On February 9, 2015, American hip-hop recording artist, Kendrick Lamar, released the second single (“The Blacker The Berry”) to his highly anticipated, upcoming third album, To Pimp A Butterfly. Produced by Boi-1da, Terrace Martin, and KOZ, the track features Jamaican artist Assassin, who’s notable for appearances on hip-hop icon Kanye West’s sixth album, Yeezus (2013).
Kendrick here delivers interesting, thought-provoking, verses with a distinct aggressive tone over a haunting beat. The track might as well be seen more of a rant on hypocrisy, as hinted throughout the track, preferably the last lines, and he says it with anger as if he had enough of it. While the song’s lyrical themes of racialized self-hatred are executed flawlessly, the 2Pac sample (“Keep Ya Head Up”) on the pre-chorus is handled so well with the concept of the song, that it brings a new deeper sound and meaning to the words being expressed. The dark boom-bap type beat only expands the violent vibrations felt through the music. The feeling of threatening injustice is quickly absorbed with the refreshing ending that uses a soft jazz melody and drawn out female vocals.
Originally thought to be Kendrick’s response to criticism received for comments made regarding the shooting of Michael Brown and subsequent Ferguson arrest, the lyrics consist of Kendrick celebrating his African-American heritage, and tackles hatred, racism, and hypocrisy. The chorus can be overwhelming with the infliction and volume it is presented at but is well fitting to the song. The following meaningful lyrics “And man a say they put me inna chains, cah’ we black / Imagine now, bog gold chains full of rocks / How you no see the whip, left scars ‘pon me back” as Assassin details the comparison of his heritage’s history to today’s culture.
This track offers some interesting lines like “I mean, it’s evident that I’m irrelevant to society / That’s what you’re telling me, penitentiary would only hire me” or “It’s funny how Zulu and Xhosa might go to war / Two tribal armies that want to build and destroy / Remind me of these Compton Crip gangs that live next door / Beefin’ with Pirus, only death settle the score” (Some of which I thought were somewhat clever) then again these are not all of the lines the track offers but I don’t want to paste every last one unless I need to, but as the verses go, it’s really hard for me to tell which one was “better” lyrically, but it doesn’t really matter as each verse has something to say, whether be topic related or clever lines, or even Kendrick’s guttural delivery, which is impressive.
Track: 9/10
Solid. You could say it may not be as lyrically strong as other rap songs known out there, but it’s definitely great and stands on its own, and may not top his “best” track (“Sing About Me, I’m Dying Of Thirst”) but it’s close, or even just as good, regardless, he did not disappoint in neither track.
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