K DOT EXPOSED 3.15.15 Blog Post by Alexandra Lange It’s no secret that I love music. There is nothing better than finding songs with incredible beats and deliberate lyrics. Either blasting it into my headphones or throughout my room, I can’t get enough of a good song when I find one. Although I do like to use music as an escape and a barrier from the real world, I also enjoy listening artists that touch on current issues and offer their perspective, but somehow keep it smooth over an effortless melody. This is the reason I am infatuated with Kendrick Lamar. A consistent musician that never fails to express his sentiments on modern and prevalent problems in our society. I think it is awesome how he shares his ideas with his listeners. I never understood artists who keep their views to themselves- because isn’t good music just an expression of the musicians thoughts? Not them listing how many Benz’s and stacks on stacks (on stacks) they have! Since the release of Lamar’s first retail album, Section.80 people have recognized his incredible talents. Following with his first major label album, Good Kid, m.A.A.d City, Kendrick quickly soared to the top of every chart. With top selling singles like Swimming Pools (Drank), Poetic Justice, Backseat Freestyle, Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe, and Mad City- the album was bound to be a hit. The whole album tells a story. After sittings and listening to it straight through multiple times, it can almost feel like you are sitting next to Kendrick. It is as if he is describing events of his early life in Compton. Songs like The Art of Peer Pressure and Good Kid evoke a true and soulful aura from Lamar’s life- facing drugs, gang violence and family issues. The album as a whole is like a really interesting and musical autobiography.
GOOD KID, m.A.A.d CITY Since Good Kid, m.A.A.d city, Kendrick has been seen on shows like SNL and The Colbert Report. Also he’s been featured on many other albums, and had 4 Grammy nominations in the past year. As a fan of his, I am overwhelming proud of him and all of his well- deserved success. But personally (and I am sure this is not just me)- I want NEED another album. Kendrick has dropped singles like “i” (a Grammy winner- which to be honest I was not a fan of) and “Blacker The Berry”, an intelligently crafted piece. But that is about it and I need more. THANKFULLY Mr. Lamar is going to grace us with his ever anticipated, sophomore album on March 23rd (9 days but whose counting). The album, To Pimp A Butterfly is said to be extremely expressive and something that will be talked about for a very long time. The LP has 16 songs, one including The Blacker the Berry Ft. Assassin, which we know focuses mainly on race equality and refers to the recent social issues dealing with the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner. This topic is very near and dear to Kendrick as a young, black man who grew up in Compton, California. Blacker the Berry is a tactful song in which Kendrick repeats the lyric “I’m the biggest hypocrite of 2015″ at the beginning of each verse. He is expressing that even though it is terrible that these young black men died for no reason, other young blacks shouldn’t be asking for justice because many times the deaths are black on black- essentially he wants the listener to look at themselves and evaluate if they are morally right or just being a hypocrite (because they can). Kendrick is a lyrical genius who puts almost all of his effort into expressing his ideas in a creative and effective manor. TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY The album To Pimp A Butterfly is named in honor of Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird- a book that focuses on a very similar topic (race inequality). With features from Assassin, Robert Glasper, and Lalah Hathaway I can already tell this album will be a favorite in myItunes library for a very loooong time. Check out what else i’m listening to: https://soundcloud.com/minorinfluence #minorinfluence#soundcloudXminorinfluence#kendrick lamar#good kid m.a.a.d city#section.80#to pimp a butterfly#music#blogger