Black Mothers By Kendrick Lamar

In the essay, “Hip-Hop’s Betrayal Of Black Women”(221), by Jennifer McLune, she vents her feelings regarding hip-hop songs that are rhythmically diminishing the value of black women. She provides example on how the lyrics are being voiced and how hip-hop artists do not seem to care. Kevin Powell in “Notes of a Hip Hop Head” writes, “Indeed, like rock and roll, hip-hop sometimes makes you think we men don’t like women much at all, except to objectify them as trophy pieces or, as contemporary vernacular mandates, as baby mommas, chicken heads, or bitches” (221). There have been apologizes for what the rappers have said but nothing to resolve the dehumanization of black women. McLune informs the readers that hip-hop singers belittle black women and make them invisible. Jay-Z, a popular hip-hop artist is brought to center stage by McLune. The essay shows the example of a part of Jay-Z song that says, “I pimp hard on a trick, look Fuck if your leg broke bitch hop on your good foot” (222). This lyric is a perfect example of how hip-hop artist have no remorse in the words they sing. The hurt feelings and loss of self-esteem black women suffer, is of no concern to the rappers. McLune expresses that those who are underground hip-hop artist follow the footsteps on being sexist and using crude words in their lyrics just because they yearn and dream of being in the spotlight. Upcoming rappers want to be loved like Jay-Z and other famous notorious rappers.

The diversity between Americans has always been evident, and not just by the skin tone or religion, but also by their backgrounds, as well as how their lives are like today. Especially in African Americans and those who wanted to change the ways of religion, and the prejudice against them continues to stick, even today.

Today many people feel compelled to buy anything or everything with an expensive price tag. This includes Expensive designer clothes, latest gadgets, expensive vehicles and many other similar things. This form of consumerism has embedded itself in today’s society; where it's encouraged to invest in such materialistic possessions. Kanye West is an African-American rapper, producer, and entrepreneur, who articulates his struggle with consumerism and the struggle for those around him in his song “All Falls Down.” West, utilizes puns, rhyme, and juxtaposition to highlight the issues surrounding materialism that can be interpreted differently by different listeners such as African Americans and White Americans.

The poem “Mothers and Daughters” is written by Pat Mora. Pat Mora is a contemporary award winning writer, who writes for children, youngsters and adults. She was born in El Paso, TX in the year 1942. She attains a title of a Hispanic writer; however, the most of her poems are in English. In her literary work, one can observe the different aspects of the immigrants’ lives such as language issues, family relationships, immigrants’ experiences and cultural differences (1187).

Alison Bechdel ends her memoir Are You My Mother? with the words “But in its place, she has given me something else. She has given me the way out.” While this conclusion might seem flawed, it does a good job finalizing the recurring theme of spiderwebs in the novel. Just a few pages before (275), she depicts a scene of her talking about phobias while her mother throws out a spider. A connection can be drawn between the phobia of a real spider (that her mother has) and her phobia of what a spider represents, perfection and symmetry. Quoting from Adam Phillips, Bechdel says that, “‘Spiders are good to hate people with … she had to find a spider to let her do it.’” (275) The medium of a spider represents a recurring theme that Bechdel incorporates

The play “No Child”, written by Nilaja Sun showcases a teacher, Ms. Sun as a teaching artist who is under a grant to facilitate the production of a play, teaching and encouraging live theoretical performances in a dysfunctional environment.No Child is a reflection of Nilaja Sun’s experiences as a teaching artist in the public school system in New York. In the play Ms. Sun brings a senses of hope and inspiration not only to the students but to the teachers as well in one of the toughest classrooms of Malcolm X High School, in Bronx, New York. The narrator of the play is a observant Janitor of the Malcolm X High School. Since he has been performing his job related duties as a janitor he witnessed the struggles and obstacle faced by the school and students. No Child accurately illustrates students, teachers and communities imprisoned by a corrupted public school system.

The poem “No Country for Black Boys” by Joy Priest represents the sorrowful incident which happened on February 26, 2012 for Trayvon Martin in Florida. Trayvon Martin was an innocent African-American young boy who bought iced tea and some skittles. On the way back to his father’s home, he got shot by the neighborhood watch and treated as a victim because of his skin color. Guilt was not defined by what Martin did but by what he said, also it determined something deep-rooted in the young age. No weapon was needed to identify him as a victim. He is a young black boy, so he is already guilty enough to be killed. Black people have the same rights as the other people, however in reality, America’s society discriminates against them compared to other nationalities.

This denotation to the silent cries supports for an emotional appeal to an example of the silent cries in African American women. As stated in the title, Powell is aware that black women are merely being betrayed in the hip-hop industry and simply states that the choice of words that hip-hop artist chose to rap about is simply “the ghetto blues, urban folk art, a cry out for help.” (298) and it is rubbing off on almost every man in our American society and giving them a different perspective of women all because women refuse to speak out and speak up. “As a result, female rappers are often just as male-identified, violent, materialistic, and ignorant as their male peers.” (298). Over 100 years ago, women were not even allowed to vote, the closest they got to voting was sitting there and watching. They were not allowed to work, they were forced to be stay at home wives while their

Just walk on by Black Men and Public Space by Brent Staples is an interesting and captivating piece of writing. His publication captures one 's interest and makes a person think about the role of prejudice in his or her daily interactions. It is full of metaphors, which achieves the desired figurative effect. The Declaration of Independence, on the other hand, is the founding document of the traditions of the politics of the United States (Lucas). It clearly explains the fundamental ideas that constitute America that all men are free and equal, and have similar inherent natural rights. There are several ways that the writer’s experiences and arguments are consistent and are at the same time inconsistent with the principles contained in the document. It follows that a deeper understanding of whether the idea laid out in Thomas Jefferson 's "Declaration of Independence" should be hold true for these authors.

To me, the song DNA is truly about how black men have been shaped by perceptions from American culture. Lamar talks about the various stereotypes that define him, and how the systematic racism of America have brought upon misinterpretation of them. Let’s go over a few lines that describe the stereotypes  Kendrick remarks. "I know murder, conviction , burners, boosters, burglars, ballers, dead, redemption, scholars, father’s dead with kids.”  

Actress, playwright, and a teaching artist from the Lower East Side in New York City, Nilaja Sun, in her play, “No Child…” published in 2007 addresses the topics of education, communities and poverty and asserts that without proper classroom management and teachers with passion, children in impoverished areas aren’t able to receive an extensive and character developmental educational experience. Because of this, Sun supports her claim by creating a heroic character, an embodiment of herself, based off her experiences as a teacher after working in some of New York’s most difficult schools for eight years. WIthin the dialogue throughout the play, the audience is clearly able to understand the teacher's motive, how she becomes a catalyst hero,

After I finished listening to this song and reading the lyrics, I felt as if it had affected me. It sent a strong message to me (and other teenagers) about the issues that we shouldn’t have with gay marriage or others, or even yourself being gay. One of the lines that effected me the most is “America the brave still fears what we don't know, and "God loves all his children" is somehow forgotten, but we paraphrase a book written thirty-five-hundred years ago. I don't know.” To me this sounds like the bible is being hypocritical. “God loves all his children” is a strong message throughout the bible. But yet people think that if you are homosexual or support gay marriage you cannot be loved by others or by god. It is a sin. By the words “but we paraphrase a book written thirty-five-hundred years ago” it made me feel that we as a human race haven’t moved past these times, or grown to accept things that were not previously accepted. We have not evolved to accept others that are not like ourselves. This made me appreciate the courage that Macklemore has to write a song about this lightly trodden around issue that we are facing today.

If asked by Steve Harvey to tell my story, it would be about growing up without a mother. My mother's name is Cynthia Kelly. She died in a car accident at the age of 28 and I was 2 years old when her death occurred. I envied my friends because they still had their moms' in they're lives. When informed about my mother's passing it was an indescribable feeling. Growing up without my mother and father made me feel incomplete. I grew more anger because I had no memory of my mother and because my father gave up his parental rights after my mother's passing. I felt as if I didn't know who I was and it made me anger because the people who could have helped me figure out my identity was gone. As time passed, the anger that I kept bottled up inside

Kendrick Lamar raps about that he believes how his race is being viewed and treated. Furthermore how the word black is identified in our society whether it’s cultural stereotypes that are not true and the negative that tags along with the word black.

Beyoncé's 'Lemonade', an album that depicts Black Female Empowerment is an amazing example of how women have been portrayed throughout previous generations and today. Many in which we can see her praising the black women, making them feel powerful and strong and beautiful, and her act in feminism to diminishing her now husband Jay-Z over a mistake. Somewhere else, ‘Lemonade’ references her music to home battles and problems occurring within the family threshold, and a portion of the more extensive issue looked by dark ladies today and all through history. Suspicion and outrage are not the main feelings intended in here, the subject is by all accounts more about recovery and redemption over what she and many women have been through throughout the years. "All Night", one of my favorite songs from Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade’ album highlights her passionate voyage that she plots all through the ‘Lemonade’ collection and how she almost lost her marriage with husband Jay-Z due to his betrayal towards her. In the record we heard her finding, grappling with lastly sympathetic her significant other's treachery. As many women would not appreciate faults done by their significant other, Beyonce presently accommodated suffers through his slip in marriage but stays together with Jay-Z, she needs Jay-Z close in her life in order to perhaps give their daughter Blue Ivy an ideal life with two loving parents. With many mistakes coming in life she displays, Beyoncé grasping her significant