"Loving you is complicated,” Kendrick Lamar repeatedly screams on the track “u.” Lamar introduces his struggles on To Pimp a Butterfly (TPAB) with the track “u” by repeatedly screaming his self-hatred. However, this disgust doesn’t represent the overall theme of the album; rather, the lyrics create a story of uplifting others. In fact, Lamar later celebrates his city, Compton, on the track “i” – transcending the city’s violent past. By utilizing his gained influence from Good Kid m.A.A.d City (GKMC), Lamar creates messages songs “u” and “i” on TPAB remain impactful; Lamar's efforts continuously inspire others to overcome trauma today. Lamar created TPAB to humanize his experiences with Compton, with “u” urging individuals to confront their inner conflicts and “i” promoting a deeper sense of community and connection, ultimately attempting to uplift his community through his music. 

In this digital portfolio, I present four unique arguments that connect “u” and “i” to explore how Lamar inspires communities. A video essay script will first narrate the events that inspired Lamar to advocate for his community. A critic’s commentary will then highlight how Lamar sought to disrupt society's misleading perception of black culture. This is followed by my music review which explains how Lamar implores his community to move past old wounds and address systemic inequalities -- even growing as a figure in social movements. Finally, I create a catered album, inspired by "u," to encourage individuals to discover self-identity and create greater meaning in their lives. Each page provides unique narratives, however they all meaningfully combine to illustrate how Lamar confronts perpetuated African American trauma.

In “How Kendrick Lamar Transformed Cultural Trauma Into To Pimp a Butterfly,” I contextualize the motivations and intentions Lamar had when creating TPAB by exploring the events that shaped him and the broader state of hip-hop. The video essay will provide background information on Lamar’s experiences with black culture and mental health in America, highlighting why the two songs matter so much today. The video essay format best provides necessary background information since it features accompanying images and music to match the script and immerses you into the world Lamar experienced. By providing this context, I explain how Lamar's life experiences have pushed him to use his platform and artistry to advocate for black communities.

Continuing with influences on black culture, “The Complex Representation of the African American Narrative” features the article “What Slaves We Are” by Natalie Graham. The article analyzes how Lamar spun the common narrative of black trauma that the show Roots set a standard for through TPAB (Haley 1977). Graham explains how the show set a false narrative for black trauma by providing a simplified narrative on prejudice. However, Lamar urges others on TPAB to reject this common belief; he wants black individuals to transcend the limitations discriminatory norms place on their communities (Graham 2017, 124-125). From his past experiences, Lamar recognizes how African Americans are marginalized and encourages others to find a way to break free of the cycle by transcending the expectations placed upon them (Itzkovitz 2013, 80-84). He uses his influence to combat inequality on “u” by emphasizing the necessity of overcoming individual insecurities and “i” by highlighting the need for communities to support each other in their collective growth .

In “The Duality of Vulnerability Between ‘u’ and ‘i’,” I expand on the ideas presented in Graham’s article through in-depth lyrical and thematic analysis. Here, I narrow down the focus from the entire album to the two tracks and Lamar's attempts to uplift his community. My analysis ties how Lamar’s experiences are reflected in his outlook on himself on “u” and his commitment to his hometown on “i.” These experiences are especially reflected through his usage of jazz which symbolizes African American resilience and his desire to heal his community (Early 2019, 6-8). Emphasizing jazz’s role builds off the previous two ideas and offers insights into how Lamar fully utilized his influence to advocate for the well-being of others and what resulted from his efforts. Today, “u” and “i” continue to matter through the inspiration Lamar gave to many other individuals to take action in improving themselves or their communities, as seen through his influence on music artists and the Black Lives Matter movement.

While Lamar addresses social issues and the need for cooperation on the majority of TPAB and “i,” he hardly expands on the idea of individual growth beyond “u.” To address this, the curated album--false dreams--I organized highlights other songs that build a fleshed-out narrative that questions how to fulfill one’s sense of identity. It utilizes nine different songs from diverse genres and artists to expand on and complete the story that “u” presents. false dreams develops "u"'s perspective on mental health by introducing a protagonist who learns how to confront their experiences. The story pushes individuals to resolve their own struggles and provides nuanced insights on "u"'s message on personal identity.

This digital portfolio will utilize distinct pieces of writing to generate a broader theme of Lamar's attempt to uplift society through “u” and “i.” The songs are a display of Lamar recognizing his ability to make tangible improvements in the damaged society he grew up in. They remain an inspiration to artists, equity movements, and individuals of the importance of healing oneself before attempting to repair damaged communities.