Kendrick Lamar’s ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ Breaks Spotify Streaming Record

The record was a fresh one, too--the previous holder was Drake, whose surprise album If You're Reading This It's Too Late was released just last month, was the last title holder, with some 6.8 million streams of that record. It's too late to project first-week sales for Butterfly, which is expected to hit stores some time early next week.

Unlike his acclaimed 2012 debut, good kid, m.A.A.d. city, which was aggressively narrow in scope--the triumphant coda was called, simply, "Compton"--To Pimp a Butterfly is a sprawling, sometimes formless effort that incorporates elements of music from The Roots, D'Angelo, late-period Outkast and others. It's jazz-drenched and exceptionally long, demanding the listener's full attention for its 80-minute running time.

Related: Bilal Explains His Role in Making Kendrick Lamar’s ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’
Kendrick Lamar Says He’s a Vessel for God’s Work
Listen to the Full 2Pac Interview Kendrick Lamar Samples on ‘Mortal Man’
Killer Mike and Rapsody Thank Kendrick Lamar on Social Media