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Margaux Colonna
Honors American Literature
Mr. Kim
6 June 2022
Lamar’s Legacy: Rap Music’s Relevance to Black Americans Today
The American Dream in today’s context idealizes the image of success and happiness
through hard work but is steadily becoming more and more unattainable for many because of the
structure of society and the impact of prejudice. There are many people affected by this and is
often expressed through rap music by the Black community where they incorporate lyrics,
stories, rhythm, and beats to address and resist against it. Kendrick Lamar specifically is a
predominant figure in rap music who won fourteen Grammy awards and was nominated for
thirty-nine, most of them in the Rap categories; his songs reflect on his experiences as a Black
man in America and how growing up in poverty influenced him. Lamar's rap music of the 2000
reveals a failed American Dream through songs that speak to the struggles faced by black males
growing up in poverty and surrounded by racism and other societal pressures, as well as the
temptations of getting lost along the way.
Because of Lamar’s childhood and the pressures he faced throughout his life, he found an
outlet and inspiration through creating music. Once he made it out of poverty, he always feared
experiencing financial instability again, which made him understand how people (especially
rappers) can easily become lured by the fame and money aspects of the rap industry. In his song
“FEAR.” from his career-defining album DAMN., Lamar explores how this weight motivated
him and kept him grounded throughout his newfound success; however, fear still lingers as he
raps “At 27, my biggest fear was losin’ it all / scared to spend money, had me sleepin’ hall to hall
/ scared to go back to Section 8 with my mama stressin’” (Lamar 4:29). He refers to Section 8, a
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government subsidized residence area, catering to those beneath the poverty line. Even in his
great success, he cannot fully enjoy it because his mother still lives in Section 8 and he
recognizes the fragility of fame and the disadvantages that many Black Americans face under
poverty. This is a common fear to have in America as money is seen as a competition and it
becomes harder to obtain as the wealth gap increases. If one does not have a decent amount of
money, then a satisfactory and stable quality of life is difficult to achieve, which is a lesson that
Lamar had to grow up with. Lamar descriptively introduces his inner dialogue said by his
mother to give insight on how he was raised and to explain why he has these constant fears. “I
beat yo’ ass, keep talkin’ back… That homework better be finished, I beat yo’ ass… Them
Jordans better not get dirty when I just bought ‘em’” (Lamar 1:27). Lamar uses the anaphora “I
beat yo’ ass” to emphasize the violence he receives from his own family and how it is so
normalized against children as a typical form of punishment. Society essentially destines Black
men to fall behind because of the way racism presents itself in everyday life, limiting their
potential and ultimately instilling fear in them.
Upon his quick success that is still very alive today as he recently released his new
album, Lamar continues to weave stories into his songs. He introduces the culture he grew up
and environment as violent and contained by systemic racism leading to his reality to feel like
the constant threat of being at war. The way he describes the murders, hate crimes, gang
violence, etc., carries a casual tone portraying his numbness towards such horrific incidences.
Food insecurity and drugs were also prominent in his upbringing as he asks the listener in his hit
song “Money Trees” to “Imagine Rock up in them projects where them n- pick your pockets/
Santa Claus don’t miss those stockings, liquor spilling pistols popping/ Baking soda YOLA
whipping, ain’t no turkey on Thanksgiving/ My homeboy just domed a n-, I just hope the lord
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forgive him/ Pots with cocaine residue, everyday I’m hustlin’/ What else is a thug to do when
you eatin’ cheese from the government?” (Lamar 4:26). I can imagine thriving and finding
stability in a society where one is surrounded by drugs and violence with little true support, yet
Lamar found his support and comfort through music. However, many Black Americans still face
these struggles in their day-to-day lives, as society is structured to purposefully invalidate and
devalue such people; Lamar recognizes these traumas and tribulations as the American
experience. On a more positive note, Lamar also has hope for the future and finds comfort in
religion in his other hit song “Alright”, where he still discusses the same themes but puts a spin
on it by rapping “I’m at the preacher’s door / My knee’s gettin’ weak and my gun might blow /
But we gon’ be alright” (Lamar 2:34). Even with temptations and the reality of a situation
constantly surrounding him, he finds salvation through his preacher, and wants others to find the
same.
Many Black Americans find comfort and connection through Lamar’s music because of
his honest and unfiltered truth of the American experience for Black Americans. Along with his
numerous accolades and heightened recognition throughout his career, Lamar has received praise
for his ability to use lyricism and storytelling along with his musical knowledge to connect to a
wide audience. With the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and the increased discussion
of police brutality, Lamar’s music is relevant and poignant to the issues and allows him to not
only spread awareness, but also share his perspective of it all. Lamar’s perseverance will
continue to further his career and inspire the world to not avoid these somewhat taboo topics, and
therefore allow us to move forward as a society.
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Works Cited
Lamar, Kendrick. “FEAR.”. Damn. Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/track/23luOrEVHMfoX0A
hfbQuS6?si=6a64c91885a8441a
Lamar, Kendrick. “Money Trees”. good kid, m.a.a.d. city. Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/trac
k/2HbKqm4o0w5wEeEFXm2sD4?si=f004f764b34a4593
Lamar, Kendrick. “Alright”. To Pimp a Butterfly. Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/track/3iVcZ5
G6tvkXZkZKlMpIU s?si=43e83342b1734d1a
