Kendrick Lamar has changed his audiences and society in a worldwide level. His actions and behaviors change the thinking behavior and culture through African Americans. Obamas love for Lamar and his music have been well - documented. In December, Obama revealed that “How Much A Dollar Cost” was his favorite song of 2015. Obama stated that Kendrick has much love for his culture, he raised more than 1 million dollars to schools in Africa to pay for books and netbooks, it’s just not a onetime thing he raises money, he sends money to all schools struggling in Africa I’m talking Kenya, South Africa. During the Grammys His performance of his “The Blacker the Berry” started with Lamar and several black back-up dancers in chains, with the backdrop …show more content…
Obamas love for Lamar and his music have been well - documented. In December, Obama revealed that “How Much A Dollar Cost” was his favorite song of 2015. Obama stated that Kendrick has much love for his culture, he raised more than 1 million dollars to schools in Africa to pay for books and netbooks, it’s just not a one-time thing he raises money, he sends money to all schools struggling in Africa, I’m talking Kenya, South Africa and also Chad. Lamar also helped the environment by raising money to clean the world. The reason I have so much respect for Lamar's lyrics is because he does not speak nons, meaning he doesn't talk about going to smoke, and have sex with girls, his lyrics are about life things, and things us human go through in life. During the Grammys His performance of his “The Blacker the Berry” started with Lamar and several black back-up dancers in chains, with the backdrop of a prison. As Lamar progressed in the song, he and the dancers released their chains and danced, donned in glow-in-the-dark outfits. My step brother was doing security for one of Kendrick concerts, he got to meet him back stage and shared his life. My step brother Mohamed told him how he was struggling in school, and how he wants to drop out, he shared his life and how he grew up with no
For decades, America has oppressed African Americans due to the color of their skin. Although the country has made many strides in preventing some racial actions, racism still consumes the black culture starting in their early years. Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar released his second studio album To Pimp a Butterfly on March 15, 2015. Lamar spoke out against structural racism on this album and even made a case for the black culture being at fault for some of the racism they face. His message may not have been accepted by all the masses, but his bold statements sparked new conversations that any artist dreams of doing. Lamar introduced several metaphors for the racism in America, but the key focus was the development of the caterpillar into the
On a lighter note, he explains his inspirations for his dream of making music in the song ‘Juicy.’ Biggie’s writing went in depth to show his audience where he came from and to also inspire other artists working their way up in the music industry. Lastly, Kendrick Lamar’s piece Good Kid m.A.A.d City is a coming of age story from the perspective of teenage Kendrick living in Compton, California. This album shows the dark side of Kendrick’s life, as well as his lighter moments of aspiration. There are vivid depictions of violence that he endured as a teen, as well as the influence of money and power.
Throughout America’s history there have been countless influential leaders that have proudly been American. Those have held positions of politicians, soldiers, and . Kanye Omari West has opened the eyes of today's generation and still continues to shape American history. His musical influence has transformed the lives of countless people. Inspiring many to stand up and fight for what they believe in is something Kanye West continues to do even today.. Also, opening the eyes of many to racial injustice towards African American citizens. I’ll further elaborate my claim in the following paragraphs using historical evidence.
This shows that this is him and who he really is. People following his beliefs because he treated people equally and judged people equally. This is a big difference from him and other hip-hop artists.
Hip-Hop’s criticism of George W. Bush is a good example of hip-hop’s reflection of Black public opinion. The Republican candidate who already had a low approval rating of 57% amongst African-Americans received an even lower approval rating after his lackluster efforts to support Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 (Jones, 2003; Cillizza & Sullivan 2013).
He received a boom box for his birthday one year and from there, the rest is history. Jay-Z is one of the most talented rapper alive. Many rappers including J. Cole and Kanye West idolize him. His songs paint pictures and tell stories. He uses his past experiences as the base of many of his rhymes. Every line of every verse has a detailed meaning. Jay-Z used his musical gift to create initial success and wealth for himself. However the one part that is often overlooked is the countless hours he spends working and perfecting his craft. Jay-Z’s process for recording is unlike most. Ever since then Jay-Z decided not to write down any of his lyrics; he has memorized every line of every song he has recorded, making his style even more unique. He has released 12 studio albums and every single one has sold over a million copies, making them certified platinum albums. As a result, Jay-Z has been nominated for several Grammy Awards, while winning 21 of them. Jay-Z has performed at many major events including President Obama’s rally in 2012, as well as his popular music festival entitled “Made in America” just this year. Jay-Z has sold out shows all over the world, including New Yorks very own Madison Square Garden and Barclays Arena. There have been many great musical talents to emerge from Brooklyn, however none of them have been as skilled and crafty as Jay-Z. Jay-Z’s music success as a rapper alone arguably deems him the King of New
One of the many adversities he had to adapt to was the feuds of the East and West Coast. This influenced his songs and the way his fans depicted the East Coast, Bad Boys. He also had to deal with the way blacks were treated and looked at by the white community. Although his music brings up many controversy, he is undoubtedly a big part of the way African Americans are being depicted today. He reached the people not just through his music but by the constant protests for equality also while striving for the betterment of his the African American community. The way that society and media looks at African American people and hip hop music are all rooted from
It goes without saying that hip-hop has changed. It began as a social practice of African-centered liberation to transform the black community or bring the youth together in unity, but towards the 90’s and onto the hip-hop scene in todays day and age, it is anything but that. The youth of today will know Tupac Shakur and beautify or streamline his self-destructive “thug life” but remain in the dark of figures like Mutulu and Afeni Shakur. Although this is a sad reality to live in, it is not hip-hops responsibility to change this. It is the responsibility of artists alike representing an oppressed populace to speak meaningfully in their art, in someway or another, for the liberation of their people.
The rappers within my core group are all from these inner cities, who know first hand about what the members of these communities are dealing with. Similarly, the very same way Rap music was used as a tool to aid young African Americans in their times of social oppression in the 1970s, is the same way it is now being used to assist the African American youths today, during their difficult times of adversity. JayZ, J. Cole, and Kendrick all possess the aura and integrity to create what is considered “conscious” hip hop that provides messages of struggle and liberation. In general, the difference better conscious and commercial rap music is simple; Conscious rap or hiphop is a lifestyle inspired by culture, togetherness, and social change. Whereas, commercial rap is perceived as music produced for the sole purpose of financial profit that primarily consists of the demeaning of women and popular references to buying expensive cars and
Reality melted around me as I poured through album reviews and rankings, seeing the amount of praise and reverence his work holds, I was blown away. I watched interviews from artists I’d been a fan of for years, claiming that Kanye was their inspiration. I read analysis pinpointing how each of his albums opened up new sub genres in hip hop, how he completely changed the stigmatism of the art, allowing for new creative freedom, opening the doors for artists like Drake, Tyler the Creator and Chance the Rapper just to name a few. He had been right under the surface all along. He paved the way for my generation of artists to walk on, and I had been blissfully ignorant, skipping along his path.
As Kendrick entered the stage shackled to his black comrades with a soulful saxophone playing in the background, it is obvious that the imagery of imprisonment was a commentary on incarceration in America and its similarities with slavery. By amplifying this modern twist on slavery, Kendrick provokes American viewers to reflect on the struggles that black Americans still go through today. At the start of his performance he goes on to rap “I’m African-American — I’m African” as if he was correcting himself. This isn’t surprising as black identity is hard to establish in a country that implicitly detests you, but explicitly fetishizes your culture. Stuart Hall discusses this in his text when he states, “’the primitive is a modern problem, a crisis in cultural identity’…the modernist construction of primitivism, the fetishistic recognition and disavowal of the primitive difference” (Hall 125). There is no wonder why Kendrick, like many African-Americans, finds comfort in placing his identity with the mother land rather than his true country of origin. How can the black multitude stand in solidarity with a country who will continuously praise black culture but refuse to recognize the black struggle? Kendrick Lamar then conjures imagery of Africa, where he danced and rapped in front of a raging bonfire, one of the most powerful imagery included in his entire performance. One can interpret
Although hip hop music normally consist of money, violence, drugs, degrading women, and life in the poor inner cities, Drake has still been able to become one of hip hop’s biggest icons even though his lyrical content does not fit the hip hop genre. Drake has stood his ground and has not conformed to the expectations that hip hop has. Even though he has been badly ridiculed Drake has still been able to prove that you do not always have to be a gangster in order to be a rapper. Drake has also proved that there is nothing wrong with being a hip hop rapper who is in touch with his emotions and who is willing to show his
Kanye Omari West, rapper, producer, professional celebrity, and with an ego to match, has forced himself into the limelight of the music industry. Kanye West has made a lasting impression on all of those around him, whether it be a good one or bad. With seven full length albums, a multimillion record label company, and a successful fashion business all under his belt, it’s fair to say that Kanye has done his fair share of creating. Over the last twelve years Kanye went from a young Chicago kid just trying to get his flows off, to one of the most decorated musicians of all time. With over 20 Grammy’s and 3 of his albums ending up on the Rolling stones “500 greatest albums of all time”. He has continuously created, entertained, and spoken his mind for years. Whether it be “George Bush does not care about black people” or “Taylor imma let you finish, but Beyoncé had
Throughout history, rap music has been a voice for an artist to express their beliefs and address world issues. I 'm an 18-year-old African-American Male who was raised in a middle-class family. Music has always been an important way for me to express myself like many other teenagers. It is common to hear rappers take a standpoint on a controversial topic, such as racism, wealth inequality, and violence, and speak about it. With the increase of police brutality and the growth in the Black Lives Matter movement, rappers and other phenomenon’s have gravitated towards addressing this topic. Most recently, Macklemore released a single, which explained the story of being at a Black Lives Matter protest in his
According to rapper Jay-Z, rap has changed America immensely to improve race relations and has done more than any leader or politician. In fact, the influence that rap music has on my life has been more powerful than anything else. For example, rapper Diddy created a slogan, “Barack the Vote”, in 2008 to encourage young adults to vote for Barack Obama. Although I was not old enough, I wanted to vote for Obama. This slogan played a major role in the voting process because people were coming to the polls with Diddy’s cliché on their shirts, hats, and even their bumper stickers. Rap doesn 't only influence people 's lives but it also influences the way we dress. If a rapper wears clothes by a certain designer or a particular brand, then we are more likely to want to wear the same thing. Moreover, rap impacts the way people speak. Rappers have a distinct “slang” that youth everywhere can identify with. Rap is unique because it speaks to the listeners in a way that nothing else