The Compton rapper originally wanted the album to have the abbreviation 'Tupac' before he changed the record's title to 'To Pimp a Butterfly'.
- Apr 1, 2015
AceShowbiz - Kendrick Lamar planned another title for his new album before he officially named it "To Pimp a Butterfly". In a new interview with MTV News, the Compton rapper revealed that the critically-acclaimed record was originally called "Tu Pimp a Caterpillar" and the title was supposed to be a homage to Tupac Shakur.
Lamar explained to the site that he immediately changed the title after a hip-hop site called DeadEndHipHop.com stumbled upon it during a roundtable discussion about the album. "That was the original name and they caught it because the abbreviation was Tupac, Tu-P-A-C," he said.
"Me changing it to Butterfly, I just really wanted to show the brightness of life and the word 'pimp' has so much aggression, and that represents several things. For me, it represents using my celebrity for good. Another reason is, not being pimped by the industry through my celebrity," he added.
"To Pimp a Butterfly" was released digitally in late February, a week ahead of its original release date. It last week made its debut at No. 1 on Billboard 200, giving the "i" hitmaker his first No. 1 set on the chart.
