On Thursday, October 3rd, a highly anticipated listening session of Kendrick Lamar's "To Pimp a Butterfly" (TPAB) was hosted at Sanman Studios. The listening session was facilitated by Amarie Gipson, founder of The Reading Room, in conversation with Aris Kian, the 2023-2025 Houston Poet Laureate. Over 250 attendees RSVP'd for this event.

Upon arrival, guests were greeted by members of nonprofit organization Pure Justice, who assisted with checking and registering voter statuses, promoting civic engagement ahead of the upcoming presidential election.

During the listening session, Amarie and Aris sat on a deep burgundy colored rug, adorned with floral designs and interwoven with small details. Between them sat a small round table, holding a vinyl copy of TPAB. In the background, blue shelves cradling books from The Reading Room’s collection sat present along with a projector silently playing the music video for Kendrick Lamar’s track “Alright” on a loop. The layout for the listening session felt like sitting in the living room of an old friend’s home, welcoming the audience to be present for the conversation. 

Amarie began with an introduction to Aris and the significance of the album within the context of black identity. The session featured Amarie playing snippets of each track, allowing Aris to share her reflections and thoughts on the project. The contents of the album prompted the audience to reflect on where they were nine years ago when TPAB was released and how it resonated with them on a personal level.

As the evening progressed, the crowd's energy built as a campfire being stoked, growing steadily with the passing of each song. They sang parts of the tracks in unison, while also remaining transfixed on Aris and Amarie's conversation.

The event concluded with audience members sharing their feedback on the album, providing their differing opinions on some of the thoughts the speakers presented, and discussing broader themes related to blackness and community.