On Wednesday morning, March 11, 2015, Kendrick Lamar, a Compton rapper who consistently tackles issues such as institutionalized racism, black self-love, and the evils of materialism, shared with the world the cover art for his Grammy Award winning album, To Pimp a Butterfly, via Instagram. The use of what many would call thugs who are flashing what is assumed to be illegally earned money and a murdered white judge on the lawn of the Executive Mansion, exhibit such an aggressive nature to the photo that even words like controversial and contentious aren’t enough to accurately describe the uneasiness of this artwork. Tom Barnes, a staff writer and music editor at Mic.com, described the photo as “a bombshell of political and social criticism” (Barnes 2015). The black people in the artwork for, To Pimp a Butterfly, are shown in front of the White House in a celebratory fashion with a dead judge below them. Many would say they look free. They look physically free because they are flaunting huge wads of cash and all of them look to have smiles on their faces; however, they are not mentally free. They are entrapped in a system created by America that inhibits them from behaving and thinking outside of a “hood mentality,” that emphasizes drug and alcohol abuse, gang violence, poverty and incarceration. The placement of a group of black individuals whom society looks at as thugs, in front of the White House presents the problem that America created right on its front door step. Positioning of the dead white judge, the group of individuals and the White House in the background illustrate how black people in America are institutionalized in a system based on racism and oppression of people of color therefore the amount of education in the black community needs to increase to break the cycle of poverty, incarceration and murder that plagues so many African American families in the US.  

One of the most eye-popping aspects of the artwork is the white guy below the group of black people. The gavel in his hand lets viewers know that he is or was a judge. His eyes are crossed out with x’s indicating that he’s dead. Placement of a dead white judge below a group of black individuals displays how the individuals are still trapped in the ghetto and institutionalized in that mindset. Even at the White House, a place of high etiquette and professionalism, they can’t escape that ‘hood’ mentality. Killing is something that most people in the ghetto become numb too because it is common. This makes it normal for them to kill someone they disagree with. This is an example of the reality that many blacks in the hood are relegated too. Supporting this idea is the fact that Lamar has been known to support the theory that the government or CIA is primarily responsible for the crack cocaine explosion in predominantly African American neighborhoods during the 80’s.

The black people in front of the White House are the most significant and noticeable piece to the puzzle of the cover art. Their arrangement in front of the White House makes the theme of government institutionalization relevant. You can see these ‘thugs’ as many people would call them, in front of the White House still acting foolish and ignorant when in reality they’re just a product of their environment. This can be explained by the institutional racism they’ve been brought up in. They are essentially slaves to the ‘hood’ mentality because there is no way out of the hood other than to sell drugs, or become a rapper or ball player due to the limited amount of resources available in their communities. Drug money, alcohol abuse and murder, are all portrayed in front of the most powerful representation of American government and all aspects that would seem to go against the White House and American values. By using this contrast in morals, the artist was trying to show that this what the government created and now they have to deal with it. This reminds me when Dr. Waldman in the movie Frankestein said, “You have created a monster and it will destroy you,” (Matthews, Jr. 31) because now the problem of racially oppressing and institutionalizing blacks mentally has backfired since they’re at the front door of the white house and have murdered a judge.

In showing how ignorant the group of black people may have looked too many, Lamar employs the idea that the African American community should further educate themselves so that they realize each of them is not the enemy when in fact the racism this country was founded in fact is the real nemesis. The cliche, ‘look how far we’ve come, but look how far we have got to go’ definitely applies to this photo because if you look at the setting of the photo being in front of the White House, the individuals are in front of a place where historically people of color were not allowed. However, they are showing off bankrolls of cash, sagging their paints, not wearing any shirts, expressing obscene gestures, and just overall acting foolish. These factors show how far the black community has to go in terms of awareness, self-respect, and education.

 What has been described by some as one of the most controversial and powerful album covers the hip hop world has ever seen, the album cover for Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly album captured the systematic and institutional racism in America as well as the need for educational improvements in the black community. The positioning of the characters along with the setting of the photo demonstrate not only how far the black community has come but also just how far it has to go in terms of breaking free from oppression. That Wednesday morning on March 11, 2015, an important photograph that may not be known to many people, was released as a wake up call to all of the racks, going on in our country.
