Insensitivity still runs rampant in our society. Not long ago, local trashbag Roosh V was prepared to establish nationwide meetings where his affiliates and supporters would discuss the possibility of pushing a pro-rape bill. Seemingly incessant stabbings in Manhattan, ignorance about what’s happening down in the projects, over-sexualization of women, fetishization of the dollar.

Insensitivity is almost bred into international identity, as one person’s sphere of influence will inevitably clash with another person’s. It’s not often a mainstream musical artist prepares an album dedicated not only to his personal obstacles and triumphs but to the struggle of his people and to the status of society in general. Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly attacks societal norms over jazzy instrumentals, in a way reminiscent of Gil-Scott Heron, an African-American poet who helped popularize the spoken word artform of poetry all across the country.

The very first words spoken on the album acts as an allegory to an overarching theme present throughout the entire novel: “Every n*gga is a star.” The expectations of goodness despite proper education and constant institutionalized manipulation and malpractice, the ignored mental issues they face, and the stagnation of status all encapsulated in a single line, sampled from a Boris Gardiner song of the same name.

The 16 song track list expands on the story of a rapper (partially based off Kendrick Lamar’s own life), who goes through the ups and downs of fame and the burrowed feelings about being “pimped” by an industry whose indifference to the individual artist is shocking. This very industry was the reason why Lamar got so much coverage in the mainstream media, yet, it appears no mind is paid to the actual message in the music, rather, it’s in the concept that a work of art described as “political” and “necessary” needs to be recognized for prominence, regardless of its weight and its content, and regardless of the fact that a considerable amount of people both in and outside of the target audience haven’t listened to it.

The idea that a book was important enough that you went out and bought it, yet never bothered to open it. Thus, "To Pimp a Butterfly" earned and won its fair share of Grammy nominations, yet was snubbed for album of the year. Disclaimer: I have absolutely no problem with Taylor Swift. What I don’t like is the idea that a once in a lifetime album which touched upon very real and tangible issues was snubbed for a mainstream pop album whose concepts are reinstated every year by the same artist, and will no doubt fade into obscurity in a few years. "TPAB" left a mark not only in rap culture but in music all across the boards.

Then again, the validation shouldn’t be sought in vapid award shows or scripted lines. The validation comes in the confirmation that the music in discussion established a basis for a changed perspective that will surely last a lifetime. The distinction between Lamar’s and Swift’s album is that one was made solely for monetary purposes and capitalizing on the same, forever expanding audience it has always catered to, in a predictable way that would’ve guaranteed revenue. And while capitalistic motives are behind every great album, "TPAB" touched on personal subjects that are typically snubbed on a day to day basis; it’s an album that was made to forever impact paradigms young and old, and to overcome difficulties experienced by the artist himself.