Kendrick Lamar's music contains plenty of food for thought, so it makes sense that his lyrics can translate to lessons in classrooms. One New Jersey teacher, for example, used his album To Pimp a Butterfly to help his students understand Toni Morrison's novel "The Bluest Eye" -- and Kendrick definitely noticed.

The New York Times reports that the Compton rapper paid a visit to High Tech High School in North Bergen, N.J. to meet English teacher, Brian Mooney, and his students after learning about their "hip-hop ed" classes via Mooney's blog.

During his visit, Kendrick was able to watch student perform raps and spoken word pieces, inspired by To Pimp a Butterfly, in addition to chatting with them one-on-one.

“When I talk to kids, I’m really listening,” Kendrick said. “When I do that, we have a little bit of a bigger connection than me being Kendrick Lamar and you being a student. It’s almost like we’re friends. Because a friend listens.”

Kendrick performed one song from the new album -- "Alright" -- before leaving, and he promised to return for another visit. “It’s truly a blessing to be in front of you all,” he told students. “I will be back. That’s a promise, y’all.”

Below, Kendrick breaks down tracks from TPAB for MTV News.