To Pimp a Butterfly is the third studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, released on March 15, 2015, by Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records. The album was recorded in various studios across the United States, featuring production from Terrace Martin, Thundercat, LoveDragon, Pharrell Williams, and other prominent hip hop producers, with executive production by Dr. Dre and Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith. Guest appearances include Thundercat, George Clinton, Bilal, Anna Wise, Snoop Dogg, James Fauntleroy, Ronald Isley, and Rapsody.
 
Primarily a hip hop album, To Pimp a Butterfly incorporates a variety of musical styles from African-American music history, including jazz, funk, and soul. The album's lyrics offer political commentary and personal reflections on African-American culture, racial inequality, depression, and institutional discrimination. This thematic direction was inspired by Lamar's tour of historic sites in South Africa, including Nelson Mandela's jail cell on Robben Island.
 
To Pimp a Butterfly debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 324,000 copies in its first week, and became Lamar's first number-one album in the UK. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sold one million copies in the United States by 2017. The album was promoted with five singles, including the top 40 hit "I". Lamar supported the album with the Kunta's Groove Sessions Tour from late 2015 to early 2016.
 
The album received widespread acclaim from critics, praised for its musical scope and the social relevance of Lamar's lyrics. It earned Lamar seven nominations at the 2016 Grammy Awards, winning Best Rap Album and receiving an Album of the Year nomination. Lamar received four additional nominations for other collaborations that year, making him the rapper with the most nominations in a single night, with a total of 11. In the years following its release, several publications named To Pimp a Butterfly one of the best albums of the 2010s; in 2020, Rolling Stone ranked it 19th on their updated list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time."