South Africa inspired rapper's "To Pimp A Butterfly" album

jonathan

February 9, 2016 11:42 AM

K. Dot explored South Africa, including a visit to Nelson Mandela’s jail cell as he began to piece together an album that would be more Compton, California, mixed with elements of jazz, soul and funk.

Kendrick Lamar

Big Sean’s “Control” record with Lamar’s controversial verse was released while he was on this South Africa trip.

“Everybody was talking about the verse and Kendrick was in Africa,” Rapspody says. “I went about a year before him so I knew what that trip does to you, especially as a Black person.”

Producer Sounwav also recalls that as being the moment of inspiration behind album.

“I remember he took a trip to Africa and something in his mind just clicked,” Sounwav says. “For me, that’s when this album really started.”

“I felt like I belonged in Africa,” the “King Kunta” rapper says. “I saw all the things that I wasn’t taught. Probably one of the hardest things to do is put a concept on how beautiful a place can be and tell a this while they’re still in the ghettos of Compton. I wanted to put that experience in the music.”

Lamar’s engineer MixedByAli says Kendrick was like a “sponge” as he used the knowledge he learned in South Africa to help create the album.

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jonathan