K.Dot

“In the land where hurt people hurt more people f**k calling it culture”. Now undeniably a part of the hip-hop hall of hame, rapper Kendrick Lamar grew up in Compton, Los Angeles– the setting for which his childhood and general life would take place and a perfect foundation for his experiences of systemic injustices and subsequent impacts on “hood culture”. 

As one dives deeper into the works of Kendrick Lamar, especially through his lens as a commentator on the broader world of the hood experience, the more one realizes how existentialist Kendrick is. Of course, he does find blame in the system itself for its inequalities and general poor living quality for the black community. However, as is exemplified in many songs (and entire projects), his attribution of fault does not rest in the wider system– the cogs in the system are also to blame. 

In the song “Blacker the Berry” he raps:

So don't matter how much I say I like to preach with the Panthers

Or tell Georgia State "Marcus Garvey got all the answers"

Or try to celebrate February like it's my B-Day

Or eat watermelon, chicken, and Kool-Aid on weekdays

Or jump high enough to get Michael Jordan endorsements

Or watch BET 'cause urban support is important

So why did I weep when Trayvon Martin was in the street

When gang-banging make me kill a ***** blacker than me?

Hypocrite!

What does it mean to be black? More specifically, what does it mean to be part of hood culture? And why do we decide to idolize it while condemning certain aspects of the same culture as if they are unrelated? These are the questions Kendrick Lamar asks of the community. The system itself is a problem, but the people within the system neglect to acknowledge that the glorification of poverty and violence in impoverished areas does nothing to alleviate the situation. In short, Kendrick Lamar’s existentialism stems from his sense of internal accountability– the people in the system exacerbate its issues and expect them to be resolved. 

This is what makes Kendrick Lamar such a unique artist– he’s reached a point in his career where he can permeate his lyrics with his true opinions and unfiltered stream of consciousness and produce great art. He’s spiritual, believes in what’s right, advocates positive change. But most importantly, he isn’t afraid to berate the masses. His thoughts aren’t contingent on what the majority thinks because he knows that at the end of the day, pure truth remains untouched.