@@BlakeAlexander12 in a good way, it also shows the intro song for TPAB, which goes like “every n*gga is a star” which shows that rn they are caterpillars but they will be butterflies or stars
I think he also went with butterfly over caterpillar since butterflies represent a fully grown man branching out and being free while a caterpillar is a kid still learning. They butterfly represents him as a fully grown man being "pimped" by the music industry. I think that's one of the many meanings.
he didn’t need to name it after tupac, the name he chose honored his legacy in the hood. “to pimp a butterfly”, something beautiful that fell from grace.
I think him changing it also signifies progressing to the next form of life from caterpillar to butterfly. This album is like a realization from this generation regarding the transgressions, struggles, and also the reformation/repair of the black community and the world in general. And thus when Kendrick was the one to emphasize this, the torch was passed from Pac to Kendrick. This album also sees a “moving on” from hanging onto Tupac’s legacy/persona, and creating new and improved ideas. In Complexion, Rapsody says “‘scuse me on my 2Pac” when talking about loving all people from all types of backgrounds, and having no boundaries when it comes to skin tone. And in the last track, as we know, Mortal Man ends off with Kendrick desperately asking for a response from Pac, but he gives none. Once again this gives the feeling that Kendrick has moved on from Pac and is ready to form his own messages and his own legacy while helping his community to recover. These are just some things I noticed, and it may very well sound like a reach, but in my opinion it’s a damn good philosophy if this is what Kendrick intended.
Sometimes art benefits from the artist consciously including imperfections. I think TPAB is a good example of that: Mortal Man and the ending of the album suggest the title should be TPAC, but Kendrick chose a more unexpected title and I think it's more memorable that way
The caterpillar is the pre metamorphosis being. I feel making it be "butterfly" makes the imagery of the title more vibrant. A butterfly is a fully formed individual, and to pimp something so natural and whole is such a perversion, which fits what kendrick describes in the album when talking about money, the music industry and American society.
No it’s not that’s where he got the name from off a magazine that made an acronym out of Tupacs name but he wanted to change it up so he added the b. It wasn’t supposed to be tupac at all.
TPAB was the first I listened to because I felt there must be some truth in what Kendrick’s fans had to say. I didn’t like it at all. Then I listened to Good Kid Maad City, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Just my personal opinion, but I definitely thought the latter was a more enjoyable album.
