In this day in age, not much is certain. Society is polarized by our elections, people are afraid to share their opinions, and people often remain in the groups they’re born in and struggle to break free. Music has always been a great tool for people to represent themselves and their culture in the form of art. Once in every few hundred records, one piece will outshine the others and last beyond its time. Today we’re going to talk about the three that, in my opinion, still hold the most weight in our society.

3) TA1300 by Denzel Curry. TA13OO is definitely Denzel’s most impressive work to date. It was released in 2018 and is arranged in three acts. The “Light” act. The “Gray” act. And lastly, there is the “Dark” act. This album is mainly about Denzel dealing with the mental struggle of being famous and how it has driven him to a deep depression. Highlight tracks on this record include “PERCS | PERCZ”, “SIRENS | Z1RENZ”, and “THE BLACKEST BALLON | THE 13ACKEZT 13A11OON” These introspective tracks talk about the law enforcement system, depression, and the current state of hip hop and how it isn’t made to have long-living artists.

2) Is He Real By IDK. Is He Real is IDK’s second studio album and is one of my favorite albums of all time. It is a 14 track masterpiece dealing with IDK reflecting about his religion and how it affects our society. He talks about how there are so many choices yet people form divisions and barriers when others disagree with their opinions. He especially highlights this on the track, “42 Hundred Choices” which features an upbeat tone, but has a much deeper meaning the more you listen to it.

1) To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar. Like the other artists on this list, Kendrick Lamar is one of my favorite artists. It was hard to choose between this record or Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, but I think that To Pimp a Butterfly has a bigger meaning in our society because of its acknowledgement of systematic racism and oppression as well as the ways that gender roles hurt our society and make relationships disingenuous. The highlight tracks on this record are “Alright”, “i”, “For Free?”, and “The Blacker the Berry” All in all this album was a masterpiece in 2015 when it was released, and is a masterpiece now.