beefing with Drake. Be on the lookout for further updates on J Cole and Kendrick Lamar on HotNewHipHop.
Rap Twitter is in a frenzy after J. Cole dropped his surprise mixtape Might Delete Later with its Kendrick Lamar response “7 Minute Drill.” Clapping back on K. Dot after he called out Cole and Drake on “Like That,” the North Carolina rapper asserts “Your first sh*t was classic, your last sh*t was tragic / Your second sh*t put n****s to sleep but they gassed it.”
Putting aside debate about which of Kendrick’s albums counts as his second, the discourse was quickly joined by Top Dawg Entertainment President Terrance “Punch” Henderson, who defended To Pimp A Butterfly and Kendrick as the opinions flew. Unfortunately, even making as innocuous a statement as “I thought to pimp a butterfly was pretty good” opened the industry vet up to a deluge of responses — which, to be fair, he’s pretty much used to after SZA fans used him as their personal punching bag all through the wait for SOS.
SMH. I thought to pimp a butterfly was pretty good.
His follow-up tweet also garnered a huge response. “The current rap climate got me realizing a lot of you music industry ppl are Kdot haters,” he asserted. “lol you telling me you n****s been secretly hating ALL this time!” He later clarified that “industry ppl” refers to “the folks that work in music,” rather than the rappers currently trading shots on records.
The current rap climate got me realizing a lot of you music industry ppl are Kdot haters. lol you telling me you niggas been secretly hating ALL this time!
The responses largely fall into two categories. One: People who agree with Punch, and two: people who REALLY disagree with Punch. “There’s more Kdot dick riders on Twitter than you’ll ever find in real life lmfao,” read one quote. Another contended, “That privilege people say Drake has is actually Kendrick ten-fold. Drake would drop a pack of ass & go platinum because of who he is, but that’s where it ends. But you see Kendrick? He’ll drop the most unlistenable sh*t, probably poo on a track & be gifted awards.” YIKES.
There’s more Kdot dick riders on Twitter than you’ll ever find in real life lmfao https://t.co/w0Sh9sNCQz
What’s funny, that privilege people say Drake has is actually Kendrick ten-fold.
Drake would drop a pack of ass & go platinum because of who he is, but that’s where it ends. But you see Kendrick? He’ll drop the most unlistenable shit, probably poo on a track & be gifted awards. https://t.co/kKeJKarAH8
While many of Punch’s detractors rightly point out that Kendrick has 17 Grammys and a Pulitzer to his name despite the lukewarm reaction to his last album and that it’s not “hate” to simply dislike one of his five (or four, depending on how you count) albums (and many, many side projects), the defenders were more apt to put down any criticism with ad hominem attacks on straw men. Hmmmmm.
It’s one of the greatest albums of all time our generation unfortunately just has the attention span of a goldfish https://t.co/RH3spwVZmH
TPAB is fire. i aint listening to these casuals. they wouldn’t know creativity if they was injected wit it https://t.co/vOektNX5GX
— “𝓘𝓽’𝓼 𝓡𝓮𝓬𝓴 𝓜𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓲 𝓑𝓪𝓫𝔂” (@TOODAMNG00D) April 5, 2024
As the debate rages on, I feel it’s important to note that it’s all subjective and personal. None of should really be worrying what anyone else thinks, especially if it’s going to result in anger at people you don’t know and will never meet. Let’s all be a little nicer about this, yeah?
This morning, J Cole surprised the music world with a new album called Might Delete Later. Overall, no one expected a new project from Cole. Instead, they thought Drake might be coming through with a response to Kendrick Lamar. Instead, it was Cole who decided to bite first. In this new album, he takes shots at Kendrick throughout. However, it is the final song, “7 Minute Drill,” that contains the strongest diss towards Lamar. It is here where he dubs albums like To Pimp A Butterfly as boring while claiming that Mr. Morale is a tragedy.
Unfortunately for J. Cole, it doesn’t seem like his approach is working right now. While there are certainly some people who like the diss track, there are others who believe this is a bad case of someone not being particularly self-aware. Albums like 4 Your Eyes Only and K.O.D. have been panned in the past for being boring albums. Furthermore, To Pimp A Butterfly is one of the most critically acclaimed projects of all-time, with songs that bring a ton of energy to the table.
“J cole calling TPAB boring while having KOD and 4YEO in his discography is insane. even Jay Z didn’t call Illmatic trash he wasn’t that stupid,” one person wrote. “So it’s 2024 and j cole is rapping about rick and morty, calls to pimp a butterfly boring, and dropped a transphobic bar bro am i hallucinating,” said another. Others simply posted memes of themselves sleeping to Cole albums. Needless to say, the diss didn’t hit the way Cole probably hoped it would. Now, all eyes are on Kendrick as it remains uncertain whether or not he will respond.
Fans Deliver Their Hot Takes
Let us know what you thought of J Cole and his “7 Minute Drill” response, in the comments section down below. Do you believe he washed Kendrick with this latest verse? Should Kendrick come through with a response of his own? Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite artists and their upcoming projects.
By now, you’ve probably heard — or at least heard ABOUT — J. Cole’s new song “7 Minute Drill,” in which the North Carolina rapper goes in on frequent collaborator-turned-rival Kendrick Lamar. That’s probably why you’re here in the first place. You heard — or at least read about — his line that goes: “Your first sh*t was classic, your last sh*t was tragic / Your second sh*t put n****s to sleep but they gassed it.” And now you’re thinking, “Huh, what WAS Kendrick Lamar’s second album?” I mean, look at the title of this post; you’re only getting this if you searched for it.
And hey, we here at Uproxx understand any possible confusion. After all, Wikipedia has a list of albums that seems to undermine the common consensus about those albums (setting aside, I guess, how you personally feel about any of Kendrick’s output); going by that list, Section.80 was the classic and n****s gassed Good Kid, MAAD City.
However, I’m going to posit that he was starting with Good Kid, and that the gassed album was To Pimp A Butterfly. After all, when Section.80 was first released on Apple Music back in 2011, there was some debate about whether it counted as a “mixtape” or an “album” — a common source of confusion in those days. It was also released independently, without the backing of Aftermath and Interscope that Kendrick’s later output received.
So while Section.80 is technically K. Dot’s first album, many people contend that Good Kid was his actual debut. In any case, it’s the one that best fits the description given in “7 Minute Drill,” despite what some pedantic rap nerds on Twitter are probably carping on about right now. That would also make the description of “Butterfly,” its Grammy-winning 2015 follow-up, the album that fans slept on while gassing it.
And hey, setting aside what the aforementioned rap nerds are talking about… I was there. I remember. People did not like — or just did not get — that album. Even today, it’s got the second-lowest streaming numbers of any album in Kendrick’s discography on Spotify after Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers (or, okay, the independently-released Section.80). Most of those streams appear to be retroactive, by the way. I’ve called it a case of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” in the past, and the numbers appear to bear that out (men lie, women lie, etc….). Internet FOMO drives a lot of the discussion of K. Dot’s catalog, but to use Occam’s Razor here, while he has some truly outspoken fans, it looks like there aren’t all that many of them — or they’re just lying to look cool.
So, TL;DR: even though Good Kid is technically Kendrick Lamar’s second album, most people consider it his first, making To Pimp A Butterfly the second album J. Cole trashes on “7 Minute Drill.”
J Cole was dissed by Kendrick Lamar on “Like That.” Although the song was mostly aimed at Drake, there is no doubt that some of the bars in there were for Cole. This sparked a ton of reactions from fans. Mostly, the fans out there just wanted to hear some sort of response. Drake largely ducked the smoke. Overall, it has been three weeks, and he has still yet to actually deliver some sort of response. Meanwhile, fans have been curious about whether or not Cole would want to say anything. As it turns out, he did.
Earlier today, Cole dropped off a new surprise album called Might Delete Later. The album is 12 tracks long, and is packed with features. The most important song, however, is the last one, titled “7 Minute Drill.” In this track, Cole takes shots at Kendrick Lamar, and systematically goes through his discography. It even appears as though he calls To Pimp A Butterfly boring. Additionally, he calls Mr. Morale tragic. These are some interesting bars, and one has to wonder if Cole even believes them, or if he is peddling internet narratives.
J. COLE APPEARS TO SEND SHOTS AT KENDRICK LAMAR ON HIS NEW MIXTAPE
“I got a phone call that said somebody was dissing… Your first sh*t was classic, your last sh*t was tragic… your 2nd sh*t put n**gas to sleep but they gassed it… Your 3rd sh*t was massive hit that was… pic.twitter.com/8MkrOZyHH3
“I got a phone call that said somebody was dissing… Your first sh*t was classic, your last sh*t was tragic… your 2nd sh*t put n**gas to sleep but they gassed it… Your 3rd sh*t was massive hit that was your prime… I was trailing right behind but I just now hit mine,” Cole raps on the song. Overall, these are the bars everyone is focused on, and for good reason. Now, all eyes are on Kendrick as fans wonder whether or not he will want to drop his rebuttal.
The Song In Question
Let us know what you think of this diss track, in the comments section below. Do you think Cole won with this track? Or do you believe Kendrick is going to come back and potentially wash him? Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite artists and their upcoming projects.
Kendrick Lamar’s album To Pimp A Butterfly is returning to vinyl for Interscope Records’ Artists Inspired by Music: Interscope Reimagined project. The limited-edition set comes with packaging designed by Gucci; in addition to a custom linen-wrapped vinyl jacket, the album will come with a print designed by South Central contemporary artist Lauren Halsey. Only 100 copies of the limited-edition vinyl will be sold at $2500 apiece.
You can find more information about the release here.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Kendrick Lamar earned one of the best-selling vinyl releases of 2022 for his 2012 debut album Good Kid MAAD City as it celebrated its 10-year anniversary. 254,000 copies were sold, good for the fourth-best-selling vinyl overall and best-selling hip-hop vinyl of the year. Meanwhile, Kendrick’s 2017 album DAMN. crossed a major threshold of its own, spending 300 consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The Compton rapper’s most recent album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, earned the Best Rap Album Grammy earlier this year, continuing his trend of groundbreaking albums and incredible success.
Kendrick’s got a busy schedule for 2023, with appearances set for Outside Lands, Life Is Beautiful, and Lollapalooza in Chicago. But the thing fans might be most excited about is the possibility of a Black Hippy project, which Top Dawg teased in March.
Interscope Records is offering 100 copies of Kendrick Lamar’s iconic 2015 album, To Pimp a Butterfly, on vinyl for $2500. Each copy of the album has been signed by Lauren Halsey and comes with a collectible large format “Artists Inspired by Music: Interscope Reimagined” catalog. GUCCI designed the custom packaging for the vinyl, which also features an 11.5″ x 11.5″ gallery-quality giclée designed by Halsey. Additionally, it comes in a tan custom-dyed linen-wrapped vinyl jacket. Proceeds will benefit the Iovine and Young Foundation.
To Pimp a Butterfly sold 324,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release and debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has since certified it platinum. The album features Thundercat, George Clinton, Bilal, Anna Wise, Snoop Dogg, James Fauntleroy, Ronald Isley, and Rapsody. For the production, Lamar worked with Sounwave, Terrace Martin, Taz “Tisa” Arnold, Thundercat, Rahki, LoveDragon, Flying Lotus, Pharrell Williams, Boi-1da, Knxwledge, and more. The project won Lamar the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album in 2016. It was also nominated for Album of the Year, although it lost to Taylor Swift’s 1989.
Kendrick Lamar With A Copy Of “To Pimp A Butterfly”
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 20: Hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar signs copies of his new album “To Pimp A Butterfly” at Rough Trade NYC record store on March 20, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Pont/Getty Images)
Lamar recently wrapped up his Big Steppers Tour which finished as the highest-grossing tour with a rapper as a headlining act in history. It earned $110.9 million from 929,000 tickets across 73 shows. By doing so, he outpaced Drake and Migos‘ Aubrey & The Three Migos Tour, Drake and Future‘s Summer Sixteen Tour, as well as Kanye West and JAY-Z‘s Watch the Throne Tour, and more for the honor. The concerts came following the release of Lamar’s fifth album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. He brought along Baby Keem and Tanna Leone for the tour.
Outside of music, Lamar recently attended the 2023 Met Gala. For the star-studded event, he rocked an all-black fit with a leather jacket, slick pants, as well as dress shoes, and an MLB hat. At one point during the night, he posed for photos with Jack Harlow.
“To Pimp a Butterfly” Vinyl
Kendrick Lamar’s ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’ Vinyl is now available with a special design & Gucci packaging, which will cost you $2500.
Thundercat says that the best studio session he participated in was for Kendrick Lamar’s “These Walls.” Thundercat recalled working on the To Pimp A Butterfly track during a recent interview with HipHopDX at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards. For the song, Thundercat also teamed up with Bilal and Anna Wise. The song eventually won Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 2016 Grammy Awards. The project as a whole also won Best Rap Album that year.
“My favorite studio session that I was in, gotta be honest: it was probably singing ‘These Walls,’” Thundercat told the outlet. “And a lot of my friends at the time didn’t realize that I sang. And so, my friends were just staring in my face like, ‘What is he doing right now?’ And I was like, ‘Can you guys leave the room so I can… I don’t wanna be looking in my friends’ eyes singing about these walls.’”
Thundercat Performing In 2019
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 04: Thundercat performs on stage at Nile Rodgers’ Meltdown at The Royal Festival Hall on August 04, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Burak Cingi/Redferns)
“It’s just looking at Terrace [Martin] in the eyes, singing in my highest Michael McDonald voice,” Thundercat recounted. “Terrace is smiling like, ‘What about these walls, Steven?’ And I’m like, ‘Stop it!’ I couldn’t pause because the track is gonna keep going, so I gotta keep singing. There is no pause, it’s just continually me singing these walls and harmonies.” He continued: “And my friends looking down my throat. Don’t look at me like that,” he added laughing. “I’m a grown man, I pay taxes; I’ve been to jail. Don’t do that!”
Thundercat also recently admitted that he wishes he had more time to collaborate with Lamar than he has. Ahead of the release of Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Thundercat discussed his appreciation for the former TDE rapper with Japanese fashion brand Neet Tokyo. He admitted: “I wish I could spend more time around him creating just because he gives off such energy and he knows what he wants a lot of time. Some of my favorite moments of recording are with Kendrick.”
(@LaBelleMoi1028) 
(@ascinhiding) 
