Kendrick Lamar shocked the world in more ways than one when he dropped To Pimp A Butterfly, eight days before its scheduled release date – an early release Top Dawg, man in-charge, blames on Interscope. Although there was a minor glitch in the iTunes link to purchase the album (thank God for pre-order), most fans still got the chance to listen to the 16-track release. Artists Ronald Isley, George Clinton, Anna Wise and Rapsody are featured on the set.
Rapsody, who drops a few lines on the track “Complexion,” talks to Complex about what it was like to be featured on the album, the song’s meaning and the chemistry she shared with K. Dot. “Outside of being my peer, I’m also a fan. Outside of being an artist, I’m a fan of music and I’m a fan of Kendrick,” Rapsody says. “Anytime I do something, with Kendrick or Ab-Soul or Big K.R.I.T., I know enough about their music and enough about their story that they have put out to the world that you kind of have an idea from where you kind of take it if that makes sense,” she adds.
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JaaiR (JR)
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What would you say is the message of “Complexion”?
Basically, [it’s] the whole idea of colorism and how much of a problem it’s in the black community. Light skin versus dark skin. It goes all the way back to slavery where you had the dark skin blacks. You know, they were called the field niggas. They were working in the field. And then you had the house niggas who were the light skin ones. Having that separation, it created the vibe, which we still see today and it still affects us. The dark skin would think, you know, “Oh, the light skin think they’re better being in the house.” And vice-versa. That’s just what it is all about. That’s the beauty of all humans. We all come in different shapes, colors, and sizes. But the way we look on the outside, our color doesn’t make anyone better than the next. We are all beautiful in our own right. So it is just appreciating the variety within the black community. Whether you are red bone or black as chocolate, you are beautiful and embrace that.What does the second part of the song title, “A Zulu Love,” mean?
I can’t speak on Kendrick’s exact meaning, you need confirmation, but I think it’s a double meaning. I think he is referring to the actual Zulu Tribe in Africa, as well as Zulu Nation as I am a member.
In addition to the females storyline on the album, production was also great. Flying Lotus details his involvement on the album that sure to go down in TDE history. “Now that the word’s out. I produced @kendricklamar “Wesley’s Theme” ft. @Thundercat and @george_clinton” FlyLo wrote. “#topimpabutterfly album is a classic.” That’s not it, but, “I produced a version of “for sale” that will probably never come out,” he continues.
Flying Lotus mentions that he and Kendrick connected during the ‘Yeezus’ tour. He admits that he had a “folder of beats” that he’d planned to save for the Captain Murphy project, but said, “fuxk it.” The two discussed who FlyLo thought should be on the album. When he said George Clinton, he didn’t think that it was going to ever happen. “That’s already a dream come true,” he also tweeted.
I think it’s safe to say that everyone involved made the right move. To Pimp A Butterfly is a little out of the box from what fans expected, but I’m sure Kendrick pulled it off. I’m loving the theme; what about you. Let us know in the comments.
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