The front sleeve of Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp a Butterfly' shows the aftermath of a black revolution on the White House Lawn. The image is shot in striking monochrome with the quality of a vintage Polaroid, and it features a large group of mostly shirtless black men and children – plus one baby, cradled by Lamar himself and, possibly, one woman – arranged in a victory tableau on the lawn in front of the White House. This image possibly challenges the degree of equality of black society in America and Lamar expresses these political views in other songs on his album such as 'Blacker the Berry' and has followed on from other artists such as Marvin Gaye and Bessie Smith.
The back cover of 'To Pimp a Butterfly' shows the tracks listed in
Kendrick's handwriting which exaggerates to the audience that it his own
genius creation. Also, the simple black on white colouring gives it an
urban feel and I believe has a good effect.
The lone image of the butterfly links with the title 'To Pimp a Butterfly' which itself is a riff on Harper
Lee’s classic novel T'o Kill a Mockingbird'. Also, butterflies symbolise
hope, which could be used to show Kendrick's hope for equal rights for
black people.
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