COMM 380:  Media Criticism

We are all familiar with various genres of music and many of us indulge in music at high capacities. With the integration of musical content and social media, music streaming platforms offer millions of songs right our fingertips while allowing us to interact with other individuals who share our preferred music genre. With the optimization of curated playlists and live radio, access to new music continues to become more easily accessible than ever before. The point being, there is a plethora of music circulating in our society and we have the means to access it in its entirety. The music industry is showing no signs of slowing down and continues to grow daily.

 

Yet, even with all the music that is available for us to choose from, only one project wins a Pulitzer Prize, which is arguably one of the most praised achievements any creative individual can receive. 2018 marked a special year for the rap genre when considering the Pulitzer Prize decision for music. For the first time in history, a rap album won this momentous prize. Kendrick Lamar, a highly praised rapper from Compton, California, set a new caliber of success regarding the rap genre. His 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning album DAMN. was extremely relevant in its subject matter regarding the lives of African-Americans in the United States. Through his unique style and flow of his raps along with the complexity of the lyrics, Kendrick Lamar was able to create a masterpiece work of musical art. A blend of unapologetic and relevant lyrics which showcase Lamar’s complexity of his music, making his album DAMN. historic. In this paper, we will discuss several examples that showcase Kendrick Lamar’s ability to use agenda-setting theory in his music through lyricism. The three elements of Lamar’s lyrics we will focus on are style, subject, and story-telling.

 

First, we will discuss the style element of Kendrick Lamar’s lyrics and how he uses rhyme and flow to aid in the agenda-setting theory process. Rhyme is a very vital component of rap music. Rhyme is the blueprint for what makes rap, as rhyme set the foundation for the genre in the early 80’s. The greatness of a rapper was essentially determined by their ability to rhyme or flow. Rhyme is simply a pattern of rhymed words. This pattern can be AAAA, AABB, ABAB, etc. Some rappers, like Lamar, who possess high levels of rhyme may follow no specific order at all. Kendrick Lamar is able to exemplify various rhyme patterns. What we refer to as a ‘flow’ is just the continuation of rhyme patterns. Lamar is a master at using rhyme and alliteration to enforce his agenda to his listeners. In his song “YAH”., Lamar (2017) states the following:

 

“YAH” from DAMN.

 

Interviews wanna know my thoughts and opinions

Fox news wanna use my name for percentage

My latest muse is my niece, she worth livin’

See me on the TV and scream, “That’s Uncle Kendrick!”

Yeah that’s the business

Somebody tell Geraldo this nigga got some ambition

I’m not a politician, not ‘bout a religion

I’m a Israelite, don’t call me black no mo’

That word is only a color, it ain’t facts no mo’.

 

(Lamar, DAMN., 2017)

 

Here, we see a clever rhyme pattern which Lamar uses to state his opposition to the term ‘black’, as he makes the case that it is indeed only a color, and not a term used to describe any sort of racial/cultural heritage. Kaiya Blackburn (2017) stated the following on Lamar’s line about Israelites:

 

The reinterpretation of scripture has thus been central to the self-definition, identity-formation, and social cohesion of many African American communities from the first theological utterances of the earliest bards, to the more contemporary exaltations of black artists throughout the postmodern nation. This analysis evaluates the network of African American identifications with central stories and principles of the Torah, situating it within the overarching social sphere of African American and Jewish relations. (Blackburn, 2017)

 

Lamar’s main purpose with this line is to rid of the social stigma surrounding ‘black’ and ‘white’. Instead, the portrayal of individuals through racial/cultural heritage proves to be more factual. Diego Rocha (2017) describes Lamar’s work as a blueprint for theories regarding education for students in poverty-stricken areas.

 

Second, we will discuss the subject or content of Lamar’s lyrics. One of the many things that make Lamar such a great rapper is the fact that his lyrics are cultural, politically and socially relevant. Lamar (2017) states the following.

 

“XXX” from DAMN.

 

Hail Mary, Jesus and Joseph

The great American flag is wrapped in drag with explosives

Compulsive disorder, sons and daughters

Barricaded blocks and borders

Look what you taught us

Its murder on my street, your street, backstreets, Wall Street

Corporate offices, banks, employees, and bosses with

Homicidal thoughts; Donald Trump’s in office

We lost Barack and promised to never doubt him again

But is America honest, or do we bask in sin?

Pass the gin, I mix it with American blood

Then bash him in, you crippin’ or you married to blood?

I’ll ask again – oops accident

It’s nasty when you set us up

Then roll the dice, then bet us up

You overnight the big rifles, then tell Fox to be scared of us

Gang members or terrorists, et cetera, et cetera

America’s reflections of me, that’s what a mirror does

 

(Lamar, Damn., 2017)

 

In this verse, Lamar is addressing the hypocrisy of a nation. This is an example of Lamar shedding light on an issue that often gets overlooked, especially in the media. Lamar attempts to make evident that African-Americans are set up for failure already in the United States. In addition to false stereotypes regarding skin color. Lamar exposes everyday social issues surrounding black communities across the nation. Bettina Love (2015) states the following regarding rap culture:

 

Hip Hop, a dominant African-American cultural product, is also committed to the tradition of Black popular culture, as evidenced by its centering the struggles of Black life in the music, which is ultimately meant for mass consumption. Thus, the music is filled with social commentary that exposes and critiques the critical issues affecting people of color… The political possibilities created by that function of Hip Hop have energized the generation of youth who not only listen to Hip Hop but have their identity, formations, ideas of self-efficacy, resistance to socialization, and schemata of social and political issues formed by the culture. (Love, 2015)

 

Kendrick Lamar is a master of incorporating socially relevant content in his lyrics, mostly through personal experience growing up in Compton, California. Lamar attempts to alter the African-American perception and stereotypes through his music. Storytelling is the last element of Lamar’s lyrics that make him such a great lyricist.

 

Lastly, storytelling is the last element of Lamar’s lyrics that we will discuss. His background of growing up in Compton, California aids in his ability to tell genuine stories which enables Lamar to be an extremely authentic rapper regarding the subject.

 

Political consciousness in the rap narrative often takes the form of an indictment of unjust criminal justice system by centering on physical representations of it – such as the police, the president, or legislation – or by analyzing the effects of institutionalized racism on the Black community. (Klatskin, 2018)

Kendrick has portrayed his social views a variety of times through his music. Many of his stories and lyrics derive from personal experiences outlining the ‘African-American experience’ growing up in the low-income areas. In his song “Fear”, Lamar tells a story of growing up in the ghetto and gives us a glimpse of what life was like.

 

“Fear” from DAMN.

 

I’ll prolly die from one of these bats and blue badges

Body-slammed on the black and white paint, my bones snappin’

Or maybe die from panic or die from being too lax

Or die waiting on it, die cause I’m moving too fast

I’ll prolly die tryna buy weed at the apartments

I’ll prolly die tryna defuse two homies arguin’

I’ll prolly die cause that’s what you do when you’re 17

All worries in a hurry, I wish I controlled things

 

(Lamar, DAMN., 2017)

 

This track aims to outline all of Lamar’s fears. He is telling a story of all the ways people die in his neighborhood every day. Lamar continues to list ways in which lives are taken in low-income areas with a high presence of African-Americans. This song is titled “Fear” because Lamar is essentially fearful of various things that can potentially happen to him every day, which is why in the last line he wishes he was in control of things. The line regarding 17-year-olds dying shows the power of Lamar’s ability to tell truth. Teenagers dying in low-income areas has become so normalized, Lamar does a good job at making that as transparent as possible. Macdonald (2018) states that Lamar verses are filled with so much content outlining societal issues, part of this is because of experience factor which sets Lamar aside from other rappers.

 

In conclusion, Kendrick Lamar’s lyrical ability is what places him at the peak of the Rap genre. His complexity of lyrics surrounding issues enables him to agenda-set to his listeners. Lamar is able to accomplish this through style, subject, and storytelling of personal experiences, creating an authentic, contextual narrative disguised in musical form. Lamar’s recent winning of the Pulitzer prize aids in showcasing his lyrical ability and how unmatched it really is. Dorian Lynskey (2018) claims Lamar’s Pulitzer Prize-winning exemplifies his ability to story tell in vivid and unpredictable manners. Well done, Kendrick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

Lamar, K. BLACK ISRAELITES, SOCIAL JUSTICE, AND KENDRICK LAMAR: MEDITATIONS ON A RHETORICAL BRANCH OF AFRICAN AMERICAN/JEWISH RELATIONS KAIYA SMITH BLACKBURN 2017.

 

Love, B. L. (2016). Good kids, mad cities: Kendrick Lamar and finding inner resistance in response to FergusonUSA. Cultural Studies? Critical Methodologies, 16(3), 320-323.

 

Lynskey, D. (2018, April 22). From street kid to Pulitzer: Why Kendrick Lamar deserves the prize. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/apr/22/kendrick-lamar-wins-pulitzer-prize-damn-album

 

Macdonald, T. H. (2018). African-American Poetry, Music, and Politics.

 

Rocha, D. A. (2017). Kendrick Lamar and Hip-Hop as a Medium for Social Change.