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Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, born in Compton, California is an African American whose music highlights the social injustices faced by the African American society.
Lamar’s album “DAMN” was released on April 14, 2017, by Aftermath Entertainment and was the first non-classical or jazz music to win the Pulitzer Prize in 2018 which is a great milestone because it is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition in the United States (Wikipedia). The Pulitzer Prize Board called ”DAMN”, a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life’ (Pulitzer Prize Board). The Pulitzer Board was overall impressed with the totality of the album. The album also won the Grammys on 28th January 2018 for Best Rap Album of the Year.
Usually, Lamar’s writing is confessional and includes references to racism, black empowerment, and social injustice. His language and style convey the ideas of social injustice in the forms of brutality, wickedness, discrimination, and violence. This paper will investigate Lamar’s unique language and style to explore these ideas. This brought a rise to the research question: How does Kendrick Lamar’s language and style explore social injustice and its effect on society in his album ‘Damn’?
Methodology
I used purposeful sampling in selecting the songs from the album to analyze. I carefully listened to all 14 songs and perused through the lyrics to specifically choose the songs pertinent to my research question. I chose 5 songs that were pertinent to the theme of social injustice. This included aspects of racism, discrimination, police brutality, and violence. I went on to select the lyrics I thought were relevant and touched on the important issues I wanted to explore in the album. I intended to look out for invectives, plosives, symbols, figurative languages, and rhythms that brought out those issues. I also analyzed the album cover art as it was an important aspect of how the themes have affected Lamar and it gives a fair idea of what the listener should expect and should reflect on in the album.
Analysis
Lyrical Analysis
Language
Kendrick Lamar discusses an array of themes ranging from police brutality, wickedness, and racial discrimination. Kendrick Lamar echoes the issues of social injustice within the African-American society and how it affects his society.
Throughout Lamar’s lyrics, an aspect of violence is used to emphasize the wickedness prevalent in society. His choice of words is harsh, offensive language. The title of the album, “DAMN” is an effective use of invectives to call attention to the condemnation he feels as an African- American or to express his anger or frustration on the themes of police brutality, wickedness, and racial discrimination explored. I chose three songs from the album where Lamar utilizes this aspect of language to explore social injustice: “FEAR”,” FEEL” and “DNA”.
“FEAR” is based on Lamar’s fears throughout his life from childhood to adulthood. These fears include the fear of being beaten up or corrected for a mistake by his mother as a toddler; the fear of dying in a street of high crime rate and violence as an adolescent and the fear of losing his newfound fame and life.
The use of invectives highlights the severity of the punishment he may have been threatened with at a young age by his mother. This can also be interpreted as the violent behaviors that persist in the community he grew up in. It signifies a reflection of how the gang members may have interacted with one another in Compton which exudes a sense of wickedness in their relationship. Kendrick indicates that there is no peace in the black community because the offensive language he uses is a violent reference to the black community and this distinction reveals some form of discrimination. In effect, how will the white community respect or make peace with the black community if the black community is already divided?
I beat yo’ ass, keep talkin’ back
I beat yo’ ass, who bought you that?
You stole it, I beat you ass if you say that game is broken
I beat yo’ ass if you jump on my couch
I beat yo’ ass if you walk in this house
(Lamar, FEAR)
His exposure to the Compton community and his father’s involvement with a gang exposed him to violence and misfortune when he was a young boy (Woolf). This is what influenced Lamar’s language because he has witnessed this social injustice for a long time now and is venting his anger and frustration.
In Lamar’s “FEEL”, he explores his dissatisfaction with the toxicity that surrounds his fame and race and the stereotypes associated with African- Americans. In Lamar’s “FEEL”, he explores his dissatisfaction with the toxicity that surrounds his fame and race and he feels alone and disregarded in those moments. Invectives play a powerful role in Lamar’s song “FEEL” as he explicitly states the stereotypical nouns targeted at African- Americans. The association of these four derogatory words (Niggas, bitches, honkies, crackers) with Compton gives an insight into the manner of people that inhabit that community. The words refer to black people (niggas), degraded females (bitches), low-class white people (honkies and crackers. The mention of lawsuits and subpoenas gives insights into the frequency of investigations into crimes and acts of injustice leveled against those inhabitants of crackers, honkies, etc. of Compton.
Niggas, bitches, honkies, crackers, Compton
Church, religion, token blacks in bondage
Lawsuit visits, subpoena served in concert
His realization of all this negativity and segregation leading up to social injustice and the unfair treatment of African- Americans make him burst out in anger with the line “Fuck your feelings”. Lamar also feels like he is being opposed by all these forces because of his elevation as a black African-American rapper. He shuns all this name-calling and believes that they are most probably associated with “imposters” rather.
Fuck your feelings, I mean this for imposters
(Lamar, FEEL)
In “DNA” Kendrick Lamar celebrates his black excellence and how his character alternates from good to evil because of his exposure to a violent society. Similar to many rap artists, Lamar’s use of the invective “Bitch” in “DNA”, shows his aggression and anger towards his rivals when he switches to “inside your DNA” showing that he is speaking to a targeted audience. Lamar’s sentence structure is affected by his rage and this reflects in his inability to form a full sentence as he rushes to get his emotions and feelings out. The pronoun “your” highlights the presence of two opposing parties and creates a sense of division between them because Lamar distinctly shows their difference by associating them with such a disparaging word.
See, you’s a, you’s a, you’s a—
Bitch, your hormones probably switch inside your DNA
This abusive language used is most probably targeted at Geraldo Rivera for comments he made about Lamar’s BET Awards performance for his song “Alright”. Rivera commented that “hip-hop has done more damage than racism” (Maine) which caused an outburst from Lamar as he believes that he is creating awareness of the social injustice being experienced by people of his race for generations.
Lamar uses short sentences to create an aggressive and violent atmosphere. Kendrick Lamar represents black society as he generalizes social injustice by relating it to himself, “inside my DNA.” Lamar highlights his bad side which is inherently a part of him. This is made evident in his repetition of “inside my DNA”. Lamar emphasizes how alike the past and present are because the traits he possesses now are those of his ancestors which have been passed down from generation to generation creating a vicious cycle of social injustice and prejudice towards the African American society. Lamar highlights the similarities of what he and other African Americans have been through from the exposure to street violence and racism which has been in existence for a very long time and its impact on their mental and emotional being.
I got dark, I got evil, that rot inside my DNA
I got off, I got a troublesome heart inside my DNA
(Lamar, DNA)
“BLOOD” is the opening song of the album and sets the tone of wickedness and ruthlessness for the development of the album. Lamar narrates his encounter with a blind woman whom he politely asked to help. However, he is attacked with a malevolent response from the blind lady and eventually loses his life for a good deed he intended to do.
The introductory lines of the song are posed as questions to bring forth the two main forces that are prevalent throughout the song.
Is it wickedness?
Is it a weakness?
You decide
Are we gonna live or die?
(Lamar, BLOOD)
Lamar explains that he tries to lend a helping hand to the blind woman who seems to be looking for something from the ground. Lamar switches from wickedness to weakness which demonstrates a vicious cycle of the society.
This quote below represents weakness and vulnerability on his part. Lamar connects how in society, being weak or having sympathy for people can lead to your downfall because people tend to take advantage of you. Lamar indicates that if he does not help the woman he is regarded as wicked, but if he does he is regarded as weak.
So after watchin’ her struggle for a while
I decide to go over and lend a helping hand, you know?
‘Hello ma’am, can I be of any assistance?
(Lamar, BLOOD)
The ellipsis used creates a suspenseful mood and we ponder on what the blind woman will do after. The woman shoots Kendrick Lamar in return for his kind gesture. This illustrates how the weakness of an individual in society causes wickedness and a provocation of callous thoughts and feelings in general. This characterizes social injustice as a vicious cycle where doing good or bad will not reap any benefits.
She replied: ‘Oh yes, you have lost something
You’ve lost… your life.’
{Gunshot}
(Lamar, BLOOD)
The gunshot signifying Lamar’s murder at the end of the conversation functions as a flash forward that connects the album’s outro (Duckworth) to the beginning of the album.
Lamar stated his views on police brutality
With that line in the song, quote:
‘And we hate the popo, wanna kill us in the street fo’ sho’.’
Oh please, ugh, I don’t like it
(Lamar, BLOOD)
The quote above is from an extract of Fox News reporters misreporting Lamar’s lyrics as a means to conceal the raw brutality of the police criticize his views on social injustice from his single, “Alright” for his performance at the 2015 BET Awards. The lyrics are originally quoted as:
“And we hate popo,
Wanna kill us in the street fo’ sho”
This highlights the idea of police brutality evident in African-American society. The context of the words “wanna kill us” emphasizes the brutality shown to the black race as in Trayvon Martin’s death. Trayvon Martin was a young teenage boy who died by the gun of George Zimmerman. He was represented as a violent person or ‘thug’ by news corporations in an indirect attempt to justify Zimmerman’s claim of self-defense (CNN). This scenario birthed the Black Lives Matter movement as a “whitelash”(Morgan).
Lamar’s technique of using internal regular rhymes is a way of showing how he transitions from less aggressive to more aggressive as he puts more emphasis.
Loyalty, I have royalty inside my DNA
(Lamar, DNA)
In Lamar’s ‘DNA’, his reference to “Cocaine quarter piece” addresses how his family was in the cocaine business and were making some cash out of it. During an interview on The Arsenio Hall Show, Kendrick Lamar openly addressed a lesson he has learned for life as he grew up in a family that used and sold drugs. Lamar declares that he will not follow in their footsteps and wants to be a quintessential for living a drug-free life (doctor). Currently, he speaks against the advertisement of drugs that are used in song tracks by prominent artists such as Wiz Khalifa who sings about the drug “Molly” in one of his tracks.
Cocaine quarter piece got war and peace inside my DNA
Lamar goes on to associate war and peace with the wickedness and weakness of society. Kendrick informs the audience that he has seen it all; be it good or evil. Lamar’s “DNA” represents the African-American society as a whole and his expression of having “war and peace in his DNA” symbolizes the gang violence and wickedness in the streets of Compton.
I have power, poison, pain, and joy inside my DNA
I got hustle though, ambition flows inside my DNA
(Lamar, DNA)
The repetition of the consonant ‘p’ in the alliteration in the first line exhibits a monotonous mixture of sounds in the tone of the song. The emotional tone and strong language used to describe Lamar’s supposed qualities invoke anger, sympathy, and discomfort from the audience. Kendrick was exposed to things a kid of his age was not supposed to know about. These include gang violence, murder, and drugs. Lamar’s parents relocated from Chicago to Compton to escape the gang culture. However, Lamar’s father had links with the ‘Gangster Disciples gang’ in Compton. Lamar grew up around street violence of the West Coast gangs and witnessed his first murder at the age of five which could leave lingering emotions of trauma and fear in him. However, Lamar did not make these experiences scar him for life. He says “After that, you just get numb to it” (Josh). Lamar rather made meaningful, significant songs with it to acknowledge who he is as a black person. Lamar’s DNA is an acknowledgment of rap’s ability to bring out powerful, vivid emotions which serves as a reflection of his Pulitzer Prize win.
It is rather unfortunate that it took such a long time before black struggles were acknowledged in the form of rap. The ‘power, poison, pain’ of Lamar is a reflection of his life in Compton and how it birthed his gangsta rap style. This raises social awareness within his community and enables listeners to understand the forces that created the environment in which he grew up (Dover & Pozdol). This environment is what he emphasizes to be a part of his DNA or in other words, who he is and embraces. ‘Joy inside my DNA’ is an indication of the true forms of expression of pain and truth explored by Lamar which is now gaining the recognition it deserves as a true art form. The vernacular authenticity of this album is perhaps what made him win the Pulitzer Prize because it reflects the real struggles of black society through Lamar’s lifestyle.
I got hustle though, ambition flows inside my DNA
I was born like this, since one, immaculate conception
I transform like this, perform like this, was Yeshua’s new weapon
…
Bitch, your hormones probably switch inside your DNA
(Lamar, DNA)
Epistrophe is a major technique used by Lamar throughout this song as he repeats “inside my DNA”. Lamar switches from a personalized point of view, “inside my DNA”, to a general and outward perspective later on, “inside your DNA” to emphasize how Lamar is a different and unique being. He hammers on this difference through his repetition of ‘like this’. Perhaps unlike other rap artists, Lamar has “hustle…ambition” flowing through his ‘DNA’ which highlights his black power and resilience in the face of social injustice. Lamar individually praises himself for his “hustle” as he has lived through many struggles and violence from his youth.
As Lamar talks about the police brutality that exists in society in his album, his choice of words as he personalizes it with ‘I’ also suggests that he can relate to the situation and that he has seen it all through his childhood up to now. He personalizes the type of brutality he faced growing up which goes on to emphasize how social injustice through racism, brutality, and wickedness exists within the African American society and negatively takes a toll on current generations and generations to come. Lamar explains how his experiences have shaped him into what he is now. Lamar utilizes alliteration which is evident in the use of the consonant sounds ‘b’, ’d, and ’f’. Lamar uses this kind of rhythm to effectively stress this part of the song. Lamar also employs internal rhymes, which is a way he normally flows in his raps to express his emotions and in this case, the aggression he feels.
I know murder, conviction
Burners, boosters, burglars, ballers, dead, redemption
Scholars, fathers dead with kids and
I wish I was fed forgiveness
(Lamar, DNA)
Lamar begins his album with the track “BLOOD” and ends with “DUCKWORTH”. His album can be interpreted in two different ways, such that when it is played from front to back (BLOOD- DUCKWORTH) it shows a progression from wickedness to weakness which is influenced by choices. The songs at the beginning, “BLOOD”, “DNA”, and “And FEEL” show evidence of Lamar’s aggression whereas “FEAR”, “GOD” and “DUCKWORTH” end calmly. DUCKWORTH ends in weakness because Lamar ends it off with an anecdote about his father and Lamar’s current producer, Anthony (Top Dawg). Lamar narrates a story about how his father offered Top Dawg free food because he knew Top Dawg had robbed his last workplace and sensed that he was up to no good. However, the back-to-front (DUCKWORTH- BLOOD) also reveals an elevated form of his aggression and who he is through the lyrics of ‘DNA’ highlighting a progression from weakness to wickedness.
According to Ambrosia For Heads, in an interview with Kendrick Lamar with MTV, he confirmed the palindromic nature of his album and how it was a thought preconceived in the studio. “It plays as a full story and even a better rhythm. It’s one of my favorite rhythms and tempos within the album. It’s something that we premeditate while we’re in the studio.” (Lamar) Both songs end in gunshots regardless signifying the vicious, cynical cycle of society and whether you do good or bad, it will end up in death or wickedness.
We are going’ to put it in reverse
(Lamar, DUCKWORTH)
Lamar’s outro of his song ‘DUCKWORTH’ is the same as the intro of ‘BLOOD’ which foreshadows the fact that the album can be played in reverse as well or it merely signifies that the song will delve into his childhood story of growing up in a violent community and how it has affected his style of rap. (Ambrosia For Heads)
So I was takin’ a walk the other day
(Lamar, BLOOD)
So, I was takin’ a walk the other day…
(Lamar, DUCKWORTH)
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