The Blacker the Berry by Kendrick Lamar (2015)

From blackwiki
Revision as of 07:49, 15 March 2021 by Al (talk | contribs) (→‎References)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
The Blacker the Berry Cover Album by Kendrick Lamar

"The Blacker the Berry'" is a song by American hip hop artist Kendrick Lamar. "The Blacker the Berry" was released as second single from the album To Pimp a Butterfly on February 9, 2015. The song has featuring Jamaican artists, Assassin at the chorus. The album version also includes additional vocals performed by singer Lalah Hathaway. The song has the same title as the novel The Blacker the Berry by American author Wallace Thurman.[1]

"The Blacker the Berry" was viewed as Kendrick Lamar's reaction to the criticism he got for remarks he made regarding the death of Michael Brown to Billboard magazine. His remarks started responses from crowds, journalists and fellow rappers, including Azealia Banks tweeted that Lamar's remark was the  “dumbest sh-t I’ve ever heard a black man say.” Some blamed Lamar for doing honor politics and reprimanded African-Americans for being victims of police brutality.[2]

Black Empowerment

The lyrical substance of the song contains social commentary. Lamar observes the world around him in a manner that is brimming with bias. Daniel Kreps on RollingStone said, "The Blacker the Berry" focuses to institutional violence, hypocrisy and a break with his way of life.[3]

I'm the biggest hypocrite of 2015
When I finish this if you listen then sure you will agree
This plot is bigger than me, it's generational hatred
It's genocism, it's grimy, little justification
I'm African-American, I'm African
I'm black as the heart of a fuckin' Aryan
I'm black as the name of Tyrone and Darius,

(Kendrick Lamar.  Lyrics to “The Blacker the Berry.” Genius, 2015, genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-the-blacker-the-berry-lyrics.)

These lines play with portrayals of slavery and African American life in the present. Black people have gone from being flagellated to having whips - or costly, showy vehicles; from being secured in chains, to donning gold and jewel chains. Whips and chains were tools of oppression and control during slavery. Presently, they address extravagance, which could possibly still tools of an alternate oppression.[4]

I said they treat me like a slave, cah' me black
Woi, we feel a whole heap of pain, cah' we black
And man a say they put me inna chains, cah' we black
Imagine now, big gold chains full of rocks
How you no see the whip, left scars 'pon me back
But now we have a big whip parked 'pon the block
All them say we doomed from the start, cah' we black
Remember this, every race start from the block, jus 'member dat

(Kendrick Lamar.  Lyrics to “The Blacker the Berry.” Genius, 2015, genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-the-blacker-the-berry-lyrics.)[5]

Controversy

On this particular lyrics, about the 17-year-old African-American being shot dead by a volunteer environmentalist in Florida in 2012:

So why did I weep when Trayvon Martin was in the street
When gang-banging make me kill a nigga blacker than me?
Hypocrite!

(Kendrick Lamar.  Lyrics to “The Blacker the Berry.” Genius, 2015, genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-the-blacker-the-berry-lyrics.)

Fans was getting negative interpretation of the song where Lamar was seen to be giving a kind of judgments to the black community in the US.[6] In an interview with MTV News, Lamar explained "this is my life that I'm talking about. I'm not saying you, you might not even be from the streets. ... Know who I am first, understand where I come from before you make any remarks, because I've been through a lot and I have seen a lot. Where I come from -- I did a lot to tear down my own community. So, for you to not recognize that and see 100 percent flip, please learn it." Kendrick admits that he confronted depression and thought about suicide after the homicide of a close friend. After the homicide, he fantasized vrevenge, but he chose to release his anxiety into "The Blacker the Berry".[7]

References

  1. The Blacker the Berry (song). Wikipedia. Retrieved January 16 2021.
  2. Kendrick Lamar Has Strong Words For His 'Blacker The Berry' Critics. MTV April 03 2015. Retrieved January 16 2021.
  3. Kendrick Lamar Takes on Hypocrisy on Powerful New Track. Rolling Stone February 10 2015. Retrieved Janary 16 2021.
  4. The Blacker the Berry. Genius Annotation. Retrieved January 16 2021.
  5. Kendrick Lamar - The Blacker the Berry. Genius. Retrieved January 16 2021.
  6. 8 Song Lyrics That Caused a Storm of Controversy BBC Music July 21 2016. Retrieved January 16 2021.
  7. Kendrick Lamar Has Strong Words For His 'Blacker The Berry' Critics. MTV April 03 2015. Retrieved January 16 2021.