Kendrick Lamar Explains "The Blacker The Berry", "Mortal Man" & More

BYAngus Walker22.9K Views
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Kendrick Lamar breaks down songs on "To Pimp a Butterfly", and explains the connection he channeled with Tupac on "Mortal Man".

Yesterday, MTV released Part 1 of their interview with Kendrick Lamar, in which the Compton rapper revealed the meaning behind the To Pimp a Butterfly album title and the initial title of Tu Pimp a Caterpillar (acronym for Tupac). Today, we get the final three parts of the interview, which include K-Dot's breakdowns of the tracks "The Blacker the Berry", "Mortal Man", and more. 

Kendrick talks about some of the album's most personal moments, such as his near-suicidal breakdown on "u", and his enraged final verse on "The Blacker the Berry". Many misunderstood said verse, to which Kendrick responds, "When I say 'gangbangin' make me kill a nigga blacker than me', this is my life... I did a lot to tear down my own community, so for you to not recognize that and see a hundred percent flip, please learn it."

Like the album, the interview finishes on the subject of "Mortal Man". While Kendrick was in Germany last year, he met a man who had interviewed Tupac ten years earlier. The recording of the interview was still unreleased, and the man placed it in Kendrick's hands. Once Kendrick listened to the full audio, he knew it was something the world needed to hear "on a major scale". Kendrick remembers being a kid in the Compton streets looking up to 'Pac, and, 20 years later, he finds himself in 'Pac's position. 

Watch all three interview segments below. 


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Kendrick Lamar Explains "The Blacker The Berry", "Mortal Man" & More
About The Author
<b>Feature &amp; News Contributor</b> Brooklyn via Toronto writer and music enthusiast. Angus writes reviews, features, and lists for HNHH. While hip-hop is his muse, Angus also puts in work at an experimental dance label. In the evenings, he winds down to dub techno and Donna Summer.
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