Kendrick Lamar
This week I wanted to spend some quality time talking about an album which recently released but has left me absolutely spellbound and beyond impressed. Going into this week of music, I'm going to pick some highlighted songs off the album and talk a little bit about why they stood out to me and what makes them so unique. So if you were trying to guess which album I am talking about, the answer lies with Kendrick Lamar. This latest album DAMN. is one of the greatest albums I have heard from the rap world. In the long-standing question as to who the top 5 rappers are, this album puts Kendrick Lamar on this illustrious list. Kendrick Lamar has always been a great lyricist, but this album showcases his abilities as a rapper, lyricist, producer, and activist. From beginning to end, there is an incredible emotional charge to the album. Not all of these emotions are sad and tear jerking feelings. We get anger, frustration, contempt, vulnerability, and more. There is an incredible passion which is openly presented on this album, and that is what makes this such an iconic and impactful album.
So to kick this week of music off, I wanted to start with the second song from the album. This song starts off with a bang and is probably one of the few hyped songs of the album.This album is one that focuses less on instrumentation and more about production and content. Because of this sonic focus shift, this song has a lot less to offer in terms of instrumentation. Kendrick Lamar goes back to the heavier 808's and more traditional beat making. We get to hear Kendrick Lamar showcase his verbal acrobatic skills through the entirety of the song, as he makes this one of the heavier and angrier songs on the album. When the song starts out, we are exposed to a beat that is more intense and has a slower kind of rap beat. This isn't a super fast paced song, but the way Kendrick Lamar layers the lyrics make the song seem more comprehensive and faster. Kendrick Lamar also starts this song off by discussing his heritage of kings and warriors. Kendrick Lamar does this in order to give an impression as to what is self-image and perception in. We are then introduced to a voiceover. This voiceover is the crux of the song, the defining moment.
Prior to the voice over, we have a pretty standard hip hop beat, Now, compared to Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly, this song and album as a whole are more vicious and fiery. We can hear that from the beat quality after the voiceover is introduced. There is an incredible beat switch which happens, and this is where we see Kendrick Lamar really shine. The featured voiceover is that of a Fox News journalist who talks about his thoughts on hip hop. To which, Kendrick Lamar comes in and lays down the law. But what makes these verses so incredibly important, is that we get to experience the train of thought that Kendrick Lamar experiences. He starts off by acknowledging the comment and then goes on to discuss why hip hop really isn't the issue. Kendrick Lamar has no qualms about tearing down societal norms and beliefs, and in doing so, draws attention to the many thoughts minorities have which are severely underheard. In this part of the song, we get to see how competing societal perceptions have changed him and molded him into who he is today. Kendrick Lamar fires back and talks about how his heritage and skin color are not drawbacks, but mark him as royalty.
Religious references and parallels essentially describe Kendrick Lamar as a God. Racism stops being inhumane and becomes blasphemous. Kendrick Lamar shies away from sarcastic retorts, in favor of an emboldened and unafraid approach. He severely flattens negative and harmful connotations and perceptions over the bass line, delivering lines that are powerfully honest. This song serves as a vehicle for which Kendrick Lamar can explore his own blackness and how it ties into society. However, what really makes this song stand out in terms of lyrical genius and importance, is how Kendrick Lamar brings everything together. That train of thought which started out as so passionate and pure and full of vitality is seemingly squashed by a sense of realization. Kendrick Lamar revels in the power rap has to break oppression, only to realize that the same cycle of greed and intolerance is perpetuated. There is a frustration in this song which we really understand at the end, when it becomes increasingly clear that Kendrick Lamar sees a problem, yet doesn't have an answer. Though he will always look for the cure, he hasn't found one yet.
These gut-wrenchingly powerful and charged lyrics are set to the production of Mike Will Made It. The man turns Kendrick Lamar's words into a biblical war cry and outrage. Mike Will Made It pivots the song's beat to that slower and even more intense sound, bringing a radio level and street ready kind of feeling to the song. Mike Will Made It produces this song so that it brings heat and savagery, without sacrificing the lyrical depth Kendrick Lamar brings to the table.
This song is just the beginning. Kendrick Lamar's album is full of songs like this, and to be honest, we have just scratched the surface of this song. At the end of the day, Kendrick Lamar considers a delicate question and balance with this song. How does one reconcile the color of their skin based on societal perceptions, with how they see themselves? And since this post was incredibly long, I wanted to leave you all with just this song. Because there is nothing else that will come close to expressing that which Kendrick Lamar expresses here. I hope you enjoy the music and please feel free to comment!
So to kick this week of music off, I wanted to start with the second song from the album. This song starts off with a bang and is probably one of the few hyped songs of the album.This album is one that focuses less on instrumentation and more about production and content. Because of this sonic focus shift, this song has a lot less to offer in terms of instrumentation. Kendrick Lamar goes back to the heavier 808's and more traditional beat making. We get to hear Kendrick Lamar showcase his verbal acrobatic skills through the entirety of the song, as he makes this one of the heavier and angrier songs on the album. When the song starts out, we are exposed to a beat that is more intense and has a slower kind of rap beat. This isn't a super fast paced song, but the way Kendrick Lamar layers the lyrics make the song seem more comprehensive and faster. Kendrick Lamar also starts this song off by discussing his heritage of kings and warriors. Kendrick Lamar does this in order to give an impression as to what is self-image and perception in. We are then introduced to a voiceover. This voiceover is the crux of the song, the defining moment.
Prior to the voice over, we have a pretty standard hip hop beat, Now, compared to Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly, this song and album as a whole are more vicious and fiery. We can hear that from the beat quality after the voiceover is introduced. There is an incredible beat switch which happens, and this is where we see Kendrick Lamar really shine. The featured voiceover is that of a Fox News journalist who talks about his thoughts on hip hop. To which, Kendrick Lamar comes in and lays down the law. But what makes these verses so incredibly important, is that we get to experience the train of thought that Kendrick Lamar experiences. He starts off by acknowledging the comment and then goes on to discuss why hip hop really isn't the issue. Kendrick Lamar has no qualms about tearing down societal norms and beliefs, and in doing so, draws attention to the many thoughts minorities have which are severely underheard. In this part of the song, we get to see how competing societal perceptions have changed him and molded him into who he is today. Kendrick Lamar fires back and talks about how his heritage and skin color are not drawbacks, but mark him as royalty.
Religious references and parallels essentially describe Kendrick Lamar as a God. Racism stops being inhumane and becomes blasphemous. Kendrick Lamar shies away from sarcastic retorts, in favor of an emboldened and unafraid approach. He severely flattens negative and harmful connotations and perceptions over the bass line, delivering lines that are powerfully honest. This song serves as a vehicle for which Kendrick Lamar can explore his own blackness and how it ties into society. However, what really makes this song stand out in terms of lyrical genius and importance, is how Kendrick Lamar brings everything together. That train of thought which started out as so passionate and pure and full of vitality is seemingly squashed by a sense of realization. Kendrick Lamar revels in the power rap has to break oppression, only to realize that the same cycle of greed and intolerance is perpetuated. There is a frustration in this song which we really understand at the end, when it becomes increasingly clear that Kendrick Lamar sees a problem, yet doesn't have an answer. Though he will always look for the cure, he hasn't found one yet.
These gut-wrenchingly powerful and charged lyrics are set to the production of Mike Will Made It. The man turns Kendrick Lamar's words into a biblical war cry and outrage. Mike Will Made It pivots the song's beat to that slower and even more intense sound, bringing a radio level and street ready kind of feeling to the song. Mike Will Made It produces this song so that it brings heat and savagery, without sacrificing the lyrical depth Kendrick Lamar brings to the table.
This song is just the beginning. Kendrick Lamar's album is full of songs like this, and to be honest, we have just scratched the surface of this song. At the end of the day, Kendrick Lamar considers a delicate question and balance with this song. How does one reconcile the color of their skin based on societal perceptions, with how they see themselves? And since this post was incredibly long, I wanted to leave you all with just this song. Because there is nothing else that will come close to expressing that which Kendrick Lamar expresses here. I hope you enjoy the music and please feel free to comment!
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