Case Study- Kendrick Lamar by Arianna Diaz-Vangeldren

Biography

diazvangeldrenaa — 2024-08-27 18:25:37 UTC

Kendrick Lamar was born in Compton, California on June 17th, 1987 as 'Kendrick Lamar Duckworth'. He started rapping in elementary school, he discovered a talent for writing stories, poems, and lyrics, which led him to rapping. Lamar's inspiration for rap was Tupac, but his influences were, Lil Wayne's punchlines, the Cerebral poetry of Nas, the West Coast Swagger of Snoop Dogg, and the Intricate internal rhymes of Eminem. Kendrick is the first child of his parents, Kenneth "Kenny" Duckworth and Paula Oliver. Kendrick also has a younger sister, Kayla Duckworth. Kendrick grew up in a high-crime area of Compton, California where his parents had moved to escape a violent milieu in Chicago. In 2010 Lamar dropped his K-Dot tag and began using his name, he continued writing music and lyrics and continued to tour and collaborate with more popular recording artists such as Young Jeezy, The Game, Talib Kweli, Busta Rhymes, and Lil Wayne. Dr.Dre would take Lamar under his wing, becoming his mentor in music and business. Eventually, Dr.Dre signed Lamar to his independent record label. Lamar also got to go alongside established rap stars such as Eminem and 50 Cent. Kendrick won many Grammys such as a Primetime Emmy Award, One Brit Award, Four American Music Awards, Six Billboard Music Awards, and 11 MTV Video Music Awards. Kendrick has 17 Grammy Awards and 29 BET Hip Hop Awards as of now.

Lyric Analysis

diazvangeldrenaa — 2024-09-09 17:38:53 UTC

I wanna analyze the lyrics in Kendrick's song 'Poetic Justice', "If I told you that a flower bloomed in a dark room would you trust it? " In those lyrics, Kendrick is the flower that bloomed, calling himself a good kid, 'in the darkroom' which is Maad city. But Kendrick also puts it differently stating, "Am I the flower? No, I am thinking she is the flower the whole time because I have no idea about her background, just being oblivious to it. Being young and not knowing. She may look good on the outside, but this flower may be full of bees and no honey. You feel me?" Breaking it down, Kendrick is saying that no matter who it is you meet, when you first meet them you're gonna look at them as they are the greatest thing ever, if they are a good person but as time goes on you gonna realize that they have flaws of their own and they aren't the person you made them out to be in your head. Kendrick could also be saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover", just in a different way because you could be judging someone for who you see them as on the outside but you don't know what's truly going on overall with them. The flower in his lyrics could also represent Kendrick's relationship with whomever he might be with at the time, both emotionally and physically, it's unlikely that their love could bloom in such a circumstance since their families are involved in gangs but the flower could also mean a seed as in impregnation.

Story

diazvangeldrenaa — 2024-09-16 17:27:35 UTC

I chose Kendrick Lamar because he is one of the artists I listen to the most, and I also like how his music sounds and his lyrics have meaning to them or meaning behind them. I grew up with an older brother and I was never allowed to have a phone until I was of age so he would always let me listen to music with him since I liked it so much and one of the top artists he listened to was Kendrick. From then on I've always loved to listen to Kendrick and waited for new music. I mostly only really listened to Kendrick to be closer to my brother. We have at least one thing in common with him so we can talk about something together. I also grew up listening to RnB and rap because that's all my friends and family around me would listen to and I always loved how Rap and RnB sounded and flowed so anytime I would hear a good Rap song I would always ask the name of the songs and artist and wrote it down in a little notebook I had filled with songs and the one artist I noticed I had down a lot of Kendricks songs. I eventually showed my brother my notebook of songs and artists I had written down and that's when we started bonding over our love for Kendricks's music. Overall I didn't have a personal connection with Kendricks songs or lyrics but I just loved the way he put together his songs, his flow, and his beats.

Geography

diazvangeldrenaa — 2024-09-30 17:13:06 UTC

Kendrick Lamar was born and raised in Compton, California in 1987. In the 1980s Compton was a typical example of an urban crisis bred out of gangs, crack cocaine, and the dismantling of virtually every effort to fight the "War of Poverty". In 1988 the rap group N.W.A. consisted of Dr.Dre, Ice Cube, Eazy-E, MC Ren, DJ Yella, and formerly Arabian Prince, all put the city of Compton in the national consciousness with the release of 'Straight Outta Compton', which was a chronicle of violent life on the streets and fury aimed at the police. Growing up in Compton was very difficult for Kendrick but it did inspire him to talk about the effects of violence on African American urban youth and the effects of gang culture and racism in America as a whole. Kendrick says that his childhood was bleak but served as the backdrop for his music. Lamar also says that his childhood is nearly in every song and every interview he does. Eventually, he states, "What happens is it invites people in to get another perspective," telling us that he incorporates his childhood into his songs to give us a taste of how life was where he grew up and how life was in Compton overall, for everyone who lived in Compton then. Kendrick has been donating thousands of dollars to help schools in Compton Unified School Districts, as well as hosted Christmas toy drives with his former record label Top Dawg Entertainment, and has been honored with a key to the city of Compton.

Art & Imagery

diazvangeldrenaa — 2024-10-14 17:56:50 UTC

Art originated about 42,000 years ago in Chauvet, France. Painting emerged in prehistory when nomadic people used paintings on rock walls. They made drawings with charcoal leaving marks in the caves where they passed. The first form of art was Cave Art (Paleolithic Art). Art was used as a means of socialization and identity formation, it was a way for early humans to express their individuality, creativity, and connection to their community. A form of art known as "hip-hop art" is graffiti. Graffiti was originally started in New York in the late 1960s by Darryl McCray, also known as "Cornbread", he is widely regarded as the father of modern-day graffiti. Graffiti is also known as street art, the roots of street art can be traced back to the graffiti subculture that emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s in cities like New York and Philadelphia. Graffiti artists, often use pseudonyms or "tags", would leave their marks on walls, trains, and other public spaces. Graffiti became illegal because it was considered vandalism, it's only considered vandalism if you didn't get consent to do it. It is a common misperception that gangs do most graffiti when gangs are only responsible for less than 10% of graffiti, Suburbs males, pre-teens to their early 20s, commit approximately 50% of graffiti vandalism. Most graffiti artists tag their work, the top 5 most popular tags of graffiti are, Tox (Tox09), Banksy, Robbo, Cornbread, and Jisoe. The meaning behind graffiti is a way of communicating and a way of expressing oneself. It is both art and a functional thing that can warn people of something or inform people of something. However, graffiti is to some people a form of art, but to some sort of vandalism.

Artists Musical Influence

diazvangeldrenaa — 2024-10-22 15:09:34 UTC

Kendrick Lamar's biggest musical inspiration is Tupac Shakur. Tupac is Lamar's biggest influence, having impacted both his professional and personal lives. He also has tons of other inspiration such as 2pac's social conscience, the punchlines of Lil Wayne, the cerebra poetry of Nas, the West Coast Swagger of Snoop Dogg, and the intricate internal rhymes of Eminem - all these artists are all present in Lamar. One of his inspirations that made him want to become an artist was Dr.Dre who happened to be his mentor. Dr. Dre found out about Kendrick through J. Cole, later on Dr. Dre goes on to sign Kendrick giving him a secured joint contract with Dr.Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. Kendrick states, "Tupac Inspired me just the simple way of how he put his words together." 'You really felt them, you felt the passion behind them. They meant something, not only to him, but when you heard it, you actually got a full experience rather than just words, you actually felt his words, that's something that I was inspired to put in my music. Lamar also adds that "All Eyez on me" is probably the album he goes back to the most, "Just because I got memories of certain individuals that was playing that record all day, every day. So it kinda holds a special place in my heart, certain songs." He basically tells us that Tupac's music was more than just words but they meant something, they always meant something, not only to Tupac but to anyone who listened to his music, they would all feel the passion behind the lyrics.

Fashion

2024-10-30 14:04:15 UTC

Kendricks fashion choices were heavily influenced by his Compton roots, featuring a mix of oversized jerseys, baggy jeans, and classic sneakers. The style resonated with his commitment to authenticity and storytelling within his music, reflecting the struggles and experiences of his upbringing. Lamar's fashion sense started to evolve in 2012 when his album "Good Kid, m.A.A.d city" was released. Gritty streetwear elements persisted of his outfits, as shown at 2012 BET Awards where he jumpstarted Rhude by wearing t-shirts designed by the LA based brand. Then with the release of his album "To Pimp a Butterfly" in 2015, Kendrick's fashion underwent a slight transformation. This period marked a departure from conventional streetwear, as Lamar began experimenting with bold patterns, statement accessories, and a more avant-garde approach. His attire became a canvas for self-expression, mirroring the complexity and artistic depth of his music. Lamar started collaborating with high-end designers, solidifying his presence in the fashion world. In 2017 during his the era of his "DAMN" album, we witnessed Kendrick embracing a fusion of streetwear and high fashion. His outfits became a balance of luxury and urban aesthetics, often featuring designer pieces from brands like Balenciaga , Off-White, and Fear of God. Lamar's fashion choices during this time were characterized by a mix of athletic influences and bold accessories off the stage while on stage during his tour he was embracing the "Kung Fu Kenny" looks. It was all about beautifully blending luxury brands with his Compton Roots. In recent years, Kendrick's fashion has continued to evolve, demonstrating his versatility and willingness to push boundaries. He's been spotted wearing tailored suits for special events, showcasing a more polished and sophisticated image. One of his most notable moments in recent years has been the Tiffany & Co. crown for his Mr Morale & The Big Steppers era; 50 thorns on interwined branch- like structures featuring 8000 diamonds. Lastly, one thing that has remained consistent throughout his career was his ability to remain tapped in with streetwear, particularly by creatives who are people of color. An example would be British- Jamaican designer Martine Rose; he wore an outfit fro her namesake brand's Fall 2023 collection at the Grammys and launched a collection with her in November 2023. Kendrick has always used fashion as a way to help promote their work while utilising their art in creating the narratives around his music, album by album.