Kendrick Lamar’s sophomore album To Pimp A Butterfly wasn’t due out for another week, but someone somewhere along the line didn’t get the message. Sunday night, all hell broke loose at Top Dawg Entertainment as the iTunes link for the clean version download of Lamar’s second album went live prematurely. Fans, on the other hand, were delighted.
Blaming Kendrick’s label, Interscope, for the mishap, Top Dawg Entertainment was furious. The clean version was quickly removed from availability and pre-ordering returned. But what has surprised everyone is the quick replacement thereafter with another leak, that time with the explicit version of Lamar’s highly-anticipated follow-up to the acclaimed 2010 good kid m.A.A.d city . As the Inquisitr reported, iTunes has now corrected all leaked links and the original release date of March 23 stands once again. But the internet has had its taste of Kendrick’s latest brilliance, prolonged by the availability of the tracks on Spotify and YouTube.
So, uh, what’s everybody listening to today? http://t.co/TZs41fNMtM @kendricklamar #ToPimpAButterfly pic.twitter.com/lalyhHVnVl
— Bonnaroo (@Bonnaroo) March 16, 2015
The Daily Beast ‘s discussion of the rap virtuoso’s new album highlighted the importance of its success, stating hip-hop very much “validates an artist’s historical standing” based on their sophomore album. The public was given teaser tracks of “I”, “The Blacker Berry,” and “King Kunta” previously, through legitimate pre-release. Indeed, “The Blacker Berry” has already sparked controversy over Lamar’s chosen content. But what the public has heard of the leaked album, the public very much likes, so it seems Kendrick’s talent might well stand the test of time.
Kendrick Lamar on his music and fans: “I’m the closest thing to a preacher they have.” http://t.co/tFzvJ7lE4n pic.twitter.com/VrSXjVNwbj
— Complex (@ComplexMag) March 17, 2015
Album drops have been done in the past, notably by Beyoncé and Drake – but they were purposeful early releases. The fact that Kendrick Lamar’s entire album was wrongfully prematurely leaked might very well have lost someone their job somewhere, even though Lamar tweeted that everything was fine.
To Pimp A Butterfly – a title which many think refers to the classic Harper Lee novel, To Kill A Mockingbird – has in its brief period of availability gathered the nod of appreciation from fellow musicians . As Yahoo! Music reports, Imagine Dragons thought Kendrick’s album was “amazing”, and Taylor Swift (a very good friend of Lamar’s) took to Twitter in a state of near-ecstasy, tweeting “Don’t touch me.” Meanwhile, the Guardian has called the album “ a musical tour-de-force , a confounding and distinct artistic and political statement”.
Here’s the 2Pac interview featured on @kendricklamar ‘s #ToPimpAButterfly . http://t.co/awQe0UHtvu pic.twitter.com/SepgeW7wFd
— The FADER (@thefader) March 17, 2015
Indeed, Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly focuses on the topic of black self-empowerment, as well as how to handle fame, and other issues. A mixture of rap, funk, jazz, and spoken word, fans of Kendrick’s will certainly be eagerly awaiting the eclectic album’s authentic release next Monday.
[Image courtesy of TDE.]