Dec 26, 2016

Just curious....

has Kendrick ever said anything about the ending poem on Mortal Man.....the one about the caterpillar?

"...I wanted to read one last thing to you. Its actually something a good friend had wrote describing my world. It says:

The caterpillar is a prisoner to the streets that conceived it
Its only job is to eat or consume everything around it, in order to protect itself from this mad city
While consuming its environment the caterpillar begins to notice ways to survive
One thing it noticed is how much the world shuns him, but praises the butterfly
The butterfly represents the talent, the thoughtfulness, and the beauty within the caterpillar
But having a harsh outlook on life the caterpillar sees the butterfly as weak and figures out a way to p---- it to its own benefits
Already surrounded by this mad city the caterpillar goes to work on the cocoon which institutionalizes him
He can no longer see past his own thoughts
Hes trapped
When trapped inside these walls certain ideas take roots, such as going home, and bringing back new concepts to this mad city
The result?
Wings began to emerge, breaking the cycle of feeling stagnant
Finally free, the butterfly sheds light on situations that the caterpillar never considered, ending the internal struggle
Although the butterfly and the caterpillar are completely different, they are one and the same."

​

My main theory with this poem is that the caterpillar is a young Kendrick who "is a prisoner to the streets that conceived it. Its only job is to eat or consume everything around it, in order to protect itself from this mad city." Being exposed to the harsh realities of living in Compton (Mad City) fueled the ideas Kendrick had about people, politics and life in general, which "institutionalizes him/ He can no longer see past his own thoughts/ Hes trapped..." We get to see the evolved butterfly version of Kendrick on TPAB .....after he's traveled the world, met different people and experienced new things outside of Compton.

What are your thoughts on this poem?​