Only a year on since his game changing magnum opus “To Pimp
a Butterfly”, Kendrick Lamar has
“untitled unmastered” opens with the untitled and unmastered
“untitled 01”. The off kilter organ
tones skirt around the sinister double bass notes and a sexualised sampled
voice. Admittedly this sample is
somewhat thematically misleading, as when Kendrick enters, furious as ever, he
isn’t rapping about anything that could in any way be considered sensual. The motif behind “untitled 01” is based
entirely around a scene of biblical reckoning, in which “The tallest buildings
plummet, cracking and crumbling” and “The ground is shaking swallowing young
women, with babies, daisies, and flowers burning in destruction”. Kendrick then begins pointing fingers towards
those responsible for this extermination, “No more discriminating the poor”. As the instrumental begins to rupture like
the earth in this biblical epoch, Kendrick begins to focus more on his own
failures, over a gentle piano accompaniment.
“untitled 02” introduces the main leitmotiv that the album
has to offer, this being the celebratory repetition of “Pimp, Pimp, Hooray!”. It then delves into a deep, ominous jazz cacophony,
reminiscent of the groove on “Mortal Man”, suggesting this track was considered
as an alternative closer to “To Pimp a Butterfly”. Lyrically Lamar continues in a religious
direction, this time honing in on his own moral inequities and subsequent
desperation. “Stuck in the belly of the
best, Can you please pray for me?”, is a line that wouldn’t have been out of
place on the accusatory and inquisitive “Mortal Man”, another song about both Kendrick’s
failures, and his relationship with those around him.
The upbeat “untitled 03” incorporates the same emphatic harmonised
vocals that supported “King Kunta”.
Despite this it feels more like an extension of the “Section 83” opener “Fuck
Your Ethnicity”, as Kendrick dismantles racial and religious stereotypes with
ease, as well as incorporating a level of understanding about the similarities
each shares with the others. “A peace of
mind, that’s what the Asian said, I need a divine, intervention was his
religion now it’s a prize, him believing in Buddha, me believing in God”. The bouncy instrumental is effective in
making “untitled 03” one of the more accessible songs on the album, and a
welcome respite from the brilliant but draining gravity of previous tracks.
“untitled 04” sees Kendrick tackling the disenfranchisement
of the youth in certain communities, dissatisfied with both themselves and the
future that the world has laid out for them.
“They say the government mislead the youth, and that welfare ain’t well
for you”. Every opening line is preceded
and punctuated by a sinister whispering voice, inciting immorality and
disillusionment. The line “The preacher
man don’t always tell the truth” illuminates the first chink in Kendrick’s
otherwise unshakeable faith, and provides the level of emotional and
philosophical nuance that is a staple of his writing at this point.
The fast paced bass solo that opens “untitled 05” is at
times antiphonal and unwelcoming, until the twinkling piano tones descend,
accompanied by an ethereal female voice.
Juxtaposed to the overall beauty of the instrumental are lyrics that
discuss violence, “Somebody said you bumped your head and bled the floor,
jumped into a pit of flames and burned to coal”. In a sudden switch of tone, the vocals
proclaim, “That means the world to me”, instilling in the listener the idea
that this song is thematically similar to Bruno Mar’s “Grenade”, but with stellar
lyrics and intense self-awareness.
The highlight of the entire project is undoubtedly “untitled
06”, a piece of gorgeous pop that could easily have rivalled “i” as the stand
out single of “To Pimp A Butterfly”. It
tackles all the same issues based around both self-esteem and personal
failures, and stops just short of Kendrick proclaiming “I love myself”. He instead asserts his own individuality, and
obvious superiority to his peers, “You stick out like an alien to those around,
that’s alright, I like it, you and me are the same.”
The penultimate track reintroduces the triumphant, “Pimp
pimp hooray” chant, a sort of victory chant from the man who is now without
competition in his field. The final
track is another upbeat funk tune, that sees Kendrick once again in celebration
mode.
If I were to quote
every utterly inspired lyric on this album, discuss every exhilarating key
change, instrumental fluctuation and detail, then this review would be infinitely
longer than it already is. Only Kendrick
could release a set of rejected cuts from a year-old album and have it be the
most honest, passionate and exciting hip hop record of the year. I recommend listening to every song on this
album, in minute detail, particularly if you’re a fan of “To Pimp a Butterfly”.
Charlie McCartney
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