Music Review
Professor Vigilante
Music 1701
24 September 2024
The Duality of Vulnerability in “u” and “i”
How do you follow up on one of the most successful music albums ever? After being catapulted to stardom with Good Kid m.A.A.d City (GKMC), Lamar achieved a platform capable of reaching broader audiences, especially within the greater black community. Knowing this, Kendrick Lamar used his newfound influence by producing “u” and “i” to confront personal struggles and address Compton, CA’s violent gang presence (an issue described on GKMC). The album versions of the two songs provide starkly contrasting messages and sonic experiences: “u” being characterized with disgust and despair on a seemingly drunkenly-malicious jazz instrumental and “i” embodying stoic optimism on a skippy jazz beat. Kendrick Lamar uses his expanded influence on the contrasting songs “u” and “i” from To Pimp a Butterfly (TPAB)–released March 15, 2015 under Top Dawg Entertainment–to highlight and accept the inevitable inner conflicts everyone faces by humanizing himself through revealing personal vulnerability and embracing diverse communities.
“u” opens up with a dramatic crescendo of an ominous piano melody layered with Lamar’s screams continued from the preceding track “These Walls”, ticking electronic sounds, and crawling saxophones followed by an abrupt synth entrance. Kendrick then repeats in anguish “Loving you is complicated”, adds chorals emulating subtle wind-like noises, and incorporates a spiraling saxophone. This introduction efficiently introduces how Lamar feels trapped within the walls of his mind: his screams echoing, the saxophone’s whirls emulating his fading consciousness, and instruments interrupting the melody to reflect the intrusive thoughts in his head.
Afterwards, Lamar aggressively spits to himself in the second perspective–fully detached from himself–of his shortcomings including failing to help his hometown friends or prevent his teen sister from pregnancy despite his extensive “influence”. The second verse continues the jazz theme but with a defeated saxophone and slowed-down tempo, mirroring Lamar drunkenly sobbing, “A friend never leave Compton for profit or leave his best friend.” To Lamar, his outreach should bring positive change, but instead feels like he abandoned his community and is powerless when supporting friends (NPR Music). Lamar, recognized by some as “hip-hop's savior”, exemplifies his mistakes and normalizes emotions (Dev’l, 2020). He illustrates how when “breaking out of the cocoon”, it’s okay to struggle and feel disconnected. Lamar develops the idea of self-acceptance and expands on this by advocating for community involvement and social embrace through “i”.
After rediscovering himself following “u”, Lamar returns home and celebrates his culture and community on “i”. The song begins with a scene of Lamar performing in his hometown of Compton and uniting the city through his presence. Lamar starts his verse by acknowledging the pain and grudges many in Compton cling to and argues that this just perpetuates the city’s violence, taking it upon himself to advocate for reform. He returns to Compton dead set on unifying his city, comparing his commitment, love, and presence to an unstoppable giant by repeating “fi-fie-fo-fum”. Instead of groaning “Loving you is complicated”, he excitedly shouts “I love myself” to encourage others to move on from past conflicts as he has. As Pitchfork puts it, Lamar unites his hometown by celebrating the city’s “audacity to wake up each morning to try to be better” through the negativity (Jenkins, 2015). To utilize the influence received from GKMC, Lamar uses his expanded platform to bring together a violent city, compelling others to appreciate each other's roots and shed light on Compton’s resilience.
Similarly to “u”, “i” features a jazz instrumental but instead showcases live instruments with a groovy drum beat, a juxtaposing electric guitar, and even an invigorated soul group opposed to a whispering choir. The continued jazz features of “u” conveys the importance of appreciating heritages while using live instrumentals represents accepting honest imperfection. Lamar confronts the divide in Compton by bonding over shared community culture and optimistically insists on improving the present rather than resolving past grudges. Compton formerly discriminated against different people according to Lamar, but Lamar points out how each individual has ties to the overarching black culture, such as Jazz, and urges others to appreciate the diversity and love one another.
On a broader scale, Lamar's usage of jazz on TPAB revitalized jazz’s modern relevance and demonstrates African American resilience. 90’s Jazz-hip hop music achieved mainstream relevancy with artists such as A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and Nas leading the new wave of music that unified an unprecedented amount of black communities, eventually declining in the 2000’s (Masterclass 2022). Lamar introduced the 90’s jazz sounds he grew up with to the new generation and created innovative music that blurred the lines of multiple genres. Artists such as Vince Staples, Tyler the Creator, and BROCKHAMPTON began incorporating the diverse soundscapes they were shaped by like Lamar. Lamar’s social commentaries on “u” and “i” also inspired many musicians to openly voice their opinions such as veteran artists J. Cole or Joey Bada$$. With exceptional praise from both critics and users, Lamar received multiple Grammy Awards for TPAB including “i” (the single version) and “Alright” which became an anthem for the growing Black Lives Matter movement (Limbong, 2019). By utilizing multiple genres and introducing new ideas on TPAB, Kendrick once again capitalized on his success from GKMC by uniting diverse cultures while exponentially growing his influential status as an artist and as a human.
“From ‘u’, you will eventually reach ‘i’” (Genius 2015). Kendrick Lamar’s TPAB showcases both songs to highlight not only his but many others’ struggles with mental health and discovering community. Lamar displays this natural journey of self and community through the metaphor of a “caterpillar turning into a butterfly [to] beg for greater self-knowledge and transcendence” (Empire, 2015). Lamar eventually reconnects with Compton, his African Roots, and himself simultaneously by realizing his diversity (Dev’l, 2020). He demonstrates how making mistakes and seeking community love is an acceptable human experience by illustrating himself as a “mortal man”. Through undergoing “u” and discovering “i”, Kendrick Lamar successfully empowers others by uniting his home, humanizing mental health, and embracing vulnerability in the greater society.
Works Cited
“Why To Pimp A Butterfly Is The Greatest Album Ever Made.” 2020. Video. Posted October 14, 2020 by Dev'l. YouTube, 34 min. 13 sec. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrnxK0yIGL0.
Wikipedia Foundation. 2024. "To Pimp a Butterfly." Last modified November 6, at 00:48 (UTC). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Pimp_a_Butterfly.
Kitty, Empire. 2015. "Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly Review - Fearless in Its Scope." The Guardian, March 22. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/mar/22/kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-butterfly-review-fearless-in-scope.
Jenkins, Craig. 20015. "Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly Album review." Pitchfork, March 19. https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20390-to-pimp-a-butterfly/.
Genius Contributors. n.d. "i (Album Version) Lyrics." Accessed September 23, 2024. https://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-i-album-version-lyrics.
Genius Contributors. n.d. "u Lyrics." Accessed September 23, 2024. https://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-u-lyrics.
Lamar, Kendrick. 2015. "Kendrick Lamar: 'I Can't Change The World Until I Change Myself First.'" Interview by Leila Fadel. Morning Edition, NPR Music, December 29. Audio 7:18. https://www.npr.org/2015/12/29/461129966/kendrick-lamar-i-cant-change-the-world-until-i-change-myself-first.
Masterclass Authors. 2022. "Jazz Rap Overview: 4 Notable Jazz Rap Artists." Masterclass, May 2. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/jazz-rap.
Wikipedia Foundation. 2024. "List of awards and nominations received by Kendrick Lamar." Last modified October 18, at 03:01 (UTC). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Pimp_a_Butterfly.
Limbong, Andrew. 2019. "Both Party And Protest, 'Alright' Is The Sound Of Black Life's Duality.'" Interview by Noel King. Morning Edition, NPR Music, August 26. Audio 7:19. https://www.npr.org/2019/08/26/753511135/kendrick-lamar-alright-american-anthem-party-protest.
Discography
Kendrick Lamar, u
Kendrick Lamar, i (album version)
Kendrick Lamar, These Walls
Kendrick Lamar, The Art of Peer Pressure
Kendrick Lamar, Mortal Man