Kendrick Lamar will take a deep, deep dive into his Grammy-winning 2015 landmark album, To Pimp a Butterfly, in an upcoming five-episode podcast. The exploration will appear on Spotify’s The Big Hit Show, a series hosted by music journalist Alex Pappademas that promises to take listeners on an “epic journey that spans genres, mediums, and generations to explore what happens when a wildly successful piece of pop culture gets so big that it changes the world.”
The series — which tackled the global Twilight film phenomenon in season one — will pivot to K-Dot’s Billboard 200 No. 1 album beginning on Feb. 16 as it tackles the existential dilemma of following-up a smash album in hip-hop. “In season 2 of The Big Hit Show, the best rapper alive tries to figure out what to do next, channeling the pressures of fame and the pain of a generation into a career-defining masterwork,” reads the description.
The trailer for the second go-round of the series produced by former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground media company features a brief clip of Lamar speaking, as well as audio from two of the album’s guests, funk legend George Clinton and rapper Rapsody.
“In hip-hop we have this thing the sophomore jinx,” Lamar is heard saying. “I took it upon myself to do something that inspires me… Going back into the album it was me explaining my experiences and what emotions it brought up from that experience, and tell them like, ‘Yo, it’s something bigger than Compton and where we from.’”
“Going from hit to big hit is all about follow through, how you carry it, what you do when all of a sudden nobody can tell you anything,” Pappademas says in voice-over about the Compton rapper’s wide-ranging third album — the follow-up to his breakthrough 2012 Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City collection — which was executive produced by Dr. Dre and featured guests such as Clinton, Snoop Dogg, Ronald Isley, Bilal and Thundercat, among others.
The news comes after K-Dot did crushed the stage alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and special guests 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak on Sunday (Feb. 13) during a spectacular 15-minute tribute to hip-hop at Super Bowl LVI.
Watch a brief preview and listen to a clip from the show below.
From Compton to the big stage 🏈🔥 Join Kendrick Lamar, @rapsody, @george_clinton, and many more as they reflect on his classic studio album "To Pimp a Butterfly."
🎙 #TheBigHitShow on @Spotify Feb 16 pic.twitter.com/gJeh0aWqoU
— Spotify Podcasts 🎙 (@spotifypodcasts) February 14, 2022
