To Pimp a Butterfly sold at least 850,000 copies.
To Pimp a Butterfly is the third studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar .. Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick Lamar. studio album. studio album. It was released on March 15 , 2015 , by Top Dawg Entertainment , Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records .. Top Dawg. Top Dawg Entertainment. Aftermath. Aftermath Entertainment. Interscope. Interscope Records. Top Dawg Entertainment. Top Dawg Entertainment. Aftermath Entertainment. Aftermath Entertainment. Interscope Records. Interscope Records. 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. Dre and Anthony `` Top Dawg '' Tiffith .. Top Dawg. Top Dawg Entertainment. Dr. Dre. Dr. Dre. Boi-1da. Boi-1da. Flying Lotus. Flying Lotus. Pharrell Williams. Pharrell Williams. Rahki. Rahki. Sounwave. Sounwave. Terrace Martin. Terrace Martin. Thundercat. Thundercat ( musician ). hip hop producers. hip hop production. 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 .. free jazz. free jazz. funk. funk. soul. soul music. spoken word. spoken word. avant-garde. avant-garde. African-American culture. African-American culture. racial inequality. racial inequality. depression. depression ( mood ). institutional discrimination. discrimination. 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 .. Billboard. Billboard ( magazine ). It was ranked as the best album of 2015 by many publications , including Rolling Stone , Billboard and Pitchfork .. Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone. Billboard. Billboard ( magazine ). Pitchfork. Pitchfork ( website ). It was nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Rap Album at the 58th Grammy Awards .. Album of the Year. Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Best Rap Album. Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. 58th Grammy Awards. 58th Annual Grammy Awards. Grammy. Grammy Award. Its singles `` i '' -LRB- in 2015 -RRB- and `` Alright '' -LRB- in 2016 -RRB- each won a Grammy for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance , with the latter also nominated for Song of the Year .. i ( Kendrick Lamar song ). Alright. Alright ( Kendrick Lamar song ). Grammy. Grammy Award. Best Rap Song. Grammy Award for Best Rap Song. Best Rap Performance. Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance. Song of the Year. Grammy Award for Song of the Year. Additionally , `` These Walls '' won Best Rap / Sung Collaboration .. These Walls. These Walls ( Kendrick Lamar song ). Best Rap / Sung Collaboration. Grammy Award for Best Rap / Sung Collaboration. The album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America -LRB- RIAA -RRB- .. Platinum. RIAA certification. Recording Industry Association of America. Recording Industry Association of America. By March 2016 , the album had sold 850,000 copies in the United States , and over one million copies worldwide .. 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 .. i ( Kendrick Lamar song ). The Blacker the Berry. The Blacker the Berry ( song ). King Kunta. King Kunta. Alright. Alright ( Kendrick Lamar song ). These Walls. These Walls ( Kendrick Lamar song ). Bilal. Bilal ( American singer ). Anna Wise. Anna Wise. All five singles entered the US Billboard Hot 100 .. Billboard. Billboard ( magazine ). Lamar also went on the Kunta 's Groove Sessions Tour , which included eight shows in eight cities , in late 2015 to early 2016 .