Kendrick Lamar Padlet by David Capote

Uncle Sam

dcapo001 — 2025-04-29 12:16:37 UTC

One symbol present in the album is Uncle Sam, and how he contributes to the album is by representing the country and how they are always offering a lot to the black people, but they still end up being exploited and fall into taxes. Kendrick mentions this in his verse, "Anythin', see, my name is Uncle Sam, I'm your dog motherf****r, you can live at the mall." (Wesley's Theory)This shows how Kendrick says that Uncle Sam can offer anything to them, but they still end up being low status and like dogs.

40 Acres and a Mule

dcapo001 — 2025-04-29 12:18:19 UTC

Another symbol present in the album is the 40 acres and a mule, and how this contributes to the album is by representing black people and how they were promised freedom and land, yet were revoked of that shortly after showing how there were many promises that the country made that couldn't be kept. Kendrick Lamar refers to this symbol saying "What you want you? A house or a car? Forty acres and a mule, a piano, a guitar?"(Wesley's Theory). He says this showing how although the U.S. may offer so much to its people, they can easily take it away through taxes and payments.

Walls

dcapo001 — 2025-04-29 12:19:41 UTC

Another symbol in the album is walls, and how they contribute to the album is by representing the barriers between black people and white people, sexual walls, and prison walls. Kendrick says "Walls tellin' me they full of pain, resentment, Need someone to live in 'em just to relieve tension" and "If your walls could talk, they'd tell you it's too late, Your destiny accepted your fate"(These Walls). This shows how the walls can represent the pain that black people face with all the segregation and racism towards them and the pain that an inmates girl may have felt. The walls also represents the opportunities for prisoners being closed off and how their fate is already sealed in jail.

Yams

dcapo001 — 2025-04-29 12:20:20 UTC

Another symbol present in the album is yams, and their importance in the album is to represent the power that black people have, yet it also represents the temptation to hurt people with desires. Kendrick says in the songs "The yam is the power that be" and "The yam brought it out of Richard Pryor, manipulated Bill Clinton with desires"(King Kunta). This shows how this power that black people can be used against the government, and how the yams is the success, money, and power Kendrick has gotten from his fame. Richard Pryor was a black comedian, and what Kendrick is saying is he manipulated Bill Clinton, a past president.

Kunta Kinte

dcapo001 — 2025-04-29 12:21:14 UTC

The last symbol present in the album is Kunta Kinte, and his importance in the album is to show how although some black people like Kendrick may have money and power, they are still considered like every other black person. That is why Kendrick Lamar calls himself King Kunta, because although he had power, he still ended getting shot like a regular person. "King Kunta, everybody wanna cut the legs off him, King Kunta, black man taking no losses, oh yeah"(King Kunta). This shows how two contradictory statements are being shown together. Kunta Kinte was a slave, which is the lowest ranking. For a slave to be called a king, its as if an ironic statement showing how Kendrick Lamar may have been of high ranking yet still considered low due to his color.