White Privilege Part II Part II
Here in the second part of a 3-part series on white privilege, partially in response to Macklemore’s recent release, we’re going to dive into the art of some wonderful people.
First up, the one, the only, Kendrick Lamar.
Kendrick Lamar, Compton-born hip hop artist who has been killing it since he first showed up on the scene, is a rapper who is both murderously talented and introspective. He’s worked with The Game, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Kayne West, and is one of the most recognizable names in hip hop right now.
To Pimp A Butterfly is easily my favorite hip-hop record of all time. That record functions at a level novelists wish they could accomplish in 300 pages, in an hour of music. This record reveals just how deep Lamar’s understanding of the world and the form of hip hop goes; his lyrics can be analyzed as literature, and the layers of meaning stack and reshape how you encounter the songs with each listen.
This record is as much about Kendrick’s transition into the next stage of his career as it is about the struggles of the black community, the dangers of hip hop, and the hope and resilience that can be found in both of those places.
Now, for those of you reading who take issue with “profanity,” I have two things to say.
- Maybe there’s more going on in the hip hop community than you understand just now, and maybe language functions differently in different subsets of a culture.
- If #1 isn’t a satisfying answer for you, that’s okay. We’ll be talking about profanity in art soon enough in ye olde blog.
Next, Twin Cities poet Danez Smith.
Smith talks about race and culture with such grace and poise, that it is no surprise his work is blowing up the Twin Cities. I was given a copy of Black Movie, which talks through the experience of black people using language and imagery from the world of movies and film production. “Dinosaurs in the hood” is especially compelling.
This is not a vehicle for Will Smith
& Sofia Vergara. I want grandmas on the front porch taking out raptors
with guns they hid in walls & under mattresses.
*realizes just how long this blog will be if I continue doing it like this*
Oh man. Um. Well. This is already too long. Here’s a bunch of other fantastic black artists you need to check out. This list is by no means conclusive, but these artists have all touched my life in some way or another.
Joseph Capeheart does poetry and, recently, YouTube videos!
Michael Jackson (The KING of Pop music).
THERE ARE LITERALLY SO MANY AMAZING BLACK ARTISTS THIS BLOG IS IMPOSSIBLE TO FINISH.
Next week we’ll finish this up with an analysis of Macklemore’s “White Privilege II,” and more discussion of race framed as a conversation with a couple of my best friends.