Hear Our Podcast on the Untold Story of Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar is one of the most brilliant artists of the 21st century, but his path to greatness was a long one — and impossible to understand without the context of the struggle of black Americans during his rise to pop stardom. That’s the thesis of Marcus J. Moore’s deeply researched new book, The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America. In the new episode of Rolling Stone Music Now, Moore joins host Brian Hiatt to tell the story of Lamar’s life and music (so far, at least), as well as the sociopolitical context that shaped his work. Moore also digs into the making of Lamar’s string of all-time great albums: good kid, m.A.A.d city, To Pimp A Butterfly, and DAMN.

To hear the entire episode, press play below, or download and subscribe on iTunes or Spotify.

Download and subscribe to our weekly podcast, Rolling Stone Music Now, hosted by Brian Hiatt, on iTunes or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts), and check out three years’ worth of episodes in the archive, including in-depth, career-spanning interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Halsey, Neil Young, the National, Questlove, Julian Casablancas, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Marr, Scott Weiland, Alice Cooper, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello, Donald Fagen, Phil Collins, Alicia Keys, Stephen Malkmus, Sebastian Bach, Tom Petty, Kelly Clarkson, Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, the Zombies, Gary Clark Jr., and many more — plus dozens of episodes featuring genre-spanning discussions, debates, and explainers with Rolling Stone’s critics and reporters. Tune in every Friday at 1 p.m. ET to hear Rolling Stone Music Now broadcast on SiriusXM’s Volume, channel 106.