On February 28, 2014, Kendrick Lamar first revealed the plans to release a follow-up to his second studio album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012), during an interview with Billboard. Lamar also went on the Kunta's Groove Sessions Tour, which included eight shows in eight cities, in late 2015 to early 2016. All five singles entered the US Billboard Hot 100. The album's release was supported by five singles-'i', ' The Blacker the Berry', ' King Kunta', 'Alright' and 'These Walls' featuring Bilal and Anna Wise. By June 2017, the album had sold one million copies in the United States. The album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Additionally, ' These Walls' won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Its singles ' i' (in 2015) and ' Alright' (in 2016) each won a Grammy for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance, with the latter also nominated for Song of the Year. It was nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Rap Album at the 58th Grammy Awards. It was ranked as the best album of 2015 by many publications, including Rolling Stone, Billboard and Pitchfork.

To Pimp a Butterfly debuted atop the Billboard 200 and received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised its musical scope and the social relevance of Lamar's lyrics. The album incorporates elements of free jazz, funk, soul, spoken word, and the avant-garde and explores a variety of political and personal themes concerning African-American culture, racial inequality, depression, and institutional discrimination. The album was recorded in studios throughout the United States, with production from Sounwave, Terrace Martin, Taz 'Tisa' Arnold, Thundercat, Rahki, LoveDragon, Flying Lotus, Pharrell Williams, Boi-1da, and several other high-profile hip hop producers, as well as executive production from Dr. It was released on March 15, 2015, by Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. To Pimp a Butterfly is the third studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar.

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