XXX. by Kendrick Lamar is a song that I have always found intriguing. It has a lot of underlying messages that are not very apparent when listening. It is a song that I have listened to so many times but never fully understood. Lamar always brings his A-game when it comes to lyrics and I am really looking forward to breaking them down. I want to understand his message behind the lyrics and what his purpose was for writing it.
This song raises questions about gun violence, race, border control, murders rates, gang violence and many other elements. There is a verse in the song where Lamar just lists many problems that have been occurring in America like,
“It’s murder on my street, your street, back streets
Wall street, corporate offices, banks
Employees and bosses with homicidal thoughts.”
I think this is an important song to look at because it goes into issues that affect all of the people living in America. Researching this song will bring me more awareness of what is truly happening around this country. It is crucial to have awareness of what is going on in the world around you to better understand others. I don’t think this song is too easy because the lyrics describe so many different issues that I need to become more informed about.
A concern I have about the project is that I will have trouble talking about some of the issues mentioned in this song. In today’s world, it can be frightening when doing research because you never know what information is truly accurate. I would hate to publish something with false information about a hot topic. I am concerned that I won’t be able to fully understand Lamars’ lyrics in the way he wanted them to be. I am also concerned about actually creating the podcast. I have never really been interested in listening to podcasts, so I don’t really know how to create it and have it be entertaining or interesting.
Despite all of this, I am really looking forward to becoming more aware of the social justice issues Lamar raps about in this song. Lamar is one of my favorite artists and he is a genius when it comes to his lyrics. I am really looking forward to learning more about him and the messages he wanted to share.
February 6, 2019 at 10:45 pm
Emily,
I think this is a great choice, but you’ll need to decide which version you are using as your vehicle into the project — the Grammy version linked-to above or the office release. Regarding your concern that you won’t be able to “fully understand Lamars’ lyrics in the way he wanted them to be,” remember what we read and discussed about how meaning is located with the audience and not necessarily the songwriter or performer. We can only ever hope to approximate an understanding of any creative work. More important is considering how the song is impacting and what is informing it.
Looking forward to it!
Bill