Music Analysis: Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar is a hip hop rapper who has been in the music industry for a few years. The first song of his I listened to was “The Recipe” on his album good kid M.A.A.D. city and at the time I did not really take a liking to his music. After watching Kendrick’s performance at the 2014 Grammy Awards with Imagine Dragons, I began to listen to more and more of his music. Kendrick Lamar’s latest studio album “To Pimp A Butterfly,” is great because of how instead of mainly rapping about the common topic of music, sex, drugs, and infidelity in relationships, he chooses to base this album on the struggles of the common people. Although throughout the album he does occasionally refer to sex to emphasize his opinion on how he views himself and how

Think of a poet. Who came to mind? Was it Shakespeare, Langston Hughes, Ralph Waldo Emerson? What about Eminem or Jay-Z? They are both poets too, but in a different way. They go by the title “rapper”, basically a synonym for poet, and Hip-Hop is their form of poetry is. Kevin Coval amusingly says that rap “dusted poetry off, took it out the closet, put Js on its feet, and told it to speak to the people, all the people,” and that hip-hop saved poetry from becoming “classical music,” meaning that rap prevented poetry from becoming an old, out-dated art form and renovated it for the next generation (20). Coval’s book, The BreakBeat Poets, says the creation of hip-hop music was by “latchkey kids in the crack era, left to their own devices to experiment wildly and make language and art new and meaningful,” and goes on to say its purpose is to, “move the crowd, relate to the crowd, and save the crowd,” and Kendrick Lamar does these things perfectly (18). Through the use of clever wordplay and rhyming skills mixed with great story telling, Kendrick is bringing rap music back to its “roots” while introducing a “style” of his own, which is why one can argue that Kendrick Lamar is the “savior” of the rap game and its listeners.

Ode to Meek Mill Been with you since the straight backs and classics, But your money only attracts the crazy girls and ratchets. Lord Knows, you were going to make to the top, But everyone knows the Meek Milly grind don’t stop.

The Black Power Mixtape follows momentous events between 1965 and 1975. It is directed by two Swedish directors, and their nationality is very important for the layout of the film. The film takes place during the Civil Rights Movement, and included leaders such as Stokely Carmichael, Angela Davis, Malcolm X, and Medgar Evers. This was also during the time of the Vietnam War, whom Sweden saw a useless war. The heads of this country were the Nixon Administration, and Lyndon Johnson’s administration.

The song “Freedom” by Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar provides the central idea of redemption through the use repetition. The singer repeats the word “Freedom” to express that the black community needs to be freed from oppression. This is illustrated by Beyonce singing “Won’t let my freedom rot in hell.” This connects to the central idea because Beyoncé encourages her audience members around freedom, however specifically the freedom of Black ladies. African-American ladies are frequently at the bleeding edge of social equality yet their necessities are more than once pushed to the side for the requirements of Black men, as though their needs are the requirements of the entire, or take point of reference. This is important by Beyonce singing “...

Lamar’s specialty has always been narrating and rapping about racism, and the problems black people have to face in their everyday lives just to stay alive while being treated unethically, but his compositions have never explored themes outside this dilemma. This album gives a different feel from his previous albums due to this. ‘Damn’ illustrates Kendrick’s frustrations throughout the years that can only be described as a deep depression. Contradicting and complicated feelings that can never be expressed through words alone, which is ironic considering Lamar has been constantly cited as one of the greatest lyricists of his generation. These feelings have been built up as a result of his rising fame. In one song, Kendrick feels that nobody is looking out for him and his well-being and that his fans only care about his music and their perceived image or persona of him that they only see in the media, despite not being his true personality. He then mentions that he desires self-isolation because of this, and later contradicts himself in another song, expressing that he wants more attention and stating

Kendrick Lamar’s music is globally acknowledged and his reputation continues to rise. His numerous Grammy Awards and nominations are confirmations of his success in the music industry. As the Rolling Stone reported this year, “Lamar went on to win four Grammys: Best Rap Performance for “Humble,” Best Rap/Sung Performance for “Loyalty” with Rihanna, Best Music Video for “Humble” and Best Rap Album for Damn (Blistein, 2018). How is he able to maintain his spot and why is he better and more influential compared to other rappers’? The importance of his politically charged lyrics is one of the reasons, because with the emphasizing of politics and political issues he is able to connect his music with the people while being a voice and representative

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.

After the rise of hip hop films based on music and energy with a twist of youths, another genre of hip hop films revealed with “the Blaxploitation depictions of violent black urban inhabitants.” (Sanchez 26) As gangsta films began to stream, the history behind the hip hop genre has captured audience’s attention. One of the ways films attract the audience is by use of mise en scene, the arrangement of scenery. For both film Straight Outta Compton and Drumline to demonstrate similar and dissimilar struggles within the black communities, the analysis of mise en scene helps to conveys the message to the audience. While Drumline depicts on urban Black youth struggling from the educational issues, Straight Outta Compton depicts on heavy violence from gangsters, specifically dealing with law enforcement inequality, discrimination, and struggles they face from brutal society. Although both films are vastly different, one exceptional similarity between the two is a passion towards music despite their background. By analyzing on both films’ mise en scene by settings, dialogues, and background music, the comparison between the two are well depicted.

Kendrick Lamar 's newer music is underappreciated because of the unique sound and thought provoking lyrics. Many people don’t listen to music for the full experience; they just listen for some background noise.

Additionally, critics took note of Lamar's verse on the song "Control," by rapper Big Sean. Even though the track was written by another artist, Lamar's verse drew attention because of his challenge to several other popular names in the hip-hop world, including Drake, J. Cole and Big Sean himself. One interesting fact about Kendrick is he became an American rapper and songwriter. The good thing is that Kendrick faced the violence like a real mature kid. Not like those kinds of those kids who are under pressure quickly. So that’s mostly about Kendrick Lamar’s

Kendrick Lamar has introduced to us the HiiiPower movement which is his cry for social and mental revolution. The three fingers in the air resemble the three I’s in the word, which represent heart, honor, and respect. He believes that now is the time to rise above the lies that we have been fed since we were born. He insists for people to, “Get up off that slave ship, build your own pyramids, write your own hieroglyphs” (47-48). For one, he is commanding his listeners to work towards becoming independent and critical thinkers. When he refers to “get up off that slave ship” he is mainly referring to those part of the black community and makes the statement that shows his race should not be taken or seen as a disadvantage but believes it should

Many members of society would say rap music is demeaning and objectifying towards women, has no class or is “ghetto”, or even that it should not exist. Yet, pop music liters our stereos, Television, even children’s shows. I feel most of the well produced and meaningful rap songs are overlooked. If we look to a handful of artists, it is clear their music is objectifying. However, humans are complex and unique beings and cannot be put into one category. For instance, Logic has made many meaningless songs, but he has also made so many songs full of amazing, real-life stories. He has rapped about the many demons throughout his life, and then the next year made an entire album prophesying the future of the planet. Other musicians, such as Jessie J and Ariana Grande are highly looked up to by many teenagers, but their music lacks meaning.

In my opinion, Kendrick Lamar, an award-winning rapper and songwriter, has one of the best abilities to describe his distressed and abused lifestyle in Compton, California. He is not your original cliché artist who does not speak about anything meaningful. Kendrick, also known as K. Dot, is one of the most well known and most respected rappers in this era. Not only does he speak about his gloomy past, but he also speaks about his fortunate future. His ability to give detailed representations of his struggles and his story telling allows me to, metaphorically, enter the mind of Kendrick Lamar.

Ulmer 1Derek UlmerInstructor HarrisEnglish 15.23-RARD15 September 2017Is a Dollar Worth It?Kendrick Lamar, a thriving African American rap artist, grew up in Compton, California, a city notorious for gang violence and drugs, exposing him to the realities of gang life from a very young age. Kendrick writes about his many experiences in his songs, and usually attempts to deliver a message through his lyrics. Lamar’s song, “How Much a Dollar Cost,” on his album,“To Pimp a Butterfly,” is one song that is clearly intended to deliver a specific message to theaudience. This song intertwines a deep religious message while describing an interaction Lamar has with a homeless man. Since it’s told from Lamar’s