[arionhardison]

I 100% agree, and he is needed more now than ever as rap/hip hop are becoming diluted by non AA cultures. I remember the first time I heard To Pimp A Butterfly. I instantly got the feeling that this was made for us (AA). I have not felt that way since the first time I listened to "Makaveli". If anyone reading is not familiar with some of K.'s earlier work you should go checkout Hol Up, ADHD and rigamortis.

[lostgame]

>> I remember the first time I heard To Pimp A Butterfly. I instantly got the feeling that this was made for us (AA).

I think, more importantly, it was also made specifically for white folks who needed to hear the message.

Sure, everyone I know in the AA community knows Kendrick...but they’re also already vehemently aware of the issues.

I’m glad TPAB had the reach it did. Not only is it, message-wise, one of the most important pieces of media in the last 10 years at least, but from a compositional, production standpoint, it still has yet to be surpassed. Many will try. I’ll be shocked if any succeed for the next decade.

What TPAB does, for white folk like me, who can’t directly relate to the message, is prove that we should be acknowledging these issues from the white community...as some of the most talented African-Americans in the world got together (Dr. See, Pharrel Williams, Flying Lotus, just to name a few?) to just project this hyper-clear message to everyone - the African-American community is intelligent, brilliant, socio-politically aware AF and are fully capable of putting forward a message in a far clearer way than I’ve seen most white folks do in the last decade.

I mean, let’s face it. Can we name one album from all the top 40 white producers or musicians that has meant half as much in the last ten years?

This is the most important message that TPAB brings.

For all the damage hip hop did to the AA image in the early 00’s, it’s worst era by far, TPAB is undoing.

[arionhardison]

I was totally lacking this perspective. Thank you. As ignorant as it may sound I did not think white people would listen to TPAB. Especially not the HN/MAGA types. I grew up in the south and that formed the opinions that I project on people (mainly white people), thus I find your opinion on TPAB very refreshing.

[nugi]

Seriously? Take a listen to the songs bumpin from those deep south brodozers. Its not even a quarter country, and likly more than half aa artists. Sure some of the rural areas dont scale, but its changing, and has been for longer than my lifetime. I got turned onto tpab by a white dude who read about it on some forum for pop misic of all things. Bias goes both ways. Best just to be human.

[arionhardison]

I really hope your not black man, you essentially just told me to ignore away racism which is the most ignorant and white concept I could imagine.

[hordeallergy]

There are lots of big claims in your comment - with no backing up.