Kendrick Lamar Day 2
Today we have Day 2 of the Kendrick Lamar special. This song is the one that probably had the most questionability surrounding it. When people first saw that U2 was the featured artists on the song, it definitely raised a lot of questions and left people scratching their heads. But, this song was so well executed with the inclusion of U2 that I felt the need to talk about this one. This song is a bit more subdued than a couple of the other tracks on the album, but it tends to fluctuate a bit more between being more calmed down and fired up.
Kendrick Lamar starts this song off with a more mellowed out and simmered down kind of sound. In the progression of this album, I do feel like that more calmed down was necessary. As much as we all love a hype song, there is a need for a break every once in a while. And Kendrick Lamar gives us that! The basic breakdown of the song goes a little like this. We are introduced to the song with some eerie chorus singing over a softer synth melody. Which then abruptly turns into an 808's rhythm practice. This song is broken up into two sections at this point. The first part, pre-Bono, is a banger for sure. It probably contains the same amount of hype and intensity as yesterday's song and a few others. We are then hit with a barrage of sirens and screeching tires and a heavy bassline, culminating in an effective and dramatic drop. This drop in tempo is marked by the beginning of U2's involvement, Once Bono takes the mic, the song turns into a smoother and slower piece, something that is a bit more contemplative and definitely less aggressive.
Kendrick Lamar's overall theme for this song is white hypocrisy. It is about the strong feelings colored people have towards these inconsistencies, the actions they have seen taken against them, etc. What is impressive about the way Kendrick Lamar goes about writing this piece, is that it doesn't only find relevance in today's society. Kendrick Lamar is able to bring light to the relevance that riots in the past have had, such as with the LA Riots. We get a bit more insight into these revenge fantasies that have been expressed by rappers in the. But Kendrick Lamar takes this a bit further and dives deeper into his own split and frustrated mind. He paints the image of different scenes and scenarios in blood, only to turn around and juxtapose them against thoughts on gun control. Kendrick Lamar explains how the characterizations made by the media and other outlets have created this negative public perception of colored people. And he also goes on to explain why this has harmed so many people.
Kendrick Lamar uses this song to highlight why he is so angry and has violent thoughts about the way colored people have been perceived. He greatly emphasizes the importance of family. Kendrick Lamar talks about the things he would do if anyone tried to hurt his family, oftentimes leaving with a violent and bloody conclusion.
This then leads us to look at why U2 was brought in at all. Beyond the surprise appearance by U2 and Bono's vocals, the Irishman serves an interesting purpose in regards to the lyricism of the song. Bono croons softly about the "drum and bass" of America and gently sings about moral cliches in America. Now coming from an incredibly important symbol within rock music and having such gentle vocals allows Kendrick Lamar to beautifully lash back. It is clear that no matter how you deliver these platitudes, Kendrick Lamar won't stop speaking his mind and pointing out the villainy seen in society.
I will say, while this whole album is hard to digest at first, this song, in particular, is one of the harder ones to fully grasp. It took me a couple listens to fully understand the capacity with which Kendrick Lamar speaks. That being said, I think this one is such a good listen. Not only is it musically pleasing, it is lyrically impactful and absolutely necessary. I hope you enjoy the music and please feel free to comment!
Kendrick Lamar starts this song off with a more mellowed out and simmered down kind of sound. In the progression of this album, I do feel like that more calmed down was necessary. As much as we all love a hype song, there is a need for a break every once in a while. And Kendrick Lamar gives us that! The basic breakdown of the song goes a little like this. We are introduced to the song with some eerie chorus singing over a softer synth melody. Which then abruptly turns into an 808's rhythm practice. This song is broken up into two sections at this point. The first part, pre-Bono, is a banger for sure. It probably contains the same amount of hype and intensity as yesterday's song and a few others. We are then hit with a barrage of sirens and screeching tires and a heavy bassline, culminating in an effective and dramatic drop. This drop in tempo is marked by the beginning of U2's involvement, Once Bono takes the mic, the song turns into a smoother and slower piece, something that is a bit more contemplative and definitely less aggressive.
Kendrick Lamar's overall theme for this song is white hypocrisy. It is about the strong feelings colored people have towards these inconsistencies, the actions they have seen taken against them, etc. What is impressive about the way Kendrick Lamar goes about writing this piece, is that it doesn't only find relevance in today's society. Kendrick Lamar is able to bring light to the relevance that riots in the past have had, such as with the LA Riots. We get a bit more insight into these revenge fantasies that have been expressed by rappers in the. But Kendrick Lamar takes this a bit further and dives deeper into his own split and frustrated mind. He paints the image of different scenes and scenarios in blood, only to turn around and juxtapose them against thoughts on gun control. Kendrick Lamar explains how the characterizations made by the media and other outlets have created this negative public perception of colored people. And he also goes on to explain why this has harmed so many people.
Kendrick Lamar uses this song to highlight why he is so angry and has violent thoughts about the way colored people have been perceived. He greatly emphasizes the importance of family. Kendrick Lamar talks about the things he would do if anyone tried to hurt his family, oftentimes leaving with a violent and bloody conclusion.
This then leads us to look at why U2 was brought in at all. Beyond the surprise appearance by U2 and Bono's vocals, the Irishman serves an interesting purpose in regards to the lyricism of the song. Bono croons softly about the "drum and bass" of America and gently sings about moral cliches in America. Now coming from an incredibly important symbol within rock music and having such gentle vocals allows Kendrick Lamar to beautifully lash back. It is clear that no matter how you deliver these platitudes, Kendrick Lamar won't stop speaking his mind and pointing out the villainy seen in society.
I will say, while this whole album is hard to digest at first, this song, in particular, is one of the harder ones to fully grasp. It took me a couple listens to fully understand the capacity with which Kendrick Lamar speaks. That being said, I think this one is such a good listen. Not only is it musically pleasing, it is lyrically impactful and absolutely necessary. I hope you enjoy the music and please feel free to comment!
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