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The Ideology of Kendrick Lamar's to Pimp a Butterfly Molly Catherine “We Gon’ Be Alright”: The Ideology of Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly Molly Catherine Turner A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Northeastern State University May 2017 ii “We Gon’ Be Alright”: The Ideology of Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly _________________________________________________ Cari Keller, Graduate College Dean ii iii Abstract Rap is an important rhetorical expression in that it privileges voices that have been otherwise marginalized. Certainly, a rap album is not a traditional artifact, but it is nonetheless rhetorical and worth studying. In fact, rap scholarship is important because rap as an art form is so easily dismissed by white establishment (Howard, 1999). Following this argument, this paper uses ideological criticism to explore the rhetorical function of Kendrick Lamar’s 2015 rap album To Pimp a Butterfly. Ideological criticism can be seen “as a means of critiquing Western culture itself” (Cyphert, 2001, p. 380). According to Rose (1994), “Rap music is a black [sic] cultural expression that prioritizes black [sic] voices from the margins of urban America” (p. 2). To Pimp a Butterfly is not merely critically and commercially successful, debuting at the number one spot on the Billboard Albums chart (Yenigun, 2015); it is also a rhetorical tool for education, empowerment, and empathy. More than just a rapper, Lamar is elevating the discourse within and outside of the Black community and deserves the scholarly attention he is lacking.1 Lamar has used rap to empower and educate his listeners about the Black American experience. The criticism will show that To Pimp a Butterfly serves as an extension of Kendrick Lamar’s ideology to empower and educate both within and outside of the Black community. Keywords: rap, rhetoric, ideology 1 Following standard conventions of critical race scholars, Black will be capitalized throughout this paper in reference to racial identity. See Pitner; Tharps; Visconti. iii iv Acknowledgments This thesis was greatly encouraged and supported by my family, especially my brother who proofread and sister who guided and edited it for me, as well as my parents who have always advocated for their children to be as educated and ambitious as possible. I would also like to thank my chair, David K. Scott, and committee members, Bill Wallace and Kristopher D. Copeland, for challenging and inspiring me to do my best work. iv v Table of Contents Abstract iii Acknowledgments iv Table of Contents v I. Introduction 1 II. “Tell the Homies What I Learned:” Literature Review 3 A. A Brief Definition of Rap 3 B. Socially and Politically Conscious Rappers 4 C. A Need for Rap Research 7 III. “I Remember You Was Conflicted:” Limitations 10 IV. “Straight From the Bottom:” Method 10 V. “I Went Running for Answers:” Analysis 13 A. Wesley’s Theory 14 B. For Free? (Interlude) 15 C. King Kunta 17 D. Institutionalized 18 E. These Walls 19 F. u 21 G. Alright 23 H. For Sale? (Interlude) 29 I. Momma 31 J. Hood Politics 31 K. How Much a Dollar Cost 33 v vi L. Complexion (A Zulu Love) 34 M. The Blacker the Berry 35 N. You Ain’t Gotta Lie (Momma Said) 37 O. i 38 P. Mortal Man 40 VI. “If These Walls Could Talk:” Discussion 44 VII. “Breaking the Cycle:” Conclusion 48 VIII. References 51 vi “We Gon’ Be Alright”: The Ideology of Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly On July 26, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio, Black Lives Matter protestors confronted police after an altercation with a Black youth in a video that went viral (Gordon, 2015). Black Lives Matter protests have become increasingly common as police brutality has become more of a public issue. Young Black Americans carrying signs with the name of their movement is a simple plea that conjures up images in the public memory of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. However, what made this viral video different was that it was not violent, shocking, or sad, but instead joyful and jubilant. The protesters were no longer chanting the words of the oppressor—“Hands up. Don’t shoot.”—but instead, hopeful and consoling words of the oppressed—“We gon’ be alright,” the chorus from Kendrick Lamar’s song “Alright” from his 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly (Lamar, 2015a). In short, the video was proof positive that music can transcend and serve a greater purpose in the everyday lives of its listeners. As a rhetorical artifact, To Pimp a Butterfly is situated directly within the Black Lives Matter movement, which was founded in 2012 after George Zimmerman was acquitted in the murder of Trayvon Martin (Black Lives Matter, n.d.). Since the death of Martin, documented police violence has escalated, resulting in the highest number of confirmed police killings of young Black men ever in 2015 (Swaine, Laughland, Lartey, & McCarthy, 2016). Even more, in July 2016, police extra-judicially killed Philando Castille and Alton Sterling within 48 hours (Donella, 2016). While he may be a “Hip-hop superstar” (Rolling Stone, 2015, para. 1), Lamar’s work has directly commented on police brutality (Lamar, 2015a), Martin’s death (Lamar, 2015k), and other issues facing 2 Black Americans today like systemic economic inequality (Lamar, 2015f). Before the age of 30, Lamar released two mixtapes, two albums, was nominated for 20 Grammys and won seven. His parents were from the south side of Chicago, Illinois and raised him in Compton, California, hoping to avoid the conflict and gang wars they left behind (Hopper, 2012). Yet “the lifestyle” was inescapable. They arrived in Compton just seven years before the height of its most violent stage (Allen, 2014) and Lamar was 5 years old when he witnessed his first murder (NPR Staff, 2015). He was on his way to joining a gang himself until his father told him he did not want him to follow suit. He has since used his music to give legitimacy to his background, one common to many young Black men and women in America, and to help those outside the community to empathize and understand (Hopper, 2012). To Pimp a Butterfly has not only been critically and commercially successful, debuting at the number one spot on the Billboard Albums chart (Yenigun, 2015); it is also a rhetorical tool for education, empowerment, and empathy. Lamar, as a rapper, seems uniquely connected to the Black community and to Compton. For example, the album cover pictures Lamar with his “homeboys” in front of the White House, representing his choice to take them with him on his journey so they can see the world with him (Mass Appeal, 2015). While not all hip hop is socially and politically conscious, much of hip hop is (Aldridge, 2005) and highlights many of the issues facing the Black community today. Contrary to the popular image of rappers with money, cars, and pretty women glamorized in music videos and the popular culture at large, Lamar acknowledged that his music relates to people on a deeper level. He said, 3 “…it really ain’t that important when you meeting somebody that’s still in the struggle. These the people that live their lives in dark spaces, every day, you know, and they use my music as some sort of tool to keep going” (as quoted in XXL Staff, 2015, para. 4). In essence, Lamar subordinates his commercial success to the personal triumphs of the individual listeners and fans he meets. Though Lamar has said it was initially difficult to accept the role of leader and role model (XXL Staff, 2015), he has since embraced it. In June 2015, Lamar visited a New Jersey high school to help mentor students who had learned about To Pimp a Butterfly in conjunction with Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye in their English class (Yenigun, 2015). He met with President Obama at the White House in January 2016 to discuss youth mentorship and promote the President’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative (Goodman, 2016). On February 13, 2016, Lamar’s hometown of Compton gave him a key to the city (Mejia, 2016). More than just a rapper, Lamar is elevating the discourse within and outside of the Black community and deserves scholarly attention. “Tell the Homies What I Learned:” Literature Review The literature illustrates how To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar, and rap function as rhetorical artifacts within the larger academic literature. Three different areas of the literature will situate this context: a definition of rap, the history of socially and politically conscious rappers like Lamar, and the distinct need for more academic research on rap music. A Brief Definition of Rap Scholars have defined rap in many different ways. Calhoun (2005) defined 4 gangsta rap as, “…a politically charged style of rap that challenged government authority and exposed the sociopolitical realities of inner city life” (p. 268). According to Smitherman (as cited in Cummings & Roy, 2002), “Rap music is rooted in the Black oral tradition” (p. 61) and employs many customary African communicative practices. It has also been defined as, “an oppositional form of expression that emerged in the United States in the late 1970s from postindustrial poverty, gangs, and violence” (Rap, 2007). According to Rose (1994), “Rap music is a black [sic] cultural expression that prioritizes black [sic] voices from the margins of urban America. Rap music is a form of rhymed storytelling accompanied by highly rhythmic, electronically based music…” (p. 2). For further clarification, Rose (1994) also noted that hip hop refers to the entire culture that contains rap, graffiti, and breakdancing, among other forms of art, while rap is a specific type of music within the hip hop culture.
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