Kendrick Lamar
Student’s Name
Affiliate Institution
Kendrick Lamar is an American musician. He is a renowned producer and songwriter. He was born on June 17, 1987. Lamar is s renowned artist of hip hop genre. He lives in Compton, California, in the U.S. One of the most significant moments of the rapper’s life is when he met his idols, Tupac and Dr. Dre, filming a music video for their song; California Love. At school, everyone said he was shy and his mother even said that he was a ‘loner’. He joined the music industry in 2004 (Haithcoat, 2011). He started performing when young and he was referred to as K-Dot. Kendrick began his fame journey in 2010 after releasing “Overly Dedicated”. Tupac Shakur, Jay Z, Eminem, Nash, and Notorious B.I.G. are among the favorite rappers Kendrick likes.
One of the main works of Kendrick Lamar is the song “Humble.” The main aim of the song is to target relationships. Kendrick used the song as a way of calling the African American men to action. He was asking them to do something extraordinary. Kendrick used the song as a way of asking the men to look at where they are and utilize the power within them. Being a humble man, Lamar asks the other men to start their journey towards humility. The men should also show humility to their wives in relationships. In the video, we see Lamar in a salon, which could be a way of teaching men how they can connect with women.
There are different musical elements used in the song “Humble” by Kendrick. The song makes use of three notes. Consequently, it is hard to determine if the chords are minor or significant. A grand piano is used in the song. This makes the song look inexpensive. The piano plays a down-low riff on repetition. The lyrics used in the chorus are said so fast that there is no time left for them to ‘breathe.’ The vocals used are applied to each other. Besides, the chorus is simple; the back vocals make the listeners anxious, which runs through as one listens to the song. The song’s motif can be said to have a modal quality that is unfamiliar.
The song has led to the development of music in several ways. First, the song has encouraged more artists to convey the issues in society through music. Different cultural issues are nowadays being addressed through music. Poverty, gender equity, food insecurity, poor governance, and fairness are among the many problems which are currently being brought out by artists in the music industry. The song is being listened to by people all over the world. Music is, therefore, developing in such places. African American men are the targeted audience of the song, and once they listen to it, they recommend it to other men who they think should listen to the message conveyed by the song.
After listening to the song, I was amazed by the way Kendrick was motivating other men to be humble and look after their wives and females in their lives. The chorus repeats the word ‘humble’ severally as a way of emphasizing how ordinary they should be. Also, the chorus has the words ‘sit down’. These, in my view, are used to show that you can also listen to others. Sit down and let others show you the way.
References
Haithcoat, Rebecca. (2011). Born and Raised in Compton, Kendrick Lamar Hides a Portals Soul Behind “Pussy $ Patron.” L.A. Weekly.
Best Music and Albums of All Time. Metacritic. Retrieved April 24, 2020.