http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6436268/kendrick-lamar-billboard-cover-story-on-new-album-iggy-azalea-police-violence-the-rapture?utm_source=twitter

The relevant passage:

Asked about the high-profile killings of African-Americans by police in 2014, from Ferguson, Mo., to Staten Island, he says, "I wish somebody would look in our neighborhood knowing that it's already a situation, mentally, where it's f---ked up. What happened to should've never happened. Never. But when we don't have respect for ourselves, how do we expect them to respect us? It starts from within. Don't start with just a rally, don't start from looting -- it starts from within."

Another relevant passage:

Surprisingly for such a hyperliterate lyricist, Lamar is not much of a reader, saying that he mostly learns by talking to people from different walks of life.

___

1) WTF is a "hyperliterate lyricist"?
2) Should rappers be expected to speak on political matters with any higher level of insight than other occupations (plumbers, doctors, firefighters, etc)? No one ever interviews, say, a 9/11 firefighter and says "What's your opinion on Boko Haram?"

Saying all that to say, should journalists limit their rapper interview questions to music?

Absent someone making a political reference in their discography (which justifies follow-up questions), I don't really care about the political opinion of any modern rapper is on any given issue. Or veteran rapper, for that matter.

Now, if the rapper goes into political matters sua sponte, by all means, ask follow up questions.

3) I long for the day when respectability politics dies. Malcolm and Martin got shot wearing suits. Respectability doesn't have anything to do with being Black and getting murdered in America.

Peace,

Spirit (Alan)
http://wutangbook.com

he's a popular young hip hop star. that's why he's being interviewed in the first place. that's good you don't care about his political opinions or any other rapper's as well. i guess someone would ask to see whether he's "informed" or not. why did everyone go into an uproar about Young Thug?

respectability? they should speak on whatever they wanna speak on. rappers rap, they use words. wouldn't it be kind of weird if they didn't really have anything to say or weren't opinionated?

i definitely agree with you on that one point. most interviews should be centered around the artists music and what not anyway.

well being hyper-literate could mean he has lots of money. i read somewhere that in 1990, if you made less than 5,000 dollars, you were considered illiterate. so that might mean he makes a whole lotta money.

>he's a popular young hip hop star. that's why he's being
>interviewed in the first place. that's good you don't care
>about his political opinions or any other rapper's as well. i
>guess someone would ask to see whether he's "informed" or not.
>why did everyone go into an uproar about Young Thug?

He's popular, so he should be asked about politics?

The Olsen Twins were popular. Who ever asked them about politics?

Why should popular people be expected to be "informed" about areas outside of their expertise? Are popular astrophysicists asked to comment on sports?

>respectability? they should speak on whatever they wanna speak
>on. rappers rap, they use words. wouldn't it be kind of weird
>if they didn't really have anything to say or weren't
>opinionated?

I'm not saying it's weird for them to have opinions. I'm saying it's weird to ask them about their political opinions, outside of their music. Wouldn't it be weird for rappers not to have food preferences? Yet, how many interviewers ask rappers what their favorite foods are?

>i definitely agree with you on that one point. most interviews >should be centered around the artists music and what not anyway.

That was the point of my entire original post.

>well being hyper-literate could mean he has lots of money. i
>read somewhere that in 1990, if you made less than 5,000
>dollars, you were considered illiterate. so that might mean he
>makes a whole lotta money.

Huh? No. That's likely not what the interviewer meant at all.


Peace,

Spirit (Alan)
http://wutangbook.com

people have opinions. the interviewer's concern with politics, might have sparked the question.

if an astrophysicist is asked about sports, he doesn't have to have expertise to have an opinion.

the weight of an opinion is only as strong as you decide for it to be. but im sure you already know that.

grassrootsphilosopher

then anybody elses

MLK he is not.

statesman he is not

it is a sad indictment of our culture in general when the mainstream is like who speaks for yall? whose got the platform...& look out in the world & cant see anybody worth talking to other than rappers


does it really matter?

for all my fans who keep my name in their mouth: http://i.imgur.com/v2xNOpS.jpg

i'm a fan of his music (still think rtj > gkmc...i digress)
i'm an adult as well and can constructively separate art from public persona
my biggest issue with kdot is his whole 'beta-male-i-get-depressed-aw-shucks-happy-to-be-here shit'
he dropped the control verse and went all passive to me

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6436268/kendrick-lamar-billboard-cover-story-on-new-album-iggy-azalea-police-violence-the-rapture

"I wish somebody would look in our neighborhood knowing that it's already a situation, mentally, where it's f---ked up. What happened to should've never happened. Never. But when we don't have respect for ourselves, how do we expect them to respect us? It starts from within. Don't start with just a rally, don't start from looting -- it starts from within."

---

All the respect for ourselves in the world won't stop them from killing us for no reason. Our generation did the required job of working and attaining an education. They still fear and kill us for no reason. Miss me with the New Black deflecting bullshit. THEY are the problem not us.

there's plenty to criticize in what Kendrick said but folks just don't wanna explore the grey areas everything's gotta fit a "side"

*************************
your ERA never low enough

>1) WTF is a "hyperliterate lyricist"?

Beats the shit out of me. I assume they mean he's a excellent, vivid story-teller.

>2) Should rappers be expected to speak on political matters
>with any higher level of insight than other occupations
>(plumbers, doctors, firefighters, etc)? No one ever
>interviews, say, a 9/11 firefighter and says "What's your
>opinion on Boko Haram?"
>
>Saying all that to say, should journalists limit their rapper
>interview questions to music?
>
>Absent someone making a political reference in their
>discography (which justifies follow-up questions), I don't
>really care about the political opinion of any modern rapper
>is on any given issue. Or veteran rapper, for that matter.
>
>Now, if the rapper goes into political matters sua sponte, by
>all means, ask follow up questions.

Kinda where I am with it. I think to some degree, journalists are stuck on the Chuck D/Public Enemy model, where when rappers are "saying something", they also have well-formed opinions on everything. But not every rapper is Chuck D.

It's likely also an outgrowth of the post-Ferguson commentary where people were asking, "Why aren't prominent rappers speaking out about what's happening here?"

That said, I wish more rappers, and everyone in general, was better informed about political and social issues. Kendrick's comments are kinda unfortunate.

>3) I long for the day when respectability politics dies.
>Malcolm and Martin got shot wearing suits. Respectability
>doesn't have anything to do with being Black and getting
>murdered in America.

Pretty much. Police are paid/supposed to respect everyone. Whether are or not that person "respect themselves" is irrelevant.

-----------------

www.albumism.com

Checkin' Our Style, Return To Zero:

https://www.mixcloud.com/returntozero/

> Kendrick's
>comments are kinda unfortunate.
>


They are his comments.


Are they "unfortunate" because you don't agree with him?

>They are his comments.

Yes, they are. And it's his right to express his thoughts.

>Are they "unfortunate" because you don't agree with him?

Pretty much. From all that I've heard about him, he sounds like a nice/smart enough kid. Wish he didn't subscribe to that line of thinking though.

-----------------

www.albumism.com

Checkin' Our Style, Return To Zero:

https://www.mixcloud.com/returntozero/

He's a young Black man and that comes from a community (Hip Hop) that as a whole consistently has made it very clear the amount of distrust and ill feelings that exist between Black males and the police. Simply because he's not KRS-1 or Chuck D does not mean he should "just shut up and rap". Many of his lyrics reference social issues like alcoholism, gang violence and his latest single is about self love and self esteem. If he were French and a top selling artist with a new album coming it would be very strange if an interviewer completely ignored what just happened in Paris. It's not really politics that he was asked about as much as life events. Rappers generally talk about life/hood events.