This flow ain't free: Generative elements in Kendrick Lamar's to pimp a butterfly

Abstract

This article presents analyses of three songs from To Pimp a Butterfly with respect to the relationship between Lamar's flow and the instrumental track in each song. A spectrum of flow is proposed, which consists of flow that is at one extreme derivative (metrically and hypermetrically aligned with the instrumental track) and at the other generative (flow and instrumental track are discontinuous). This framework is then considered with respect to normative stylistic considerations and used as a means of interpretation in tandem with the lyrics.