To Pimp a Butterfly Tops RYM

After what seemed like decades of Radiohead’s OK Computer leading the infamous Rate Your Music all-time albums chart, there is a new leader of recent. That top rated album is none other than Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly with nearly 60,000 votes. This may come as a surprise to some, yet shouldn’t be deemed as flawed.

To Pimp a Butterfly is an outlier of an industry no longer expressing with a fusion of genres, and often not expressing the many views of working class people. To Pimp a Butterfly was a moment from Kendrick Lamar that we havent seen since in the industry, with vast community involvement from Kamasi Washington, Terrace Martin, Sufjan Stevens, George Clinton, and an incredibly impressive feature list. This community involvement and the kind of humanity conveyed on the project is often what can create moments.

Take a look at My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy or a multitude of Hip-Hop movements in the 90s, this is a recipe for success. This is, however, not what an industry under profit motive wants. They want provocative stars who executives and A&Rs alike can morph into sellers. The music quality comes latter.

To Pimp a Butterfly may not be Austin’s choice for the greatest album of all-time. It may not be the greatest Hip-Hop album either. It is easy to say it is one of the greatest albums we have ever heard though and it is no coincidence the album embraces the culture and community in such a bold, vibrant manner.