![]() If nothing else, spending time with David will make you appreciate hip-hop more for its inherent, beautiful, and biblical complexities. In this time of deep grieving over what has been lost across the past year and a half, using this text to lift up the many layers of grief may be a path to a more faithful life. These are considerations and questions evoked by the tragic poetry of this text. the danger of “hanging between heaven and earth”-that is, what happens when we want all that the world has for us and all that God wants for us?.how grief is about loss and what we lost long beforehand to bring this loss to bear.how thousands of lives are swept up in the bickering of a powerful few.two people (Absalom and David) who allow their ambition and desire for revenge to overtake their faithful judgment.a man who viewed his identity as king as more important than his identity as father. ![]() But David’s cry should not be chalked up to the sensitivities of artists. They are all alike in that a meteoric rise to power and fame was followed-in each case, almost immediately-by stunning insecurities and lapses in judgement. It is worth our time to pay attention to his grief.ĭavid’s story is such that you wonder whether Kendrick was talking directly to him instead of to 2Pac. This is no mere filler in the life of David. The writer even takes the time to spell out the “lyrics” of David’s cry: “O my son Absalom!” This is remarkable on its own, and more so when we consider that even Jesus’ lament after losing his friend is deemed skippable by the author of John’s Gospel (two words: “Jesus wept”). David has heard about his son Absalom’s death-a death he orchestrated-and now is plunged into despair. These bars, from his wonderfully complex album To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), make two things crystal clear: Kendrick Lamar (or “K-Dot”) was heavily influenced by King David of Israel, and hip-hop’s origins go back farther than the 1970s in the Bronx, as far away and ago as ancient Israel.Ģ Samuel 18 offers a similar lament. Kendrick Lamar is a singular talent, some say one of the most profoundly original hip-hop artists ever. Lewis, David Blake, Johnny Burns, Kendrick Duckworth, Mark Anthony Spears, Michael Joe Jackson, Stefan Kendal Gordy BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc. It begins, I remember you was conflicted / Misusing your influence / Sometimes I did the same, which makes his. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright. I remember you was conflicted, misusing your influence Ahmad A. Resentment that turned into a deep depression There’s a running poem in Kendrick Lamar’s new album that unfolds with every song. For full-text access to all articles, subscribe to the Century. Single Night Tickets are on sale, now.To receive these posts by email each Monday, sign up.įor more commentary on this week's readings, see the Reflections on the Lectionary page. Let us know your thoughts on the video on Twitter, see him perform this song, and many more, live at ESSENCE Festival 2015. Watch Kendrick Lamar start it all of in his new video, Alright. Though many of them are encouraged not to take a stand because of brand relationships and other things, it is more important than ever to create a new way of thinking in this world. ![]() Lamar’s words and new video could serve as a wake up call to not only himself, but his music industry peers, to use their influential voices to inspire, uplift and charge their fans to pay attention to the things that are happening in the world around them. Resentment that turned into a deep depression…” “I remember you was conflicted, misusing your influence,” he says. In the beginning of the seven minute piece, he seems to recite a poem he wrote to himself. ![]() ![]() #EssenceFest headliner, Kendrick Lamar is doing his best to speak out about racial disparities, social injustice and more but in his new video for Alright,fans find out that for the Compton native, using his popularity to change the world hasn’t always been easy. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |