Kendrick lamar’s award winning music video for his 2017 single Element shows the many experiences he faced growing up as a black man. The various symbols broadcasted throughout this music video show specific conflicts and struggle that he has dealt with throughout his life and also allowed black man that have been in his position something to relate to. He teamed up with director/photographer Jonas Lindstroem to help him convey his message but in a unique and creative way. The slow moving scenes show a softer depiction of his encounters. They give a sense of understanding which allows the viewer to be able to comprehend and absorb his message. As a whole, it was a collection of the pain, beauty, peace and violence that exists within his “element”. …show more content…
“From the conclusion of the Civil War to the present moment, the hegemonic system of white supremacy has represented a ubiquitous challenge for survival for members of the black community (McLeod).” A lot of his images were inspired by Gordon Parks, a photographer that was popularized during the civil rights era that captured photos of the lives of black people. Scenes like the man teaching his son how to throw a punch was inspired by a photo parks took of Muhammad Ali teaching a young boy how to fight. Although it was inspired by parks, this scene symbolizes how black men are taught to fight. In another scene, Lamar show black men throwing punches in a uniformed fashion as if it was something that is taught scholastically. Another important symbol in this is guns. There is a scene of a young dark skinned boy pointing a gun in the distance. This symbolizes how darker skinned black people are viewed as more violent than other people. He also had a scene where a black man that was beaten up by police officers. This is apparent because of the blue and red lights flashing. This was to show that when we encounter law enforcement, there is a high risk of mistreatment for doing something small like not stopping all the way at a stop
This showed the beginning of the attack and the acts of hate against colored people. This also showed how limited and short the lives of colored people could be during these times because white supremacy would not allow them to thrive making their lives miserable and filled with living in the shadows.
The central idea of Vince Staples’ song is that the civil rights activists were not able to rely on the traditional media to tell their story; rather they would need to take action by becoming more involved with the issue for the nation to acknowledge the racial injustices which people of color were facing at the time. The use of music in the Black Panther film shows the racial stance which is taken and alludes to the civil rights movement at that time and can also represent more recent cases of police brutality, and how these events of racial inequality which has
Lamar’s specialty has always been narrating and rapping about racism, and the problems black people have to face in their everyday lives just to stay alive while being treated unethically, but his compositions have never explored themes outside this dilemma. This album gives a different feel from his previous albums due to this. ‘Damn’ illustrates Kendrick’s frustrations throughout the years that can only be described as a deep depression. Contradicting and complicated feelings that can never be expressed through words alone, which is ironic considering Lamar has been constantly cited as one of the greatest lyricists of his generation. These feelings have been built up as a result of his rising fame. In one song, Kendrick feels that nobody is looking out for him and his well-being and that his fans only care about his music and their perceived image or persona of him that they only see in the media, despite not being his true personality. He then mentions that he desires self-isolation because of this, and later contradicts himself in another song, expressing that he wants more attention and stating
In the 2015 kendrick Lamar song “u”. Kendrick describes the feelings that constantly haunt his heart and the guilt he carries everyday. Reflecting on his darkest moments, lingering pain and the details of his depression. The song “u” by kendrick uses literary tools like Soliloquy and Conflict to show how built up guilt leads to his prolonged depression.
Annotated Bibliography Lamar, Kendrick. To Pimp A Butterfly. Top Dawg Entertainment. 2015. CD One of my sources is Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp A Butterfly”, the reason behind the choice of this sources is relation it has to my topic “Race in America: The Unifying Nation”.
Kendrick Lamar and his works were prominent at the 58th Grammy Awards, as he was a part of 5 Grammy Awards. Lamar’s greatest accomplishment was winning the “Best Rap Album” category, as he was awarded this for To Pimp a Butterfly. Songs off of the album To Pimp a Butterfly were awarded as well, as his songs “Alright” and “These Walls” earned a combined three Grammy awards. By gaining these awards, Lamar added accomplishments to his already successful career. This article relates to Invisible Man because of the messages and themes discussed on the album To Pimp a Butterfly. While Lamar’s work is primarily hip hop, it contains
I selected a photograph by Gordon Parks entitled, Red Jackson, Harlem, New York, and the image above was captured in 1948. Gordon Parks, born November 30, 1912 in Fort Scott, Kansas, was the youngest of fifteen children born to Andrew and Sarah Parks. His mother taught him the ethics of hard work, dignity, and love. He became a filmmaker, a writer, and a composer, although he utilized a camera as his weapon of choice. The point that I found extremely appealing regarding Gordon Parks, he struggled through his teenage and early adult life, I consider that these experiences gave him the compassion needed to capture the circumstances of others, in a way that make us look past the labels that society puts on people.
Cultural phenomenon, rapper Kendrick Lamar has embraced a growing minority centered culture in America through his album “To Pimp A butterfly” this album conveys themes of hardship for minorities and cultural uprising. One of the singles on this album “Alright” simply tells black audiences that with faith everything will be alright. He uses the Lyrics “Alls my life I has to fight, nigga .Alls my life I...Hard times like God. Bad trips like: ‘God!’ Nazareth, I 'm fucked up..Homie you fucked up..But if God got us then we gon ' be alright” These lyrics simply tell suppressed minorities that despite hardship there is hope within our communities. . Months prior to the release of Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” several attacks from white police officers happened in the black community. A common case in this uproar was the “Mike Brown case”. In this case a black man was shot dead after allegedly robbing a local gas station. Kendrick simply responded to these seemingly racial attacks with his album to “Pimp a Butterfly”. To pimp a butterfly simply means to use your influence to the best of its ability to make a meaningful impact. With tracks like “Alright” Kendrick Lamar does just that. The Primary themes and issues conveyed in this song are white supremacy, racism and black uprising
Over the past few years tragic events seem to be surrounding our society. An array of killings, social protests, police brutality and racism have startled the nation. Lately celebrities have been addressing these issues more and more on TV, in interviews and in the public eye. One incredible artist just used her talent to address all of these issues and more in her new music video "Formation". Beyoncé is an iconic figure in our culture, spreading her talent, feminist views and activism worldwide. This video is one of a kind. It is not centered on her but on Black America. There have been many critics disagreeing with Beyoncé 's video. They felt that she spread negative messages of police throughout her video. Others, however, loved her video. They felt she used her platform to reach out and address issues. Supporters and critics of the video have expressed their opinions in many different ways. In this paper I will analyze this video that has been shared worldwide. The question I ask is: "How does Beyoncé depict the complexity of Black Americans?" In order to answer this question, I will apply Pentadic criticism to analyze this discourse.
Kendrick Lamar’s third studio album, “To Pimp a Butterfly,” sheds light on the struggle of achieving rich and fame and the trials that come with. Rolling Stone and Billboard praised the album awarding it the best album of 2015. The album depicts the difficulties of fame by putting the trials and tribulations on display; the inability for those to adjust to their new lifestyle and the potential temptations that creep in. “To Pimp a Butterfly” has been both a divisive and uniting factor in its emergence in popular culture.
The art of music is a fascinating concept to consider in the sense of the purpose of the words used. Building upon that, when a music video accompanies a song and its lyrics, more information is brought to the viewers’ attention. Things such as mood and colors are things that since only can be conveyed in physical form, give more detailed information to viewers. This also helps describe the artist, as well as apply the lyrics to a visual sense and help grab listeners into attention. The rapper Lecrae is one example of an artist who has well developed lyrics and a solid video to further get his message across.
On April 14th, 2017, proclaimed artist, Kendrick Lamar, released his fourth studio album, titled Damn. This fourteen track album was possibly Lamar’s most personal and most in-depth project yet. However, no song on this album, perhaps, reaches the personal level of the fifth track titled “FEEL.” In this song Lamar gives a super in-depth look at what he believes his biggest issues are and allows the listener to realize your own by confessing his. The purpose of this essay is to conduct a rhetorical analysis of Kendrick Lamar’s “FEEL.” and his effective use of the rhetorical devices ethos, pathos, and logos.
In “Alright” Kendrick Lamar is speaking to the public about police brutality, or is he sending a deeper message to the people of minority. Kendrick Lamar released the song titled “Alright” in 2015. Upon release the song instantly blew up. It 's catchy and even though people got tongue tied trying to recite the song everyone knew the hook of the song which stated “We gon be alright do you hear me do you feel me we gon be alright.” I wonder did anyone catch the poetic verses Kendrick was saying before the hook. By simply watching the video you instantly think oh police brutality but I recieved a deeper message. I believe Kendrick wanted the song to inform the public about the brutality that seemed to be continuous at the time; and offer a bit of hope to those who didn’t feel there was any. That’s why the song was so famous, Kendrick performed this song on numerous award shows and talk shows because the people needed to hear it. Though some believe the song is in protest against cops or sending a bad message others believe it is an anthem for african americans.
Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” covers many important issues including self-hatred, blackness, representations of success, and police brutality. In one track off the album, “The Blacker The Berry”, Lamar speaks from the perspective of a young, angry, black man who takes a confrontational and hostile stance against police brutality. From the instrumental, to the features, to Lamar’s tone, to the lyrics, everything about this song screams rebellion against harmful institutions and police who seek to diminish the state of black people in America and the world.
Unlike many other mainstream artists, Kendrick Lamar attaches great importance to the lyrics of his songs. Lamar’s song “DNA”, released last April, became a real breakthrough in the world of hip-hop music. In this song, Lamar reflects on various social issues faced by the modern African-American community of the USA. The song’s lyrics, as well as the music video, portrays the most common stereotypes and biases labeled to the African-American community. The central aim of the song is to sarcastically demonstrate the image of African-Americans as they are viewed by biased media. By the use of symbolical sarcasm and double meanings, Lamar underlines the acuteness of the race inequality that remains existing in the modern America.