“How Much a Dollar Cost”
Feat. James Fauntleroy & Ronald Isley
The prophetic preacher returns with divine intervention in the form of a conversation with the creator himself. The spirit surfaces in front of Kendrick in the form of his only begotten son disguised as a homeless man. The lost soul meets the rapper at a gas station, hoping to get a $1 from the wealthy rapper. While James Fauntelroy provides the R&B vibe, K. Dot analyzes the plight of a man rejected and misunderstood. In attempts to drive the message home, Ronald Isley emerges through the pearly gates with an angelic tone, humbling the TDE frontman to come to terms with the answer to his question.
“Complexion (A Zulu Love)”
Feat. Rapsody
For every black woman who felt that she was blessed with more than enough melanin and to every light-skinned black man who understands he is treated differently compared to his darker-skinned brothers, Lamar’s “Complexion” is for you. K. Dot takes the shape of a cotton-picking slave who possibly could have been affected by the brown paper bag test -- a form of discrimination by using a brown paper bag to determine acceptable skin tones. As if the rapper’s braggadocio about his outer shell weren’t inspiring enough, 9th Wonder signee Rapsody speaks on behalf of the ladies. She challenges the non-believers and those with low self-esteem to have faith in their beauty, kinky hair, curvy hips, hazelnut skin and all.
“The Blacker the Berry”
Feat. Assassin
Fists high and chests out, it doesn’t get mush sweeter than this. Cantillate whispers from Lalah Hathaway kick off this hard-hitting beat courtesy of Boi-1da. Kendrick Lamar comes off as angry here; he's rightfully fed up and disgusted with the respect society has for black lives. “So why did I weep when Trayvon Martin was in the street? / When gang banging make me kill a n---- blacker than me?/ Hypocrite!” he confesses. Dancehall favorite Assassin, who was also featured on Kanye West’s “I’m In It” brings the message home on the hook shouting rhetoric of amour-propre for his black heritage.
“You Ain’t Gotta Lie (Momma Said)”
Lessons from mama come to the forefront as Kendrick Lamar revisits issues of the past, tapping into his “The Art of Peer Pressure” days. This time around, instead of battling with the influence of his boys, he is offering advice for those who lie and pretend to be down or attempt to infiltrate his inner circle. "Circus acts only attract those that entertain / Small talk, we know that it's all talk / We live in the Laugh Factory every time they mention your name," he delivers.
“i”
If you don’t love yourself than who will? The lead single off the album comes at you like a ray of sunshine in the midst of sonic murkiness. The album version of the record features a welcoming opener for K.Dot, the “number one rapper in the world.” The Isley Brothers sample makes “i” one of the more upbeat tracks on the project. A rapper promoting self-love and unity never sounded so good.
"Mortal Man"
The homestretch is more like a cruise to paradise for Kendrick Lamar. Inspired by a trip to South Africa to visit Nelson Mandela’s jail cell, K. Dot concludes his auditory essay with a 12-minute analysis of all of the topics he touched throughout the album. He maintains his overall thesis of dissecting black history -- past and present -- over samples of Fela Kuti's "I No Get Eye for Back," from 1975's Alagbon Close. But after all of the pondering, the MC still has questions that need to be answered. He asks his followers, supporters, family and friends, “when s--- hit the fan, is you still a fan?” a line he repeats throughout the hook to highlight how leaders -- including Moses, Michael Jackson, Mandela and Martin Luther King, Jr. -- have suffered from abandonment at some point in their reign.
The lyricism and message -- already a gem in its own right -- makes coming to the end of this project bittersweet. But just when you thought the journey of To Pimp a Butterfly is over, the “Mortal Man” enters the gates of heaven to hear some final words of wisdom from Tupac Shakur. Using audio from a rare 1994 interview with Pac, Lamar illustrates the parallels in his thought process to that of the “California Love” rapper. While it is certainly eerie and emotional, the artistically-scripted conversation between the two West Coast rappers is a rewarding moment for hip-hop and black pride as a who