S1E3 - Wesley's Theory by Kendrick Lamar - Dissect

Welcome to Dissect long form musical analysis broken into short, digestible episodes. I'm your host In episodes one and two, we explored 3 things the history of Compton Kendricks, Upbringing and evolution as artist and Good kid, Bad City, his major label debut. These are the foundational elements that To Pimp A Butterfly are built upon and will be used as reference points throughout our examination of the album. As you remember, Good kid Mad City told a coming of age story. We witnessed K dot, a young boy whose actions were influenced by the chaos of Compton, transformed into Kendrick Lamar, a man who found redemption through music and lives by principles of love, family, and God. To Pimp a Butterfly picks up where Good Kid left off. Kendrick, now Global Icon, is transported into an unfamiliar world of fame, wealth, influence and temptation. Remember, for the 1st 25 years of his life, Compton was the only world Kendrick knew. When he made it out, he was ill equipped to navigate his new world. He was met with more temptation of sin, not less. He also experienced deep remorse about the people he left behind. It was confused and insecure about his place in the world outside of Compton. I always figured out as you know. I'm a real strong, strong minded person, you know what I'm saying? I fell and bought my head a few times, you know, being influenced by people around me. But I always felt like, you know, I was always a leader. But it's a different type of temptation when the spotlight is on you, you're going to say and that right there, that really defines how much willpower and how strong minded you really are. What's my weak errors? What's my strong points? Where's my most vulnerable points? My points where I say fuck you, fuck everything. All that comes out. You know when that when that light is on, it's flashed on you, you know? And then when the light is off and you're never ruined by yourself alone, all he starts going in your head. You know what I'm saying? So. It's a balance of everything right now. Now I'm I'm freshly knowing it. You know, to be 100% honest with you, I'm still going through the motions. You know, I try to balance everything out. You know, everybody can tell you, man, once your album come out, it's going to change everything. You hear that. You always hear that. But when they do come out and it do what you always wanted to do, it does change. And it changed so fast, so fast. Clarity for Kendrick came by way of a pivotal trip to South Africa in 2014. Here, Kendrick toured the city's historical sites, including Nelson Mandela's jail sale at Robben Island. According to the producer Sound Wave, the trip inspired Kendrick to scrap two or three albums worth of material and begin anew on what would become To Pimp a Butterfly. It was also during this time that the US saw the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2013 and 14. Prompted by the killings of multiple unarmed black men by white police officers who are later acquitted without punishment, protests and riots broke out across the country and ignited debates about racial profiling, police brutality and racial inequality in the US justice system. On To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick is able to draw parallels between his own personal journey and the topical issues that arose from the Black Lives Matter movement. Like he would say in multiple interviews, he's not speaking for the community or of the community. He is the community. Growing up in Compton, he could have easily been a Trayvon Martin or a Michael Brown. He knows their experience all too well, like the evolution of K dot to Kendrick Lamar and good kid Bad City. Kendrick structures his album around a narrative of transformation from Caterpillar to butterfly, from prostitute to pimp. What sets to Pimp a Butterfly apart? And what makes it for me a stronger album is the intricate thematic layering the stories within the story. Good Kid was deeply personal and told a very specific, very true story. If it were made a movie, Good Kid would be shot with handheld cameras and be played on 1980s VHS. To Pimp a Butterfly would be more akin to a Stanley Kubrick film. The sets would be expansive and intricately designed, each shot carefully composed, and the script would be complexly layered with a multitude of themes and subtext. Lamar is able to tell a story within the framework of a number of contextual thematic elements, the history of African Americans and their place in today's society, the exploitative nature of capitalism, the residual effects of our nation's dark history, and the destructive relationships we have with our icons, to name a few. And while sonically Good Kid was for the most part a very contemporary hip hop sound. To Pimp a Butterfly draws on the eclectic 70s and 80s music Kendrick's parents played in his youth. Influences of The Isley Brothers, Sly Stone, Donald Byrd, Parliament, Miles Davis, James Brown, Prince and others accumulates on Topipa Butterfly into a kind of Sonic portrait of the recent history of black music in America. To create this sound, Kendrick assembled a group of versatile jazz musicians whose collective voice works to unify the album's many influences. Producer Saxophonist Terrace Martin, Pianist Robert Glasper, Bass Virtuoso Thundercat Saxophonist Camassi, Washington. Singers Anna, Wise, and Bilal all make significant contributions to the album, who would also rely heavily on 2 longtime collaborators Producer Soundwave and Tay Beast, an attempt to better wrap our heads around the enormous amount of thematic content contained into Pip of Butterfly. We're going to structure our analysis and acts. Each act will contain a linear group of thematically related songs that will examine individually first, then together as a set. At that point, we'll determine how each act as a whole advances the narrative. We'll also observe how they relate to the grand Tell All story recited at the conclusion of the album. And while I can easily continue to preface To Pimp A Butterfly for hours, I'm going to stop myself here as I'm sure you're antsy to start exploring the album. I know I am. So without further ado, let's dissect hit me. Act One pimped by consumption Act One of Topimpa Butterfly is comprised of the album's first three songs, Wesley's Theory for Free and King Kunta. On today's episode, we explore Wesley's Theory, the album's opening track. The first sound we hear on Topimpa Butterfly is the crackling white noise of a record needle. It's a nod to the analog pass so influential to the album sound. But also sets a tone of storytelling. This isn't just a collection of songs that can easily be skipped by the push of a button or remote control. It's a narrative, a connected story that should be listened to in succession, the whole greater than the sum of its parts. From the white noise rises a sample refrain from Jamaican musician Boris Gardner. The sample gently ascends from silence and gives the opening the feeling of introductory credits of a film, with the listener settling in and preparing for a cinematic experience. Thematically, the refrain foreshadows albums conclusion that inside each human being, specifically African Americans, there's a star, a potential for greatness. Gardner was a Jamaican artist in the 1970s who was attempting to reclaim the N word from its distress past, something Kendrick will later do on the album's penultimate song, I Let's listen to an excerpt of the original Gardner tune from 1973. There's. One great And the album's conclusion? Tupac will tell Kendrick we ain't really rapping, we're just letting our dead homies tell stories for us. It's fitting, then, that the album would start with the reference of the past, of another black artist attempting to change the culture through music, self-confidence and positivity, like Kendrick is continuing the conversation decades later. On the flip side, the juxtaposition between the poise and potency of the N word with the word star is reminiscent of the contrast between the words Pimp and Butterfly. When heard more cynically, the excerpt could be interpreted as having exploitative connotations. Later in the song, we'll meet the character Uncle Sam, who views stars as objects of profit. You could just imagine Uncle Sam humming Gardener's tune while sadistically smiling through his teeth. Of course, the sample is from 1973. Which also ingeniously nods at the album's own funkadelic influences. Like most things Kendrick touches, this sample works on multiple thematic levels. It also introduces a key thematic element, contrasting duality like Caterpillar and butterfly. Like the N word and star, Kendrick will continue to explore the complex duality of Being over and over again throughout the entire album. The Gardner sample is interrupted by an exclamatory James Brown like Hit me. Which gives way to a brooding, bubbling minor key funk groove produced by Flying Lotus. An ominous voice from above bellows a haunting allegory. Geniusly, this introduction encapsulates the entire story of the album. The four corners of the cocoon represent Compton, and with Kendrick's escape through music, he slipped through the cracks of that chaos. Now he attempts to survive outside the only world he knew. It will lead him to take a quote deep look inside. He'll ultimately question himself, the nature of success, influence, and his audience. The song's hook follows with Kendrick singing about his dreams of rap stardom metaphorically as his first girlfriend, his first love. He once genuinely loved music, but that love has now turned to lust, a desire to exploit or pimp his talents for fame and fortune. He then acknowledges Bridges burned his relationships with friends and family destroyed by his success, something that will later haunt him to the point of depression. While music may be specific to Kendrick's personal dream, he doesn't directly reference it. In this way, the hook and its message are ambiguous enough to take a more universal shape. Kendrick is essentially talking about the American Dream. How many of us dreamt of stardom when we were younger? And was our youthful dreams motivated more by the craft that would bring us fame, or by fame itself? Like the song's hook, the first verse continues in the mindset of a young black artist. He now fantasizes about what he'd do when he gets a record deal when he, quote UN quote, makes it, according to Kendrick in an interview with MTV. These are real thoughts he had when he signed his first deal. These This is one of my favorite records off the joint. First off, the lyrics is is is me. Going back to that feeling of what I want to do when I got signed these these these are actually real thoughts. You go back to that same mentality when you get some money, you know what I mean? He dreams of recklessly spending a fortune on cars, jewelry and guns. He wants to emulate the image of success he's seen on TV and in music videos. Cutting on balls 2:00 to. America, we can see that the young black artist is already being pimped by his own fantasies. His image of success actually works to the advantage of the oppressive establishment that's held him back his entire life. Monetary success, quote UN quote, is thus an illusion, A ploy to keep the talented tamed by their own ego driven desires, feeding themselves right back into an unjust system instead of developing into a real position of influence. Midway through the verse, political undertones emerge as Kendrick states he's going to pass out CIA supplied guns to his neighborhood. that. While on the surface, the act of arming his hood is perhaps another shortsighted fantasy. It alludes to the 1980s crack epidemic that was aided by the US government funneling guns and drugs into LA neighborhoods. Next comes a reference to the album's cover art, as Kendrick talks of bringing the Compton swap meet to the White House, knocking out Republicans and acting a fool. The juxtaposition of the imagery is striking. A hog tied white judge in a suit beneath a group of jovial, rowdy, shirtless black men posing for the camera in front of the White House. It's a fairy tale image of rebellion. But after its initial impression fades, we realize the statement it makes goes deeper. For context sake, we're going to save our thorough examination of the cover art for our conclusion episode, but suffice to say that it represents each of the album's theme areas simultaneously. The verse concludes with a rather potent line, uneducated, but I got $1,000,000 check like that. The phrase comes across as boisterous, a young man from the streets of Compton defying the odds and becoming rich seemingly overnight. But as we'll see in verse 2, the uneducated part will be exploited and will ultimately come back to haunt him. The Daydream of verse one gives way to the bridge, a refrain performed by Thundercats. Quoting the now famous Rick James skit from the Chappelle Show, the message behind the refrain is rich with meaning. The words are a metaphor for the actions of the predominantly white U.S. government in post slavery America. African Americans for years have fought an uphill battle to equally integrate into the society after living as slaves for nearly 250 years. The bridge implies that giving African Americans opportunity, however unequal, to succeed in America was considered a mistake by those in power. It'd be easier if they all just went back to Africa, as the line go Back Home certainly suggests, the bridge infers that the black community is viewed as burdensome, A nuisance not a priority. The bridge takes on another layer of complexity when you examine its source, the Dave Chappelle Show, an extremely popular sketch comedy show in the early 2000s. In case you're unfamiliar with the Rick James skit, here's the line Kendrick quotes from the show. The immensely popular comedian Dave Chappelle famously walked away from $50 million when he left his television show at the height of its fame. In his 2006 interview with Oprah, Chappelle said of his leaving quote, You can't imagine what celebrities go through. I love being famous, but it's the way people around you position themselves to get in your pockets and in your mind. It's infuriorating. He'd also say, quote, I felt in a lot of instances I was deliberately being put through stress because when you're a guy who generates money. People have a vested interest in controlling you. The stress would cause them to suddenly leave the country without telling anyone his destination. South Africa, the same place Kendrick will later visit on the album in search of clarity. Wesley's theory continues with a repeat of the Hook followed by a breakdown in which Doctor Dre makes a cameo in the form of a voicemail on Kendrick's phone. A. Forefather of Compton and the epitome of sustained musical success, Dre warns young Kendrick of falling victim to the pitfalls of fame and fortune. The phrase anyone can get, it refers to The Butterfly in Us all that we're all capable of success. Keeping it, on the other hand, or not getting pimped, is much more difficult. Without giving young Kendrick time to think about Dre's prophetic warning, we are interrupted by Uncle Sam, the album's antagonist and a metaphor for American capitalism. He begins tantalizing Kendrick like a used car salesman with a whole slew of material goods. What The versus opening reference to 40 Acres in a Mule will be referenced several times throughout the album, so we're going to take a few minutes to explore its origins. After the abolition of slavery in December of 1865, Union General William T Sherman issued A radical order named a Special Field Order #15. It ordered that 400,000 acres be seized from Confederate landowners and redistributed to former black slaves. The land would be divided into 40 acres per family. Later, Sherman would announce that army mules could be lent to new settlers, hence the phrase 40 acres in a mule. By June of 1860, six 40,000 black families inhabited the land. Less than a year after the Order, President Lincoln was assassinated. Shortly after, President Andrew Johnson ordered that the vast majority of the land be returned to its former owners. This included the land settled by former slaves and their families. The federal government dispossessed 10s of thousands of black landholders. In the end, only some 2000 blacks retained land that they had won and worked after the war. Of course, this left thousands feeling betrayed. It was also a missed opportunity for economic reform that may have allowed Southern blacks to consolidate and hold political gains made during the early years of Reconstruction. In the context of Wesley's theory, 40 acres and a mule becomes a metaphor for a history of disproportion, opportunity and betrayal in America, conniving Uncle Sam lures young Kendrick to mindlessly dump his success into reckless materialism overspending on Gators coops chains. 40 acres worth of senseless goods. His spending spree encouragement is interjected with foreboding phrases like, I can see the dollar in you don't have receipts. Oh, that's fine. Pay me later and you make me live forever. It all leads to a kind of grand reveal in the versus closing lines. Let's have a listen get. It all. You deserve The conclusion begins with the reference to the White House, the ultimate symbol of power in America, reminding Kendrick that he may have money, but he's still ignorant, still in no position to author any real change to the system working against him. Here we can circle back to the conclusion of verse one, in which young Kendrick brags about being uneducated yet rich. He's been duped into an illusion of success and freedom, all the while Uncle Sam has been playing the puppet master. It's better, it would seem, to be educated and rich, like so many of those in power whose success was in part due to a system set up for and by them. The two closing lines make reference to Wesley Snipes, the successful black entertainer. And the infamous tax evasion and conspiracy charges of 2010 that landed him three years in prison. Kendrick flips snipes his last name to the verb snipe, an implication of personal assassination, before the age of 35. The legal age 1 can become president again. Kendrick is using the White House and its presidency as symbols of power for all the fame and fortune one might receive as an entertainer, musician or athlete. It could all be taken back through taxes, unfair royalty checks, publishing rights, shady contracts, an entire gamut of bureaucratic agencies and an uneducated person, however talented, could not fully understand. In the end, they are being pimped by Uncle Sam. From Dave Chappelle to Wesley Snipes, it's all too easy to fall from grace. As Dre said, anyone can get it. The hard part is keeping it. 40 acres and a mule indeed. It talks about something that we weren't taught in school when we get this, this, this money. I I've spent all my time in school and escaping prison and escaping the system. So you mean to tell me the moment I become successful and I get some money and I don't know how to manage my money, that you're going to throw me back in jail for taxes? Well, you have the mind educated, but I got $1,000,000. Check exactly. So nobody's prepared you for, and this is how it relates to Wesley Snipes? They might Wesley Snipes show? I asked. Nobody prepared us for this. Nobody. It's so important. They teach us everything else in these, in these, these curricular activities, redundantly. Well, how did you learn because? Verse two is followed by the Prime Minister of Funk, George Clinton. Who, like Dr. Dre, warns young Kendrick of the pitfalls of fame. Wesley sniped your ass before 35. The opening line is a play on the cliche. The higher you climb, the harder you fall. In this case, young Kendrick is ascending to stardom, which looks good when you're on top, But look down and you realize the deadly consequences if you fall next, Clinton sings the cryptic lines. You got a medal for us, leaving miracles metaphysically in a state of euphoria. The medal represents Kendrick making it out of Compton, a miracle child that rose from a dark place against the odds. The phrase look both ways before you cross my mind is a play on another cliche. Look both ways before you cross the street. A warning that foreshadows Kendrick's future mind state, one that endlessly races with doubt and depression. As it turns out, his mind is often a dangerous place to be. Conclusions. When examining Wesley's theory as a whole, we can see that it was crafted cinematically as if it were the 1st 10 minutes of a film. First we hear an allegory that foreshadows the album's entire narrative arc. Then through the hook and verse one were introduced to the album's protagonist. Kendrick himself a young, naive rapper lusting for fame, the American Dream. In verse 2, Kendrick meets the stories Bill and Uncle Sam, the American Dream Incarnate who attempts to lure Kendrick down a dark alley of materialism. Like so many before him, we're also introduced to a number of themes that will be explored throughout the album Success, the exploitation of talent, power and influence, and the black experience in America. Through character development and thematic content, Kendrick is setting the stage for our story. Or left wondering what will happen next without a chance to catch our breath, Wesley's theory concludes with ascending outbursts of the phrase taxman coming Taxman, which could easily be replaced by the word boogeyman, is an obvious reference to Wesley Snipes Fate. If you're successful in black in America, you'd better watch your back. I also couldn't help but snicker at the double meaning, intentional or not, of the phrase taxman coming and the way it ascends to a perhaps literal climax, as if Uncle Sam is getting off on his exploitative fantasies. This climactic outro immediately collides with the album's next track for free, which we'll explore in great detail next time on Dissect. Dissect is written and produced by me. If you enjoy Dissect, remember to rate and review on iTunes. It really helps. For additional content, including a Topimpa Butterfly album map, follow us at Dissect Podcast on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Or visit dissectpodcast.com. Theme music by Bureaucratic For more, visit bureaucratic.bandcamp.com.