Kendrick Lamar is without a doubt a great rapper, and in my opinion, this cannot really be argued. However as a person, I really  do not respect his beliefs and lyrics in his music. Lately Kendrick has been all over the media, and people have been talking  about him nonstop, especially on twitter. He has a new album called To Pimp a Butterfly that has sparked a ton of controversy  within the black community. This album is completely different than anything he has ever put out. It focuses on the black  struggle, racism, slavery, police brutality against blacks, and it focuses on a lot of stereotypes about black people.

I always try to give credit when credit is due, which is why I’ll say that most of the songs on this album and genius. Each and e  every one of the songs are lyrically amazing, and while I agree with a lot of the points that he makes in his song, he inserts small  lyrics that I don’t agree with at all.

One of the songs that really blew up was “The Blacker the Berry”, it talks about the stereotypes people place on black people, like  having a big nose, thick lips, and eating fried chicken. He also talks about institutionalized racism in America, and although he  goes a little extreme he speaks about how America hates us and expects that we will end either a penitentiary or dead. What is s  sad about this song is that I really appreciate most of the points that he makes, and he speaks on a lot of things that I believe in  as well. For example he says in his song that racism is bigger than just the people we deal with today, it is generational hatred.  Which is in fact true, and we have talked about this multiple times in class. It isn’t just about what people are faced with in school or with friends, these racist beliefs go back to their family, and probably a long line of active and passive racists.

Kendrick Lamar uses strategic repetition in his song. He starts the song off with “I’m the biggest hypocrite of 2015” and repeats it three more times throughout the song but doesn’t really elaborate on why he is a hypocrite. However after saying all that he said in his song, in the last line he ruined everything and revealed why he is a hypocrite.

“So why did I weep when Trayvonn Martin was in the street? When gang banging make me kill a n**gga blacker than me? Hypocrite!”

In this line he is basically victim blaming, and this is what I do not respect. In his opinion, black people cannot be upset when we see young black men in the media being murdered because we murder each other every day. I disagree with this in every way possible, because right is right and wrong is wrong. Just because white people kill other white people, it doesn’t make it okay for me to go around murdering unarmed whites. If that were to happen, people would be outraged, as they should be. After this song, I looked up a lot of interviews that Kendrick has had recently, and he goes in trying to justify his beliefs. I can truly say that I’ve lost respect for him as a person.

Ever since I could remember the sweet sound of Bob Marley’s voice has been playing in my house, whether it be when my mother cooks or when my father would be studying for his exams. The King of reggae is and always has been a cure all for anything and everything that goes on in my family. Every family has its own traditions, and listening to Marley is our way of coming together. As most people know, Bob Marley is a Rastafari, as he so often reflects in his music. What most people don’t realize is that “Rastafarianism” is much more than smoking weed, wearing dreadlocks, and listening to reggae music. Although my mother is Catholic, my father is a Rasta, and it definitely reflects on the values I gave today.

Fun fact: although I do not consider myself a Rasta, my father named me Jahaira after the God, Haile Selassie, who is known as “Jah”. My love and appreciation for music and African culture came to me early. Most babies learn how to walk and talk by the age two, while I was learning to walk and talk I was also learning about the root of reggae, and the philosophy of Marcus Garvey. I consider myself blessed to have been exposed to these ideas at such a young age because as I grew up they became a type of therapy to me. Like I said, I am not a Rasta myself but a lot of the practices have stuck with me, with the influence of my father. They believe in peace and love within yourself and also others, a belief that helped me get through plenty of tough times, most of which included Bob Marley’s music as an outlet to escape.

Just to clear up common misconceptions I addressed earlier, the religion is based on much more than reggae, dreadlocks, and ganja. In fact, not all Rasta’s smoke weed. One of the most important parts of Rastafari philosophy is the belief that your body is a temple. This means you have to take really good care of it in every way possible. Part of this is the diet, known as ital, which rejects any form of processed food or red meat. However respecting and taking care of your body is much more than just following the diet. This includes the practice of not cutting your hair (hence the common image of dreadlocks), and not marking your body with anything that you weren’t born with. The philosophy and music has taught me a lot about self worth and the worth of others, and for this I am grateful. Happy Birthday Bob Marley

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