Oarfin DistributionKendrick Lamar's Grammy wins are further proof that he's undoubtedly one of the best artists in the rap game right now, but his latest work also shows that the 27-year-old is using his talent and status in the industry to deliver messages that matter.
The Compton rapper dropped a fiery new single on Monday titled "The Blacker the Berry" (inspired by the old saying "the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice," which was also famously used in Tupac Shakur's "Keep Your Head Up"), and not only does it have a crushing beat that inevitably causes you to head-nod for five minutes straight, but each lyric is laced with a powerful and emotional response to the ongoing race and violence issues in America.
Combine that with Kendrick's aggressive and passionate delivery, and you have a musical gem that evokes the frustrations and thoughts of protesters in the streets after the tragic killings of Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, Eric Garner and other victims.
"Came from the bottom of mankind/ My hair is nappy, my d--k is big, my nose is round and wide/ You hate me don't you?/ You hate my people, your plan is to terminate my culture/ You're f--kin' evil I want you to recognize that I'm a proud monkey/ You vandalize my perception but can't take style from me," Lamar raps in the Boi-1da-produced track.
"So no matter how much I say I like to preach with the Panthers/ Or tell Georgia State that Marcus Garvey got all the answers/ Or try to celebrate February like it's my b-day/ Or eat watermelon, fried chicken and Kool-Aid on weekdays/ Or jump high enough to get Michael Jordan endorsements/ Or watch BET because urban support is important/ So why did I weep when Trayvon Martin was in the street, when gang bangin make me kill a n---a blacker than me."
"The Blacker the Berry" is expected to appear on Kendrick's highly anticipated follow-up to 2012's good kid, m.A.A.d. city, but until then, listen to the track above and let us know what you think in the comments below.