Fresh off the heels of the 57th Grammy Awards, Kendrick Lamar sets the streets ablaze again with his latest Boi-1da produced release “The Blacker The Berry”. The anger, aggression, sheer honesty, and most importantly, the truth, in Kendrick’s lyrics are undeniable.

“This plot is bigger than me, it’s generational hatred, it’s genocism, it’s grimy, little justification.” – Kendrick Lamar

 

Last time Kendrick silenced the naysayers questioning his crown in the current rap world, but this time in five and a half minutes, K Dot silences anyone who questioned his Ferguson comments while delving deeper into the psychological affects of blatant and systemic racism that many Black people and their communities continue to deal with and persevere through. Kendrick hits the nail right on the head stating, “This plot is bigger than me, it’s generational hatred, it’s genocism, it’s grimy, little justification.”

But there’s a reason Kendrick starts off his first two verses with “I’m the biggest hypocrite of 2015, once you finish this, witnesses will convey just what I mean.” It’s because despite touching on the ongoing racism and disrespect in America, he acknowledges that though these injustices provoke and anger him to the core, the gang banger culture and lifestyle of Black people killing other Black people is often embraced, glorified and doesn’t evoke the same mass outrage as when the killing or wrong doing is done by the oppressors. He ties it back to his Ferguson comments, when he said the respect has to start from within first. It seems not just Kendrick Lamar, but many of us, who pick and choose our battles, are hypocrites too.

Music Editor Duane Benjamin, or “Lah’Gic” to those who know him well, has been a member of the Urbanology family since the magazine’s birth. From music, culture, sports or life experiences in general, Duane is always up for an intellectual conversation or debate. A firm believer that laughter keeps you young, amongst friends or strangers, you can often find Duane laughing and cracking jokes to eye watering, belly busting proportions. A fierce competitor on the basketball court and the soccer field, Duane welcomes new challenges to keep him sharp and on his toes, of which Urbanology Magazine is constantly providing.

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