Album Reviw
to pimp A butterfly
“King Kunta”
Funk never felt so good as the album’s third single “King Kunta” takes shape with the direction of producer Mark "Sounwave" Spears. A sample of DJ Quik protégé Mausberg's “Get Nekkid” sets in and Lamar sets it of with a chorus referencing yet another figure in black history, Kunta Kinte, a slave portrayed in Alex Haley's 1976 historical novel Roots and the popular television miniseries of the same name. "Now I run the game / Got the whole world talkin' / King Kunta / Everybody wanna cut the legs off him," he rhymes. The song is another glimpse at how the Compton rapper perceives fame as it relates to race.
“For Free? (Interlude)”
The self-proclaimed preacher of hip-hop gospel continues his lecture with “For Free?” Channeling his inner Cab Calloway, Kendrick embodies a scat, fast-rap flow as he uses metaphorical rhymes to weigh in on the price of the black man. “This d--- ain’t free,” he recites in woven loops throughout the interlude, which is backed by excited keys played by jazz pianist Robert Glasper and drum riffs from Terrace Martin. "I need 40 acres and a mule / Not a 40-ounce and a pitbull," the MC demands.