A google search of Compton, California will quickly reveal the high incidence of crime in the town, with one of the first suggestions referencing “Compton California Crime Rates.” Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was born in Compton, California, notorious for its gangs and gang related crimes, yet he was able to overcome his rough upbringing and showed that even grim situations can be used as a source of positivity. The album Good kid, m.A.A.d City contains skits in between songs which tell a piece of Kendrick’s life.In the song Sing About Me Kendrick reveals the murder of his friend, and how he used that tragedy to turn his life around. Through the use a pathos based strategy, Kendrick demonstrates to his listeners how life can change in an instant …show more content…
The context of the first verse comes from the previous song in the album Drank, where Dave, one of Kendrick’s friend, gets killed because of gang retaliation. The first verse of Sing About Me is in the perspective of Dave’s brother where he expresses his gratitude to Kendrick for being there in the final moments of his brother’s life. He heads out seeking revenge on those who killed Dave, with a sense of personal guilt inside of him. “As blood spilled on your hands, my plans rather vindictive. Everybody’s a victim in my eyes when I ride, it’s a murderous rhythm …show more content…
I believe he successfully argued his point because he pathos to created such great contrasts using his experiences and the experiences of others. These contrasts had a very strong appeal to emotion do to the use of his imagery. He makes his song very relatable to the audience, the listeners, whether you are in a situation similar to his or not you will still find a connection to his message. Kendrick has indeed overcome his hurdles and tries to give back in the process, in hopes that he will be able to encourage people to change their undesirable
Kendrick Lamar in his song, “u,” explains his personal failure to remember and support his community when he writes, “Your trials and tribulations a burden, everyone felt it/ Everyone heard it, multiple shots, corners cryin ' out/ You was deserted, where was your antennas again?/ Where was your presence, where was your support that you pretend?” (“u” 46-50). “Tribulations” refer to the difficult periods of hardship in an individual’s life where patience and commitment are continually put to test. “Tribulations” are subjective to the individual and may seem trivial compared to the “tribulations” of others, such as the immense danger and lack of security people are subject to the ghetto. “Deserted” is the abandonment of an individual or community. “Deserted” is how many people feel after a close friend or family member has reached new success and seemingly forgot about whom their original friends and supporters were. “Antennas” refer to an essential sensory component of a butterfly, but furthermore can be understood as the sense of awareness an individual has. An individual’s “antennas” often seem to be disregarded after they have reached success, and consequently, the people around them feel abandoned and unimportant. “Support” is the attention and care an individual has for others, especially in time of need. “Support” for
Kendrick is a very great artist that has respect for his fans not one time did I see him disrespect them in anytime of way. He believes that everyone should be treated the same, he is a big fan of Tupac that’s one person he really looked up to. His music can catch a lot of listeners attention, he just has, that effect with his music. Therefore he enjoys writing and putting his thoughts on a piece of paper, sometimes he just freestyle off the top of his head. To me he is the best lyrical rapper out right now because his music is based on real life facts just like how Tupac music was, so that’s how they are kind of similar to me that’s just my opinion.
Tupac Shakur was well known for positive lyrics in his music, but unfortunately had a life riddled with controversies and run-ins with the law. His history with the judicial system and the way he lived his life could not be covered up by the positivity themes his songs conveyed. Many of Shakur’s real life occurrences completely contradict the lyrics of his songs. Although he may have had a “do as I say, not as I do” mentality, and his songs were mostly uplifting and encouraging, he did not live up to those messages.
Of all musical genres country music is perhaps the one most influenced by a male presence. Country music is often associated with the classic cowboy strumming a guitar around a campfire or riding his horse with a guitar strapped to his back. Even the politics of country music is inclined towards a male-dominated, republican, conservative, pro-war stance (Spong 184). The stereotypical women of country music “behave properly” and passively follow the same values as men do. Therefore, in 2003 when the Dixie Chicks, a three member all female country music band, became the top selling female group of all time it was quite an accomplishment. Their success began in 1997 with an image that embraced their versatility. Martie Maguire and Emily Robison, who are sisters, played fiddle and banjo and provided background vocals to lead vocalist Natalie Maines, gifted with a strong, clear voice. Maines stood out from the others with her forceful stage presence. They wore feminine, bling infused, non-countrified outfits. They were pretty to look at and kind of goofy in demeanor (129). The kind of young women fans could imagine having a lot of fun with, but also the kind that young women could identify with through their music. Songs like “Goodbye Earl” described a strong woman who has had enough of her abusive husband and ends up killing him. However, the band delivered it in a style that was far from morose. It sent a clear message of girl power for many women (129). Many accolades followed from the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association (CMA) which included Entertainer of the Year, Top Vocal Group, and album of the Year (Towner 293). During the first five years of their career they sold 28 million copies of the three records...
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
raps about his life and things his been through. I think the reason alot of
The second chapter of Steven Cohen’s Hollywood Musicals, The Film Reader explains that “The myth of entertainment can be subdivided into three categories: the myth of spontaneity, the myth of integration, and the myth of the audience…. the myth makes its impact through combination and repetition. Thus a single musical number can be highly overdetermined and maybe discussed under all three categories.” (36) Going off of this explanation, then discussing the legitimacy of MGM’s Singing in the Rain as a back stage musical should depend on which of these three myths the film combines or repeats. This essay proposes that Singing in the Rain, based on the film’s proficiency with the second of the three: the myth of integration, rightfully deserves
Music has always been an important part of my life. During high school I have developed areas of service and leadership through interests in children and gardening, which will continue to be major parts of my life.
During the final song, he explains his journey to find the idea that the black community needs to join together and respect one another in order to survive the hostile world that they live in. The samples he uses all sound similar, they all have a boom-bap feel and bring a tone to the album that makes it sound reminiscent of early black music in the 70’s and 80’s supporting his theme of black pride. At one point he even uses a sample of an interview from Tupac back in 1994, who was one of the pioneers of rap and who Kendrick got a lot of his ideas from. Lastly, Kendrick’s narrative explains his path of going through the streets and realizing that he needs to lead his people to fight the institutions that bind them. He leads listeners through the process of how he found this concept out,
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.
Musicians try to distill their reality and experience into their songs, especially in hip-hop. Kendrick Lamar with his distinct fervor and touch shares his own reality and experience with his audience in “Money Tree”, creating a song that’s intimate while remaining head-bopping.
Taylor Swift is one of the biggest pop-country sensations of the 21st century. With over billions of sells, she is also one of the top selling artists of our generation. But what makes her so unique? Are there not other pop-country artists out there? This is the story of Taylor Swift, and how she came to be.
Ever since I was a small child, I have loved music. The strong, steady beats, the
From the 2pacs of the world to the Ludacris’s, rap has rapidly transitioned into the music industry in the past twenty-five years to become a global art form for many around the globe. However, much like every other form of music, rap has listeners who don’t approve of it, therefore accusing the genre of causing violent-oriented influence on the youth. This is where Eminem would be introduced to the topic; Eminem is one of the world's best-selling music artists. He has been listed and ranked as one of the greatest artists of all time by many magazines, Selling more than 80 million albums and over 120 million singles worldwide. Being as well renowned as he is, he works as a clear-cut example of many other artists who are accused of being an influence for violence for the youth. Music much like everything else could be altered towards the bad however, it depends on what you take from it; even the youth should have a certain sense of differentiation, which in this case is being able to take the positive from rap.
Hi, my name is Rob Geis and I am currently in grade 12. I have been at County High School for a year now; I joined at the start of 11th grade, and have thoroughly enjoyed myself here. The school is great, the people are fantastic and the atmosphere is one that makes you actually want to go to school. Before I joined ASB I was studying at the Singapore American School for two years and prior to that I was at the International School of Kuala Lumpur for two years. I was born and raised here in Bombay city and grew up here.