Metaphorical Language In Kendrick Lamar's To Pip A Butterfly

Unlike many other mainstream artists, Kendrick Lamar attaches great importance to the lyrics of his songs. Lamar’s song “DNA”, released last April, became a real breakthrough in the world of hip-hop music. In this song, Lamar reflects on various social issues faced by the modern African-American community of the USA. The song’s lyrics, as well as the music video, portrays the most common stereotypes and biases labeled to the African-American community. The central aim of the song is to sarcastically demonstrate the image of African-Americans as they are viewed by biased media. By the use of symbolical sarcasm and double meanings, Lamar underlines the acuteness of the race inequality that remains existing in the modern America.

On April 14th, 2017, proclaimed artist, Kendrick Lamar, released his fourth studio album, titled Damn. This fourteen track album was possibly Lamar’s most personal and most in-depth project yet. However, no song on this album, perhaps, reaches the personal level of the fifth track titled “FEEL.” In this song Lamar gives a super in-depth look at what he believes his biggest issues are and allows the listener to realize your own by confessing his. The purpose of this essay is to conduct a rhetorical analysis of Kendrick Lamar’s “FEEL.” and his effective use of the rhetorical devices ethos, pathos, and logos.

In the 2015 kendrick Lamar song “u”. Kendrick describes the feelings that constantly haunt his heart and the guilt he carries everyday. Reflecting on his darkest moments, lingering pain and the details of his depression. The song “u” by kendrick uses literary tools like Soliloquy and Conflict to show how built up guilt leads to his prolonged depression.

Cultural phenomenon, rapper Kendrick Lamar has embraced a growing minority centered culture in America through his album “To Pimp A butterfly” this album conveys themes of hardship for minorities and cultural uprising. One of the singles on this album “Alright” simply tells black audiences that with faith everything will be alright. He uses the Lyrics “Alls my life I has to fight, nigga .Alls my life I...Hard times like God. Bad trips like: ‘God!’ Nazareth, I 'm fucked up..Homie you fucked up..But if God got us then we gon ' be alright” These lyrics simply tell suppressed minorities that despite hardship there is hope within our communities. . Months prior to the release of Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” several attacks from white police officers happened in the black community. A common case in this uproar was the “Mike Brown case”. In this case a black man was shot dead after allegedly robbing a local gas station. Kendrick simply responded to these seemingly racial attacks with his album to “Pimp a Butterfly”. To pimp a butterfly simply means to use your influence to the best of its ability to make a meaningful impact. With tracks like “Alright” Kendrick Lamar does just that. The Primary themes and issues conveyed in this song are white supremacy, racism and black uprising

In this essay I will be critically analysing and evaluating ‘The Beatles’ Sgt. Peppers album in relation to their associated genre, their lyrics, their musical creativity, their social and political context, their overall impact on music and popular culture and

“With 'The Blacker the Berry,' Kendrick spends most of the track rebelling against those who he feels are intent on marginalizing and oppressing black people. (4 Powerful Kendrick Lamar songs that spoke to Black America, n.d.)

Kendrick lamar’s award winning music video for his 2017 single Element shows the many experiences he faced growing up as a black man. The various symbols broadcasted throughout this music video show specific conflicts and struggle that he has dealt with throughout his life and also allowed black man that have been in his position something to relate to. He teamed up with director/photographer Jonas Lindstroem to help him convey his message but in a unique and creative way. The slow moving scenes show a softer depiction of his encounters. They give a sense of understanding which allows the viewer to be able to comprehend and absorb his message. As a whole, it was a collection of the pain, beauty, peace and violence that exists within his “element”.

Kendrick Lamar took the music industry by storm last year after his release of his sophomore album To Pimp A Butterfly. Immediately, the album quickly became critically acclaimed and resulted in multiple awards such as winning four grammys this past winter. The album goes deep into Kendrick’s personal struggles as new found celebrity, while also touching on subjects surrounding the black community. For this paper I took a look at the standout song off the album Institutionalized, that deals with the internal struggle people go through in life because of the barriers of thinking they are imprisoned to in their lives. Along with this, the song also has elements that tie

In “Alright” Kendrick Lamar is speaking to the public about police brutality, or is he sending a deeper message to the people of minority. Kendrick Lamar released the song titled “Alright” in 2015. Upon release the song instantly blew up. It 's catchy and even though people got tongue tied trying to recite the song everyone knew the hook of the song which stated “We gon be alright do you hear me do you feel me we gon be alright.” I wonder did anyone catch the poetic verses Kendrick was saying before the hook. By simply watching the video you instantly think oh police brutality but I recieved a deeper message. I believe Kendrick wanted the song to inform the public about the brutality that seemed to be continuous at the time; and offer a bit of hope to those who didn’t feel there was any. That’s why the song was so famous, Kendrick performed this song on numerous award shows and talk shows because the people needed to hear it. Though some believe the song is in protest against cops or sending a bad message others believe it is an anthem for african americans.

For example, the song “Faith” by Lamar give good examples of a single black mother doing everything she can to not fall victim to the negative stereotypes. The second verse starts out by saying “ Single black parent from Compton raising children of four/That’s four innocent bastards cause Papa, they didn’t know.”(lines 27 and 28) These lyrics give background to the young black mother situation. It is clearly evident that this young mother that Kendrick is familiar with is a single mother of four because the children’s father is an absentee. These lyrics set a distressing tone because having four children that have a father that does not want them is heartbreaking and troubling. The words Lamar uses to describe the children in the

In the song ‘u’, on the album called ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’, is one of my favorite representations as mentioned earlier. The song starts off by contradicting

He does so in several ways. The first, is that hip-hop fans immediately recognize the name “Kendrick Lamar” due to his major influence on rap over the last decade, so just by putting his name on the song, he has already established credibility withhis audience. There is also a great deal of ethos used in the song itself. This song is written from Lamar’s perspective while he’s having a conversation with another man. Since the song is written from the perspective of Kendrick Lamar, the audience gets to hear all of his inner thoughts and feelings. This helps Lamar establish even more credibility with his audience,because not only is his name on the song, but the audience experiences everything from Kendrick’s own perspective, making the message of the song seem more heart-felt. In otherwords, since Kendrick is speaking from his own perspective, the audience is led to think thatLamar truly believes the message he is delivering, and therefore dismisses any speculation that Lamar either didn’t write his own lyrics or doesn’t believe in the purpose and message of the song. Establishing credibility with the audience was crucial because it helped to enhance the overall message as well as strengthen the other rhetorical appeals used throughout the song.Kendrick Lamar has been notorious for being very open about his religion, and that aspect of his life shines bright in the lyrics of “How Much a Dollar Cost.”

Moreover, near the end of the second verse Kendrick says, “All worries in a hurry, I wish I controlled things.” This desire shows how, much like Pink Floyd’s need to tear down the wall, Kendrick needs to control things the way his mother did. In summary, Kendrick Lamar expresses a rooted fear of his mother, rather than the world. But, this fear was brought to him in the same way Pink Floyd’s was, through consistent domination from their

Kendrick’s song expresses the continued struggle faced by African Americans in modern society. The first couple lines of his song truly display how he feels about the mistreatment of African Americans:

Kendrick Lamar is famous for his unique West Coast style and dynamic rhymes that unapologetically discuss “political issues”. In his song, “The Blacker The Berry”, Lamar uses a striking amount of end rhyme and metaphors to deliver his message to listeners. As Lamar begins to tell how others view him, or the black body, he maintains a flow using multiple lines with end rhyme. Areas in the song, such as lines 13 and 14, provide an example of keeping the flow throughout the song by using