Kendrick, the Individual
Kendrick Lamar released Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers two weeks ago, after a five-year hiatus. A few thoughts:
- Anyone listening should be able to tell that this album was written by a man struggling with grief, pain, mistakes, cultural and societal expectations, and being a human being.
- Primary themes:
- Therapy
- Grief
- Loss
- Self-esteem
- Lust & greed
- Anger & resentment
- Regret
- Responsibilities & external expectations
- Can anyone imagine the pressure someone like Kendrick Lamar must be under? The guy set out to make music and art that speaks to the soul and the internal struggle of being good person in a mad world. As he did so, people latched onto him as a prophet, the current king of rap, a potential savior.
- Kendrick, better than any other artist I know, is incredible at having something to say about the world and what is wrong with it, and then turning that lens right back on himself and seeing that he's the problem too. If you really listen to TPAB, Damn, and GKMC, I mean really pay attention, you'll understand that he's only calling out society as a whole when he has already spent the time calling himself out.
The best artists aren't the ones pointing their finger at the rest of the world to blame "society" or "culture" or "them" for what's wrong. They're the ones that do that while simultaneously flipping the script and looking internally and seeing those same ills in themselves. Unfortunately for Kendrick, no one wants to hear that message right now. It's a lot harder to self-reflect and change oneself than it is to be pissed off on Twitter or become an overnight activist. And even though Kendrick is doing his best to shed the crown that people tried to give him after TPAB and Damn, I think it likely that he'll continue to be seen as a prophet because he's still doing the hard work of saying the things no one wants to hear.
Tagged: hip hop, Kendrick Lamar, individualism,
