History Music / KendrickLamar

** ''To Pimp a Butterfly'' gives us the 12:07 album closer "Mortal Man". Worth nothing, though, that both "Mortal Man" and "Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst" feature multiple minutes of spoken word.

** Kendrick, Music/BigKRIT and Music/JCole on Music/DJKhaled's "They Ready".

** Kendrick and Music/DannyBrown, Ab-Soul, ''and'' Music/Earl Sweatshirt]] on "Really Doe".

* CapsLock: Every single song title in the album ''DAMN.''

* DivinelyAppearingDemons: The "God is Gangsta" video doesn't depict [[{{Satan}} Lucy]]'s temptation of Kendrick as overtly lustful and demonic, but rather with a group of ethereal woman so covered in light that they almost look like angels. Despite being nude, the women are hardly sexualized, making it easy to mistake Lucy's empty promises of happiness for the real thing.

** Kendrick and Music/DannyBrown, Ab-Soul, ''and'' [[Music/{{OFWGKTA}} Earl Sweatshirt]] on "Really Doe".

* AscendedFanboy: This is true of most rappers, but Kendrick (especially in ''good kid, m.A.A.d city'') makes this a point in interviews and in his music. He has worked with many artists who were his musical heroes growing up, including E-40 (who he references in "Money Trees"), [[Music/{{NWA}} Dr. Dre]], Music/SnoopDogg, Music/TheGame and, to crown ''good kid, m.A.A.d city'', he got Music/JayZ to feature on the remix of "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe".

* AnachronicOrder: The narrative of ''good kid, m.A.A.d city'' jumps back and forth between Kendrick getting jumped on his way to meet Sherane, hanging out with his friends, and voicemails from his parents. The story ultimately begins at the end of the second track, when K.Dot (Kendrick's younger self) is invited to come along with some friends.

* MinimalisticCoverArt: The dark green cover of ''untitled unmastered'' with just the title in small print in the upper left corner.

* NoEnding: ''To Pimp a Butterfly'' ends rather darkly with [[spoiler: Kendrick reciting a secondary poem]] to [[spoiler: Music/TupacShakur that relates to how the Butterfly and Caterpillar are NotSoDifferent and when asking for Pac's perspective]], [[spoiler: he gets no reply, tying to the theme of breaking the cycle, with Tupac unable to do so due to his death]].

* HypocriticalHumor: "HUMBLE." has a chorus that says "Bitch, be humble" while the rest of the song is a BoastfulRap.

On March 16, 2015, Kendrick's third full length album, ''Music/ToPimpAButterfly'' was unexpectedly released (due to an error on Interscope Records' behalf which caused the album to be released a week earlier than scheduled) to widespread critical acclaim. Similarly to ''GKMC'', the album was infamously snubbed for an Album of the Year Grammy that went to Music/TaylorSwift, although it did win a number of other Grammys. A compilation of demos that were created during the production of ''TPAB'' was eventually released in March 2016 under the name ''untitled unmastered.''

* WhatCouldveBeen: A song version of this plays out in R.O.T.C. (Right On Time Conscience). Kendrick is weighing out the pros and cons of the fast money a return to the drug-dealer lifestyle would have, since his rap career isn't taking off as fast as he'd like. Right as he's about to go back to it, he has a moment of conscience kicking in and decides against it.

On March 16, 2015, Kendrick's third full length album, ''To Pimp A Butterfly'' was unexpectedly released (due to an error on Interscope Records' behalf which caused the album to be released a week earlier than scheduled) to widespread critical acclaim. Similarly to ''GKMC'', the album was infamously snubbed for an Album of the Year Grammy that went to Music/TaylorSwift, although it did win a number of other Grammys. A compilation of demos that were created during the production of ''TPAB'' was eventually released in March 2016 under the name ''untitled unmastered.''

** Kendrick and Music/TheWeeknd on "Pray For Me".

* ''To Pimp a Butterfly'' (2015)

* HumbleHero: Kendrick himself is this in real life for many people: He focuses a lot on returning love and care to his hometown of Compton and has said he'd never lose sight of where he came from and what he represents to the West Coast.

* SilentPortagonist: A rare musical example with the outros in ''good kid, m.A.A.d city''. Kendrick isn't actually heard speaking in any of them, even when addressed, until the end of Compton, where he lets his mother know that he's borrowing her car.
--> '''K. Dot''': Mama, I'm fit'na use the van right quick! [[BlatantLies Be back...15 minutes!!!]]

* TrailersAlwaysLie: The meaning of "Backseat Freestyle" (a super arrogant and vulgar rap by a very ignorant young K.Dot whose yet to have his eyes truly opened to the consequences of the hedonist/thug lifestyle he follows) is essentially lost outside of the rest of the album. That didn't stop it from becoming a sequel where listeners would be prone to take its lyrics on its own merit without the context of later songs like "Money Trees" and "Real."

* ChooseYourOwnAdventure: When it comes to ''DAMN.'' one can play the tracklisting forwards, to show Kendrick's narrator's ascent into discovering self-love and self-worth during a life of hardship; playing it in reverse (as seen on the ''COLLECTORS EDITION'') follows the narrator's descent into fear and loathing that ultimately ends in his death as another statistic.

** ''good kid, m.A.A.d city'' also fits...sorta.