Many rappers come from rough and tumble backgrounds, whether that’s gang affiliations or coming from broken homes. Kendrick Lamar grew up in an area that was influenced by gangs and he dealt with violence from a very young age. He grew up in Compton, California, a city currently very publicized in the U.S. after the movie Straight Outta Compton. When rapping about the streets he grew up on, he gives himself credibility, because he knows what the Black Community is going through. For him to say that he knows what it’s like to have to fight against the black stereotypes, gives those who are experiencing the same fight a reason to listen. “Alls my life I has to fight.” If he’s alright, they can be alright too.
Kendrick Lamar raps often about his Christian faith, which is prevalent in the song “Alright.” He raps “I’m at the Preachers door.” Spiritual people gain credibility from other spiritual people, simply by stating their faith in God. This does not mean it is an improper Ethos technique, but rather it provides a strong and soulful Ethos that can also double as Pathos. (whether religion is being considered as fact or feeling) Christians have a history of being considered credible in the United States by society. Almost all of our presidents were Christian with a few unaffiliated. In “Alright,” Lamar also often mentions “Lucy” which is his nickname for Lucifer and admits that at a time “Lucy” had power over him and is still around him. Much of Christianity deals with the idea of Salvation, that you can choose to be saved by God. Kendrick Lamar embodies that idea, having also openly spoken out against drugs and alcohol referring to them as reprehensible, especially the ones that people loose their lives over.This speaks to Kendrick Lamar’s character. He was honored by the California State Senate as the “Senate District's Generational Icon” for his charity.
The previous support from the Black Lives Matter movement of this song also charged his performance at the Grammy’s. There was already talk that the performance would be controversial, like his previous performance at the BET awards. People knew he was going to take this opportunity to make a statement. Lamar’s good moral character and biography made him the perfect performer to deliver his message and his popularity made his statement even more compelling.
-Shannon
I completely agree with the reasons you mention regarding how ethos plays such a powerful role in Lamar's performance. What better way to talk about what life was really like than drawing from your own personal experiences? Great way of using what we've discussed in class and applying it to this example!
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting perspective on how ethos plays a role in Kendrick Lamar's grammy appearance. It is cool and interesting to analyze current musicians with Aristole's ancient theories.
ReplyDeleteKendrick definitely has the credibility to go up there and perform those songs. Compton is one of the worst areas in the country and for him to be such an inspiration and role model is pretty amazing. I thought it was very interesting that he had such a strong relationship with Christianity. I had no idea, nice job on this post!
ReplyDelete-Jack Vigneron