"...the only thing more frightening than watching a black man be honest in America is being an honest black man in America..." This quote by Dave Chappelle was used to introduce Kendrick Lamar as he performed his part in Rich the Kid's "New Freezer".
In one of my other classes today, we talked about this quote and how Kendrick Lamar gave a very strong opening performance at this year's Grammy Awards. He talked about his friend's only son who was murdered, presenting a very strong statement and story to the audience through his music, despite being offered the opportunity to offer a message of peace through his performance. We then talked about how rapidly the rap community was changing, bringing in Kanye and his huge influence over this. It's so interesting to observe how widely the rap community has emerged, from Kanye bringing in innovative "Chipmunk Soul" to rap music to Jay Z being the first rapper to be inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame just last year, with
This goes back to our first week's discussion on who and what makes a star and the difference of being a star versus an artist. Because of this conversation, I started appreciating artists and their efforts in using their talents and passions to make a statement about issues and how much influence it has over those who listen to it.
No comments:
Post a Comment