Popcast: Kendrick Lamar, Dissenting From the Mainstream as He Influences It

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Credit John Francis Peters for The New York Times

Last week, Kendrick Lamar released his second album “To Pimp a Butterfly” (TDE/Aftermath/Interscope), one of this year’s most anticipated releases in any genre, and also one of the least likely. (It was surprise-released online, a week before its advertised release.)

Mr. Lamar is a hip-hop star with barely a hip-hop hit to his name, a dissenter from the mainstream who’s developed a large enough following to undermine notions of what mainstream might mean in this era.