Kendrick Lamar Asks White Fan To Censor Herself
Recently, during a performance of his song ''m.A.A.d city'', Kendrick Lamar pulled a white girl up on stage to rap the lyrics along side him. The word ''nigger'' is used in the song 20 times, remember, he wrote this! He then proceeds to have his DJ stop the song mid-way through and tells the white girl to essentially censor herself in regard to that word, don't say that word! Sing all the other lyrics but don't use the word ''nigger''.
I completely disagree with the sentiment here and I actually can't believe people are behind him on this. I'm white, just for the record, and I've been a hardcore fan of Hip Hop since I was about 11/12 years old. I understand the weight it carries, the history behind it and that out of context it's a disgusting, ignorant and hurtful word to use, but, and this is the point everyone's missing, in context, well, it's fine.
When is it okay to use the word ''nigger''? I'll refer to it as the n-word from this point on because I imagine seeing it in plain sight is probably making you uncomfortable. When is it okay? That's not up to me to say but I'll say this, the way I've used it thus far is surely fine? It's about context and intent, a perfect example would be singing along to your favourite rapper's lyrics when he pulls you on stage to do so.
As a fan of Kendrick Lamar, a white fan and a white rapper noless it just annoyed me to see something like this, it's 2018 and there's ''nothing more influential than rap music'' to quote Kendrick himself, I sing along to m.A.A.d city, it's one of my favourite Kendrick songs and you best believe I'm not fucking censoring myself when I do! What is this, Black Mirror?
At no point do I seek out use of that word either, let me just set that straight! I'm not the type of white boy who's dying to say what's up my n-word to my black friends, that's a little different, even if something like that was said by a white person with nothing but love in their heart it's still ignorant, offensive and unnecessary, but a fan singing your lyrics, a fan you chose to pull on stage to sing your lyrics, come on!
For Kendrick I recommed a few things in case something similar happens in the future. 1. Stop using the n-word in your music. 2. Don't pull a white fan on stage to sing along. 3. If you pull a white fan on stage to sing along don't get offended when they do. 4. Maybe just stop white fans coming to your shows completely?
It's a touchy subject, it truly is, and I don't mean to come across as insensitive, I accept the level of ignorance I may have concerning the matter but it's a song, they're lyrics, it's art, it's Hip Hop and it's a black artist, in context it's more than fine, this isn't some skin head Nazi group from the south draped in Confederate flags, it's Kendrick Lamar and with the way he reacted to it I can't help but feel a little offended.
It could have been an in the moment sort of thing and he just didn't think ahead, he could have been reacting to the awkwardness of the crowd, maybe the chick made him feel awkward, maybe he was just right to do what he did, he wasn't a prick about it to be fair to him and it's definitely an issue beyond Kendrick Lamar but I think it's worth a little discussion because we should be past this as a human race by now.
Maybe I'm wrong, what does everyone else think about this? Let me know in the comment section.
Totally agree. The N-Word isn't even used in an offensive way in that part of the song. It's art.
Exactly! Fuck Kendrick, I'm spitting every word in this masterpiece whether he likes it or not! Lol
Very Foolish
absolutely stupid. Def with you on this one !!! The audience booing her and stuff just crazy, she was just singing it like it was wrote. 100% valid article here
There's definitely an unnecessary tension in the crowd, you'd think she went up there with a swastika tattooed on her head waving a banner promoting white supremacy!
Yeah I agree, can't help but feel that is a bit of a divisive tactic. Music should be a place to explore ideas - but it shouldn't be discriminatory... perhaps he is making a point not yet understood. I don't know.
It definitely seems like the crowd influenced him a bit here, I don't think he put as much thought into this as people seem to think, it's an issue that doesn't need to be an issue, he just reacted that's all, it's in his reaction where the problem lies, a feeling of awkwardness that need not be there, especially with something like this.
Perhaps he did it to satisfy the black lineage. Personally I think he wanted to see how well he could make the white fan understand that his music still doesn't give her the right to use n-word. Which i will say is quite uncalled for.
Uncalled for that he did that or that she used the n-word? I seriously doubt that much thought went into it tbh mate, and if it did it just seems even more petty to me, when you write a song and release it to the world it's everyone's right to sing along, simple, you can't say this group can sing it all but that group can only sing 90% of it that's absurd! Again, it's all about the context and the intent of the individual, it's a lot more complicated than it needs to be!
Very true. I meant what he did was uncalled for. He isn't making music for just black people after all, art isn't racial. But its Kendrick, he doesn't me or anyone like the sorta person who will do anything without a reasonable amount of reflection. So his action on stage had a meaning to it, its left for him to actually give us his reasons mate.
I'd be interested to hear him comment on it for sure, it just felt like more of an in the moment sort of thing than something he planned. He's not the leader of the new school for no reason but this, if it was premeditated, was a little misguided in my opinion, his music breaks down racial barriers and kills stereotypes on its own merits, doing something like this seems counterproductive.
I just thought of something. What if he did what he did to show the fans how boring the song probably became when the white woman had to censor her sing along. And use this to point out why the whole n-word restriction to blacks should probably not matter so much?
Just a thought mate. He still holds the answer.
That's an interesting thought, I kinda hope so lol, still doubt that's what happened though, censoring anything makes it shit, it's like cutting out little pieces of a film and leaving dead air where there was once dialogue.
lol.. Yeah.. Thanks for this short convo. I hope I will always be able contribute in your posts.
One thing I have come to know about K. Dot is that nigga is a very intentional artist. Every message in every action seems deliberate. He's King of the stage. Maybe bleeping this "fan" was one of those acts.
I agree with your sentiment in this. Not once did you feel entitled in pushing your message. I felt a bit cringy too about it, I must admit. For the records I am a black male in Nigeria.
But for the rest of white America with some unfounded entitlement in using the "n-word", here's a perfect way to look at this. I will at this point hand it to my homie, Ta Nehisi:
Sure you have seen that before now. Thoughts?
How very apt this video is! I just wanna throw in there that despite my whiteness I don't have that sense of entitlement he's talking about, not that it doesn't exist, it definitely does, but in regard to this discussion I wouldn't consider it an element in my argument. I also have no desire to ever use that word in any other situation nor do I think anyone else should, but music and art in general and as an artist I just think we should have progressed beyond that sort of censorship.
We've clearly lost our minds here. The word nigger was never said in the song and neither nigga the word used, or nigger should ever be muttered from the mouth of a soul that isn't black. Somebody in the replies had the audacity to say the word nigger is art. I agree with you art that can only be used by black people. Is this some type of sick joke?