The Butterfly Effect, Marcus J. Moore
The Butterfly Effect, Marcus J. Moore
List: $25.99 | Sale: $18.20
Club: $12.99

The Butterfly Effect
How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America

Author: Marcus J. Moore

Narrator: Adenrele Ojo

Unabridged: 9 hr 9 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/13/2020


Synopsis

This “smart, confident, and necessary” (Shea Serrano, New York Times bestselling author) first cultural biography of rap superstar and “master of storytelling” (The New Yorker) Kendrick Lamar explores his meteoric rise to fame and his profound impact on a racially fraught America­—perfect for fans of Zack O’Malley Greenburg’s Empire State of Mind.

Kendrick Lamar is at the top of his game.

The thirteen-time Grammy Award­-winning rapper is just in his early thirties, but he’s already won the Pulitzer Prize for Music, produced and curated the soundtrack of the megahit film Black Panther, and has been named one of Time’s 100 Influential People. But what’s even more striking about the Compton-born lyricist and performer is how he’s established himself as a formidable adversary of oppression and force for change. Through his confessional poetics, his politically charged anthems, and his radical performances, Lamar has become a beacon of light for countless people.

Written by veteran journalist and music critic Marcus J. Moore, this is much more than the first biography of Kendrick Lamar. “It’s an analytical deep dive into the life of that good kid whose m.A.A.d city raised him, and how it sparked a fire within Kendrick Lamar to change history” (Kathy Iandoli, author of Baby Girl) for the better.

About Marcus J. Moore

Marcus J. Moore is an award-winning music journalist, senior editor, curator, and pop culture commentator, whose writing can be found in Pitchfork, The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, The Nation, NPR, The Atlantic, BBC Music, and MTV, among others. He’s created nationally syndicated playlists for Google, discussed new music live on FM radio, contributed to national podcasts, and guest-hosted live shows on Red Bull Radio. In 2009, Moore launched his own site—DMV Spectrum—which covered music and entertainment in Washington, DC; Maryland; and Virginia. He was originally from the Washington, DC, area, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. The Butterfly Effect is his first book.


Reviews

More than biography, this is a celebration of Kendrick Lamar and his genius. Although only in his thirties, Mr. Lamar has made an indelible mark on rap and hip hop, the only musician immersed in these genres to win the Pulitzer Prize for music. Mr. Moore traces Mr. Lamar's journey from childhood to......more

Goodreads review by Traci

If you love Kendrick this book is for you. It’s really good and interesting and has lots of insight into him and his work. It’s a little too detailed and repetitive if you’re just a casual fan. It’s a very magazine profile style of writing. Easy to read.......more

Goodreads review by Ant

3.8/5.0 This provided a good glimpse of Kendrick's early career leading up to the projects that established him as one of the greatest rapper's we've ever had the privilege of experiencing. I was hoping for more "DAMN." discussion and what kind of lasting impact that may have left in the context of c......more

As a Kendrick Lamar fan, I LOVED this book! Moore offers marvelous insight into how Kendrick the boy from Compton, became Kendrick, the voice of a generation, via his growth from underground rapper to mainstream mega-stardom. Along the way, you get commentary as to how the changing racial and cultur......more

Goodreads review by Mathea

I just finished reading an advanced copy of this incredible book by the ever-brilliant Marcus Moore and I promise you, you want to preorder it now. It is no small task to write the first biography of someone as iconic as Kendrick Lamar but it’s no surprise Marcus Moore has met it head-on. This book......more


Quotes

"Narrator Adenrele Ojo does a credible job keeping the energy up as Moore traces Lamar's roots on the West Coast through his early projects and his commercial and critical success."