Section 80: "Hey this is Kendrick Lamar and this is my story" GKMC:"I'm Kendrick Fucking Lamar" TPAB:"I'm the savior of the rap game and this generation. I'm more than Kendrick Lamar" DAMN:"I guess we're all Damned to the results of our experiences, I'm nothing but Kendrick Lamar" Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers:"I am not Kendrick Lamar, I'm Kendrick Duckworth, let me tell you who I really am. I'm no saint, I'm no savior, I'm just a man, a man with issues that I'm working through" Overall I enjoyed this transformation of art. And the more I listen to it, the more I have to face the harsh reality that Kendrick isn't perfect. And I know the answer is "duh" but try to take him off a pedestal, it's harder than you think. I mean go on Twitter and search Kendrick and you'll still see him being catapulted ok this unrealistic high ground that no other artist isn't on. The Kodak thing is a perfect example, whenever we have a Future album, a Drake album, a Ye album, that have associates that have committed crimes in the same capacity as Kodak. Radio Silence. Nothing. I do not like Kodak, but his inclusion on this project was absolutely masterful, with Kendrick playing the psudo savior and Kodak being a person from the same origin that took a different path. That message cannot come from a squeeky clean nigga, it literally can't. Because the message wouldn't be genuine.
Good kid maad city felt much more like his story while Section 80’s conceptual focus was looser and felt more like a scrapbook of experiences and observations hes made over the years. Spot on with damn and mr morale
We Cry Together was actually a huge trigger for me. Growing up with my parents fighting and arguing... That song put me rigth in that place again. Took me a couple of listens to even hear the humour in that one. I'm happy that I faced the trigger though...I can enjoy that song a lot now.
I feel that. My parents' arguments weren't as crazy as that song portrayed, but yeah my brain flashed back a bit too. Also, the main comedic value I picked up on was more a reference....all those "fuck you's" flying back and forth reminded me of that mail truck scene between Pac and Janet's characters in "poetic justice." Which is kinda more recycling by Kendrick,as he had a whole song named after that movie.😊
So glad that you are planning to a video on the Sexual abuse of Black Boys. So overlooked and not taken seriously. So many people celebrate this abuse as look at these young men catching grown women as if they are the ones with the power. It's wild and I'm so glad we are beginning to have this conversation.
I just saw a video of sukihana twerking on a ten year old boy and all the comments were laughing this is a very serious issue indeed that needs to be addressed.
You know what, i hope this doesn’t come across as white guilt-ish, but as a white person i have to admit i seriosuly had mo idea and would’ve never guess until i heard Mother I Sober. I guess ina way, and i hope this doesn’t come across as racist, i figured that that the pretty harsh and prominent homophobia ingrained in the black community would make something like molesting boys a non-issue. I feel stupid
I’m so glad to hear a left content creator talk about rap music. So many leftists talk about black people but never engage with our art. Conscious rappers are masters of sociology, and can show parts of the community that are never seen from the outside.
I'm sure "white guy who listens to mostly hip hop" is it's own archetype with it's own issues but I have to say as one of them I really don't feel like I can trust people who say they care about black struggle and don't listen to hip hop at all. It's just weird to me. I can see how the misogyny that often shows up is off putting for a lot of women though
@@HideNZeke I can definitely get you, but tbf I think it’s important to remember that hip hop/street, while undeniably tied to and a part of black American culture, does have its own distinctions. Like, I’ve known quite a few black folks who don’t really care for that shit at all, especially if they come from more middle-class+ backgrounds. Conversely, there’s all sorts of non-black folks like you and me who, despite being guests in the culture in a lot of ways, do still find that deep connection to it. At least for me, those common themes of poverty, of being alienated from your community and the larger system, of being surrounded by old generational trauma and the substance abuse it often sparks, etc etc… that shit spoke to me in a way no other person, art form, media, whatever else was doing. The centuries of shit black people dealt with (and still deal with) means they’re unfortunately a lot more likely to be in those kinds of situations, but it’s still not really exclusive or universal to the community, where other aspects of the culture are definitely more so. Now I don’t say all that to take away from your point, hip hop is still a great lens into the black struggle and I wish more people took it seriously (more than just Kendrick). Just, yeah, there’s a bit more contextual whatever. Those black folks I’ve known who don’t really fit that hip hop mold 1. still have their own struggles that might not be represented as much in hip hop and 2. sometimes get (very understandably) annoyed at the social assumption that them being black means they must also be street. hopefully that was somewhat coherent lol
"...If people are going past your comfort zone to address a problem, support them in their journey; don't make people doing work you're not willing to do (for understandable reasons) feel like they're doing something wrong in that regard" SO much of this. This is like "should be a bumper sticker or something" good so a lot of people who need to hear this don't miss it
Is this applicable to how some white ppl deal with other white ppl’s extra racist nonsense and try to dismantle it, and other white ppl just cut extra racist ppl off completely (‘cause all white ppl are racist, but we have some extra ones in our group)?
@@austensg9596late reply, but absolutely! And it's not just white people trying to dismantle their racism! I come from a Chicano community (Mexican-American) and despite the solidarity we have with other communities, we have a lot of things to unpack like colorism, misogyny, anti-indigenous sentiment. Still, we all go about it differently!
@@dez-mreminds me of one of FD’s older videos where he talks about it not being a gender war, a class war, or even necessarily a race war because all of those factors come into a bigger battle of The system vs the people. I feel like that’s why the “work” may seem “uncomfortable” to others, because you’re not just fighting one issue you’re tackling a system.
As a white person this sort of lesson/ change of thinking was really huge in my journey in many ways and changed the way I process and understand so much and it's helped me in continuously breaking down toxic thought patterns. This is a good reminder of that, appreciate you pointing this out 💐💖
I like your analysis in general, but I always get very concerned that when we have these discussions about the problems of bm or bw or bp that we end attributing American social issues or just the frailty of the human condition as internal black collective racial failures, and to me this obscures the causes of these issues behind this wrong racist belief system. A few examples of what I mean, I have witnessed numerous white co workers not get along with other white co workers, but they do not attribute their not getting along to the fact that the other co worker is white. I have seen white people get screwed over by white business owners repeatedly, but they don’t think the white business owner screwed them over because the business owner is white. White people are constantly whining about failed romantic relationships usually with other white people. They write a ton of romantic relationship books, but they don’t blame those failed romantic relationships on the fact that their partners are usually white. I could go, but I have seen other black people not get along with a black co worker, and it’s all about how black people cant get along with one another, and we are crabs in a bucket. I have seen black people have a bad experience with a black owned business say that’s what’s wrong with black business owners, blah, blah, blah. We have all seen on UA-cam the numerous UA-camrs blaming their failed romantic relationships on the fact that their partner was black. black people are racialized so our behavior is viewed under this distorted racialized lens even amongst each other. Nearly all Americans even black people believe there is something collectively wrong within the black race
I think it's because we fail to adress and go beyond our trauma and consider ourselves as human beings, individuals FIRST instead of a community built from scratch through bloodshed
@T M Your analysis is soooo on point!! We have been conditioned this way on purpose. Its the same thing with the farce of so called "black on black" crime! The majority of people kill in proximity to where they live. Caucasians, asians, hispanics kill each other, etc. and no one says "white on white" crime, "asian on asian" or "hispanic on hispanic" crime. The term "black on black" make it seems like we are just some animals. If a crime is reported in the news, we all collectively hold our breathe and hope the person isn't black. We have been indoctrinated to bear the brunt of and be responsible for what every black person does. I'm am absolutely sick of hearing people say ohh if we would stop killing each other, then other people would respect us! Its total bs!! There's never been a point U.S. history where we have not been attacked by our oppressors.
@@2manystories2tell43 Yes, it’s an understandable coping strategy to think hey if we are perfect we will get treated better. Or to think if individual bp made better personal choices things would be better. But it misses the question of why are we are grouped together racially, because we are judged collectively. So that our behavior can be demonized as aberrant How many times do you hear the phrase black people are the only people that do x, y, z. It’s a statement that puts our behavior outside of other human behavior. It is dehumanizing. The phrase black on black crime is illustrative of that belief. Because it takes a universal human condition or the societal reality of crime and says but “ black crime” is particularly bad and it’s due to what’s wrong within the black race. The phrase doesn’t make any sense without that perspective. But Americans think criminal is a condition caused by being black to some extent.
I love how you ended the video with bringing your son to come say bye just like how Kendrick ended Mother I Sober by having his daughter on there. That parallel warmed my heart, what a full circle moment. Great video! Love your stuff
Bro... I'm not black, but I'm Eastern European, grew up through struggle and a toxic masculity culture here which is its own thing. 'Father Time' broke me. I had a lot of the same feelings and experiences you talk about. That is very powerful.
Same my dad is from Mexico, so I got immigrant parent teachings in a foreign land. Father does not trust anyone or the country. The line about waking up early and practicing on days off rings so true.
@@omowhanre I wish I could say no... But if you're dark-skinned and wear a hijab f.ex., there is a chance that it will be noticed and pointed out. It also varies a lot. I mean, things are different between Latvia, Romania, Czechia, Bulgaria and do on.
I think it’s very easy for Black men to tell Black women to extend empathy to one who is as well an agent of their oppression. There has to be a real conversation of accountability, while empathy is important for understanding and self healing there seems to be a lot of lack of accountability. This whole embracing Kodak talk that these rappers are doing is very telling, it’s really a slap in the face to the healing of the community, instead of holding anyone accountable putting the responsibility on the community for forgive. Like you said there was never even an apology. This man groped his own mother on camera. You can’t save everybody. But to jump over your own accountability for partaking in the misogynoir of another just to scream “extend empathy for your own redemption,” not feeling it. At some point we gotta talk about the victimization of Black men and how it’s used amongst the diaspora to get away with atrocious behavior. There is a LOT of healing that the Black community has to do, and a lot of it has nothing to do with white people but how we love and care for each other and our children. Black women as well have accountability here, we are raising these boys and girls. You they say at some point people choose to be victims. We are survivors, we are rebuilding.
If working with a problematic artist is misogynoir then most artists in history need to be scrutinized. You Shea butter pro black priestesses need to go touch grass.
@@Chiefteeth1 First I’m not that, so your interpretation is projected, second supporting another’s misogynoir is participation of it. It’s one thing to extend empathy it’s another to not hold them accountable for their wrong doings and just move on like ain’t nothing happen. How is progression supposed to happen if not? The man ain’t changed. You obviously didn’t understand my statement from your response, what triggered you so much?
My one reframe on this comment would be regarding your mention of Kodak grabbing his mother inappropriately. To me that was a huge red signal saying this man was raised with a type of trauma many of us can’t understand. When asked about it afterwards he literally said “I wanted her to feel beautiful”, which is so disgusting. He is incapable of distinguishing between healthy and unhealthy sexual attention. That’s also probably why he hasn’t explicitly apologized for the sexual assault, there’s a good chance he doesn’t understand what was wrong. That makes it so painful for his victims because they don’t feel the justice they deserve, but it’s also important to remember that the way we villainize Kodak carries with it an implicit erasure of the forces that created him. Like this video said, do we really only care about the traumatization of black men up until a point?
@@82kmal I totally agree, but the biggest thing is you can not heal another persons trauma. As an adult you are responsible for your own trauma healing. If one is going around harming others due to their trauma the only thing you can do is hold them accountable, accountability comes with real boundaries as well. But we are not necessarily seeing that. We are seeing it being swept under the rug under the words of “empathy and forgives.” If he snitched it be a different conversation, but it involves Black women so we are not getting that energy. It’s giving “get over it, Ppl make mistakes” and it’s very harmful.
@@apinkywinky you’re absolutely right. This sort of reminds me of the need for genuine rehabilitation and healing inside of prisons. Most agree that incarceration is not a good system, mostly because of unjust charges but also because we believe people deserve a chance to change and become better rather than just be punished with impunity. But what I think were getting at is that accountability and punishment is step one, and healing and solutions is just as necessary. One without the other is unfair
Describing Mr. Morale as all the hurt and pain and bitterness lashing out from DAMN. being focused on letting it all out after a/during a therapy session is a perfect description. This is definitely Kendrick taking the time to breathe and just vent, talk about his feelings and letting us know something a little more about him after the anger washed away from DAMN. I love all of of Kung Fu Kenny's albums, I feel like this is the first time we ACTUALLY get to know him as a person. Here, Kendrick is tackling all his insecurities and traumas. From dealing with grief through empty materialism, struggling with his savior complex and accepting that he can't be the hero to the black community, to the generational black trauma that went through his mother and father and into him, to his worries as a fiancee and father and hoping he won't spread his issues onward to his son and daughter.
I love your analysis of the album. 🙌🏽 As a trans woman who completely relates to Kendrick's words in Father Time, I feel as though Auntie Diaries goes a layer deeper into the themes of Father Time. That same expression of masculinity that young black men are taught helps intensify a clash between the boys who's dispositions enable them to fit the cultural standards unfairly placed on them, and the boys who'd have to completely shift their expression of their personalities in order to fit in. I loved the entire album, and Father Time and Auntie Diaries have both had a really positive impact on my journey of healing from the black male childhood that I experienced.
Personally, I think colonisation and systematic plays a bigger part than that expression of masculinity. Ultimately, Mother I Sober actually concluded the album with my same rhetoric. You emasculate men, force them into crime to live, breaking family units and leaving dads in jail. Then the only expression of masculinity they have is the criminals out of jail in their neighbourhood. Eventually this becomes althe identity of a man. It’s generational
Beautifully put! Bless you on your journey of healing... 🙏 If only men would see how damaging toxic masculinity is, not just to women, but to themselves... SMH Same goes for so-called "white" people and white supremacy (and the very _idea_ of whiteness)... or heterosexuals and homophobia... and so on. For example: because of homophobia's impact on _one man,_ Alan Turing, we very easily could've lost WWII to the Nazis.
I like how the idea of Kendrick losing his saviour complex links into your words of “You’re a villain in somebody else’s story”. How trying to save the world through music for him was not only impossible, but was also a distraction from his own issues. I think the takeaway is that we cannot neglect to keep working on our own problems whilst trying to make the world a better place. Otherwise we run the risk of being blind to the harm we can cause to others ourselves. Thanks for your thoughts!
When you talked about the Bell Curve of black men and empathizing with them on their journey that really hit me. I don't have the patience for black men who aren't friends/family (because I'm tired of being hurt and I love myself too much) but I do want to hold space for the men in my life to hopefully get their shit together. I just feel like as a black woman they're not going to listen to me and Black non misogynistic role models seem to be far and few between. All I can do is share your videos I guess and hold that space for them to grow. I love your content btw. I want to understand the black men around me more because I've literally had my brother tell me he didn't want to have a baby as dark as him. It broke my heart. Looking forward to your next video on the manosphere.
@@davruck1 y’know, when you become an adult, you don’t just stop learning and taking in lessons from the world around you. A role model isn’t necessarily just someone you idolize because of who they are. A role model is someone who exhibits qualities that you find desirable and helpful on your journey as a human being. Me saying I see FD for example as a role model isn’t me saying “omg i wanna be just like him when i grow up lol.” It’s me saying that I want to be able to unpack some of my misogynistic and admittedly privileged sensibilities and seeing him discuss that gives something of a blueprint. Everyone has a role model because we learn from each other. All role models may not be created equally, but none of us can afford to be an island. That’s not how we grow as people.
I love this album. It was such an intense rollercoaster to go through the lyrics. Kendrick leading by example, when he said ''you can't help the world, until you help yourself.'' Standing out in front, bearing his issues, taking the steps for mending and moving on. Powerful and personal, and skillfully delivered. Beautiful art.
“I can’t categorically be against effort.” That’s a really great headspace to start from because it gives people the space to grow. I’ll be carrying that with me on subjects across the board. Thank you.
You missed the end of that sentence. "If it works." I know a lot of people putting in effort for something having the exact opposite effect to what they intended. (don't think this is one of those, time will tell, but that last part is crucially important)
38:40 "Don't make people doing work you're not willing to do, for understandable reasons, feel like they're doing something wrong in that regard" This point soooo much on so many topics. And you said it perfectly
The Kodak inclusion threw a lot of people off, especially Kendrick's loyal fanbase. I do feel like with everything he does, it was absolutely intentional to force all of us to wrestle with the juxtaposition or "perceived" juxtaposition of himself relative to Kodak. Kendrick is an empath with survivor's guilt in addition to his own internal traumas and although he has had a breakthrough of sorts, he still has things in common with Kodak and can still relate to him on many levels while we hold them to completely different standards. It's almost as if he would prefer to be held to the standard of a Kodak that comes with much less pressure and expectations. It's extremely interesting and I'm still processing it like most of us. We all have work to do.
It made sense they both Gemini and both confessed to being hebrew israelites. They both have respect for one another. Kodak black first day out and kendrick lamars yah
I truly feel like if X were still alive he would've taken Kodak's place on the album. He's an example of someone who actually tried to make changes, apologized, addressed his past, etc. Whether or not it was genuine is a different discussion because he still had a case at the time---but he still would've been a better example. Kendrick gave him support multiple times, like shouting out his debut album on social media and the spotify removal thing...
I just wanted to say you sons are lucky to have a father like you. I've been watching you for awhile and I'm grateful I came across your channel. I've learned a lot but also feel like I have been able to be in community with Black men and not feel uncomfortable or as if I do not belong.
I loved “The Blacker the Berry" ever since it came out but every time I was in the car with somebody and it came on they would turn that shit STRAIGHT OFF! 😂😔 so I feel you FD
I was being petty as hell one day and let it play in the paint booth while I was working. I'm the only (black) one in there working, and the other NCOs walked in to look at something else (all white). I just minded my business and kept doing my thing lol.
I want to speak on Auntie Diaries. I'm queer, white and male presenting. I love the song. The hegemony of straight, patriarchal society is so strong and insurmountable, that even as someone who lives on the other side of the word faggot from Kendrick, I myself had to get over the same thing Kendrick did. I had to unpack my force fed shit and the image of queer people I had in my head in order to even touch the door of the closet. It is so fucked up to think about. I needed to relearn how hurtful the word faggot is by unpacking my identity first even though it is a slur aimed at me directly. The hostility of straight society is so baked into the world we live in that it touches everyone and Auntie Diaries is one of the most honest and poignant takes I ever heard from a straight artist about this topic. I find it a little sad how so many LGBTQ people outright reject the song. It is more for straight men than anyone else I'll admit that, but I still felt incredibly seen. Sometimes having someone from "the other side" bring up issues is valuable because if Kendrick was gay, or any other queer person made the same song the people needing to hear Auntie Diaries the most wouldn't give it the time of day.
Agree with everything you said, and the last part you said really resonated. Sometimes I have this shame knowing that as a cisgender straight man, even with pronouns in the bio or wtv, my opinions defending queer ppl or on any political topic in general might be regarded more seriously by other cishet men than those of a queer person. I've literally been asked in online convos/arguments if I'm straight, and once I reply yes, their demeanor significantly softens up. It's so sad. I know I'm revisiting this video hella late, but I appreciate your words.
I feel a similar way about Auntie Diaries. I'm a gay cis guy, and I know that my opinion on it isn't going to match up to any trans persons, but it brought me to tears. It's a song for people who have negative opinions about LGBTQ people, not for people who already accept them. It's for people who just throw out gay/trans slurs without thinking about it. It's a wake-up call specifically to people who inhabit a minority group that lash out at another minority group, one that includes people from *your* demographic. It's a song that needed to be made. And what really hurt me personally about it is that I'm on the other side of it. I know nobody in my family would choose accepting me being gay over their religion.
2 years late to this conversation and 3 years late to your space. You've gain a new supporter. Funny enough I wanted to ask if this had been revisited somewhere? I had a different viewpoint of Kodak's contribution to the album. I think Kodak as almost speaking "as" Kendrick. I was under the impression that Kendrick was showing that him and Kodak was actually the same or similar instead of using him show the "other extreme". But adding it to your idea makes creates an even deeper conversation. This is dope
Deadass my abuse as a child did alot to me mentally that I haven't even noticed until I turned 30 and nobody really cared. They triedto act like they cared when I was younger but now that I'm older it's like it never happened.
You made some points in the “pre-listen” portion that definitely resonated with what I took from the album. For people turned off or confused by Kodak’s inclusion, and aside from that for how we tend to identify Kendrick as that super conscious savior, people forget that he’s still regular ol’ Kenny who grew up just like some of us. I think some people feel like he thinks he’s better than us, that bourgeoisie finger nod you spoke of, but he is imperfect and had to unpack all of the reasons why.
Talking about masculinity the way you do is sorely needed on this platform and in general. Sexual abuse is an incredibly difficult thing to talk about and it's about time that men started to share their experiences and process those feelings together and in a non toxic way.
Damn you were spot on with that prediction you made before listening. The whole album of MM&TBS to me is about confronting his own issues and realizing he cant be the savior he and others want him to be
I went to an all black middle school there was a dark skin kid who everyone called “Dirty D” in reference to how dark he was… When I think of how that could have made him feel I understand why Kodak n certain men feel how they feel…
Fair point, but we should not condemn the clownery too. Colorism is a huge issue in the Black community. I have stories of people (mostly non-black people) making fun of me for being a brown to dark skin Black boy. Does that make it ok for me to be a colorist and self-hate? No, it does not, and the same thing goes for Kodak and the other Black men like him🙃
@@JulianSteve Colorism is never okay(Dark or Light), but I accept it comes from a place of pain(the self hate part of it of course) we can’t give everyone the same expectation of maturity, especially not knowing where they from what they’ve been through. For some it’s going to take longer to deal with their pain especially being stuck in the hood.
@@JulianSteve black women do it all the time stating how they hate dark skin bm because they were teased and insulted. Obviously your past is going to be a big influence on your mental conditioning.
@@JulianSteve why when BM express their trauma theyre invalidated? I guarantee if they were women expressing themselves you would be defending them. Cut the BS.
yeah. hearing "Father Time" from his dad's perspective is a very hard listen. heavy ass song. i always picture kendrick's parents listening to his music and wonder what they must feel like hearing it
I guess people think that empathy is a gift you only give to people who deserve it... And so if you empathize they think you approve of and support that person and their actions.
I feel like Kendricks music is much more performative art than just music. His storytelling is God tier. He's much more of a lyrical painter than a rap artist. Needless to say, I love it. It takes dedication to consume. Which probably makes it very inaccessible for a lot of young white people.
I'm not done listening to yours but so far amazing break down of his past albums and how they were received and his disappointment and reaction being Damn and the silence?!!?!?!? You hit THE NAIL on THE HEAD... perfect conclusion, that's exactly what it was!! 😊
It’s so interesting that DAMN is a hard listen for you! (I actually go back to it often because there are a few tracks that I LOVE) THIS album is the hard listen for me because baybaaaaay I can feel the gears of healing grinding throughout this work. Healing is HARD and the process hurts; it’s an ugly process. I feel him doing that work throughout this album. Regarding Kodak, I can’t STAND him. But I actually think his inclusion here is perfect. To me, Kodak is pure Id. He’s the embodiment of what happens when you take Hood Trauma(tm) to its extreme end and give it a microphone. You mentioned that hearing Kodak apologize was like listening to a child, and you’re so right! When I saw the “my name Kodak black but when you see me I’m white” clip, I was like oooooh…. This is a *literal* child in a man’s body. So I think he beautifully illuminates how growing up in the hood simultaneously robs black people (but especially BM) of their childhood, yet in a lot of ways puts them in a state of arrested development. Kodak gives voice to that in a lot of ways, and I appreciate the juxtaposition of THAT perspective vs that of someone who sees that perspective and is actively doing the work to heal Idk… still working through my feelings but overall, I think it’s a powerful body of work
@@FTYC2022 In Freudian Psychology, the human personality is made up of three different agencies: The Id, the Ego and the Superego. The Id basically represents unfiltered desires and instincts.
Bro istg our taste in music overlaps so much! Kenny Mason’s angelic hoodrat is so good. 30, Metal Wings, Anti-Gravity, and firestarter are so impactful and well done :)
I just had a crazy realization of Kendrick’s discography and it feels like the five stages of grief, I don’t believe it’s intentional but it feels like it is in a weird meta way
@@joshwhite5730 GKMC is anger. It's literally an album that is punctuated by the death of his friend and multiple people yelling at him all album for shit that is somewhat out of his control. You could make an argument that Section.80 is denial, it might feel like a stretch. TPAB is totally bargaining. And it also doesn't have to follow the linear path of the five stages, that's not always how it works for people.
It definitely is! He was probably going through these actual stages while writing these songs. Music is expression, and if you understand psychology you know this is exactly what he was going through
“During the Vietnam War, every respectable artist in this country was against the war. It was like a laser beam. We were all aimed in the same direction. The power of this weapon turns out to be that of a custard pie dropped from a stepladder six feet high.” ― Kurt Vonnegut I think every artist needs to internalize this to some extent. Art isn't activism Artists can be activists and vice-versa. Art can stimulate activism, but it isn't activism. Art won't make structural/systemic changes. You're not Malcolm X. You're not Martin Luther King Jr. And that's ok.
Respectfully, I could not disagree with this take more. I think people undermine the power of collective consciousness. There are always shifts due to music but we don’t realise it because it’s a collective consciousness thing. I understand what you’re saying though the idea of art fuelling a revolution is ridiculous. However, you go tell a Rasta man that art isn’t activism. The Rastafarian movement empowered black men for generations. I get where you’re coming from but if you think back to all the artists who voiced change so strongly and it started to impact the collective consciousness, they were killed and/or died mysteriously
@@tontonbonnet7397 Respectfully, I disagree with your disagreeing. While I will concede that Vonnegut's quote here is more evocative than precise and a bit hyperbolic, its essential point stands. To be clear, I do not doubt the transformative power of art, whether on a personal, cultural or societal level; from Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' galvanizing the abolitionist movement to D.W. Griffith's film 'Birth of a Nation' rebirthing the Klu Klux Klan, art changes the world. Then there's all the subtle and non-recordable ways art can influence the zeitgeist. But to expect art to do the work of large scale socio-political change or small scale community building or anything in between is to make the wrong demands of it. Bob Marley cannot replace Marcus Garvey Ras Shorty I will not replace Uriah Butler.
@@komugemon8010 yeah I was definitely tripping off how hyperbolic the quote was. I couldn't agree with you more. However, I think as much as art can't be activism, we can;t undermine its revolutionary potential as well as its ability to disrupt the system. That is not possible today as censorship is so powerful but take a look at fela Kuti's relationship with the Nigerian government... Sometimes they're able to take it far lol
Art can inspire people to do the work, but it's not the work itself. You can't be an artist exclusively and think that's enough. But art should still be held up as a very important thing because it can galvanize real action.
You're right. Thats why all the immigrants and Africans want to move to the suburbs with white folks and talk on videos and think thats gonna do something.
endless love and respect for you FD! i'm a 32 year old single dad wannabe youtuber and you're a big time inspiration. seein you in the RTJ shirt makes me wanna hear you talk about Killer Mike (specifically his political/ organizing efforts and his super weird Netflix show). awesome video (as usual)!
Yo I had that SAME 'I Am Hip Hop' shirt back in high school! Really took me back to my wannabe rapper days lmao. Really loved hearing your thoughts on Kendrick and the album. Hope you keep doing this for other releases, hip hop or any other genre. -Terrence.
I'm in the middle of this and I'm so close to crying (look at me being vulnerable). The love I got growing up was shown in the 'the world is tough, and you need to be emotionally strong to survive' vein. Luckily I don't have children, but I've just recently learned how my upbringing affects my interactions with friends' children. If we were playing a game, I would win, so they know life isn't fair. If something brought them to tears, I'd think about people throwing fits over lattes. People throwing fits brings out a deep dislike for them in me. 1st, black people weren't allowed to throw fits in public (or at home) when I was growing up, my Grandmother would say "You want me to give you something real to cry about" meaning the belt. 2nd, I was taught that allowing vulnerability in children male, female, and most of all non-gender is just setting them up for a world of hurt. I am just seeing that if all I expect from the world is a constant fight, my ability to both express my own and endure other's vulnerability doesn't exist. For the time being, I don't do much hanging out with my friends who have kids, I know my reactions are bad, but I still have them.
Man I didn’t even realize this was something I be feeling. That feeling that if someone around me that I even could care about is throwing a fit about something minuscule (to me) I’ll get angry or just have this holier than thou complex like that’s a weakness. It completely takes me out of a moment where I could be showing empathy and connecting with the people I love and helping them through their shit. Like my knee jerk reaction to everything is “it ain’t that deep” just to keep myself from feeling weak for indulging or allowing somebody to just exist in sadness or momentary angst.
although this was made for the black siblings, i related to most of this as an Indigenous person. the psychological generational shit passed down is insanely relatable. as a trans dude, i had no issue with the song and actually teared up as a lifelong fan of hip hop. you and i both know as HH heads that it wasn't too long ago when you'd expect bars making fun of dudes by saying they had extra estrogen or coochies, or talk about meeting a chick at a bar and beating her once they found out she had a deep voice or a penis. a bunch of people have been hustling to get to this place - from the "sissy bounce" scene to lil nas x, young m.a and tyler. the fact he included a man and a woman was also UNDERRATEDEDLY BASED as masc lesbians/trans men have always been a huge part of the hip hop fanbase yet overlooked. the only two critiques are: 1. The title. Why misgender his uncle in the title? Perhaps he's one of the trans people who are okay with "old" ways of referring to them, it is slightly uncomfy because a lot of trans men people get labelled as androgines, seen as bro-ey lesbians, or femme boys etc. if we don't literally have a fkn beard or sumn so it's a slight side eye there but nothing I'd protest about. 2. Audience reaction. every trans (and otherwise queer) person has different lived experiences, especially with being deadnamed, misgendered, and the slur. I'm okay with it, but I can 100% understand where others are coming from. You have to remember, it's not just this song in a vacuum. There's actual harm done, and when an artist like Kendrick, who hasn't been the biggest ally in the past (has a couple homophobic bars in section 80, has called being gay a 'lifestyle' in an interview, and has made fun of effeminate men ((albeit could just be a hood masculinity thing and not directed at gay people))), says slurs etc. it can seem a bit dodgy. There's a reason we don't defend Adam Calhoun saying the N-word in the song Racism even though he's "making a point". Not tryna compare these rappers or words but it is something to think about. ((Again, I'm okay with it but some paint trans/gay people as "not getting it"/"not allowing people to change and grow" like we're obtuse or cis people are more rational)). Idk it just seems like cis people prefer being seen and feeling better about being homo/transphobic in the past than really trying to hear why trans people have these critiques. it's one of those things where we have to accept people are going to be transphobic in this society, and some people just don't tolerate/accept that - especially in a prewritten song, which i think is understandable.
This review reminds me of why I connect so much with you content. I'm truly looking forward to your manosphere video because I think what Kendrick perfectly describes through this album is the foundation that created that space, you seem to get that. The father he described is so many older black men I knew and know, those voices are fairly new to the internet. Rest his soul but I could never see my Grandfather sitting in front of camera to make a video but I know what it would sound like if he got to talking. I felt so many songs on the album, it was a therapy piece for me. I think because I'm a product of the 90s, when you realized everything and everyone existed whether you liked it or not, no cancelling and you just experienced it all. Side note: Tommy Curry's "The Man-Not" is a great read and he was an early voice in the manosphere but left it before it turned into what it is today.
as a queer, white person i completely agree with everything said in auntie diaries. i think the song wouldhave been far less impactful if it had all been censored as it is told as like his history and growth on the issue each time deadnaming and missgendering was through younger Kendrick and that and by the end of the song he's completely changed.
The studio version of the song "I" was released I think 6 months before the release of "To Pimp a Butterfly" and Kendrick won a Grammy for it but it was panned because people thought Kendrick was going "pop" but it was out of context for the album. It is hard to properly listen to the "To Pimp a Butterfly" songs out of context. The live "I" skit I feel was Kendrick finally the stage where the butterfly's wings were spreading (if you match it to the caterpillar to butterfly description on the final record). This song was to represent him not only having forgiven himself and being positive but bringing his new found education back to the society of Compton. Stop fighting amongst each other and understand the real opposition is America / Uncle Sam / Lucy which has constantly been trying to pimp black people. I do think that "To Pimp a Butterfly" was not well received and still not well understood as you absolutely need to listen to the entire album to appreciate how insanely great it is. I feel a lot of people slept on DAMN. It is not a simple album there is a duality in every song and each title influences the format and structure or flow of each record. However you need to know quite a bit of the Bible to appreciate. Since I didn't grow up Christian I didn't understand what he was doing with that album till I sat there looking up every reference. Suffice to say I don't think there are many that touch his level of artistry however most of it goes above the majority of the audience's head.
I'm queer my partner is trans, we like the song. The song is communicating to a specific demographic, and i genuinely appreciate him using his platform to spread a genuine positive message.
Children will always be hurt by the world eventually, it’s part of growing up. But as fathers we should be a source and an example of love because they may never receive it from the world.
I appreciate you putting your perspective and your experience out into the world. You give me so much food for thought. And the instutionalized beat behind you is fire 🔥
love to see the i appreciation!! both versions r two of my fav kendrick songs of all time but i love the tpab version SO much! PLS watch the live version he did on snl w the last verse from momma i stg it's one of his best live performances everrr
I love the family cameo! and that your son loves pink and My Little Pony. One of mine is similar, loving his trucks and dinosaurs, as well rainbows and unicorns and his tutu.
as a latin 25 year old man from Chile, Idk why but I grew so much love in the last like 5 years for afroamerican culture, Kendrik is now something so meaning to me that I can´t even put to words, now I love modern story telling conscious rap and stuff like tyler the creator. Maybe if an american read this it will be a laugh, but man I love some good high quality hip hop.
Kenny Mason!!! You mentioned him on a video a while back & I have been hooked on Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut ever since then. Definitely my favorite album from last year.
The high pitched vocals being reversed in the Father Time beat hit really fucking hard. It feels/sounds like a rusty violin being played flawlessly, and at the same time it feels like it's cutting your skin in a self harm way, where there's this twisted relief in it. It's a familiar/familial feeling for me. I've felt both sides of the daddy issues from 2 different men in my life and I gotta say, it was much easier just not having a dad than it was to have an overbearing, complicated and stressful relationship with one. (my mom was neglectful so I've always had to be independent and learn everything the hard way) It wasn't until I found a way to love myself (and until my step dad died) that I started being better to people, ("what love got to do with it when you don't love yourself?" and I was able to work through my issues and what I felt the people in my life did to me. He also plays a clip and talks in another song about living a life centered around the things that happened to you and how to move on, I ain't black but this whole album resonated with me in an almost uncomfortable but also validating way. Thanks for letting me share "So if you need a hero, just look in the mirror No one's gonna save you now, so you gotta save yourself"
This is validating Sir. At around 40:00 its just refreshing. Everything you are speaking about I went through. I had people made me feel crazy for the work I was doing - Black folks, one in particular who I looked up to but now realize, he is the book Bougie type. I still talk about those issues but its real.
Sometimes we try to place things into categories and align things to what we champion. This album is simply Kendrick coming to grips with things & issues that shaped him as a boy & the habits he picked up to cope with those issues. He goes thru that on n95...."take it off". Him taking off all of the titles and perceptions of Kendrick is what started his process of finding his triggering issues (throughout the album). Through his process he realized he was tap dancing around what his main issue was. He's not advocating anything, just expressing his process to self. In result the album acts a a mirror because we all have multiple "strawmen" we create in order to cope with issues from early childhood. So we have the trauma plus the coping mechanisms for the trauma to reconcile. Many times we get to the coping mechanisms and treat them as the triggers & are still left with our original trauma. The real question is how do we as individuals take on that process. That particular process is only made successful when the focus is self and not what is going on around self.
I obviously can't speak for everybody, but I can talk about personal experience. I'm non-binary and I've always been an oddity to my family. When I was a kid, that shit hurt, but things have gotten better as I've gotten older. I get why people have a problem with dead-naming and mis-gendering, but I also think that's a very privileged perspective. I'm 33: I've been mis-gendered my whole life, and dead named for half of it, so it doesn't trigger me the same way. It isn't right, maybe. It isn't really fair to me, maybe. But to be included, understood, and accepted, even if they don't really understand why it matters... I can be mad that they don't get it quite right, or moved by the fact that they really are trying. I lean into option two, and let love answer for the rest. Also, I think the lyrics illustrate that kind of progression. "My aunty is a man now" to "Demetrius is Mary-Ann now' is a HUGE step. The first sounds like an indictment, while the second is nothing but a name change. I'd rather have people in my life making mistakes.
Old heads will spread wisdom anywhere. I’ve had one “sit me down” on the bus. They’ve seen shit and want to keep as many people from the life, even if they don’t know you.
I really liked how much of the album was him unpacking masculinity, and I really appreciated auntie diaries on that level because it felt like he knew he couldn't make a whole album unpacking masculinity especially from such a personal standpoint without talking about trans people. I get why other trans people wouldn't wanna hear the misgendering and all that but I felt like it was almost an admission that he didn't understand all this growing up and still doesn't fully understand it, but he cares, like the pronouns fluctuate when he is a kid dealing with someone who's already trans but when his cousin comes out he doesn't know how to change his mind, and something about the pronouns switching to 'you' at the end fuckin got me, like he knows he doesn't get it but he sees you and he cares and hes gonna learn from there. Like I don't live in the mans brain but the artist is dead or whatever. Personally I would rather listen to Kendrick imperfectly unpack his feelings about trans people but it actually feels like hes out here thinking through his beliefs and actions then have someone who's just googled what do trans people want me to say to affirm them. I was like damn!! hes out here for us too!! He fucking gives a shit and you can HEAR it. I just wanna hug the man, i listened to that song on repeat at work for like 3 hours its good shit.
all I can say is that I have connected with Kendrick's music and his personal journey and thoughts, sounds and vybes have resonated with me in deep levels. For that alone, he will be one of the greatest artists I have ever come into contact with in my lifetime.
Like Myke C Town from DeadEndHipHop said, no black person wanna hear a white dude saying the N word over and over to make a point. So I fully understand why some folks from the LGBT+ crowd wouldn't fuck with Aunty Diaries. I just hope they understand that Kendrick isn't coming from a place of hate. He's expressing how ignorant he was of the feelings and struggles his trans uncle had experienced, and how the black community inherent the ignorance of homophobia + transphobia from a very sick society, that caused a lot of trauma to black LGBT+ folks.
34:55 it's been some time already since this video dropped, but I got add this comment: There's a painting made by a Brazilian called "The Cam's Redemption" and whenever I hear this kind of talk it immediately comes to my mind. It was painted by a Spanish painter called Modesto Brocos while he lived in here during the 19th century and that's why I say it's Brazilian lol. I strongly suggest you to look for the image and save it very carefully in your mind, 'cause it's a very powerful picture
Man this video is so good, I'd love for you to take what you said here, clean it up in a script and condense it and put it up on the main channel to get more eyeballs. What you're saying about people willing to do the work, who have the emotional space to meet people where they're at on that half, and to let them do it is so valuable that a video on that concept alone would be awesome. Either way I'm glad you started putting these less structured videos up rather than leaving them in your mind. Always interesting, thanks.
Just a comment on the Kodak Black inclusion - I think it’s very important to understand as well that Kodak Black is considered a street poet to many people from Florida. He actually has many introspective moments on plenty of his non popular music, most songs which are very popular in Florida. Between his problematic nature as well as accent and dialect, plus the inclusion of creole and references to Haitian culture in his music, he can sometimes be inaccessible to much of the mainstream hip hop collective. Additionally, many of his references can only be understood if you are/were from a similar background (poor black immigrant in south Florida). However he is in fact a very important musical figure in South Florida. I think Kendrick recognizes this and his inclusion in the album does come from a place of respect for Kodaks musical ability, not just a placement of Kodak as a problematic black child/figure.
yall sound like judgemental white folks. this is why people don't like you guys, not because of how you talk. You act like people who grow up in these environments arent goint to reflect those values. Your judgement comes from the perspective of privelege and white values.
Projects swallow anyone up who is unlucky enough to be there. Being white, and being from the streets, this album hits me personally and, beyond that, it speaks to what I see in my community. Those of us in the struggle, who are empathetic, need this art. I have to keep my head on in my community in order to not become nihilistic. I'm gonna just go for it and say, struggle is struggle, and when you're in it, it doesn't feel like there's that many levels to it. Even though, there is. There's a lot of ways in which I just cannot help the people around me. Even if I was Kendrick instead of a white girl, I'd fall short. Its hard to come to terms with. I certainly suffered from PTSD and an inferiority complex. Kendrick has been one of the only artists to speak to this. I don't have a solid end to this, besides, the human experience doesn't fit neat in any way, into anything
With your comment on listening to this album is different as a black man. Personally I have questions about this because as a Mexican American I feel that I have gone through similar lived experiences as other colored men. But I don’t feel like I have a community to relate to growing up in a majority black/latino community. When I listened to Father Time I cried because of the direct parallels between Kendrick’s experiences and mine and I felt like I was being spoken to. But I feel as though maybe those feeling aren’t true because I’m not black? It’s a thought I’ve never been comfortable sharing but I feel as though your channel (and by consequence your community) is very informative and understanding of difficult questions like this.
Most ppl aint gonna get this...they will downright dismiss ur points. Esp the r.kelly, lil Wayne, etc points u made. Hurt ppl hurt ppl except when they blk and male. I get it. So glad I listened. I struggle too with how much empathy do I give my angry, self destructive behaving adult son.
One thing that makes this album really amazing to me, being white, is how it transcends the dynamic of skin color yet zooms in on it simultaneously. Like, I had an inside glimpse on elements of black experience that were powerful for me to hear to better empathize with an experience I'll never fully understand since I'll never have it. But also, I took from the album that trauma is trauma regardless of who you are. Kenny may have at the face of it addressed the culture he came from in the album, but everyone has the responsibility to deal with their own trauma (though I understand the systemic barriers poc can face to say getting the necessary healthcare). Nobody is immune to their perception of reality being skewed due to trauma they have been through. I had a really toxic white friend I cut ties with recently, eventually learning about his trauma, which he used as an excuse for his behavior rather than something to be addressed. There are things Kendrick says in the album that I hope resonate with him if he listens to it, he needs some major introspection if he ever wants to keep friends moving forwards. The more comfortable he becomes around a person, the more he feels at ease taking advantage of them.
My mans sitting there with the fresh retwist like we wasn't gonna notice.
For real lol
real
Right!🎉
What is it, THE BRAIDS?!
Section 80: "Hey this is Kendrick Lamar and this is my story"
GKMC:"I'm Kendrick Fucking Lamar"
TPAB:"I'm the savior of the rap game and this generation. I'm more than Kendrick Lamar"
DAMN:"I guess we're all Damned to the results of our experiences, I'm nothing but Kendrick Lamar"
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers:"I am not Kendrick Lamar, I'm Kendrick Duckworth, let me tell you who I really am. I'm no saint, I'm no savior, I'm just a man, a man with issues that I'm working through"
Overall I enjoyed this transformation of art. And the more I listen to it, the more I have to face the harsh reality that Kendrick isn't perfect. And I know the answer is "duh" but try to take him off a pedestal, it's harder than you think. I mean go on Twitter and search Kendrick and you'll still see him being catapulted ok this unrealistic high ground that no other artist isn't on. The Kodak thing is a perfect example, whenever we have a Future album, a Drake album, a Ye album, that have associates that have committed crimes in the same capacity as Kodak. Radio Silence. Nothing. I do not like Kodak, but his inclusion on this project was absolutely masterful, with Kendrick playing the psudo savior and Kodak being a person from the same origin that took a different path. That message cannot come from a squeeky clean nigga, it literally can't. Because the message wouldn't be genuine.
Good kid maad city felt much more like his story while Section 80’s conceptual focus was looser and felt more like a scrapbook of experiences and observations hes made over the years.
Spot on with damn and mr morale
This is King Kendrick Lamar, King Kendrick I meant it.
@@lukeshen1661Section 80 is basically bunch of people sitting around a campfire and telling their stories
We just skipping overly dedicated??
@alfronzel1 they obviously just named his albums, which makes sense. UU is also great, but it's not really a studio album either. Kendrick Lamar EP?
>> doesn’t want to make a Kendrick essay
>> accidentally makes a Kendrick essay in the first fifteen minutes of a live stream
😂😂 right
When he said Kendrick hasn't had any crazy beefs I lol'd
>mfw
>”kendrick has no crazy beef”
>lmao
Fine wine. 🤌
He had to make up for lost time lol
We Cry Together was actually a huge trigger for me. Growing up with my parents fighting and arguing... That song put me rigth in that place again. Took me a couple of listens to even hear the humour in that one. I'm happy that I faced the trigger though...I can enjoy that song a lot now.
I feel that. My parents' arguments weren't as crazy as that song portrayed, but yeah my brain flashed back a bit too. Also, the main comedic value I picked up on was more a reference....all those "fuck you's" flying back and forth reminded me of that mail truck scene between Pac and Janet's characters in "poetic justice." Which is kinda more recycling by Kendrick,as he had a whole song named after that movie.😊
I just got out of a very toxic relationship and my teeth were grounding the whole time.
Saaaame! I was in an abusive marriage for a decade, and I just felt squeezed and snuffed out the whole song. I loved the message
Same! Something me and my younger brother both got hit with. I love and hate that song.
@@Nothereatalllllbotuhoh Happy you're overcoming that! Be proud of your strength. Shit is not easy.
Mr F.D and The Big Signifiers
"I'm a Kanye fan, I'm used to being disappointed". That about sums up the majority of the Kanye fandom.
Crazy reading this comment knowing it was made when JIK was almost inarguably Kanye’s worst album 😂
So glad that you are planning to a video on the Sexual abuse of Black Boys. So overlooked and not taken seriously. So many people celebrate this abuse as look at these young men catching grown women as if they are the ones with the power. It's wild and I'm so glad we are beginning to have this conversation.
I just saw a video of sukihana twerking on a ten year old boy and all the comments were laughing this is a very serious issue indeed that needs to be addressed.
He should use the first episode of Bustdown as an example
@@imanigordon6803 OHHHH NOOOO! That is not okay at all. Thank you for informing us, Imani.
That Sukihana video came just in time
You know what, i hope this doesn’t come across as white guilt-ish, but as a white person i have to admit i seriosuly had mo idea and would’ve never guess until i heard Mother I Sober. I guess ina way, and i hope this doesn’t come across as racist, i figured that that the pretty harsh and prominent homophobia ingrained in the black community would make something like molesting boys a non-issue. I feel stupid
I’m so glad to hear a left content creator talk about rap music. So many leftists talk about black people but never engage with our art. Conscious rappers are masters of sociology, and can show parts of the community that are never seen from the outside.
💯💯
I'm sure "white guy who listens to mostly hip hop" is it's own archetype with it's own issues but I have to say as one of them I really don't feel like I can trust people who say they care about black struggle and don't listen to hip hop at all. It's just weird to me. I can see how the misogyny that often shows up is off putting for a lot of women though
@@HideNZeke actually the misogyny seems to be a big selling point
@@HideNZeke I can definitely get you, but tbf I think it’s important to remember that hip hop/street, while undeniably tied to and a part of black American culture, does have its own distinctions.
Like, I’ve known quite a few black folks who don’t really care for that shit at all, especially if they come from more middle-class+ backgrounds. Conversely, there’s all sorts of non-black folks like you and me who, despite being guests in the culture in a lot of ways, do still find that deep connection to it. At least for me, those common themes of poverty, of being alienated from your community and the larger system, of being surrounded by old generational trauma and the substance abuse it often sparks, etc etc… that shit spoke to me in a way no other person, art form, media, whatever else was doing. The centuries of shit black people dealt with (and still deal with) means they’re unfortunately a lot more likely to be in those kinds of situations, but it’s still not really exclusive or universal to the community, where other aspects of the culture are definitely more so.
Now I don’t say all that to take away from your point, hip hop is still a great lens into the black struggle and I wish more people took it seriously (more than just Kendrick). Just, yeah, there’s a bit more contextual whatever. Those black folks I’ve known who don’t really fit that hip hop mold 1. still have their own struggles that might not be represented as much in hip hop and 2. sometimes get (very understandably) annoyed at the social assumption that them being black means they must also be street.
hopefully that was somewhat coherent lol
leftists are just as racist. let them do their own thing. we shouldnt be in the political system as it was created to prop up colonialism
"...If people are going past your comfort zone to address a problem, support them in their journey; don't make people doing work you're not willing to do (for understandable reasons) feel like they're doing something wrong in that regard"
SO much of this. This is like "should be a bumper sticker or something" good so a lot of people who need to hear this don't miss it
This this this
Is this applicable to how some white ppl deal with other white ppl’s extra racist nonsense and try to dismantle it, and other white ppl just cut extra racist ppl off completely (‘cause all white ppl are racist, but we have some extra ones in our group)?
@@austensg9596late reply, but absolutely! And it's not just white people trying to dismantle their racism! I come from a Chicano community (Mexican-American) and despite the solidarity we have with other communities, we have a lot of things to unpack like colorism, misogyny, anti-indigenous sentiment. Still, we all go about it differently!
@@dez-mreminds me of one of FD’s older videos where he talks about it not being a gender war, a class war, or even necessarily a race war because all of those factors come into a bigger battle of The system vs the people. I feel like that’s why the “work” may seem “uncomfortable” to others, because you’re not just fighting one issue you’re tackling a system.
As a white person this sort of lesson/ change of thinking was really huge in my journey in many ways and changed the way I process and understand so much and it's helped me in continuously breaking down toxic thought patterns. This is a good reminder of that, appreciate you pointing this out 💐💖
Very happy to see this. In my review
there reached a point where I just say…”I sure hope F.D covers this”
God I hope y’all collab one day!
I like your analysis in general, but I always get very concerned that when we have these discussions about the problems of bm or bw or bp that we end attributing American social issues or just the frailty of the human condition as internal black collective racial failures, and to me this obscures the causes of these issues behind this wrong racist belief system.
A few examples of what I mean, I have witnessed numerous white co workers not get along with other white co workers, but they do not attribute their not getting along to the fact that the other co worker is white. I have seen white people get screwed over by white business owners repeatedly, but they don’t think the white business owner screwed them over because the business owner is white. White people are constantly whining about failed romantic relationships usually with other white people. They write a ton of romantic relationship books, but they don’t blame those failed romantic relationships on the fact that their partners are usually white. I could go, but I have seen other black people not get along with a black co worker, and it’s all about how black people cant get along with one another, and we are crabs in a bucket. I have seen black people have a bad experience with a black owned business say that’s what’s wrong with black business owners, blah, blah, blah. We have all seen on UA-cam the numerous UA-camrs blaming their failed romantic relationships on the fact that their partner was black. black people are racialized so our behavior is viewed under this distorted racialized lens even amongst each other. Nearly all Americans even black people believe there is something collectively wrong within the black race
A read! No lies were detected, and I had done similar things to other Black people. I need to work on it.
This is an excellent analysis.
I think it's because we fail to adress and go beyond our trauma and consider ourselves as human beings, individuals FIRST instead of a community built from scratch through bloodshed
@T M Your analysis is soooo on point!! We have been conditioned this way on purpose. Its the same thing with the farce of so called "black on black" crime! The majority of people kill in proximity to where they live. Caucasians, asians, hispanics kill each other, etc. and no one says "white on white" crime, "asian on asian" or "hispanic on hispanic" crime. The term "black on black" make it seems like we are just some animals. If a crime is reported in the news, we all collectively hold our breathe and hope the person isn't black. We have been indoctrinated to bear the brunt of and be responsible for what every black person does. I'm am absolutely sick of hearing people say ohh if we would stop killing each other, then other people would respect us! Its total bs!! There's never been a point U.S. history where we have not been attacked by our oppressors.
@@2manystories2tell43
Yes, it’s an understandable coping strategy to think hey if we are perfect we will get treated better. Or to think if individual bp made better personal choices things would be better. But it misses the question of why are we are grouped together racially, because we are judged collectively. So that our behavior can be demonized as aberrant How many times do you hear the phrase black people are the only people that do x, y, z. It’s a statement that puts our behavior outside of other human behavior. It is dehumanizing. The phrase black on black crime is illustrative of that belief. Because it takes a universal human condition or the societal reality of crime and says but “ black crime” is particularly bad and it’s due to what’s wrong within the black race. The phrase doesn’t make any sense without that perspective. But Americans think criminal is a condition caused by being black to some extent.
I love how you ended the video with bringing your son to come say bye just like how Kendrick ended Mother I Sober by having his daughter on there. That parallel warmed my heart, what a full circle moment. Great video! Love your stuff
Kendrick definitely had a savior complex and you can tell he’s coming to terms with it
Yeah so many people put him on that pedestal. And I’m sure that can eff with your head over the years 😔
Yes, he did. I applaud him for addressing it💯
Now if only Dave Chappelle could reach that same level of internal reflection
@@Tortilla.Reformnever gonna happen
he did and i do too and maybe that’s why this record doesn’t quite resonate yet
Bro... I'm not black, but I'm Eastern European, grew up through struggle and a toxic masculity culture here which is its own thing. 'Father Time' broke me. I had a lot of the same feelings and experiences you talk about. That is very powerful.
Same my dad is from Mexico, so I got immigrant parent teachings in a foreign land. Father does not trust anyone or the country. The line about waking up early and practicing on days off rings so true.
Real question, not an accusation, is Easter European super racists? Life if I go there on a history tour will I as a black Muslim woman get harassed?
@@omowhanre I wish I could say no... But if you're dark-skinned and wear a hijab f.ex., there is a chance that it will be noticed and pointed out. It also varies a lot. I mean, things are different between Latvia, Romania, Czechia, Bulgaria and do on.
@@michakozowski6026 got it. So sit my ass at home and look at the beautiful building via a documentary. Got it
omg. mike wazowski
I think it’s very easy for Black men to tell Black women to extend empathy to one who is as well an agent of their oppression. There has to be a real conversation of accountability, while empathy is important for understanding and self healing there seems to be a lot of lack of accountability. This whole embracing Kodak talk that these rappers are doing is very telling, it’s really a slap in the face to the healing of the community, instead of holding anyone accountable putting the responsibility on the community for forgive. Like you said there was never even an apology. This man groped his own mother on camera. You can’t save everybody. But to jump over your own accountability for partaking in the misogynoir of another just to scream “extend empathy for your own redemption,” not feeling it. At some point we gotta talk about the victimization of Black men and how it’s used amongst the diaspora to get away with atrocious behavior.
There is a LOT of healing that the Black community has to do, and a lot of it has nothing to do with white people but how we love and care for each other and our children. Black women as well have accountability here, we are raising these boys and girls. You they say at some point people choose to be victims. We are survivors, we are rebuilding.
If working with a problematic artist is misogynoir then most artists in history need to be scrutinized. You Shea butter pro black priestesses need to go touch grass.
@@Chiefteeth1 First I’m not that, so your interpretation is projected, second supporting another’s misogynoir is participation of it. It’s one thing to extend empathy it’s another to not hold them accountable for their wrong doings and just move on like ain’t nothing happen. How is progression supposed to happen if not? The man ain’t changed. You obviously didn’t understand my statement from your response, what triggered you so much?
My one reframe on this comment would be regarding your mention of Kodak grabbing his mother inappropriately. To me that was a huge red signal saying this man was raised with a type of trauma many of us can’t understand. When asked about it afterwards he literally said “I wanted her to feel beautiful”, which is so disgusting. He is incapable of distinguishing between healthy and unhealthy sexual attention. That’s also probably why he hasn’t explicitly apologized for the sexual assault, there’s a good chance he doesn’t understand what was wrong.
That makes it so painful for his victims because they don’t feel the justice they deserve, but it’s also important to remember that the way we villainize Kodak carries with it an implicit erasure of the forces that created him. Like this video said, do we really only care about the traumatization of black men up until a point?
@@82kmal I totally agree, but the biggest thing is you can not heal another persons trauma. As an adult you are responsible for your own trauma healing. If one is going around harming others due to their trauma the only thing you can do is hold them accountable, accountability comes with real boundaries as well. But we are not necessarily seeing that. We are seeing it being swept under the rug under the words of “empathy and forgives.” If he snitched it be a different conversation, but it involves Black women so we are not getting that energy. It’s giving “get over it, Ppl make mistakes” and it’s very harmful.
@@apinkywinky you’re absolutely right. This sort of reminds me of the need for genuine rehabilitation and healing inside of prisons. Most agree that incarceration is not a good system, mostly because of unjust charges but also because we believe people deserve a chance to change and become better rather than just be punished with impunity. But what I think were getting at is that accountability and punishment is step one, and healing and solutions is just as necessary. One without the other is unfair
Describing Mr. Morale as all the hurt and pain and bitterness lashing out from DAMN. being focused on letting it all out after a/during a therapy session is a perfect description. This is definitely Kendrick taking the time to breathe and just vent, talk about his feelings and letting us know something a little more about him after the anger washed away from DAMN. I love all of of Kung Fu Kenny's albums, I feel like this is the first time we ACTUALLY get to know him as a person.
Here, Kendrick is tackling all his insecurities and traumas. From dealing with grief through empty materialism, struggling with his savior complex and accepting that he can't be the hero to the black community, to the generational black trauma that went through his mother and father and into him, to his worries as a fiancee and father and hoping he won't spread his issues onward to his son and daughter.
“I don’t see myself making a video on Kendrick” lol. lmao, even.
Becomes his biggest video 😂
I love your analysis of the album. 🙌🏽 As a trans woman who completely relates to Kendrick's words in Father Time, I feel as though Auntie Diaries goes a layer deeper into the themes of Father Time. That same expression of masculinity that young black men are taught helps intensify a clash between the boys who's dispositions enable them to fit the cultural standards unfairly placed on them, and the boys who'd have to completely shift their expression of their personalities in order to fit in. I loved the entire album, and Father Time and Auntie Diaries have both had a really positive impact on my journey of healing from the black male childhood that I experienced.
Personally, I think colonisation and systematic plays a bigger part than that expression of masculinity. Ultimately, Mother I Sober actually concluded the album with my same rhetoric. You emasculate men, force them into crime to live, breaking family units and leaving dads in jail. Then the only expression of masculinity they have is the criminals out of jail in their neighbourhood. Eventually this becomes althe identity of a man. It’s generational
Systematic oppresion*
Beautifully put! Bless you on your journey of healing... 🙏
If only men would see how damaging toxic masculinity is, not just to women, but to themselves... SMH Same goes for so-called "white" people and white supremacy (and the very _idea_ of whiteness)... or heterosexuals and homophobia... and so on.
For example: because of homophobia's impact on _one man,_ Alan Turing, we very easily could've lost WWII to the Nazis.
I like how the idea of Kendrick losing his saviour complex links into your words of “You’re a villain in somebody else’s story”. How trying to save the world through music for him was not only impossible, but was also a distraction from his own issues.
I think the takeaway is that we cannot neglect to keep working on our own problems whilst trying to make the world a better place. Otherwise we run the risk of being blind to the harm we can cause to others ourselves.
Thanks for your thoughts!
I wonder if Michael Jackson experienced this as-well.
When you talked about the Bell Curve of black men and empathizing with them on their journey that really hit me. I don't have the patience for black men who aren't friends/family (because I'm tired of being hurt and I love myself too much) but I do want to hold space for the men in my life to hopefully get their shit together. I just feel like as a black woman they're not going to listen to me and Black non misogynistic role models seem to be far and few between. All I can do is share your videos I guess and hold that space for them to grow.
I love your content btw. I want to understand the black men around me more because I've literally had my brother tell me he didn't want to have a baby as dark as him. It broke my heart. Looking forward to your next video on the manosphere.
You’re very open, hell yea
This was deep and exactly how I feel. This comment was needed.
stop being so judgemental and your life will be more enjoyable. you don't need role models as an adult. yall are scared and stuck in your own heads
@@davruck1 y’know, when you become an adult, you don’t just stop learning and taking in lessons from the world around you. A role model isn’t necessarily just someone you idolize because of who they are. A role model is someone who exhibits qualities that you find desirable and helpful on your journey as a human being. Me saying I see FD for example as a role model isn’t me saying “omg i wanna be just like him when i grow up lol.” It’s me saying that I want to be able to unpack some of my misogynistic and admittedly privileged sensibilities and seeing him discuss that gives something of a blueprint. Everyone has a role model because we learn from each other. All role models may not be created equally, but none of us can afford to be an island. That’s not how we grow as people.
@@sadboijokes or you can develop the skill called introspection and self awareness.
I love this album. It was such an intense rollercoaster to go through the lyrics. Kendrick leading by example, when he said ''you can't help the world, until you help yourself.'' Standing out in front, bearing his issues, taking the steps for mending and moving on. Powerful and personal, and skillfully delivered. Beautiful art.
Reviewing Kendrick while wearing the RTJ shirt, love it. Love you FD
“I can’t categorically be against effort.”
That’s a really great headspace to start from because it gives people the space to grow.
I’ll be carrying that with me on subjects across the board. Thank you.
You missed the end of that sentence. "If it works." I know a lot of people putting in effort for something having the exact opposite effect to what they intended. (don't think this is one of those, time will tell, but that last part is crucially important)
38:40 "Don't make people doing work you're not willing to do, for understandable reasons, feel like they're doing something wrong in that regard"
This point soooo much on so many topics. And you said it perfectly
The Kodak inclusion threw a lot of people off, especially Kendrick's loyal fanbase. I do feel like with everything he does, it was absolutely intentional to force all of us to wrestle with the juxtaposition or "perceived" juxtaposition of himself relative to Kodak. Kendrick is an empath with survivor's guilt in addition to his own internal traumas and although he has had a breakthrough of sorts, he still has things in common with Kodak and can still relate to him on many levels while we hold them to completely different standards. It's almost as if he would prefer to be held to the standard of a Kodak that comes with much less pressure and expectations. It's extremely interesting and I'm still processing it like most of us. We all have work to do.
Kodak fans arent weirdos
It made sense they both Gemini and both confessed to being hebrew israelites. They both have respect for one another. Kodak black first day out and kendrick lamars yah
I truly feel like if X were still alive he would've taken Kodak's place on the album. He's an example of someone who actually tried to make changes, apologized, addressed his past, etc. Whether or not it was genuine is a different discussion because he still had a case at the time---but he still would've been a better example. Kendrick gave him support multiple times, like shouting out his debut album on social media and the spotify removal thing...
@@earl0000god that would have been amazing
I just wanted to say you sons are lucky to have a father like you. I've been watching you for awhile and I'm grateful I came across your channel. I've learned a lot but also feel like I have been able to be in community with Black men and not feel uncomfortable or as if I do not belong.
As a father of 2 black boys…”are they going to go to therapy for me or for the world?” 🙏🏾🙏🏾
I loved “The Blacker the Berry" ever since it came out but every time I was in the car with somebody and it came on they would turn that shit STRAIGHT OFF! 😂😔 so I feel you FD
Why would Kendrick think that album would work for anyone who wants music that's "not too deep"
I was being petty as hell one day and let it play in the paint booth while I was working. I'm the only (black) one in there working, and the other NCOs walked in to look at something else (all white). I just minded my business and kept doing my thing lol.
@@myrmepropagandist I think that he figured that he could leverage his GKMC and S.80 fame into the less-than-conscious portion of his fans.
Conscious rap will never die.
Never.
I want to speak on Auntie Diaries. I'm queer, white and male presenting. I love the song. The hegemony of straight, patriarchal society is so strong and insurmountable, that even as someone who lives on the other side of the word faggot from Kendrick, I myself had to get over the same thing Kendrick did. I had to unpack my force fed shit and the image of queer people I had in my head in order to even touch the door of the closet. It is so fucked up to think about. I needed to relearn how hurtful the word faggot is by unpacking my identity first even though it is a slur aimed at me directly. The hostility of straight society is so baked into the world we live in that it touches everyone and Auntie Diaries is one of the most honest and poignant takes I ever heard from a straight artist about this topic. I find it a little sad how so many LGBTQ people outright reject the song. It is more for straight men than anyone else I'll admit that, but I still felt incredibly seen. Sometimes having someone from "the other side" bring up issues is valuable because if Kendrick was gay, or any other queer person made the same song the people needing to hear Auntie Diaries the most wouldn't give it the time of day.
Agree with everything you said, and the last part you said really resonated. Sometimes I have this shame knowing that as a cisgender straight man, even with pronouns in the bio or wtv, my opinions defending queer ppl or on any political topic in general might be regarded more seriously by other cishet men than those of a queer person. I've literally been asked in online convos/arguments if I'm straight, and once I reply yes, their demeanor significantly softens up. It's so sad. I know I'm revisiting this video hella late, but I appreciate your words.
I feel a similar way about Auntie Diaries. I'm a gay cis guy, and I know that my opinion on it isn't going to match up to any trans persons, but it brought me to tears. It's a song for people who have negative opinions about LGBTQ people, not for people who already accept them. It's for people who just throw out gay/trans slurs without thinking about it. It's a wake-up call specifically to people who inhabit a minority group that lash out at another minority group, one that includes people from *your* demographic. It's a song that needed to be made.
And what really hurt me personally about it is that I'm on the other side of it. I know nobody in my family would choose accepting me being gay over their religion.
Your children are BLESSED to have a father like you
damn you dropped the 56min for free, you a real one for that
On my 6th listen and it's growing on me. Time will prove this to be a masterpiece.
2 years late to this conversation and 3 years late to your space. You've gain a new supporter.
Funny enough I wanted to ask if this had been revisited somewhere? I had a different viewpoint of Kodak's contribution to the album. I think Kodak as almost speaking "as" Kendrick. I was under the impression that Kendrick was showing that him and Kodak was actually the same or similar instead of using him show the "other extreme". But adding it to your idea makes creates an even deeper conversation.
This is dope
Deadass my abuse as a child did alot to me mentally that I haven't even noticed until I turned 30 and nobody really cared. They triedto act like they cared when I was younger but now that I'm older it's like it never happened.
Feel you on that. Some of them I can't even look in the face.
You made some points in the “pre-listen” portion that definitely resonated with what I took from the album. For people turned off or confused by Kodak’s inclusion, and aside from that for how we tend to identify Kendrick as that super conscious savior, people forget that he’s still regular ol’ Kenny who grew up just like some of us. I think some people feel like he thinks he’s better than us, that bourgeoisie finger nod you spoke of, but he is imperfect and had to unpack all of the reasons why.
Talking about masculinity the way you do is sorely needed on this platform and in general. Sexual abuse is an incredibly difficult thing to talk about and it's about time that men started to share their experiences and process those feelings together and in a non toxic way.
Damn you were spot on with that prediction you made before listening. The whole album of MM&TBS to me is about confronting his own issues and realizing he cant be the savior he and others want him to be
I went to an all black middle school there was a dark skin kid who everyone called “Dirty D” in reference to how dark he was… When I think of how that could have made him feel I understand why Kodak n certain men feel how they feel…
Fair point, but we should not condemn the clownery too. Colorism is a huge issue in the Black community. I have stories of people (mostly non-black people) making fun of me for being a brown to dark skin Black boy. Does that make it ok for me to be a colorist and self-hate? No, it does not, and the same thing goes for Kodak and the other Black men like him🙃
@@JulianSteve Colorism is never okay(Dark or Light), but I accept it comes from a place of pain(the self hate part of it of course) we can’t give everyone the same expectation of maturity, especially not knowing where they from what they’ve been through. For some it’s going to take longer to deal with their pain especially being stuck in the hood.
@@JulianSteve black women do it all the time stating how they hate dark skin bm because they were teased and insulted. Obviously your past is going to be a big influence on your mental conditioning.
@@JulianSteve why when BM express their trauma theyre invalidated? I guarantee if they were women expressing themselves you would be defending them. Cut the BS.
@@JulianSteve nobody said its ok weirdo. we're here to understand, not judge. Judging does nothing to fix the problem
You’ve helped me unlearn a lot of what I’ve been taught and I just want to thank you for that.
yeah. hearing "Father Time" from his dad's perspective is a very hard listen. heavy ass song. i always picture kendrick's parents listening to his music and wonder what they must feel like hearing it
"I don't think I'll ever make a Kendrick video because it's just a ten minute conversation."
Man, a lot can change in two years.
I guess people think that empathy is a gift you only give to people who deserve it... And so if you empathize they think you approve of and support that person and their actions.
I feel like Kendricks music is much more performative art than just music. His storytelling is God tier. He's much more of a lyrical painter than a rap artist.
Needless to say, I love it. It takes dedication to consume. Which probably makes it very inaccessible for a lot of young white people.
I'm not done listening to yours but so far amazing break down of his past albums and how they were received and his disappointment and reaction being Damn and the silence?!!?!?!?
You hit THE NAIL on THE HEAD... perfect conclusion, that's exactly what it was!! 😊
It’s so interesting that DAMN is a hard listen for you! (I actually go back to it often because there are a few tracks that I LOVE)
THIS album is the hard listen for me because baybaaaaay I can feel the gears of healing grinding throughout this work.
Healing is HARD and the process hurts; it’s an ugly process. I feel him doing that work throughout this album.
Regarding Kodak, I can’t STAND him. But I actually think his inclusion here is perfect.
To me, Kodak is pure Id. He’s the embodiment of what happens when you take Hood Trauma(tm) to its extreme end and give it a microphone.
You mentioned that hearing Kodak apologize was like listening to a child, and you’re so right! When I saw the “my name Kodak black but when you see me I’m white” clip, I was like oooooh…. This is a *literal* child in a man’s body.
So I think he beautifully illuminates how growing up in the hood simultaneously robs black people (but especially BM) of their childhood, yet in a lot of ways puts them in a state of arrested development.
Kodak gives voice to that in a lot of ways, and I appreciate the juxtaposition of THAT perspective vs that of someone who sees that perspective and is actively doing the work to heal
Idk… still working through my feelings but overall, I think it’s a powerful body of work
You said Id. I fuck with the rest of your comment without even reading. I think that might be a good way to explain that Kodak decision for sure.
A wonderful little UA-cam comment essay. Thank you
@@BeastNationXIV what is Id?
@@FTYC2022 In Freudian Psychology, the human personality is made up of three different agencies: The Id, the Ego and the Superego. The Id basically represents unfiltered desires and instincts.
@@lasseheller9863 thaank you
Bro istg our taste in music overlaps so much! Kenny Mason’s angelic hoodrat is so good. 30, Metal Wings, Anti-Gravity, and firestarter are so impactful and well done :)
I just had a crazy realization of Kendrick’s discography and it feels like the five stages of grief, I don’t believe it’s intentional but it feels like it is in a weird meta way
When you express yourself and grow between pieces, i think they'll naturally reflect it all. That's the beauty of true art, baybeee
How, I get that DAMN. is depression and Mr Morale and the Big Steppers is acceptance, but how do his first 3 albums relate to the stages of grief.
@@joshwhite5730 GKMC is anger. It's literally an album that is punctuated by the death of his friend and multiple people yelling at him all album for shit that is somewhat out of his control. You could make an argument that Section.80 is denial, it might feel like a stretch. TPAB is totally bargaining. And it also doesn't have to follow the linear path of the five stages, that's not always how it works for people.
It definitely is!
He was probably going through these actual stages while writing these songs. Music is expression, and if you understand psychology you know this is exactly what he was going through
“During the Vietnam War, every respectable artist in this country was against the war. It was like a laser beam. We were all aimed in the same direction. The power of this weapon turns out to be that of a custard pie dropped from a stepladder six feet high.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
I think every artist needs to internalize this to some extent. Art isn't activism
Artists can be activists and vice-versa. Art can stimulate activism, but it isn't activism.
Art won't make structural/systemic changes.
You're not Malcolm X. You're not Martin Luther King Jr.
And that's ok.
Respectfully, I could not disagree with this take more. I think people undermine the power of collective consciousness. There are always shifts due to music but we don’t realise it because it’s a collective consciousness thing. I understand what you’re saying though the idea of art fuelling a revolution is ridiculous. However, you go tell a Rasta man that art isn’t activism. The Rastafarian movement empowered black men for generations. I get where you’re coming from but if you think back to all the artists who voiced change so strongly and it started to impact the collective consciousness, they were killed and/or died mysteriously
@@tontonbonnet7397 Respectfully, I disagree with your disagreeing.
While I will concede that Vonnegut's quote here is more evocative than precise and a bit hyperbolic, its essential point stands.
To be clear, I do not doubt the transformative power of art, whether on a personal, cultural or societal level; from Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' galvanizing the abolitionist movement to D.W. Griffith's film 'Birth of a Nation' rebirthing the Klu Klux Klan, art changes the world. Then there's all the subtle and non-recordable ways art can influence the zeitgeist.
But to expect art to do the work of large scale socio-political change or small scale community building or anything in between is to make the wrong demands of it.
Bob Marley cannot replace Marcus Garvey
Ras Shorty I will not replace Uriah Butler.
@@komugemon8010 yeah I was definitely tripping off how hyperbolic the quote was. I couldn't agree with you more. However, I think as much as art can't be activism, we can;t undermine its revolutionary potential as well as its ability to disrupt the system. That is not possible today as censorship is so powerful but take a look at fela Kuti's relationship with the Nigerian government... Sometimes they're able to take it far lol
Art can inspire people to do the work, but it's not the work itself. You can't be an artist exclusively and think that's enough. But art should still be held up as a very important thing because it can galvanize real action.
You're right. Thats why all the immigrants and Africans want to move to the suburbs with white folks and talk on videos and think thats gonna do something.
endless love and respect for you FD! i'm a 32 year old single dad wannabe youtuber and you're a big time inspiration. seein you in the RTJ shirt makes me wanna hear you talk about Killer Mike (specifically his political/ organizing efforts and his super weird Netflix show). awesome video (as usual)!
Who’s here after “what the culture feelin’”?
Me
Yo I had that SAME 'I Am Hip Hop' shirt back in high school! Really took me back to my wannabe rapper days lmao. Really loved hearing your thoughts on Kendrick and the album. Hope you keep doing this for other releases, hip hop or any other genre.
-Terrence.
I'm in the middle of this and I'm so close to crying (look at me being vulnerable). The love I got growing up was shown in the 'the world is tough, and you need to be emotionally strong to survive' vein. Luckily I don't have children, but I've just recently learned how my upbringing affects my interactions with friends' children. If we were playing a game, I would win, so they know life isn't fair. If something brought them to tears, I'd think about people throwing fits over lattes. People throwing fits brings out a deep dislike for them in me. 1st, black people weren't allowed to throw fits in public (or at home) when I was growing up, my Grandmother would say "You want me to give you something real to cry about" meaning the belt. 2nd, I was taught that allowing vulnerability in children male, female, and most of all non-gender is just setting them up for a world of hurt. I am just seeing that if all I expect from the world is a constant fight, my ability to both express my own and endure other's vulnerability doesn't exist. For the time being, I don't do much hanging out with my friends who have kids, I know my reactions are bad, but I still have them.
Man I didn’t even realize this was something I be feeling. That feeling that if someone around me that I even could care about is throwing a fit about something minuscule (to me) I’ll get angry or just have this holier than thou complex like that’s a weakness. It completely takes me out of a moment where I could be showing empathy and connecting with the people I love and helping them through their shit. Like my knee jerk reaction to everything is “it ain’t that deep” just to keep myself from feeling weak for indulging or allowing somebody to just exist in sadness or momentary angst.
Father Time really touched me. I had to sit with that song for a while.
Favorite song off the album
although this was made for the black siblings, i related to most of this as an Indigenous person. the psychological generational shit passed down is insanely relatable.
as a trans dude, i had no issue with the song and actually teared up as a lifelong fan of hip hop. you and i both know as HH heads that it wasn't too long ago when you'd expect bars making fun of dudes by saying they had extra estrogen or coochies, or talk about meeting a chick at a bar and beating her once they found out she had a deep voice or a penis. a bunch of people have been hustling to get to this place - from the "sissy bounce" scene to lil nas x, young m.a and tyler.
the fact he included a man and a woman was also UNDERRATEDEDLY BASED as masc lesbians/trans men have always been a huge part of the hip hop fanbase yet overlooked.
the only two critiques are:
1. The title. Why misgender his uncle in the title? Perhaps he's one of the trans people who are okay with "old" ways of referring to them, it is slightly uncomfy because a lot of trans men people get labelled as androgines, seen as bro-ey lesbians, or femme boys etc. if we don't literally have a fkn beard or sumn so it's a slight side eye there but nothing I'd protest about.
2. Audience reaction. every trans (and otherwise queer) person has different lived experiences, especially with being deadnamed, misgendered, and the slur. I'm okay with it, but I can 100% understand where others are coming from. You have to remember, it's not just this song in a vacuum. There's actual harm done, and when an artist like Kendrick, who hasn't been the biggest ally in the past (has a couple homophobic bars in section 80, has called being gay a 'lifestyle' in an interview, and has made fun of effeminate men ((albeit could just be a hood masculinity thing and not directed at gay people))), says slurs etc. it can seem a bit dodgy. There's a reason we don't defend Adam Calhoun saying the N-word in the song Racism even though he's "making a point". Not tryna compare these rappers or words but it is something to think about. ((Again, I'm okay with it but some paint trans/gay people as "not getting it"/"not allowing people to change and grow" like we're obtuse or cis people are more rational)). Idk it just seems like cis people prefer being seen and feeling better about being homo/transphobic in the past than really trying to hear why trans people have these critiques. it's one of those things where we have to accept people are going to be transphobic in this society, and some people just don't tolerate/accept that - especially in a prewritten song, which i think is understandable.
This review reminds me of why I connect so much with you content. I'm truly looking forward to your manosphere video because I think what Kendrick perfectly describes through this album is the foundation that created that space, you seem to get that. The father he described is so many older black men I knew and know, those voices are fairly new to the internet. Rest his soul but I could never see my Grandfather sitting in front of camera to make a video but I know what it would sound like if he got to talking. I felt so many songs on the album, it was a therapy piece for me. I think because I'm a product of the 90s, when you realized everything and everyone existed whether you liked it or not, no cancelling and you just experienced it all.
Side note: Tommy Curry's "The Man-Not" is a great read and he was an early voice in the manosphere but left it before it turned into what it is today.
as a queer, white person i completely agree with everything said in auntie diaries. i think the song wouldhave been far less impactful if it had all been censored as it is told as like his history and growth on the issue each time deadnaming and missgendering was through younger Kendrick and that and by the end of the song he's completely changed.
This is literally the best review I seen in a looonngggg time keep it up brother ✊🏾
The studio version of the song "I" was released I think 6 months before the release of "To Pimp a Butterfly" and Kendrick won a Grammy for it but it was panned because people thought Kendrick was going "pop" but it was out of context for the album. It is hard to properly listen to the "To Pimp a Butterfly" songs out of context.
The live "I" skit I feel was Kendrick finally the stage where the butterfly's wings were spreading (if you match it to the caterpillar to butterfly description on the final record). This song was to represent him not only having forgiven himself and being positive but bringing his new found education back to the society of Compton. Stop fighting amongst each other and understand the real opposition is America / Uncle Sam / Lucy which has constantly been trying to pimp black people.
I do think that "To Pimp a Butterfly" was not well received and still not well understood as you absolutely need to listen to the entire album to appreciate how insanely great it is.
I feel a lot of people slept on DAMN. It is not a simple album there is a duality in every song and each title influences the format and structure or flow of each record. However you need to know quite a bit of the Bible to appreciate.
Since I didn't grow up Christian I didn't understand what he was doing with that album till I sat there looking up every reference.
Suffice to say I don't think there are many that touch his level of artistry however most of it goes above the majority of the audience's head.
I'm queer my partner is trans, we like the song. The song is communicating to a specific demographic, and i genuinely appreciate him using his platform to spread a genuine positive message.
Children will always be hurt by the world eventually, it’s part of growing up. But as fathers we should be a source and an example of love because they may never receive it from the world.
I appreciate you putting your perspective and your experience out into the world. You give me so much food for thought. And the instutionalized beat behind you is fire 🔥
Father Time hits even harder already knowing how his dad turned out in the end from GKMC and Nosetalgia...
love to see the i appreciation!! both versions r two of my fav kendrick songs of all time but i love the tpab version SO much! PLS watch the live version he did on snl w the last verse from momma i stg it's one of his best live performances everrr
Really enjoying this analysis; well reasoned and well spoken.
so much relatable stuff honestly man, And as a big brother, thanks for sharing the fatherhood struggles
2:45 "[Kendrick] doesn't have any crazy beefs" lol
i feel like you my older cousin puttin me on game bout how to strive black & powerfully. ya whole channel love. thank you.
I love the family cameo! and that your son loves pink and My Little Pony. One of mine is similar, loving his trucks and dinosaurs, as well rainbows and unicorns and his tutu.
as a latin 25 year old man from Chile, Idk why but I grew so much love in the last like 5 years for afroamerican culture, Kendrik is now something so meaning to me that I can´t even put to words, now I love modern story telling conscious rap and stuff like tyler the creator. Maybe if an american read this it will be a laugh, but man I love some good high quality hip hop.
Kenny Mason!!! You mentioned him on a video a while back & I have been hooked on Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut ever since then. Definitely my favorite album from last year.
Love this trauma-healing album, love your channel and looking forward to your "To Pimp A Butterfly", going to be a verified essaytube classic!
The high pitched vocals being reversed in the Father Time beat hit really fucking hard. It feels/sounds like a rusty violin being played flawlessly, and at the same time it feels like it's cutting your skin in a self harm way, where there's this twisted relief in it. It's a familiar/familial feeling for me. I've felt both sides of the daddy issues from 2 different men in my life and I gotta say, it was much easier just not having a dad than it was to have an overbearing, complicated and stressful relationship with one. (my mom was neglectful so I've always had to be independent and learn everything the hard way) It wasn't until I found a way to love myself (and until my step dad died) that I started being better to people, ("what love got to do with it when you don't love yourself?" and I was able to work through my issues and what I felt the people in my life did to me. He also plays a clip and talks in another song about living a life centered around the things that happened to you and how to move on, I ain't black but this whole album resonated with me in an almost uncomfortable but also validating way. Thanks for letting me share
"So if you need a hero, just look in the mirror
No one's gonna save you now, so you gotta save yourself"
1:58 I hope you clip this part for the beef video.
Great video, made me rethink a lot of stuff on the album!
I'm looking forward to the conversation on Black boys and sexual trauma, it is a much needed conversation, thank you!
21:43 it's funny that the sound got memed as the "hotep scream" when in the canon of the album he's screaming in a "hoteL room."
Thank you so much for timestamping. I saw this live and was DYYYYYYING!!!
This is validating Sir. At around 40:00 its just refreshing. Everything you are speaking about I went through. I had people made me feel crazy for the work I was doing - Black folks, one in particular who I looked up to but now realize, he is the book Bougie type.
I still talk about those issues but its real.
"Am I gonna make a Kendrick video? Prolly not!" ... And then the beef came
10 minutes turned into 3 plus hours LOL
Sometimes we try to place things into categories and align things to what we champion. This album is simply Kendrick coming to grips with things & issues that shaped him as a boy & the habits he picked up to cope with those issues. He goes thru that on n95...."take it off". Him taking off all of the titles and perceptions of Kendrick is what started his process of finding his triggering issues (throughout the album). Through his process he realized he was tap dancing around what his main issue was. He's not advocating anything, just expressing his process to self. In result the album acts a a mirror because we all have multiple "strawmen" we create in order to cope with issues from early childhood. So we have the trauma plus the coping mechanisms for the trauma to reconcile. Many times we get to the coping mechanisms and treat them as the triggers & are still left with our original trauma. The real question is how do we as individuals take on that process. That particular process is only made successful when the focus is self and not what is going on around self.
I obviously can't speak for everybody, but I can talk about personal experience. I'm non-binary and I've always been an oddity to my family. When I was a kid, that shit hurt, but things have gotten better as I've gotten older. I get why people have a problem with dead-naming and mis-gendering, but I also think that's a very privileged perspective. I'm 33: I've been mis-gendered my whole life, and dead named for half of it, so it doesn't trigger me the same way. It isn't right, maybe. It isn't really fair to me, maybe. But to be included, understood, and accepted, even if they don't really understand why it matters... I can be mad that they don't get it quite right, or moved by the fact that they really are trying. I lean into option two, and let love answer for the rest.
Also, I think the lyrics illustrate that kind of progression. "My aunty is a man now" to "Demetrius is Mary-Ann now' is a HUGE step. The first sounds like an indictment, while the second is nothing but a name change. I'd rather have people in my life making mistakes.
Old heads will spread wisdom anywhere. I’ve had one “sit me down” on the bus. They’ve seen shit and want to keep as many people from the life, even if they don’t know you.
I really liked how much of the album was him unpacking masculinity, and I really appreciated auntie diaries on that level because it felt like he knew he couldn't make a whole album unpacking masculinity especially from such a personal standpoint without talking about trans people. I get why other trans people wouldn't wanna hear the misgendering and all that but I felt like it was almost an admission that he didn't understand all this growing up and still doesn't fully understand it, but he cares, like the pronouns fluctuate when he is a kid dealing with someone who's already trans but when his cousin comes out he doesn't know how to change his mind, and something about the pronouns switching to 'you' at the end fuckin got me, like he knows he doesn't get it but he sees you and he cares and hes gonna learn from there. Like I don't live in the mans brain but the artist is dead or whatever. Personally I would rather listen to Kendrick imperfectly unpack his feelings about trans people but it actually feels like hes out here thinking through his beliefs and actions then have someone who's just googled what do trans people want me to say to affirm them. I was like damn!! hes out here for us too!! He fucking gives a shit and you can HEAR it. I just wanna hug the man, i listened to that song on repeat at work for like 3 hours its good shit.
all I can say is that I have connected with Kendrick's music and his personal journey and thoughts, sounds and vybes have resonated with me in deep levels. For that alone, he will be one of the greatest artists I have ever come into contact with in my lifetime.
I appreciate you so much my friend! Keep making great videos.
Like Myke C Town from DeadEndHipHop said, no black person wanna hear a white dude saying the N word over and over to make a point. So I fully understand why some folks from the LGBT+ crowd wouldn't fuck with Aunty Diaries.
I just hope they understand that Kendrick isn't coming from a place of hate. He's expressing how ignorant he was of the feelings and struggles his trans uncle had experienced, and how the black community inherent the ignorance of homophobia + transphobia from a very sick society, that caused a lot of trauma to black LGBT+ folks.
34:55 it's been some time already since this video dropped, but I got add this comment:
There's a painting made by a Brazilian called "The Cam's Redemption" and whenever I hear this kind of talk it immediately comes to my mind. It was painted by a Spanish painter called Modesto Brocos while he lived in here during the 19th century and that's why I say it's Brazilian lol. I strongly suggest you to look for the image and save it very carefully in your mind, 'cause it's a very powerful picture
Man this video is so good, I'd love for you to take what you said here, clean it up in a script and condense it and put it up on the main channel to get more eyeballs. What you're saying about people willing to do the work, who have the emotional space to meet people where they're at on that half, and to let them do it is so valuable that a video on that concept alone would be awesome. Either way I'm glad you started putting these less structured videos up rather than leaving them in your mind. Always interesting, thanks.
I really appreciated you sharing your thoughts. thank you for this
Just a comment on the Kodak Black inclusion - I think it’s very important to understand as well that Kodak Black is considered a street poet to many people from Florida. He actually has many introspective moments on plenty of his non popular music, most songs which are very popular in Florida. Between his problematic nature as well as accent and dialect, plus the inclusion of creole and references to Haitian culture in his music, he can sometimes be inaccessible to much of the mainstream hip hop collective. Additionally, many of his references can only be understood if you are/were from a similar background (poor black immigrant in south Florida). However he is in fact a very important musical figure in South Florida.
I think Kendrick recognizes this and his inclusion in the album does come from a place of respect for Kodaks musical ability, not just a placement of Kodak as a problematic black child/figure.
yall sound like judgemental white folks. this is why people don't like you guys, not because of how you talk. You act like people who grow up in these environments arent goint to reflect those values. Your judgement comes from the perspective of privelege and white values.
Bro i thought i was the only one that caught that father time message. You are real insightful my guy and im thankful for you.
Personally, a lot of what you said about Father Time, I can relate to and I feel many immigrant children can relate to
Appreciate ya. Enjoyed the analysis in the future
I ain't never been in a relationship like the one in "We cry together", the truths in it make it hard to listen to. Powerful song. Powerful album.
Great point about not criticising people for being more willing to empathise and be understanding
Projects swallow anyone up who is unlucky enough to be there. Being white, and being from the streets, this album hits me personally and, beyond that, it speaks to what I see in my community. Those of us in the struggle, who are empathetic, need this art. I have to keep my head on in my community in order to not become nihilistic. I'm gonna just go for it and say, struggle is struggle, and when you're in it, it doesn't feel like there's that many levels to it. Even though, there is. There's a lot of ways in which I just cannot help the people around me. Even if I was Kendrick instead of a white girl, I'd fall short. Its hard to come to terms with. I certainly suffered from PTSD and an inferiority complex. Kendrick has been one of the only artists to speak to this.
I don't have a solid end to this, besides, the human experience doesn't fit neat in any way, into anything
With your comment on listening to this album is different as a black man. Personally I have questions about this because as a Mexican American I feel that I have gone through similar lived experiences as other colored men. But I don’t feel like I have a community to relate to growing up in a majority black/latino community. When I listened to Father Time I cried because of the direct parallels between Kendrick’s experiences and mine and I felt like I was being spoken to. But I feel as though maybe those feeling aren’t true because I’m not black? It’s a thought I’ve never been comfortable sharing but I feel as though your channel (and by consequence your community) is very informative and understanding of difficult questions like this.
Most ppl aint gonna get this...they will downright dismiss ur points. Esp the r.kelly, lil Wayne, etc points u made. Hurt ppl hurt ppl except when they blk and male. I get it. So glad I listened. I struggle too with how much empathy do I give my angry, self destructive behaving adult son.
One thing that makes this album really amazing to me, being white, is how it transcends the dynamic of skin color yet zooms in on it simultaneously. Like, I had an inside glimpse on elements of black experience that were powerful for me to hear to better empathize with an experience I'll never fully understand since I'll never have it. But also, I took from the album that trauma is trauma regardless of who you are. Kenny may have at the face of it addressed the culture he came from in the album, but everyone has the responsibility to deal with their own trauma (though I understand the systemic barriers poc can face to say getting the necessary healthcare). Nobody is immune to their perception of reality being skewed due to trauma they have been through. I had a really toxic white friend I cut ties with recently, eventually learning about his trauma, which he used as an excuse for his behavior rather than something to be addressed. There are things Kendrick says in the album that I hope resonate with him if he listens to it, he needs some major introspection if he ever wants to keep friends moving forwards. The more comfortable he becomes around a person, the more he feels at ease taking advantage of them.