I’m way more content than I used to be, and I think it stems from my fear of complacency slowly fading away. I was never a fan of the “Grind Culture” aesthetic that proliferated my Instagram timeline in waves every so often. One minute it was Forex; the next was cryptocurrency, and the current shift is to start your own business and perfect your side hustle. It’s commendable to a lot but not a reality to most. In America, we are at a stage where our primary source of income is not enough to live on, and the only way to keep up with the cost of living is to have supplemental income to fill the ever-expanding gap between money and peace of mind. So I don’t knock anyone out there trying to make it to the next paycheck by any means necessary. What makes me want to take a deeper look into “Grind Culture” is the overabundance in every aspect of our lives. I took some time to revisit one of my favorite Kendrick Lamar songs, Poe Man Dreams, wherein the hook, a simple mantra, can be heard.
Smoke good, eat good, live good
Smoke good, eat good, live good
Smoke good, eat good, live good
Smoke good, eat good, live good
You don’t have to abide by everything Kendrick Lamar talks about in the hook to understand that these trivial wants don’t have to come at the expense of working to retirement to take part. Luxury doesn’t have to come at the cost of our own time and health. And wanting a life of normalcy shouldn’t be synonymous with a lack of trying or ambition.
When I started writing this, the original idea was to take a look at the evolution of how modern-day hip-hop artists are transforming into these capitalistic tycoons. Although that is an idea I will eventually return to, what steered me in this direction was a recent conversation I had with a friend.
During this conversation, I told a story about how I had a minor argument with family members about why billionaires should not exist. She responded, “I want to become a multi-billionaire.” Slightly taken aback by this, I asked, “why?” She explained about providing for her family, who risked it all to come to this country and wants to repay them by giving them a luxurious lifestyle. And being a child of immigrants myself, I understand entirely. The risk my parents took coming to America was excruciatingly stressful. And having to navigate the many injustices that this country has to offer and taking care of three kids should only be reciprocated with a lifestyle that allows them to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
However, these are the same parents that worked grueling hours for minimal pay at warehouses owned by billion-dollar companies who only reached that status by exploiting their workers. There is no way to be a billionaire ethically. You can only obtain a billion dollars from the exploitation of others. Even if you randomly hit the lottery for one billion dollars, hoarding that amount when it’s more than you will ever need is not just.
But we are conditioned to believe the only way to live a happy life is to have an overabundance of wealth. As I’ve gained more stability in my career and access to opportunities my parents never got to see, I’ve realized this isn’t always the case. I don’t want to trivialize how much money can change someone’s life; even an extra hundred dollars per week can drastically evaluate someone’s financial situation. But if we can go back to Poe Mans Dream, a couple of lines resonant with a view I think we get trapped in
On “Wanna Be Heard,” probably thought he worked my nerves
But really he was stressing me gettin’ what I deserve
Somebody said my name on the radio
He ain’t know I was ready for the world that minute
So the next time he roll up and drop grams in it
He probably be out of work, laid back, while he
For Context, “Wanna Be Heard” is a 2009 track off of Kendrick Lamar’s self-titled E.P. In the last lines of the first verse, we hear Kendrick Lamar rap.
My pops got a different approach, yeah he believed
But he always questioned when I’mma drop my debut CD
How long this gon’ take nigga? You still haven’t ate nigga
At twenty-two I had two cars and my own place nigga
It’s a sacrifice I try to tell him
That’s when he turn to BET and tell me that he jealous
Of all these niggas getting money and their shit don’t sound like shit
I ain’t tryna kill your confidence or forcing you to quit
I just wanna hear you heard
Just reading some of these bars doesn’t do justice, so I urge you to listen to the track. It’s filled with many allusions to Kendrick’s future work; it’s like studying up on hidden Kendrick Lamar lore. But we see that Kendrick Lamar’s dad wants him to have a stable life like most parents would like us to. One or two cars and a crib would suffice, but ultimately he wants his work to be heard because nobody else is on T.V. is putting out work like him.
Now if we fast forward a couple of years, back to Poe Man’s Dream. Kendrick is not at the height of fame but as a more established artist. His vision for his dad isn’t as luxurious as you may think. It’s simple, rolling up and being out of work is a dream that seems mundane, but it’s peace.
I see another interpretation you can obtain from “Poe Mans Dream” in which the dream created lacks ambition, and in a sense, the poor man’s dream does not need to make it out of the current circumstance. And by that means, Kendrick Lamar’s purpose is to use his career to show them something beyond that. But that interpretation reinforces the capitalistic rhetoric that money is the only way to happiness and dismisses that a lifestyle not filled with overabundance is menial when that is not the case.
My thoughts on capitalism and what it means to live a happy life sometimes call into question my hypocrisy. I love shopping for clothes and shoes, these things don’t make me happy, but I’d be lying if I said I don’t get a rush of joy when opening a desired pair of sneakers. But living in a capitalistic world allows me to critique it when I see its faults. I know happiness isn’t tied to an amount, and hoarding absurd amounts of money while people can barely afford the bare necessities is also wrong. When we hear people talk about becoming billionaires, they never say they fantasize about screwing over the working class, but to reach a billion dollars, exploiting is the only way that could happen. It’s time to reconsider what you truly dream about, whether it is uniting the community, stabilizing your family, and uplifting your friends, and if money is the only resource to make that happen.
