By Tequila Sway
When you think about the overall plight of black people throughout time up until today, you’d find yourself amazed by the craftsmanship, invention, natural artistic abilities, and just good ole courageous execution it took to bottle up culture and pass it down for future generations to marvel at and be inspired by with hopes of continuing on a legacy. Contemporary creatives, such as Kendrick Lamar is the byproduct of such tenacity and dedication and it reeks from his pores, art, and especially as the very first rapper to be awarded as a Pulitzer Prize winner.
On social media these days, you will find posts of people claiming to be their ancestor’s wildest dreams, but Kendrick, or K. Dot, as some of the super fans like to refer to him as, is putting those words where his mouth is…with his immaculate storytelling skills. A major prerequisite of being a conduit of the ancestors is having orator skills. K. Dot presents a story in a way that draws in the listener to have all ears from parables of personal experience, that even if you hadn’t experienced such circumstances, you would find yourself filled with the emotions of that specific time. For example, let’s take the song, “Element,” a song from the album Damn, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize award.
‘I’m willing to die for this sh!t
I done cried for this sh!t, might take a life for this sh!t
Put the Bible down and go eye for eye for this sh!t
D-O-T my enemy, won’t catch a vibe for this sh!t
The lyrics of this verse pours from him with a deep understanding of the sacrifices the ancestors went through for, not only contemporary black artists, but for black in general to be in the position that we are in today. Despite the great debate over whether we have made any progress as a culture or as a country, K. Dot paints a picture of gratitude while also supporting the famous quote, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” He takes a stand each time he is being interviewed and speaks of his human experience as a black man growing up in America, poor, while presenting himself transformed knowing art evolves with the person. When he speaks, the ancestors use him as a vessel because he opens himself up to be of service which reeks from his pores and shows up in his art.
His art is a pure representation of authenticity and what it looks like when an artist vulnerably opens up to the world, which, contrary to popular opinion, is not an easy thing to do. As an artist myself, I have struggled with the idea of wanting to tell certain stories in my creative writing or spoken word poetry out of fear of throwing someone under the bus, but the truth is, an artist is merely expressing his or her experience from their point of view in a creative way. Though sometimes it can be therapeutic, it also carries a great deal of anxiety especially when being presented to a large audience unknowing how the story, the art will be perceived. K Dot is my favorite hip-hop artist because he combines multiple art mediums to tell a story. With a background in drama, he uses songwriting, acting, dance, and even most recently, AI, to communicate to audiences worldwide, impacting people of different ethnicities. As an appointed revolutionary, K. Dot. presents the ugly truth, but the underlying message is all about human connection and spreading love.
Winning the Pulitzer Prize was the icing on his multilayered cake of countless grammys, BET awards, and other recognitions. His commercial success did not change his character which has gained the respect and trust of his living inspirations such as Eminem, Nas and Jay Z while often giving credit to his biggest influence, Tupac, then DMX. Despite all of his accomplishments, K Dot would not have been a rapper had it not been for someone in particular. “My middle school teacher was probably the reason I became a rapper. He used to encourage me to write poetry and would challenge me, which helped me to improve my vocabulary and made me enjoy writing.” (Stallings, 2021) Shout out to all of the English teachers of the world! Keep supporting and encouraging the students. Never know who you’re teaching, or raising for that matter.
It is said that, “Every revolutionary act is an act of love.” Well, it’s safe to say Kendrick Lamar’s willingness to sacrifice himself for the sake of the culture and succeed at it, is indeed, our ancestors’ wildest, craziest dream.
References:
Lamar, Kendrick. “Element” TDE; Aftermath;Interscope. 14, April 2017.
Stallings, Antonio. “Did Kendrick Lamarr Graduate High School?” Showbiz Cheat Sheet. 1, October, 2021
