Kendrick Lamar
To Pimp a Butterfly (Aftermath/Interscope/Top Dawg)

Kendrick Lamar’s 2012 masterpiece, good kid, m.A.A.d city, made him one of the biggest names in rap, so it’s only natural that the follow-up finds him grappling with his newfound renown. The 16 tracks that make up To Pimp a Butterfly form a narrative about Lamar’s life in the spotlight: the story begins with hedonism, spirals into depression, shifts into a journey of self-discovery, and concludes with a lesson of self-love.

It’s a 79-minute roller coaster of a concept album that draws on a vibrant collage of hip-hop, free-form jazz, ’70s funk, and spoken word. Both Lucifer and God make allegorical appearances—the former as a temptress named Lucy, the latter as a homeless man in the haunting “How Much a Dollar Cost”—and the whole thing culminates in a surreal conversation between Lamar and the late Tupac Shakur (which was pieced together using archival interview footage).

To Pimp a Butterfly is a deeply personal tale, but Lamar’s message is not narcissistic. Rather, his main concerns have to do with the gang rivalries that divide his hometown of Compton and the need for unity in a time of race-related tensions. In particular, “The Blacker the Berry” is a scathing condemnation of racial prejudice, while the warm-hearted “Complexion (A Zulu Love)” advises listeners, “Complexion don’t mean a thing.” For anyone who questioned how Lamar could possibly top the brilliance of good kid, m.A.A.d city, this album is the answer.