It’s already difficult enough to analyze Kendrick’s own emotional responses to some of the more disturbing events in his life. Even the slight hint of mischief embedded within his tone speaks to his heightened sense of self-awareness. With Kendrick Lamar, however, enough doubt has already settled. Were another rapper to ask the same question, it might be easier to draw a straightforward conclusion. Seeing as he does leave himself susceptible and possibly even enticed by destructive forces, the answer to Kendrick’s aforementioned “ would you believe me ” question is made all the more cloudy. Whether his involvement left his inner “good Kid” shaken is open to interpretation. Curiously, he makes no allusion to his own morality when reflecting upon his past. In yet another connection to “Peer Pressure,” Kendrick directly references his role in abetting a burglary effort. When the track shifts gears in the second movement, a segue ushered in by the legendary MC Eiht, Kendrick Lamar allows his PTSD to trigger moments of sincerity. Especially to somebody who has never so much as experienced violence second-hand. Perhaps that’s because Kendrick remains a product of Compton as much as those he rides with, which allows his speech to carry authority. And yet, paired with THC & Sounwave’s production, it feels convincingly badass. His declaration of “fuck your truce” is as performative to his peers as it is to the listener. Themes carried over from “The Art Of Peer Pressure” linger on “Maad City,” most notably the willingness to fit in. One might be forgiven for thinking he’s paying homage to his forebears, many of whom were long conditioned to the gangbanger’s lifestyle. The tone of his lyrics mirrors the instrumental’s urgent first movement, lined with gangsta rap imagery and vengeful calls to action. Kendrick is acutely aware of his position as an unreliable narrator. Meticulous performer that he is, Kendrick has no problems planting evidence in every facet of his expression. Though his lyrics suggest that his younger self was desensitized to the depravity of his environment, his truth is betrayed by his vocal tone. Consider the opening segment, which finds his voice hitched in an audible panic. His very cadence reflects his environment as it’s presented. Moments of heroism are directly linked with his prodigious creativity, like his scene-stealing “Backseat Freestyle.” Yet on the album’s explosive centerpiece, Kendrick confronts the violence head-on. Songs like “The Art Of Peer Pressure” paint him as a victim even while victimizing others. By this point his nature as a “Good Kid” has been established always the observer but never the perpetrator. The arguable turning point of “maad City,” Kendrick Lamar presented the possibility of his own unreliability in the form of a philosophical question. If I mentioned all of my skeletons, would you jump in the seat?” With a basketball and some Now and Laters to eat? Perceive me to be innocent Kendrick you seen in the street “If I told you I killed a n***a at sixteen, would you believe me? It preserves his neutrality, allowing him to visit both sides of the moral playground. In the case of Kendrick Lamar, unreliability is worn like a mask that guards his intentions. Unraveling his motives can be a more strenuous form of analysis, but ultimately a more rewarding one. One of the unreliable narrator’s primary moves is duplicity what he might recount is a far cry from what actually transpired, leaving us to infer conclusions from the existing texts. One such quality is the presence of the “unreliable narrator,” which on the surface may seem like a foil for authenticity. Insofar as the written word Kenny has proved elite at instilling his songs with literary quality. Two, the cognizance to recognize his place within his surrounding social structure and the impact it would have on his rationality.Ī Pulitzer Prize winner, Kendrick Lamar has always possessed a genius-level poetic sensibility. One, an authenticity earned from lived experience.
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Yet from the moment Kendrick Lamar’s instant classic Good Kid Maad City unfolded in full narrative glory, it became clear that Compton was entrenched within his DNA. With that came two important tools for his arsenal. Positing himself as a man out of his element like Donny in The Big Lebowski. Kendrick Lamar’s word has been taken at face value since his debut studio album. A Good Kid in a Maad City but never a liar.