Kendrick Lamar, formerly known as K.Dot, has given the world two of the most incredible rap albums of all time. These albums have brought light to some of the biggest social issues that we deal with in this generation. The success of his music career was something he would not have dreamed of, growing up in Compton, California. Compton rarely finds success with 374 crimes per square mile, compared to the national median, which is around 33 crimes per square mile. Many men growing up in Compton never succeed, succumbing to the gang mentality instead. Kendrick was in the midst of this when he was born, seeing all the drugs and gangs from the very beginning. Both his parents worked in fast food, and they did whatever they could for more money. In Kendrick’s early teenage years, he started to become engulfed in the lifestyle- drinking, smoking, and acting wild, just as all his other family did. But, thankfully, things changed when his father told him to grow up better than he did. Kendrick then knew he didn’t want to be one of the many who live and die for gangs, just as his close friends and family were. This rags to riches story appeals to the many people living in the many low-income areas of the United States. In the few years Kendrick Lamar has been in the rap game, he has turned it upside down, unifying people and rejecting the hood in favor of more. He has spoken openly on Ferguson, police brutality, and the cases of unarmed black people dying for no reason. His music is meant to change world and has inspired many. This inspiration is why I believe that Kendrick Lamar is one of, if not the most influential artist of this generation.
There is inspiration not only in his story, but in his lyrics as well. His first big label album “Good Kid M.A.A.D. City” has a narrative of trying to be a good kid, who doesn’t get caught in the lifestyle while living in the “M.A.A.D. City” which is to represent Compton, or any other gang ridden area. The lyrics on this album speak volumes. In the 12 minute song “Sing about Me, I’m Dying of Thirst” Kendrick puts himself in the roles of different characters and sheds light on the mindset in the M.A.A.D. city. First of a man whose brother Dave was killed in gang violence, and about his revenge. It turns into a self-reflection where Dave’s brother says lines like “In actuality, it's a trip how we trip off of colors. I wonder if I'll ever discover a passion like you and recover”. The next character is the sister of a girl named Keisha, who is following in her sister’s footsteps in becoming a teenage prostitute in the streets of M.A.A.D. City. But instead of reflection she just accepts that this is her life, with lines like “And matter fact, did I mention that I physically feel great? A doctor's approval is a waste of time, I know I'm straight. I'll probably live longer than you and never fade away”. These stories that Kendrick tells brings real issues to the mainstream. Gangs have grown 8 percent in the last five years, and gang homicides have increased 23%. Teenage prostitution has crazy high numbers, with the average age of involvement being 14. Kendrick wants people to know the issues and learn from it, and see that there is so much more to life then the hood.
Recommended for you
Kendrick goes to bring light to more societal issues in his sophomore album “To Pimp a Butterfly”. The album promoted loving the color of your skin, while also giving a cultural perspective of the racism in America, with lines like “Enforcin’ my dark side like a young George Lucas. Light don’t mean you smart, bein’ dark don’t make you stupid” and “I mean, it's evident that I'm irrelevant to society. That's what you're telling me, penitentiary would only hire me”. Then furthering those lines with visuals, at every performance he does. Like his 2015 BET awards performance featuring an all-black cast near a police car, with a giant American flag waving in the background. Then more recently his 2016 Grammy performance which started with a line of black men in prison uniformed cuffed and shackled and ended with a picture of the continent of Africa with the word “Compton” over it. These performances hardly need to be explained due to how obvious he makes his message. He is promoting a new cause to stop racism in America and starting it by inspiring people to love the color of their skin. His politically driven lyrics and performances scream a pro-black rhetoric so loud that it is impossible to ignore. He is inspiring a new generation by telling them to love themselves and to stay away from the streets. This is an amazing and beautiful message that will resonate with the world even 10 years from now.
