Kan—Week 5: The Biggest Protest Song of the 2010s
When the modern, Tik-Tok-brainrotted child thinks of Kendrick Lamar, they often refer to a Black man grinning eerily at the screen, often screaming “mustard” or being paired with mangoes. However, that was not the case back in the 2010s, when Kendrick Lamar rose into the ranks of hip-hop, cementing himself as one of the greatest rappers in the genre. His influence during this era hardly extended to just music, though—no better song illustrates that than “Alright.”
Released as track 7 on his sophomore album To Pimp a Butterfly, “Alright” sees Kendrick Lamar reflecting on his past struggles and announcing his assurance in how, despite the oppression of black people, they are going to be “alright.” In this case, being “alright” does not mean complacency with the current state of race in America; rather, a determination that the US will be able to change its racist ways and move towards a better society. However, without a movement, the message of this track remained a wishful hope by the then-Grammy-nominated rapper. That was the case, at least, until a month after To Pimp A Butterfly’s release.
On a Sunday morning in April 2015, police officers in Baltimore, Maryland chased, pinned down, and arrested Freddie Gray for allegedly possessing an illegal weapon (later investigations would reveal he did not). They proceeded to paralyze him, drag him, and throw him into the back of a police van, riding to the police station—in a city where around 41% of roads are in poor condition—without properly securing him. By the time the back of the police van was opened, Freddie Gray was dead.
Freddie Grey’s story was one of many that threw the nation into outrage that year. Protests across the country demanded that police officers who terrorized and brutalized innocent African-Americans be brought to justice. Their demands were often met with batons, arrests, and riot shields; despite this, they continued on. Throughout these demonstrations, the protesters were all chanting one thing: “we gon’ be alright.”
Kendrick Lamar’s song quickly turned into a chant for this renewed movement against police brutality and racist bias. Despite the police they faced, who poured tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets against them, they would be “alright,” because what they are advocating for is seen as righteous. This hope that change would come drove the continuing impact of Black Lives Matter forward into the late 2010s.
As Lamar put it himself, “Four hundred years ago, as slaves, we prayed and sung joyful songs to keep our heads level-headed with what was going on. Four hundred years later, we still need that music to heal.” Now, Lamar has made something that serves as a descendant of those songs, a piece about hope and determination, two things integral to any movement. Now, while we live in a world where Kendrick Lamar represents 6-7s and goofy screams, remember that he once symbolized far more than that. He used to be, and will always be, part of a movement.
To be honest, I didn't know anything about Kendrick Lamar before reading this blog other than the diss tracks against Drake (which I still didn't really listen to). But his impact on American social movements is really impressive, as he's done a lot to change the discussion around the issues regarding the treatment of African Americans, which is necessary in order to improve American society. His comment on needing music to heal is true, but especially in the instance of reform, it's also necessary to grow and progress. Music paired with protests also reminds me of the protests going on the France right now, as people have played live music (specifically dystopian songs) while having tear gas thrown at them, also showing the endurance and resistance of the people against a government that doesn't really care about them. I think it's really interesting when there are celebrities that are also activists and use their platform to make positive change in the world, so it's really cool to discover that Kendrick Lamar is one of them!
ReplyDeleteI think it’s worth exploring this idea of whether things will be “alright” in American society, or more specifically whether an America where racial prejudice is completely absent. I notice the trope of striving for an ideal, egalitarian America quite often in media and literature. Or at least striving for an equal society, so we can get as close to one. But as I think more about it, I’m not sure if this is possible, and I think we might have to question whether this striving for a perfect America actually helps bring society closer together. Right off the bat, we’re taught that “reach for the stars and you’ll land at the moon,” but in the context of racial prejudice, it paints an almost utopian sense of absolutism, which I think can actually exhaust us. If we constantly compare society to a utopia, it may cause us to look solely at the negatives, and may cease us to go after incremental progress whatsoever. It’s also important to consider how the picture of an egalitarian utopia may function as a defence mechanism, which may desensitize us to the real problems going on in our societies. Historically, we have seen how difference often breeds friction between social groups, therefore striving for a truly utopian society may just be psychologically impossible. It may however, be a better strategy to work towards a society that builds strong mechanisms to counter prejudice, and one that deploys both proactive and reactive measures to minimize friction that may occur, and mitigate the effects of friction if we fail to stop it before it starts. Through this perspective, it may not be the striving part that hurts us, but rather the expectation of static peace that prevents us from fixing things we actually can.
ReplyDeleteHi Kan! I really enjoyed your blog and how you demonstrated the complexity of Kendrick Lamar by explaining how he openly fights oppression against black people. To be honest, my knowledge of Lamar is definitely surface level, so thank you for teaching me more about him! I find that I like Lamar much more now after learning about how he addresses prejudice both through his music and public statements. I actually do not listen to his music, but after learning about the meaningfulness of his song “Alright”, I will need to give it a listen! It is truly sad to hear about the Freddie Gray case and how the racism of police officers ended his life, even though he was innocent. Situations like this are much more common than they should be, especially considering that the police are meant to protect us. However, it is extremely heartening to hear about how society persistently protested against police brutality and racial bias and how Lamar also played such a key role in speaking up.
ReplyDelete