Tag: To Pimp a Butterfly

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‘Alright’ Was Almost Left Off ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’ Says Producer

alright, album, Sounwave,
Kendrick Lamar performs 'Alright' at the 2015 BET Awards.

Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” is one of the most iconic tracks on the rapper’s 2015 album “To Pimp A Butterfly.” The Grammy-award-winning song conveys that regardless of socioeconomic struggles, black people will collectively persevere. The song has become an anthem of hope since its inception. So it’s surprising to hear music producer Sounwave admit the song almost didn’t make the cut.

The reveal came about on Spotify podcast, The Big Hit Show. The Black Panther soundtrack producer explained that an executive from Sony played him a jaw-dropping beat made by Pharrell Williams.

“It was literally just the 808s and the keys, and Pharrell had the melody of ‘we gon’ be alright.’ And I was like, ‘Bro, what is this? Oh my goodness, I’m freaking out.’” said Sounwave.

He called Kendrick over to listen, and he reportedly fell in love with the beat as soon as he heard it. However, even though he liked the track, he didn’t think the song was musically cohesive with the rest of the album. Sounwave, determined to make it work, stepped in and added drums. They also worked with saxophonist Terrace Martin to add to the song. Thus, a classic was born.

Let’s Run The Numbers

“To Pimp A Butterfly” is known as one of the most prolific hip-hop albums of all time. It sold 340,000 albums its first week and ranked as Billboard’s 16th most popular album of 2015. It racked up over 9 million Spotify streams on its first day out. Furthermore, it marked the Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper’s first No. 1 album in the UK. Last month, The Big Hit Show announced a five-part series dissecting the album. The series debuted on Feb. 16 with funk pioneer George Clinton and Rapsody as guest speakers.

As of now, the video for “Alright” has over 151 million views and over 340 million streams on Spotify. It scored Kendrick four Grammy nominations, of which he won two. The song won two BET Hip-Hop Awards in 2015, where he also performed the piece against the backdrop of a tattered American flag. The song has forever been cemented as an anthem for black justice and resolve.

Written by Kimberly Stelly | Instagram | Twitter

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New Music Trending

Robert Glasper Shared On Kendrick’s “To Pimp A Butterfly” Working Process

Robert Glasper

In the wake of the new album “Black Radio III,” Robert Glasper sat down with Trevor Noah for an interview. The famous pianist also performed the “Heaven’s Here” song from his new album.

Noah and Glasper talked about many things. You can watch the full video here, while below are the most exciting conversation insights.

Robert Glasper’s Influences

Robert Glasper’s musical background goes all the way into his childhood. “My mother was a singer,” the pianist explained to the host. So it’s like I was just in those [creative] slots with real people for so long.”

The musician concluded with a question to Noah, “so I can tap into that, you know what I mean?”

Glasper also went to school, studying jazz and partly classical music. The solid classical background allows him to perform within various styles and “choose” genres for his new records.

Working With Kendrick Lamar On “To Pimp A Butterfly”

Initially, Glasper planned to record only one of “To Pimp A Butterfly” songs. However, things turned out differently in the end.

“My friend Terrace Martin called me,” Robert Glasper explained. “He’s like, “I’m at Dr. Dre’s studio with Kendrick. Come now.”

Once Glasper came over to the studio, he presented the initial recording for Kendrick’s new album. However, Lamar got stunned to the point of “whoa, whoa, whoa” and immediately invited the pianist for a plethora of recordings. In the end, Glasper participated in the production of nine to ten “To Pimp A Butterfly” songs.

Robert Glasper And Church

Turns out, Glasper also played his shows for different kinds of churches. He now performs around various chapels while going there “a lot” as a kid and “for no reason.”  

“I played for Seventh-day Adventist church,” the musician told Noah. “I played for a Catholic church early Sunday morning, [performing] hymns and hymnals. Also, the priest was a jazz fan.”

Watch Robert Glasper Performing “Heaven’s Here” In The Video Below:

Written by Nikita Serdiuk

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Kendrick Lamar Will Detail the Making of ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’ on Obamas’ Podcast

kendrick lamar

Fans of Kendrick Lamar will be happy to hear that the history behind the production of his hit album To Pimp a Butterfly will be explored in the upcoming second season of Spotify’s The Big Hit Show podcast, produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s media company, Higher Ground Productions.

The upcoming episode will explore the impact of the hit album as well as the history of the man behind it. Host Alex Pappademas speaks to several collaborators on the project, as well as some of K-Dot’s childhood friends. Kendrick also offers his thoughts on the album and its impact seven years after its release.

Album cover

The importance of To Pimp a Butterfly

Released in March 2015, To Pimp a Butterfly showcased a variety of jazz and funk-infused beats. The project debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and made countless best-of-the-year lists. But more importantly, it gained status as a musical staple for the Black Lives Matter protests, with the chorus from “Alright” ringing loud in streets across the United States and the world.

A fresh trailer for the first episode of The Big Hit Show includes a snippet of Kendrick’s insight into the album’s production. “You know, in Hip-Hop, we got this thing, the sophomore jinx,” Kendrick says. “I took it upon myself- I need to do something that inspires me.”

What to expect

The first episode of the new season of The Big Hit Show debuts  February 16 on Spotify. The podcast has five additional episodes, set to release later in the year. In a press release, Pappademas spoke on the intentions behind the podcast, which highlights works with a significant cultural footprint. “Listeners will know from chapter to chapter they’re getting a high stakes narrative that explains how our culture has been influenced and shaped by these creations,” Pappademas said. The Big Hit Show first made its debut in January.

Written by Olan Bryant

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Artist Ash Riser Has Passed Away

Mourning the loss of Ash Riser

On June 12, 2021, artist Ash Riser, was reported dead.  The cause of the 31-year-old’s death remains unknown at the moment, but friends from all over are in mourning.

Riser was a man of many talents, claiming he’s “not a rapper, producer or singer, [he’s] an artist.”  That he was.  As the singer and guitarist of the band, P!stol P!stol, Riser gained major attention, leading to a solo career.  Through his friend, Derek Ali, better known as MixedByAli, Riser began to find success.

Ali is one of the most known producers in Top Dawg Entertainment; you might recognize his MC’s saying, “turn me up, Ali.”  Through Ali, Riser was put on to a rapper who just so happens to be Kendrick Lamar.  They clicked instantly and made ‘Barbed Wire,’ one of the better cuts on Kendrick’s ‘Overly Dedicated’ mixtape.  From there, Kendrick and Riser proved to be a magic pairing.  In fact, we have Riser to thank for the legendary vocals at the beginning of ‘Ronald Reagan Era‘ and ‘Keisha’s Song.’  Their teamwork eventually led to Riser winning a Grammy for his help with ‘To Pimp A Butterfly.’

Despite his low-key profile, Riser is responsible for many great pieces of music that we all know and love.  The above achievements are only some of the endless quality work that he put out in his unfortunately shortened career.  Check out some of his various music right here (each word is a different link).

We join his countless friends in sending our condolences to his family.  RIP Ash, thank you for all your work.

 

 

 

Written by Jason Heilbronner