Kendrick Lamar is a rapper, songwriter, and record
producer from California. He grew up on welfare and was inspired by watching
his idols Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre film a music video for their hit single. Growing
up, he was a “loner” in school and a straight-A student.
As Lamar’s fanbase grew since he started releasing mixtapes, he had a breakthrough with his song “Ignorance Is Bliss” highlighting gangsta rap and street crime, saying “we know not what we do”. This work piqued hip hop producer Dr. Dre’s interest, leading Lamar to work alongside his idol and Snoop Dogg on Dr. Dre’s Detox album. Kendrick Lamar discussed his projects and his, saying, “I’m going to put my best out. My best effort”, showing he was deliberate and passionate about the works he created.
One of the most outstanding accomplishments he achieved for his music was being awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for his album DAMN. Lamar was the first rapper to win the award, and of the Pulitzer Prizes for Music, he was the first winner who was neither a classical nor jazz musician. The board’s decision to award Kendrick Lamar the prize was unanimous, describing the album “a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life.”
DAMN featured an array of artists, including Rihanna and U2, leading it to top the chart while addressing personal and political issues of race, faith, and commercial success. As many classical pieces drew upon hip-hop as a resource, the jurors considered hip-hop artists themselves as competitors. A finalist from that year agreed with his opponent’s success, explaining that “the work… is every bit as sophisticated and experimental as any music.”
Of course, there was plenty of backlash, especially
from classical composers, because they could not fathom a rapper competing and
winning against those in the classical music world. Despite this, there was
plenty of support, and the jurors insisted that people should “assertively
think and listen more expansively, with more open ears.”
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendrick_Lamar
I never knew that Kendrick has a Pulitzer. That's super awesome. I like that he uses his music as a medium for storytelling, especially to talk about his experiences, childhood and upbringing. And that he uses different styles and techniques in his music, so it always sounds different. Pretty creative.
ReplyDeleteKendrick is a great example of traditional vs. rebellious. He learned from some of the best in the field and grew from it. He took the traditional values of the art and took risks to make it better. He is also a great example of collaboration, seeing as some of his most successful songs were a result of a joint effort between multiple artists. I love his music and believe he deserves the awards. His music has meaning and that is sometimes hard to find in the field.
ReplyDeleteAs one of my favorite modern artists, Kendrick's "good kid m.A.A.d. city" will always hold a special place in my heart. The album, in my opinion, perfectly blends both old-school and new wave rap with its' slow, cyclic rhythm on tracks like "The Recipe" and "Compton" while incorporating flashier, catchy melodies on "Backseat Freestyle" and "Swimming Pools (Drank)." In terms of his person, Kendrick Lamar is one of the most understated rappers in the game, maintaining a very low profile in comparison to peers like Drake and Kanye (who are a bit older) while keeping his fanbase spoiled with excellent releases and finding success in just about every song he has released. In my opinion, DAMN is actually his most mainstream album and deviates from his social commentary that is the focus of the "To Pimp A Butterfly," his previous release. Both are masterpieces, however, and Kendrick offers a slew of maestro-level compositions that, unlike his critics would believe, are just as complex and speak volumes to our current generation as opera and classical music did to previous iterations.
ReplyDeleteI was a little surprised that Lamar won the Pulitzer for DAMN and not To Pimp a Butterfly. The latter seemed more innovative to me because of the brazen social commentary. I think DAMN does that, as well, but I appreciate To Pimp a Butterfly as an awakening for modern hip-hop that I think DAMN built upon. He definitely draws on his own experience for material, as well as pop culture and race histories. (I'm thinking of "King Kunta," a reference to the main character of Roots.)
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