The imaginative expression of art has always been a tool of the working class. His rise is revitalizing conscious rap and hip-hop in the midst of greater protest and struggle against neoliberal capitalism. Let’s examine the significance of To Pimp a Butterfly.
This official recognition from the Grammy’s is cementing Lamar’s cultural, artistic, social, and political influence on mainstream music. In the aftermath of the rebellions in Ferguson, Baltimore, Chicago and beyond, Lamar’s performance was an inspiration and immediately provoked widespread media debate. Lamar’s stunning performance at the Grammys was a powerful political statement against the racist criminal justice system, and a celebration of Black Lives and the new black freedom struggle. Lamar and his back-up performers entered the stage dressed as prisoners in chains, and ended his performance with a silhouette of Africa, with Lamar’s hometown of “Compton” inscribed on the image. He was nominated for more Grammys than any other artist, winning five including, including Rap Album of Year for his groundbreaking To Pimp a Butterfly. It’s something that people live by - your words.”Īt the 58th annual Grammy awards, Kendrick Lamar loomed larger than life. “When it’s outside of the concerts, then you know it’s a little bit more deep-rooted than just a song. This device doubly serves as a visual expression of feeling uplifted, away from your past struggles as well as a (perhaps unconscious) Christian symbol, which has him rising in a saintly manner away from temptation and sin. Then comes the finale, culminating in the strongest form of Christian symbolism around: that of tragic martyrdom.“ I’d go in certain parts of the world, and they were singing it in the streets,” he said of “Alright,” which became an unofficial anthem for the movement. And the hopeful feeling Lamar is trying to capture is expressed in the exhilirating sequences where he's physically rising above the ground.
It begins with an intro exploring inner-city violence and subsequent police brutality, paired with his monologue shedding light on his past struggles with growing up in a ghetto, as well as his subsequent ethical struggles with becoming an influential figure.
But despite that, Lamar supplies irrepressibly positive energy.
We are immersed into Kendrick Lamar's hyperreal world, which casts the city as a bitterly oppressive environment that leads its residents to a life of vice, hussle and the pursuit of hope. It's an epic, nearly seven-minute long piece, featuring the exceptional cinematographic eyes of two DoPs - Rob Witt and Corey Jennings – and thrillingly high energy shots involving street parties, burning cars and joyrides of reckless abandon. Colin Tilley has created one of the videos of the year for Kendrick Lamar's Alright, a landmark work for the summer of 2015.
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