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 …show more content…
butterfly. Kendrick Lamar goes to prove that racism is still detrimental country and its effect on black culture continues to consume adolescences at an early. To Pimp a Butterfly creates a narrative that follows the stages of a caterpillar’s growth into a butterfly.
This metaphor is found through each track and helps Lamar navigate the listener through his experiences. The caterpillar represents an adolescent that consumes everything around it. The butterfly represents the talent and potential of the caterpillar. Society shapes or “pimps” the caterpillar, but the butterfly can blossom into something that sheds light on ideas the caterpillar never considered. This imagery soundly depicts the effects of America’s structural racism in the black culture. Racism has a long-lasting effect on adolescents and their future ways of life. They consume all the oppression around them, which creates a mold for their behavior. Once they experience life as an adult, they think back to their previous struggles with a new perspective or idea. This constant oppression of the black culture is a major issue in modern society. It limits the future success of African Americans and puts boundaries on what they are potentially capable of. A black child could have the aspirations of changing the world, but he will eventually realize how much more difficult his goals will be to achieve in comparison to his white contemporaries. The American Dream is built around the people of the white skin color instead of being a universal goal. Lamar puts his beliefs in the dreams of others for a better future rather than what society wants him to …show more content…
think. Lamar put a major emphasis on the role consumption plays in the stages of a person’s life.
Not just the consumption of purchasing goods, but the role one’s mind plays in absorbing the basic ideals of life. As an adolescent, one develops basic instincts from their environment to survive each day. Once the person grows mentally, they acquire these new perspectives on the way life works around them. Lamar constantly reminded the listener of the growth from the caterpillar into the butterfly. He rapped about experiencing survivors guilt when returning to his home and then dealing with depression from not being there for his loved ones. Lamar noticed that the fame started to consume him which began to take control of his basic way of life. He was making progress as person due to his successes, but the fame started to control him leading to the lost connection with his loved ones. Lamar had figure out where his heart truly resides due to his fame attempting to control his basic mindset in
life. Whether he was speaking on his growth or his race’s progress, the caterpillar metaphor perfectly fits into the albums themes of racism. Consumption can tend to be a lost idea when speaking on the racial tensions in America. The basic structure of racism can be tied back to the lessons learned from a child’s life. This idea does not just apply to one race. The racists are consumed by racist ideals at an early age and the ones being oppressed by racism are consumed by the negative issues they face. Discrimination constantly consumes the black culture no matter their class or wealth. Lamar spoke on still being faced with racism even though he is one of the biggest names in music. Racism just continues to play a role in people’s lives no matter how hard one can try to escape it. Racist people continue to exist no matter their status and racism continues to affect the oppressed no matter their status. Authors Bobo, Sears and Sidanius state, “Considerable systematic research has been done on racial discrimination in domains such as employment, housing, education, financial services, health care, the retail market, and the criminal justice system. Even middle-class blacks prove to be exposed to relentless and ubiquitous personal experiences of discrimination” (Bobo, Sears and Sidanius 6). They make the point racism does not stop for a job title or salary. Even a black person with fame and fortune cannot seem to escape the racism that affects the lower classes. This idea of consumption will continue to control racism unless Americans are willing to make change for the better. Another use of the caterpillar metaphor can be applied to the consumption of the hip-hop culture amongst young African American males. Black culture is heavily influenced by the ways of hip-hop. Lamar puts some of the blame on the violent lyrics of rap music like many critics have in recent years. Sullivan states, “Debates regarding the effects of rap music are missing one very critical voice-that of fans. While politicians and other community leaders argue over ‘how corrupting’ rap can be and researchers look at the themes and history of the music, few people speak directly to rap fans asking them what they feel about rap and how important it is in their lives” (Sullivan 609). In other words, Sullivan is saying that violent lyrics may not affect listeners if it is the one thing they can relate to. Although you could place the blame on some of the violent aspects inside of the black communities, America itself is still the main reason for black people consuming these negative dilemmas from the beginning. The segregation they experience excludes them from the advantages of the average white communities. Lamar had many different perspectives the way hip-hop shapes its listeners, but the blame still seems to go back to the white culture that influenced what the black community consumes. African American’s future success is being limited due to racism they continue to consume during the major stages of their life. Kendrick Lamar delivered an album that brought new conversations of modern day racism to the forefront. Some of the oppression that African Americans face can be prevented if America takes on some of the ideas that Lamar contributed. To Pimp a Butterfly is truly an artistic statement that can have a lasting impact on America’s future.
The narrator can either succeed at being powerful and influential or he can be one of the persons who talks too much, but shows no action. He does not want to be a part of the masses of black people that do not know what it is that they really want. They want to be happy, but do not know how to achieve this happiness. Ellison often compares birds to black...
Both authors, Woolf and Dillard, choose animals in their essays as a symbol of life. Woolf’s moth “was little or nothing but life” (194) with “enormous energy of the world had been thrust into his frail and diminutive body” (194). In the story, it represents the way how people fight their whole
Everyone wants to fill the void within themselves, and most humans try to accomplish this by finding jobs they enjoy, but it seems that most of them ultimately fail. When you are younger you look to your parents to show you the way, but as you approach adulthood you start to feel more of a sense of rebellion toward them instead of the admiration you once had. The writer makes the poem universal by saying he didn’t want to end up like his father, something most children in north america could relate to. It’s also easily linked to our society in north america because of the way our schooling system is set up, in a way that you must commit to what you’re going to do for the rest of your life when you’re still too young to vote, and our system being this way makes it easy to end up regretting what you choose. Humans in modern society are expected to make many commitments for a range of things- relationships or sports teams, even major life decisions, and it’s obvious that our natural need for commitment is prevalent in our everyday life. Consequently, this need for making commitments can end up leaving people making poor decisions or at least taking a route you’ll end up wanting to renounce in the
Lamar has been successfully achieving his dream by rapping about the stress and difficult situations he has encountered but strongly claims that we will all be alright in his song, “Alright.” He released a song called “i” that reflects how violence has increased in the cities and how he wishes everyone should love each other as humans. His last song on “To Pimp A Butterfly” called “Mortal Man” he states “only because you don’t wear the same color as mine, that doesn’t mean I can’t respect you as a human being.” He clearly states how he understands the reputations of other gang members may seem important but should all still respect others as people. Lamar has been a role model to several students from the city of Compton that was able to create a scholarship called “Be Alright” that is based off the same song called “Alright.” Kendrick Lamar has been respectively producing music for his fans without a doubt of impressive beats and
In one of the many tall tales that lies within the movie Big Fish, a journey out of Edward Bloom’s hometown symbolises a journey from adolescence to adulthood. Through this symbol, it is suggested that the transition from adolescence to adulthood can be precarious. However, the more troublesome the road, the more rewarding it would
Soon after her fourteenth birthday, Lily escapes to the Boatwright sisters’ house in Tiburon, South Carolina, with Rosaleen, who is arrested for assaulting a white man. Upon her arrival, Lily faces different racist situations and meets her first love, a handsome black boy named Zach. The novel The Secret Life of Bees demonstrates that although racism has a negative impact on everyday life, it also influences Zach and Lily’s development in a positive manner. Segregation in South Carolina happens everywhere and every day. Indeed, racism is manifested through the media, the law, which legitimizes segregation, and the perceptions that white and black people have of each other.
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
Those two main themes are what Du Bois terms double conciseness and the other theme is that African Americans grow up living behind a veil. Du Bois explains that he first became aware of this veil growing up as a child in Massachusetts. One day all the children in Du Bois class at school exchanged greeting cards, and one girl refused to accept Du Bois’ card. It was this experience that helped him realize he was different and was excluded from the world of white people by a vast veil. However Du Bois didn’t immediately feel the need to destroy the veil. He instead dedicated himself to working hard in the hope that in his future he could become a doctor, lawyer, or writer. Du Bois notes that his reaction is different from that of other young black boys, many of whom grew bitter at the idea that god made them outsiders within their own
In the 1960s, the people of the United States were separated by segregation and it was a huge deal everywhere, but mainly in the South. The book ´The Secret Life of Bees’ takes place during this time. The story is told through the eyes of a 14-year-old girl, Lily Owens, who is white but is surrounded by african americans that she grows to love throughout the story. They lived in Sylvan, South Carolina, so racism was big in this area and the areas they she went to.
Kendrick Lamar’s critically acclaimed album To Pimp a Butterfly finally achieved the attention it deserved when it won the Grammy for “Album of the Year”. The album reflects on the struggles that both Lamar faces as a black artist and to the struggles of social injustice that all people of color face today. Although the provocative album cover (a group of young black men sitting on top of a dead white judge) depicts a powerful feeling of anger that is prevalent and connects it to an important justice issue, there is no better example of what Lamar’s argument is throughout the album than in the song “Alright.” Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” provides hope to the people fighting for social justice with his personal experiences, examples of racial
...ites were being raised with the notion that African-Americans were somehow nonhuman, other, and utterly detached; along comes this metaphor, reinforcing that we are all inextricably tied to one another. “Blood on the leaves, and blood at the root,” the current generation responsible for lynching has blood on their hands, and the next generation is inheriting their ideas. The depiction of blood at the root is why “Strange Fruit” is still relevant; ideas, like plants, continue to grow as long as they are rooted in the ground. Though the lynching generation appears to be gone, racism and hate still finds roots in this generation; awareness of this is the only way to know to look for the weed when it springs up again to properly eradicate it.
The entire poem is based on powerful metaphors used to discuss the emotions and feelings through each of the stages. For example, she states “The very bird/grown taller as he sings, steels/ his form straight up. Though he is captive (20-22).” These lines demonstrate the stage of adulthood and the daily challenges that a person is faced with. The allusions in the poem enrich the meaning of the poem and force the reader to become more familiar with all of the meaning hidden behind the words. For example, she uses words such as innocence, imprisonment and captive to capture the feelings experienced in each of the stages.
Celebrity success is often idolized as a magic solution in which all of an individual’s problems will suddenly be erased and furthermore, the new on-brought attention will bring positive and lifting influence to the individual. Unfortunately, success is often not the solution. In To Pimp A Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar discusses his path to success, as well as the disappointment and turmoil associated with fame to demonstrate that success does not alleviate depression.
Since the 1980s Hip Hop has a positive impact on black Americans when trying to empower the citizens of this country. Since blacks have tense to this country many have been looked down on, so many artist just want them to know that Africans Americans are more than what many other ethnicities say that they are. Therefore, the hip hop cultures and movements of the 1980s through the 2000s had a positive impact on contemporary young Africans Americans identities. This is due to, Hip Hop artists wanting to share their stories and insights on the issues that affect society. In addition, the rap artists and their lyrics serve as musical depiction of their culture’s rich history. Furthermore, Hip hop artist want African Americans to know that there
Traditionally African American music, such as the music produced by Lamar, has recently become increasingly prominent and popular, giving Lamar a platform with a fairly diverse audience due to the current popularity of the rap genre. Lamar’s powerful music video for his hit song “DNA” presents as argument against those who are inclined to make assumptions about African American people based on their race. Lamar uses his platform as an influential rapper in our society to blatantly say what other people are afraid to say and maintains an anthem that can best be characterized as historicity. He reminds his audience of the past and brings attention to the present, and in doing so, calls out white people, who listen to his music and look up to him. Furthermore, Lamar is able to do this without completely excluding white people from his audience. The music video for “DNA” itself includes a soundbite directly from a white male news reporter, who states, “This is why I say that hip-hop has done more damage to young African Americans than racism in recent years” (2:57-3:04). Thus, Lamar utilizes the platform he worked for and speaks out to his audience, addressing what people in the past have wanted to