Kendrick Lamar has received a lot of support, recognition and of course hate for his highly acclaimed album How To Pimp A Butterfly. But Co Founder of Black Lives Matter, Alicia Garza has penned an essay expressing her admiration to the rapper from Compton.
With police brutality and racism becoming more prevalent than ever before, it seems like Kendrick’s Lamar album was released just in time for those frustrated with injustice. If anyone knows the frustration of injustice, it’s definitely co founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, Alicia Garza. With lyrics from Kendrick’s album resonating with her on an almost spiritual level, she wrote an essay explaining her admiration and gratitude to his well constructed album.
“With headphones on, there I was, bobbing my head and having audible conversations with myself because that album made me feel—moved and troubled, challenged, uplifted, angry, skeptical and raw. Far from creating “conscious rap,” Kendrick Lamar has evolved a new genre of movement music that asserts no answers but raises hard questions and brings us together to take them on.”
Kendrick was also just listed as one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. Not only is the addition well deserved, but a huge accomplishment. With Kendrick being so vocal on the plight of Black people in society today, he has raised awareness and is a voice for the unheard and ignored.
Garza adds,
“Kendrick should be applauded for inviting us to face things that are uncomfortable, for celebrating our will to survive and for being audacious enough to grapple with the questions that we all need to answer if we ever hope to get free.”
