Adams Street Record Club: Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly

Like a book club, but for records! Join your peers to discuss albums from Brooklyn Public Library's Vinyl Collection. This month, we'll discuss To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar.

Writing for Rolling Stone, Greg Tate called the album "a masterpiece of fiery outrage, deep jazz and ruthless self-critique ... a densely packed, dizzying rush of unfiltered rage and unapologetic romanticism, true-crime confessionals, come-to-Jesus sidebars, blunted-swing sophistication, ... and rap-quotable riot acts." Kyle Anderson at Entertainment Weekly declared that the album "doubles down on density, embracing the entire history of black American music in the process—not just chest-pounding rap but throwback soul, churning jazz, Sly Stone-style riot funk, front-porch blues, and highly politicized spoken word."

Join the conversation and let us know what you think!

Register online to receive digital listening information and optional supplementary reading! 

All of the records we'll discuss are part of the Vinyl Collection at Central Library. You can borrow them with your library card or listen to them at the library's listening station! Please note that all vinyl records must be checked out from and returned at Central Library.