Lamar decided to replace "caterpillar" in the original title to "butterfly", which he explained in an interview for MTV, "I just really wanted to show the brightness of life and the word 'pimp' has so much aggression and that represents several things. For me, it represents using my celebrity for good.

Lamar graduated from high school in 2006 as a straight-A student. He flirted with the idea of studying psychology and astronomy in college, but suspended his academic pursuits to focus on his music career.

Although the version of "I" that appears on the album is drastically different from the single release, both versions contain a sample of the song "That Lady" by The Isley Brothers.

He began writing rhymes as a young teenager, and he released his first mixtape, Youngest Head Nigga in Charge (2003), under the name K. Dot. The music impressed Anthony Tiffith, head of the newly formed record label Top Dawg Entertainment, and he signed the musician.