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Racism In 'King Kunta' By Kendrick Lamar

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Racism is a general issue that has issued societies for centuries. Racism is when people believe that certain races possess distinct characteristics and it can lead to a lot of discrimination, prejudice and antagonism. Over the years, many songwriters have used their music to express their feelings about racism and to encourage change. Songs can be a powerful tool to convey a message and raise awareness about this important issue. Whether through lyrics, melody, or rhythm, songs can inspire people to take action, challenge their beliefs, and work towards a more just and equitable society. In this way, music has the power to bring people together and promote positive social change.

The songs that we have learnt about this term and that have …show more content…

He uses a metaphor in the title King Kunta, the particular reason for this circumstance is that he is comparing himself to a king and his critic to peasants, which are racist and discriminatory people. He also uses an allusion to Alex Haley's Roots to explore the themes of identity and heritage. He references the history of slavery and how it has impacted the African American community, but he also talks about how he has been able to rise up and become successful despite the challenges that he has faced in his life. The song's lyrics are empowering of racism and encourage listeners to take pride in their identity and …show more content…

Kendrick Lamar's song King Kunta is a celebration of black culture and how Kendrick rose up to power which falls into him also singing about a call to arms for black empowerment. While on the other hand, This Is America is a withering critique of the country's horrible treatment towards black people and the continuing issue of police brutality. Both songs are very important and have quite a lot to say about the state of our society today. Childish Gambino and Kendrick Lamar really spread awareness in a way where young teenagers will really listen and take in information to try and make a change against racism and

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Knowing that this is an everyday struggle for the black community, changes your views on how things are established for them. An individual that is not a part of such community can make a statement and say that everything is fine the way it is, but once you get an insight how the black community really lives their lives, it changes your overall perspective. These people have lived tough lives and King is expressing a small part of the real world, but that small part makes such a bold and loud statement that one could not easily

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King is calling on everyone to help those in need. African Americans have a right to be tired of waiting for change. He uses emotion to make people think about what they are doing, if they

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Most people in this world aren’t born into this world alone, King knows this and reminds the clergymen and the white moderate that these people have families too. Even though slavery was abolished in 1865 racism has continued to dehumanize Black people. King has given these people an identity which humanizes them. Lastly King appeals to logos or the logical side of an argument.

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It reaches out to every person, even the most racist of whites, and asks them to truly feel, if only for a second, what black people feel almost constantly. In doing this, King utilizes perhaps one of the strongest emotions we can experience: sympathy for others. King is almost irrefutably one of the greatest speakers of the century, if not all of history, and it is this particular section of his writing that helps illustrate

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In many cases, these songs have become anthems for the African American community and the Civil Rights Movement, as they evoke strong emotions. Although African Americans have come a long way, there is still progress to be made in the

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King attempts to establish common ground that such brutality is blatantly wrong, and essentially implies that violence against Black Americans is nothing out of the ordinary, and is simply

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Thousands of songs have been made in the fight for racial equality since the beginning of the slave trade. As the years go on songwriters and performers have shifted their songs to focus on the issues plaguing humanity at the time in which the song is being released while also reflecting on the past and hoping for a better future. Common’s 2016 song “ Black America Again” featuring Stevie Wonder is a recent example of a song made in support of racial equality. Common mentions many of the problems Black people face in the fight for justice in his song such as mass incarceration, the wage gap, gentrification, and voter suppression. Throughout the song Common makes his stance evident, he wants to rewrite the Black American story that we know today, instill a sense of pride in Black people across the nation, and reclaim the life and culture that was taken from Black people.

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Music is a powerful force that people make every day. Music expresses what one person is feeling and it can pass on and relate to others. Whether it the beats or the lyrics of music it can make us feel a certain way. Many rappers though out the years use their voice to speak up for the people that believe they do not matter. Music gathers people together because we relate to the lyrics that are being said.

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King used this metaphor when he had to explain to his daughter why she is not allowed go to the public amusement park that was advertised on the television. He saw his daughters started to tear up when she was told that Fun town is closed for colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her

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Music can bring the brightest of joys that keeps us moving through our dull and boring lives. An example of this joy is Ishmael Beah’s life as a boy soldier in his book A Long Way Gone. As he tells you his story, he tells of his dance group with his friends, the times he heard music in the middle of war, and how music saved him from the madness that brewed within him. Music has the unique ability to create peace in a person’s life despite the difficulties surrounding them, and to bring a constant reminder of who they are as a person.

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King uses allusions to the bible to show what's right from wrong and shows how long it's been going on throughout time. In addition King says, “They’re accustomed to being slaves,” which by that he is saying that is what first comes to mind when you think of a black American at that time. Furthermore King says that the black American is so used to being oppressed that they have acquiescence, they

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Just writing a song like this needs a man to be aware of his surroundings and think about what problems are going on. He also needs to be extremely confident in his song since it is attacking racism, a topic that is controversy. He played this song during his 1973 tour to promote anti-violence and anti-racism. Around this time, the native Americans in the US were in a very bad condition, they were being mistreated and thrown around like dirt. After people heard his song, there were more people starting to actually respect the differences of each other.

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This universal language of music also embodies the basic human motivation of unification. Rehfeldt, et al. (2021) claim “Because of the symbolic meaning assigned to particular types of music by a sociocultural community, and because of the shared experience that people may have while producing or listening to music, music may serve to unify groups of people” (p. 770). Music creates a sense of belonging for both the artists creating the music and the listeners enjoying the music. Each variation of music speaks to the basic human motivation of unification in a unique way.

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