Kendrick Lamar To Pimp a Butterfly (Aftermath/Interscope/Top Dawg) Four stars
Much has happened in the world since the Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar unleashed his breakout album Good Kid, MAAD City in 2012.
But perhaps the biggest sea change in his native United States has been the racial-politics shock waves that hit the country in the wake of the events in Ferguson, Missouri, last summer.
It is against this backdrop that the 27-year-old has conceived To Pimp a Butterfly – the title tangentially referencing To Kill a Mockingbird, arguably the most enduring and wide-reaching literary work on race relations in the US.
Good Kid... was an extended, Dr Dre-endorsed ode to the city of Lamar's birth, largely concerned with escaping the confines of what surrounded and almost enveloped him. To Pimp a Butterfly sees him emerging from that chrysalis, blinking into the sunlight of a post-Ferguson world. And it might not surprise anybody to learn that Lamar does not like an awful lot of what he sees.
It's maybe even more remarkable, then, that his ire is initially concealed within funk and jazz tempos that dominate the first three tracks. The Parliament/Funkadelic legend George Clinton and the futuristic Los Angeles musicians Thundercat and Flying Lotus contribute – and that's just on the opener Wesley's Theory, a hat-tip to the tax-evading movie star Wesley Snipes that delivers a cuttingly sardonic rumination on the perils of black celebrities hitting pay-dirt.
The quotables come thick and fast from there on. Hood Politics calls out Barack Obama, which is all the more notable considering the album's cover art comprises a crude monochrome Photoshopping of a black revolution on the White House lawn.
But nothing matches the impact of the album's second single, The Blacker the Berry. Its five-and-a-half minutes of essential verbals are as incendiary as any- thing Public Enemy ever committed to tape. There's plenty of signature self-loathing, too, beating himself up for being "the biggest hypocrite of 2015".
In stark contrast, the first single, the Isley Brothers-sampling i, is Lamar's poppiest moment to date, with two Grammys to its name – but by this point (track 15), it's nothing less than necessary light after the 50 minutes of preceding shade.
While To Pimp a Butterfly goes far deeper than anything on Good Kid..., there's plenty of continuity for those looking closely. Several producers return, including Pharrell for the punchy Alright. There's no past marker post for Mortal Man, however, which closes the record with a surreal, beyond-the-grave "interview" with Tupac Shakur.
In an arena packed with pseudonyms, Lamar’s real-name, no-gimmicks approach is indicative of his painfully honest and self-aware rhymes. He’s a relatable voice full of neuroses – as distinctive as he is complex.
One thing is certain, though: To Pimp a Butterfly is a record that will continue its metamorphosis from your speakers with each fresh listen.
aworkman@thenational.ae
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
McLaren GT specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh875,000
On sale: now
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
Uefa Nations League: How it works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
'C'mon C'mon'
Director:Mike Mills
Stars:Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, Woody Norman
Rating: 4/5
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
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Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Company%20Profile
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Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes.
The trip
From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.
Tell Me Who I Am
Director: Ed Perkins
Stars: Alex and Marcus Lewis
Four stars
