Rhetorical Analysis: Damn By Kendrick Lamar

We as human beings are all influenced by one thing or another in our lifetime. It’s not necessarily always a bad thing, but when does it become serious enough to cause an epidemic to our society? One such instance is through music, songs, videos, and lyrics, specifically related to the song, “I Love the Way You lie”, by Eminem Ft. Rihanna. This song has become number one on almost all pop charts and has become popularly honored by people of our society, myself included. At first what seemed like a powerful song about tough love, was soon discovered as a parent’s worst nightmare. As I’m replaying the song over and over again trying to decide my opinion on the overall message, I’m

Hozier’s 2015 song “Work Song” suggests that true love comes from hard work, devotion, and sense of faith. The author creates a story that illustrates how someone who is miserable and at his lowest point, can find love and finally have a greater purpose. Hozier’s song encourages his listeners by showing them that true love can make someone strive to be better. As the song progresses, rhythm, the juxtaposition an image, and careful diction convey that above all, love is the root of happiness, but it is not achieved without laborious work.

Hozier’s 2015 song “Work Song” suggests that true love comes from hard work, devotion, and sense of faith. The author creates a story that illustrates how someone who is miserable and at his lowest point can find love and finally have a greater purpose. Hozier’s song encourages his listeners by showing them that true love can make someone strive to be better. As the song progresses, rhythm, the juxtaposition of images, and careful diction convey that above all, love is the root of happiness, but it is not achieved without laborious work.

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.

"Take Me to Church" is a music video by singer Hozier which argues against homophobia and for the rights of homosexuals. The arguments are made using a combination of ethos, logos, and pathos to persuade the audience. The video begins by portraying two men who are romantically involved. The men are then attacked by a group of people because of their life style choice. The video then argues for the two main characters and against the gang.

“Rap is poetry” (xii). To any avid fan of the genre, it is a statement that seems obvious. The words could easily be the musings of a listener first introduced to the art form, not the focal point of an entire work of contemporary criticism. Yet in Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip Hop, Adam Bradley’s primary focus is this very point, the recognition of traditional poetic elements within rap music. With the global cultural and economic phenomenon that hip hop has become, it is easy to forget that the style of music is barely thirty years old, that scholarly criticism of it has existed for only half of that time. When viewed within this relatively new arena of scholarship, the importance of Bradley’s text is

Kendrick Lamar grew up in the city of Compton. Lamar’s father was a member of a gang in Chicago before they moved to Compton. His mother’s brothers had ties to the notorious gang the Compton Crips. When Lamar was eight

In the music video "Same Love", Macklemore used pathos, history, and symbolism to emphasize on gay marriage, marriage equality, and homophobia in hip-hop. It follows a storyline of how a boy started to feel like he was gay in the 3rd grade, but his mom reassured him that it was just a phase. Throughout his life, he still had that strange feeling that he could not shake. He was even pressured by his peers to play a game called seven minutes in heaven. He became very uncomfortable which caused him to leave to another party. One day, he decided to bring his partner to his parents' house for dinner and disclosed that they were getting married. As usual, the parents are surprised to hear that their child likes the same sex. Towards the end of the story, the two men get married and by their sides were their families supporting them in every way. Finally, they were happy with a child

‘From the margins to the mainstream: the political power of hip-hop’ by Katina R. Stapleton

Assata shakur was a member of the Black Panthers movement and was the most wanted person by the FBI. She was charged with first degree murder, assault, and battery of a police officer because of her activism, which brought resentment against her. This compelled her to move to Cuba, where she still lives today. She’s also Tupac Shakur step aunt. In “To My People “, she expresses her discontent about the white man 's position in society that allows them to manipulate and oppress the black man. She commands the colored men to advocate, assemble, to fight for their rights, and freedom because the american society and law enforcement are corrupted. She

Even knowing the back-story, sometimes it’s not what is said, but how it’s said that weighs greater. Turners’ tone and delivery carries the whole track and there’s a sense of relentless determination that fuels Turner. The scratch in Turner’s voice, and exasperation as he clings to his words speaks volume of his message within

The song, No Justice, whose text appears above is a quiet, plaintive, soulful song in the rap genre sung by rapper Ty Dolla Sign and his brother, Big TC, who is currently incarcerated and serving a life sentence for a murder charge that he claims he is being falsely accused of. Through the hardships he is facing however, Big TC was still able to record his contribution for his brother’s song while locked up. As with most songs, especially rap, voice is the primary component to the track. Unlike many songs however, this voice component completely takes center stage. The words each brother sings are clear and unhurried. The listener never has to wonder what was said. The background of snare drums, horns, and back up singers is quite muted so

Also by releasing a series of increasingly popular Mixtapes, which brought him to the attention of hip hop producer Dr. Dre. Lamar's debut major-label recording, Good Kid, m.A.A.d City, was released to great success and impressive sales for an up and coming recording artist.

In each song, Wisdom declared he shares about himself, his experiences and his life as it is today. In his first song “This Is My Life”, the lyrics delivered in a sort of spoken word form looked into the type of person he used to be, sharing personal trials and tribulations. As he spoke with his voice, body and hands, he conveyed thoughtful expression and various emotions. Usually accompanied by Josh Mayer and his acoustic guitar, a light band and his friend Nikia Comfort offered a change of pace. Comfort added a complimenting female essence to Wisdom’s performance. In a flurry of alternated verses, the duo touched not just on Wisdom’s life, but issues of today, the generic stereotype of Hip Hop culture and being a woman in a “man’s world”. However, not all the songs were so intense and thought provoking as Wisdom dedicated a song to his love and soon to be Wisdom child.

At this moment, Kendrick’s monologue addresses the battle encountered by African Americans today and the frustration that comes with wanting and deserving more than they have. The backing vocals in this section of the song imply that American society wants African Americans to submit to it and praise it, even though many of them have suffered from it. This introduction signifies how dazed society is to the black people and how there is a constant battle between