Written by Jir Dara Akcan
Origins of Hip-Hop
Rap music is composed of various distinctive topics united by the same medium. From autobiographies to debates and poetry, its coverage is only limited by the writer himself. While its origins are debated, hip-hop is regarded to have originated in the South Bronx, NYC, in the early 1970s. Whereas the South Bronx was economically depressed, funk-inspired hip-hop gave people an outlet for expressing their experiences, leading to the era of rap consisting mostly of story-telling.
1980’s and Gangsta Rap
Hip-hop spread quickly among young African Americans in every region mixing it with their own culture. However, among these responses, the most significant one originated from Los Angeles. With their debut studio album “Straight Outta Compton,” N.W.A. popularized a movement known as “Gangsta Rap." Its former members Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, and Ice Cube led the way for West Coast rap as it became increasingly popular in the 1990s. Even though the group N.W.A. was not the one to start the movement, it dominated California with its success. Their narration of unfiltered violence, drug dealing, and misogyny offered a glance at 1980s California. Realism was often mixed with fiction, as the lyrics suggested themes of immortality and exaggeration as per the quatrain below:
So when I'm in your neighborhood, you better duck
'Cause Ice Cube is crazy as f*ck
As I leave, believe I'm stompin'
But when I come back, boy, I'm comin' straight outta Compton
Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.
As Gangsta Rap became mainstream on the West Coast, a talented rapper named Tupac Shakur started to earn a reputation. His lyrics not only consisted of classic gangsta rap verses glorifying violence but also hammered social problems and tragedies within the gang lifestyle as well. In his song, “Keep Ya Head Up,” a feminist anthem with references to pro-choice politics and what one might call “rape culture,” he says:
And since we all came from a woman
Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman (Yeah, yeah)
I wonder why we take from our women
Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?
While Tupac was still rising as a young rapper, East Coast also witnessed a prodigy of rap. Biggie Smalls, also known as The Notorious B.I.G., with his clever rhymes and lyrics, was the talent East Coast was waiting for. After Biggie signed with Bad Boy Entertainment, his successful work brought Bad Boy Entertainment into competition with Death Row Records in Los Angeles, which is the label founded by former N.W.A. members Dr. Dre and The D.O.C., as well as some outside members. Tupac Shakur, who was signed to Death Row Records at the time, was close friends with Biggie Smalls. However, after a personal dispute between the two, The competition quickly became publicized as a hostility between the West and the East Coast. After a series of diss songs between them, both Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls were shot dead. Their deaths were a huge blow to the hip-hop world, as the culture’s two most talented men were passed away.
Turn of The Century
As the internet became increasingly popular and accessible in the 21st century, the music industry suffered from digital downloads as record sales started to decline rapidly every passing year. Hip-hop was one of the genres that, at least, suffered less severely. Interestingly, this also solidified hip-hop as a global influence on the youth culture. The 2000s saw the rise of many talents like the Atlanta-based experimental duo OutKast and Dr. Dre’s protege Eminem. The latter went on to become the world's biggest pop star with his remarkable lyricism, flows, and almost inhuman rapping ability. Dr. Dre gained a status as Hip-Hop’s kingmaker. This statement became unchallenged with his next protege, Kendrick Lamar.
The Savior of Hip-Hop: Kendrick Lamar
Born and raised in Compton, California, Kendrick Lamar is considered the greatest rapper of all time. Growing up within the violence-filled streets of Compton, Lamar started to write rhymes when he was a teenager. After graduating from high school, Lamar suspended his education to pursue his music career. After releasing his mixtape, he caught the attention of Anthony Tiffith, head of the record label Top Dawg Entertainment. With the help of Top Dawg, Lamar released his first album, "Section 80." He started gaining a reputation and making appearances on other Top Dawg-signed rappers’ songs. In 2011, at a concert, Lamar was ceremonially declared the “New King of the West Coast” by old-school kings of the West Coast: Game, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg. In 2012, Lamar signed with Dr. Dre’s label Aftermath Entertainment and released 4 critically acclaimed albums over the course of ten years, with the first one being Good Kid, m.A.A.d City.
Good Kid, m.A.A.d City: An Endless Loop of Repentance
Good kid, m.A.A.D. City (abbreviated as GKMC), tells us a story of gang culture. However, unlike traditional gangsta rap narratives, Lamar sheds light on the continuous cycle of violence that has its genesis in more violence, alcohol and substance abuse, police brutality, and escaping the gang culture.
In the opening track of the album, Sherane a.k.a. Master Splinter’s Daughter, Lamar tells us about a girl, appropriately named Sherane, he met at a party. His young mind, being unable to think of anything other than sex, ignores possible dangers about Sherane. Lamar expresses this with the line:
We know a lot 'bout each other; her mother was a crack addict
She live with her granny and her younger two brothers
Her favorite cousin Demetrius is irrepetible
Family history of gangbangin' did make me skeptical
But not enough to stop me from gettin' a nut
With his careless young mind, Lamar drives to Sherane’s house but is frozen when he sees two men waiting for him.
I pulled up, a smile on my face, and then I see
Two ni**as, two black hoodies, I froze as my phone rang
The song ends with Lamar’s mother leaving him a voicemail asking about his whereabouts and expressing her concerns.
In the fourth track, The Art of Peer Pressure, Lamar reflects on the dangers of peer pressure and how it can push people into doing things they would not normally do, as the name suggests. He narrates a night out with his friends describing their state as up to no good with the quatrain,
I hope the universe love you today
'Cause the energy we bringin' sure to carry away
A flock of positive activists that fill they body with hate
If it's necessary;
Then the idea of peer pressure is expressed with the line
Usually I'm drug-free, but, shit, I'm with the homies
Referring to a blunt that his friend stretched out to him. Next, Lamar tells us about a house that he and his friends were casing for 2 months to rob. When the time comes around they break in and look for valuables only to realize despite watching the house for two months they still managed to break in when somebody was home. They escape and manage to get away from the police.
(Police sirens)
But – they made a right, then made a left
Then made a right, then another right
One lucky night with the homies
However, Lamar’s sense of adrenaline and thrill is short-lived as the blunt that he smoked turning out to be laced with cocaine is told in the outro of the song.
K. Dot, you faded, hood?
Yeah, we finally got that ni**a faded
I think he hit the wrong blunt though
Ooh, which one?
Well, which one he talkin' about?
I was finna hit the one with the shenanigans in it
I pray he ain't hit that
Nah, that ni**a straight, he ain't hit that one
Got the shenanigans? Give that ni**a the shenanigans!
The seventh track of the album, Good Kid, explains the aftermath of the previous song’s (Poetic Justice) outro which continues the story of Kendrick being confronted by the men while he was going to Sherane’s house.
"I'm gon' ask you one more time, homie
Where is you from? Or it is a problem."
"Ayy, ayy, ayy, ayy, ask him if he heard from Sherane
Ayy, you out here for Sherane, homie?"
"I don't care who this ni**a over here for
If he don't tell me where he from, it's a wrap! I'm sorry."
"Hol' up, hol' up, hol' up, we gon' do it like this, okay?
I'ma tell you where I'm from, okay?
You gon' tell me where you from, okay?
Or, or, or where your grandma stay
Where your mama stay, or where your daddy stay, okay?"
"F**k all this talkin'."
"Matter of fact, get out the van, homie! Get out the car 'fore I snatch you out that motherf****r, homie!"
After he supposedly got beaten up by the two men Lamar gets questioned by the police, in which he refrains from saying anything about the fight. He describes his talk with the police as copacetic until they decide to cuff him.
All I see is strobe lights, blindin' me in my hindsight
Findin' me by myself, promise me you can help
In all honesty I got time to be copacetic until
You had finally made decision to hold me against my will
It was like a head-on collision that folded me standing still
He addresses the racism apparent in the cops who cuffed him with the following lines:
And you ask: "Lift up your shirt," because you wonder if a tattoo
Of affiliation can make it a pleasure to put me through
Gang files, but that don't matter because the matter is racial profile
I heard 'em chatter: "He's prob'ly young, but I know that he's down
Step on his neck as hard as your bullet-proof vest
He don't mind, he know we'll never respect
The good kid, m.A.A.d. city."
The phrase “He’s probably young, but I know that he’s down” is a remarkable example of the aforementioned racism, because a person can know that someone is young by looking at them but can not determine the person's gang affiliation. The lyrics “Probably and I know being switched” are also one of many examples of Lamar’s talent in writing.
The eighth track m.A.A.d city continues the title of the previous song. The term m.A.A.d has four meanings according to Lamar, first being an acronym for My Angels on Angel Dust, Second, acronym for My Angry Adolescence Divided, third, being an reference to the 90’s based hip-hop group “WC and the Maad Circle.” The song features memories of Lamar that were brought back after his beating. He talks about witnessing someone with their “brains blown out” when he was only 9. Lamar states he knows who is behind the murder but censors their name in the song. In the lyrics, Lamar annotated:
I’m bleeping out a name. These stories are serious and in-depth, I’m not going to go out here and really, really slander and put my real ones out there that have been in some real situations. Those close to me know what I’m talking about.
It’s just about me seeing somebody get killed, just as a kid. And knowing, and being right there, and knowing how it all went down, feel me?
In the second verse, Lamar tells us about how he listened to his father and got a job as a security guard. However, this job only lasted for a month because his friends talked him into staging a robbery. The message first mentioned in The Art of Peer Pressure keeps resonating throughout the album. Another example of it can be seen in the next track Swimming Pools.
Swimming Pools, the ninth track on the album, mainly approaches the topic of alcoholism. When listening, the song may come off as glorifying alcohol abuse, but only when the listener pays close attention to the lyrics, they understand the real meaning behind the song. Kendrick starts his verse off by painting the household he grew up in with the lines:
Now, I done grew up round some people livin' their life in bottles
Granddaddy had the golden flask, backstroke every day in Chicago
In the chorus, Lamar refers to the effects of peer pressure and its connection to alcoholism with the lines:
Ni**a, why you babysittin' only two or three shots?
I'ma show you how to turn it up a notch
First, you get a swimming pool full of liquor, then you dive in it
Pool full of liquor, then you dive in it
I wave a few bottles, then I watch 'em all flock
All the girls wanna play Baywatch
I got a swimming pool full of liquor and they dive in it
Po-Pool full of liquor, I'ma dive in it
In the outro of this track, we get the rest of the story Lamar was telling us. After his beating and his argument with the police, he is back with his friends, and they are plotting for revenge against whom beat Lamar. However, the shootout ends with a tragic loss on their part.
"They stomped the homie out over a b*tch?
K-Dot, you good, blood?
Now we can drop, ye we can drop you back off"
"That ni**a's straight, man, that ni**a ain't trippin'"
"We gon' do the same ol' shit
I'ma pop a few shots, they gon' ru—they run opposite way
Fall right in ****'s lap
And he gon' tear they ass up, simple as that"
"And I hope that b*tch that set him up, out there
We gon' pop that b*tch too"
"Wait hold up, ayy, I see somebody"
*Car door opens and gunshots are fired*
"Aha! Got them n***as, K-Dot, you good?"
"L****, you good?"
"Yeah, blood, I'm good – Dave, you good?
Dave? Dave, say somethin' – Dave?
These b***h-ass ni**as killed my brother!"
The shootout ends with the brother of Dave, one of Lamar’s close friends, getting shot which segues the album into the next track, Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst.
Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst is the tenth track on GKMC, and it's the most dark and gritty in terms of topics when compared to the rest of the album. The track is split into two parts: Sing About Me and I’m Dying of Thirst. Lamar starts his verse as if Dave’s brother was talking to him, emphasizing the fact that he seeks revenge and appreciates Lamar’s love toward Dave. He expresses his realization about the cycle of violence, how he became a part of that cycle when he went to kill the murderer of his brother and how the family member of the guy he killed wants to exact revenge as well. He questions himself about whether he will ever find a passion like Lamar’s for music and recover from this lifestyle. The verse ends with the lines:
And I love you 'cause you love my brother like you did
Just promise me you'll tell this story when you make it big
And if I die before your album drop, I hope— [Gunshots]
The meaningless cycle of violence is more apparent than ever here. Dave’s brother continued the lifestyle that was within him since the day he was born by completing the cycle and dying as a result. Gunshots interrupting his sentence also signifies that he was killed before he was able to give all he had to give, death took everything from him. He was a victim of the cycle. Lamar listens to him and tells the story to the entire world.
The second verse was sung from the perspective of Keisha’s sister. Lamar wrote a song about her in his album, Section.80 called Keisha’s Song. The song tells the tragic story of a young prostitute who got raped and killed. Keisha’s sister addresses her upsetness to Lamar as she thinks he judges and makes a song about Keisha without even properly knowing her. Keisha’s sister is also a prostitute and feels judged by the song. She brags to Lamar about how she is doing very well as a hooker and does not need Lamar feeling sorry for him. In the following lines she mentions that she feels great too and does not even need a doctor for STDs. She continues to state that she will probably outlive Lamar and will never fade away. We start to hear what actually happens to her as her lyrics start to fade away and we see the harsh reality of death again. Song’s outro paints a picture of Lamar and his friends arguing about Dave’s death. Dave’s brother states that he is tired of this life, amidst the yelling an old lady comes up. She sees that one of the boys has a gun. She then reveals to them that they are dying of thirst and need to change their lives and let Jesus in their lives. Up to this point Lamar was referred to as K.Dot (his old moniker) however, after this event Lamar transforms the hood mentality of K.Dot and continues his life as newly enlightened Kendrick Lamar. The song ends with the group reading a rendition of The Sinner’s Prayer.
In the second to last track of the album Real, Lamar tells us about his realization and change. The song incorporates a heavy theme of self-love and expresses Lamar’s indecisiveness about his friends. They were the only ones Lamar cared about in his life but at the same time they were the ones holding him back. The song has a break when Lamar’s father calls him and states that he is not mad about the dominoes that Lamar misplaced and he sends his regrets. He advises him not to continue his life like he did and explains what a real person is.
But don't learn the hard way like I did, homie. Any ni**a can kill a man, that don't make you a real ni**a.
Real is responsibility. Real is taking care of your motherfucking family. Real is God, ni**a
After this interlude, song continues on for some time and ends with the continuation of Lamar’s father’s message which then he passes the phone to Lamar’s mother. She says that the neighbors informed her about how the old lady preached to them and encourages Lamar to follow this road. She later tells Lamar to learn from his mistakes and come back to tell his story to every african-american teen in Compton, tell them how he managed to get out of the street life and encourage them to do the same.
"If I don't hear from you by tomorrow, I hope you come back and learn from your mistakes. Come back a man, tell your story to these black and brown kids in Compton. Let 'em know you was just like them, but you still rose from that dark place of violence, becoming a positive person. But when you do make it, give back with your words of encouragement, and that's the best way to give back. To your city...
And I love you Kendrick, if I don't hear you knocking on the door you know where I usually leave the key. Alright? Talk to you later, bye."
The track ends with a cassette tape being fast-forwarded. The outro of the last track of the album continues the narrative as the album closes with the line:
Mom, I finna use the van real quick!
Be back, 15 minutes!
The end of the album is also the beginning of it. This symbolizes another good kid who will make the same mistakes which will turn into violence which then will continue the endless cycle of violence until he becomes a victim of the mad city. Lamar, finally being able to break the cycle, uses his passion for giving back to his community. Sharing his enlightened thoughts and showed us the bitter truth of street life to hopefully save other young African Americans from the cycle to live their life to their full potential. This gang violence and more importantly gang culture is reflected more broadly and profoundly in his next album, To Pimp a Butterfly
To Pimp a Butterfly: Kendrick Lamar’s Magnum Opus
Considered as one of the best albums of all time, To Pimp a Butterfly reflects personal concepts such as self-love and self-hate as well as social concepts like race, violence, and politics. The intro of the album, Wesley’s Theory explains the politics of being a black man.
The track opens up with the phrase:
Every ni**a is a star
repeated multiple times as a nod to how earning money felt great at the time but how it also represents those with the same race as Lamar who are not rich in money but spirit, you do not need money to have a place in the world. Lamar argues.
In the following lines, Lamar states that an artist needs to stay true to themselves. If they are successfully pimped by the industry then they are no better than those that are idolized in the hood such as murderers, drug dealers etc.
In the chorus, Lamar refers to the rap industry as his first girlfriend, explaining how his love for it turned into lust. He continues this narrative with his first verse where he states.
When I get signed, homie, I'ma act a fool
Hit the dance floor, strobe lights in the room
Snatch your little secretary bitch for the homies
Blue-eyed devil with a fat-ass monkey
I'ma buy a brand new Caddy on vogues
Trunk the hood up, two times, deuce-four
Lamar seemingly loses his goal to become the voice of the hood that he was aiming for in the previous album. He wants to live a selfish life instead of helping those who are grappling with the same problems Lamar had. This problem becomes clear with Dr. Dre’s lyrics.
Yo, what's up? It's Dre
Remember the first time you came out to the house?
You said you wanted a spot like mine
But remember, anybody can get it
The hard part is keepin' it, motherf***er
The line emphasizes the point that Lamar made about not giving up to temptations after fame and staying true to yourself. The song continues with Uncle Sam (representing the white corporate America) trying to seduce Lamar by saying he can get everything he wants and live as he wants to. Lamar looks at how far he has come and is afraid of losing everything he worked for.
In the third track of the album, King Kunta, Lamar uses the name of a fictional character Kunta Kinte who was a slave that did not accept the name his owner gave to him and he had his foot cut off to prevent him from escaping. The phrase King Kunta depicts the situation Lamar is in. Even though he has a good life following his success and lives like a king, people still try to control him or tempt him from delivering his message. He clearly addresses that he sees through these people and is not fooled by their games with the lines:
B*tch, where you when I was walkin'?
Now I run the game, got the whole world talkin'
King Kunta, everybody wanna cut the legs off him
Kunta, black man taking no losses, oh yeah
He stands his ground and continues to state than he rather be poor and back in Compton than compromising his principles with the lines:
Something's in the water (Something's in the water)
And if I gotta brown-nose for some gold
Then I'd rather be a bum than a motherf***in' baller (Oh yeah!)
This song also introduces us to the poem that will expand with every song adding one or two new lines to it. It starts in the outro of this track with
I remember you was conflicted, misusing your influence.
In the next track Institutionalized, Lamar expresses his feeling of entrapment; even though he is famous and successful now, he feels like his soul is still in Compton.
If I was the president
I'd pay my mama's rent
Free my homies and them
Bulletproof my Chevy doors
Lay in the White House and get high, Lord
Whoever thought?
Master, take the chains off me!
The fifth track of the album These Walls, the songs open with the poem:
I remember you was conflicted, misusing your influence
Sometimes, I did the same
The word “Walls” in this song has multiple meanings: from the walls of oppression caused by racism to defensive walls to anatomical walls of the vagina and prison walls. In the first verse, the baby mother of whom killed Dave is mentioned. With his lover in prison, because she can not fulfill her sexual desires, the lyrics depict her at a party ready to hook up with someone. In the second verse, Lamar explains her sexual encounter with this woman and explains how she tries to fill a void in her life. In the third verse, Lamar thinks about having sex with her only to get revenge on the guy who killed his friend. In the final and fourth verse, the song takes a dark turn; all the funky instrumentals are gone. Only a dark bassline and Lamar’s voice are left. He confronts the killer of his friend and talks about how he hooked up with his baby mother, telling him to listen to the first verse of the song carefully which is about Lamar taking advantage of the girl using his fame. He tells him to listen to Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst, songs dedicated to Dave and his brother. The added line to the poem about Lamar misusing his power can be seen here. The song ends with the poem advancing.
I remember you was conflicted
Misusing your influence
Sometimes I did the same
Abusing my power, full of resentment
Resentment that turned into a deep depression
Found myself screaming in a hotel room
The next song on the album, u, directly continues this narrative as the track starts with Lamar screaming, which is followed by the Jazz instruments that can be heard almost crying. This sets the mood up perfectly as the track is the darkest and the most depressive one of the album. The track starts with Lamar repeating the phrase Loving you is complicated; the already dark nature of the song becomes much darker when the listener realizes that he is talking to himself through the entire track. He starts his verse by confronting himself, saying that he still blames himself and he does not feel that he is important or special. He continues with an example of why he blames himself for:
Situations, I'll start with your little sister bakin'
A baby inside, just a teenager, where your patience?
Where was your antennas?
Where was the influence you speak of?
You preached in front of one-hunnid-thousand but never reached her
While trying to save other people with his music, Lamar holds himself responsible for not having a bigger role in his sister’s life as he thinks he could have saved her from getting pregnant when she was only a teen. Lamar complains that despite talking to thousands of people and affecting their lives, he could not do the same to his sister. He continues the verse with lines such as:
The world don't need ya, don't let them deceive ya
Numbers lie too, fuck your pride too, that's for dedication
Thought money would change you, made you more complacent
Fuckin' hate you, I hope you embrace it, I swear—
His depression turns into self-deprecation. He does not allow himself to think that he is successful or he accomplished something to be proud of. Instead, he spirals downward into depression which is apparent in the second verse
Lamar delivers while crying. He continues to disregard his true actions and calls himself selfish, irresponsible, and in denial. He expresses his guilt for people still dying in Compton (including his close friend Chad) while he is busy getting famous. Lamar expresses his survivor’s guilty and blames himself for leaving Compton. While his friend Chad was lying in a hospital, Lamar was on tour and could not visit him. He manages to video call him and thinks that he will recover. He feels like even God would not forgive him for what he has done and continues his downward spiral.
The third verse is accompanied by sounds of bottles clinking and Lamar interrupting his own lyrics to drink more alcohol. He hit rock bottom and still blames himself. The verse ends with Lamar contemplating suicide.
Should've killed yo' ass long time ago
You should've felt that black revolver blast a long time ago
And if these mirrors could talk it'd say, "You gotta go"
And if I told your secrets the world'll know money can't stop a suicidal weakness
The next song on the album, Alright, acts as a breath of fresh air. Instead of the dark atmosphere that was prevalent to this point, It is a message of hope. The song opens up with Lamar stating
Alls my life, I has to fight, ni**a
Alls my life, I—
Hard times like, "Yah"
Bad trips like, "Yah"
Nazareth
I'm fucked up, homie, you fucked up
But if God got us, then we gon' be alright
Completely opposite of the message the previous track was sending, The song continues with the chorus where Pharell Williams (who is also the producer of the track) repeats the phrase Ni**a we gon’ be alright. This phrase deeply resonates with the Black Lives Matter Movement where protesters would sometimes chant it. In the second verse, we can hear lyrics almost similar to ones in the intro of the album Wesley’s Theory with one key element changed.
What you want you, a house? You, a car?
Forty acres and a mule? A piano, a guitar?
Anything, see my name is Lucy, I'm your dog
Motherfucker, you can live at the mall
"The word “Uncle Sam” is changed to Lucy (Lucifer). No amount of money will resolve his greed and he realizes it in the following lines he tries to keep his head up and continue to hold his promise.
I keep my head up high
I cross my heart and hope to die
Lovin' me is complicated
Too afraid of a lot of changes
I'm alright, and you're a favorite
Dark nights in my prayers
The hook from u is now used in a different tone. He understands loving someone as troubled as him is complicated, but unlike u, he commits to fight his depression. The song ends with the poem advancing further:
I remembered you was conflicted
Misusing your influence, sometimes I did the same
Abusing my power, full of resentment
Resentment that turned into a deep depression
Found myself screamin' in the hotel room
I didn't wanna self-destruct
The evils of Lucy was all around me
So I went runnin' for answers
The ninth track on the album, Momma, tells us about a trip Lamar took to South Africa (This trip is the inspiration for most of the concepts in the album). In the first verse, he tells where he was when he first started to rap and where he is now. He ends the verse by saying
Thank God for rap
I would say it got me a plaque, but what's better than that?
The fact it brought me back home
In the second verse, Lamar states that he knows everything. He knows Compton, he knows the streets, he knows how the universe works. However, he ends the verse by saying
Until I realized I didn’t know sh*t, the day I came home
Much like Socrates’ view “Know that I know nothing”, Kendrick displays himself as lost in fame, but returning home (South Africa) made him connect with himself again. The third verse depicts a conversation between him and a little boy that he met there. Even though they do not speak the same language, Lamar feels like he can connect with him because of their common heritage.
He looked at me and said, "Kendrick, you do know my language
You just forgot because of what public schools had painted"
The eleventh track on the album, How Much a Dollar Cost? is a masterpiece of storytelling. After Lamar decides to go back home to recover from his problems, he stops at a gas station where an old man asks Lamar for ten rands. However, he says the lyrics in a way that sounds like ten grand. His selfishness does not allow him to even give this man a single dollar. He refuses to give money to him because he thinks he will just buy drugs with it. The verse ends with the phrase “How much a dollar really cost?”
The second verse describes Lamar getting angry at the man. He is unable to see his selfishness and likens his anger to throwing a baseball bat to the old man. After staring at Lamar for a while, the old man finally talks and says:
"Have you ever opened up Exodus 14?
A humble man is all that we ever need"
Tell me, how much a dollar cost?
In the third verse, Lamar starts to question himself. He starts to understand he is in the wrong way and wonders why he got so angry over such a small thing. However, he continues to find excuses not to give money to the man, claiming that he is an alcoholic or he is playing a part in a street scam. The verse ends with the following lines
He looked at me and said, "Your potential is bittersweet"
I looked at him and said, "Every nickel is mines to keep"
He looked at me and said, "Know the truth, it'll set you free
You're lookin' at the Messiah, the son of Jehovah, the higher power
The choir that spoke the word, the Holy Spirit
The nerve of Nazareth, and I'll tell you just how much a dollar cost
The price of having a spot in Heaven, embrace your loss—I am God"
The selfishness that encapsulated Lamar did not allow him to give the man a dollar which cost him his spot in heaven. Lamar ends the song by asking God what he can do to change.
I washed my hands, I said my grace
What more do you want from me?
Tears of a clown, guess I'm not all what it's all meant to be
Shades of grey will never change if I condone
Turn this page, help me change to right my wrongs
On the thirteenth track of the album, Blacker the Berry, Lamar states his views about racism and police brutality. He opens his verse by stating that he is the biggest hypocrite of 2015. The reason behind this allegation is stated at the end of the track. He aggressively explains how he is not ashamed of its culture but proud of it, and he continues to express his anger and frustration about racism. However, the track's last lyrics throw us a curveball:
So why did I weep when Trayvon Martin was in the street
When gang-banging make me kill a n***a blacker than me?
Hypocrite!
He is obviously frustrated at another young African-American being victim to racism. But how can one disapprove of what they took a part in? This question is what drives Lamar into calling himself a hypocrite at the beginning of every verse.
In the fifteenth track of the album, i, Lamar finally escapes the mentality that was within him since u. Hence the name similarities. The track is filled with love and joy with verses about overcoming difficulties and a chorus that literally starts with the phrase:
And I love my (I love myself)
It really shows how much Lamar went through and survived. The track is recorded like a live performance and halfway through some people in the crowd start arguing. Lamar, now having a voice for his community can disperse the argument. He finally becomes the leader that he was aiming for, as he starts to delve into the origins of the n-word crowd continuously becoming more and more quiet until it becomes silent.
The last track of the album, Mortal Man, is about how Lamar is the next in line for the voice of black people. He mentions people like Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Moses. He sees himself as a heir of their legacy. The most important part of this track is its outro where Lamar reads the poem once more:
"I remember you was conflicted
Misusing your influence
Sometimes I did the same
Abusing my power, full of resentment
Resentment that turned into a deep depression
Found myself screaming in the hotel room
I didn't wanna self-destruct
The evils of Lucy was all around me
So I went running for answers
Until I came home
But that didn't stop survivor's guilt
Going back and forth trying to convince myself the stripes I earned
Or maybe how A-1 my foundation was
But while my loved ones was fighting the continuous war back in the city
I was entering a new one
A war that was based on apartheid and discrimination
Made me wanna go back to the city and tell the homies what I learned
The word was respect
Just because you wore a different gang color than mine's
Doesn't mean I can't respect you as a black man
Forgetting all the pain and hurt we caused each other in these streets
If I respect you, we unify and stop the enemy from killing us
But I don't know, I'm no mortal man
Maybe I'm just another n***a”
However, unlike the rest of the album, the song does not end with the poem. Instead, we hear Lamar direct a question to someone revealing it to be Tupac Shakur. Their conversation ends with the following poem:
I wanted to read one last thing to you
It's actually something a good friend had wrote
Describing my world
It says:
“The caterpillar is a prisoner to the streets that conceived it
Its only job is to eat or consume everything around it
In order to protect itself from this mad city
While consuming its environment
The caterpillar begins to notice ways to survive
One thing it noticed is how much the world shuns him
But praises the butterfly
The butterfly represents the talent, the thoughtfulness
And the beauty within the caterpillar
But having a harsh outlook on life
The caterpillar sees the butterfly as weak
And figures out a way to pimp it to his own benefits
Already surrounded by this mad city
The caterpillar goes to work on the cocoon
Which institutionalizes him
He can no longer see past his own thoughts, he's trapped
When trapped inside these walls certain ideas take root, such as
Going home, and bringing back new concepts to this mad city
The result?
Wings begin to emerge, breaking the cycle of feeling stagnant
Finally free, the butterfly sheds light on situations
That the caterpillar never considered
Ending the internal struggle
Although the butterfly and caterpillar are completely different
They are one and the same"
What's your perspective on that?
Pac? Pac? Pac?
Tupac, like most other teens from the hood, falls victim to the cycle of violence; the same cycle that took Lamar’s friend, his friend’s brother, his uncle, and countless other young people, surrounding and consuming them while they grow up. Kendrick Lamar is one who broke the cycle and conquered it. Instead of falling victim to the industry, he stood true to himself and his morals. He became the savior of Hip-Hop.
References:
Gangsta rap | History, culture & impact on hip-hop music. (1998, August 18). Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/gangsta-rap
Hip-hop | Definition, history, culture, & facts. (1998, August 18). Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/hip-hop
Kendrick Lamar. (2016, September 2). Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kendrick-Lamar
Reed, B. (n.d.). Decrypting m.A.A.d city. by Kendrick Lamar. THE SKIER SCRIBBLER. https://skierscribbler.com/10470/ae/decrypting-m-a-a-d-city-by-kendrick-lamar/
Voorhees, A. (2018, January 12). Kendrick Lamar’s “Good kid, m.A.A.d city”-an academic analysis. Medium. https://medium.com/@andrew.voorhees92/kendrick-lamars-good-kid-m-a-a-d-city-an-academic-analysis-71bfe86ffdb9
Amazing work