Kendrick Lamar was criticized by Geraldo Rivera for making a political statement by performing with vandalized police cars at this year’s BET Hip Hop Awards. The Compton, California emcee said that he was representing his people and did not mean any offense.
After that, Lamar released the video for “Alright,” in which he gets shot by a police officer.
“Any way you cut it, Kendrick Lamar is one of the most important voices in Hip Hop today,” XXL says. “And his last album, March’s To Pimp A Butterfly, might just be one of the most poignant socio/political records in recent memory.”
The magazine lists 21 of Kendrick Lamar’s Most Political Lyrics.
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To Pimp a Butterfly has the most lyrics of all his projects with 11. “Blacker the Berry” has five of the top references, the most of any song.
“You hate me don’t you?/You hate my people, your plan is to terminate my culture/You’re fuckin’ evil I want you to recognize that I’m a proud monkey/You vandalize my perception but can’t take style from me/And this is more than confession/I mean I might press the button just so you know my discretion/I’m guardin’ my feelings, I know that you feel it/You sabotage my community, makin’ a killin’/You made me a killer, emancipation of a real nigga” one set of the lyrics reads.
Other tracks from To Pimp a Butterfly that get a nod are “i,” “Hood Politics” and “Wesley’s Theory.”
2011’s Section.80 is showcased with “HiiiPower”
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“Who said a Black man in the Illuminati?/Last time I checked, that was the biggest racist party/So get up off that slave ship/Build your own pyramids, write your own hieroglyphs,” the song goes.
Lamar’s major label debut, good kid m.A.A.d. city, has three songs on the list.
“They say the Governor collect/All of our taxes except/When we in traffic and tragic happens/That shit ain’t no threat” is from “m.A.A.d. city.”
To read the entire list, visit XXL.
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