“Alright” – Kendrick Lamar (2015): In the present day and age, the time of the Black Lives Matter movement, we have “Alright” by Kendrick Lamar. A Compton, California native, Lamar was troubled, yet inspired by the happenings in black America, specifically gang violence, the growth and spread of materialism, and police brutality. He has stated that he wrote “Alright” in order to give hope to his audience. This song has been dubbed the modern black national anthem, mainly because it came during a time in which it was necessary. Coming out in 2015, a year after the Ferguson Resistance and in the midst of a number of police killings involving black men and women, “Alright” directly addresses police brutality and systemic racism. It signifies a shift in the expression of self-love, as it reaffirms blackness in a society that is structurally set up against it. Much like previous examples, Lamar’s song is a blunt example of being proud and hopeful in one’s race, while also being able to address issues that affect the community directly. Not only was the song influential, but the music video that accompanied, as well as his many performances, only cemented his criticism of structural racism and inequality.
Lyrics:
Alls my life I has to fight, n*gga
Alls my life I…
Hard times like, “God!”
Bad trips like, “Yeah!”
Nazareth, I’m f*cked up
Homie, you f*cked up
But if God got us, then we gon’ be alright
N*gga, we gon’ be alright
N*gga, we gon’ be alright
We gon’ be alright
Do you hear me, do you feel me? We gon’ be alright
N*gga, we gon’ be alright
Huh, we gon’ be alright
N*gga, we gon’ be alright
Do you hear me, do you feel me? We gon’ be alright
Uh, and when I wake up
I recognize you’re looking at me for the pay cut
But homicide be looking at you from the face down
What MAC-11 even boom with the bass down?
Schemin’, and let me tell you ‘bout my life
Painkillers only put me in the twilight
Where pretty p*ssy and Benjamin is the highlight
Now tell my momma I love her, but this what I like, Lord knows
20 of ‘em in my Chevy, tell ‘em all to come and get me
Reaping everything I sow, so my karma comin’ heavy
No preliminary hearings on my record
I’m a mother*ching gangster in silence for the record
Tell the world I know it’s too late
Boys and girls, I think I’ve gona cray
Drown inside my vices all day
Won’t you please believe when I say
Wouldn’t you know,
We been hurt, been down before
N*gga, when our pride was low
Lookin’ at the world like, “Where do we go?”
N*gga, and we hate po-po
When they kill us dead in the street fo sho’
N*gga, I’m at the preacher’s door
My knees getting’ weak, and my gun might blow
But we gon’ be alright
N*gga, we gon’ be alright
N*gga, we gon’ be alright
We gon’ be alright
Do you hear me, do you feel me? We gon’ be alright
N*gga, we gon’ be alright
Huh, we gon’ be alright
N*gga, we gon’ be alright
Do you hear me, do you feel me? We gon’ be alright
What you want you: a house or a car?
40 acres and a mule? A piano, a guitar?
Anything, see my name is Lucy, I’m your dog
Motherf*cker, you can live at the mall
I can see the evil, I can tell it, I know it’s illegal
I don’t think about it, I deposit every other zero
Thinking of my partner, put the candy, paint it on the Regal
Digging in my pocket, ain’t a profit big enough to feed you
Everyday my log get another dollar just to keep you
In the presence of your chico, ah!
I don’t talk about it, be about it, everyday I sequel
If I got it then you know you got it, Heaven, I can reach you
Pet dog, pet dog, pet dog, my dog, that’s all
Pick back and chat, I trap the back for y’all
I rap, I black on track so rest assured
My rights, my wrongs: I write til I’m right with God
Wouldn’t you know,
We been hurt, been down before
N*gga, when our pride was low
Lookin’ at the world like, “Where do we go?”
N*gga, and we hate po-po
When they kill us dead in the street fo sho’
N*gga, I’m at the preacher’s door
My knees getting’ weak, and my gun might blow
But we gon’ be alright
N*gga, we gon’ be alright
N*gga, we gon’ be alright
We gon’ be alright
Do you hear me, do you feel me? We gon’ be alright
N*gga, we gon’ be alright
Huh, we gon’ be alright
N*gga, we gon’ be alright
Do you hear me, do you feel me? We gon’ be alright
I keep my head up high
I cross my heart and hope to die
Lovin’ me is complicated
Too afraid, a lot of changes
I’m alright, and you’re a favorite
Dark nights in my prayers
“Formation” – Beyonce (2016): Finally, we end our journey with “Formation” by Beyonce. This song is a testament to the innovation of musical expression of self-love and affirmation towards affirming blackness in all of its forms, respectable or not, as well as validating women. Everything about the song serves as a declaration and a political statement, from the date that it was released (one day after Trayvon Martin’s birthday and one day before Sandra Bland’s birthday) to the images in the music video, to the tour that followed. What makes this song so significant in its expression of self-love is the focus on feminism and the subversive cultural references that many black women will relate to. Beyonce, known for staying somewhat quiet on political and private matters, spent the entire song embracing the black features and stereotypes surrounding her family and heritage at a time when blackness was under attack and black womanhood was being erased. This was seen through the alarming rate of black men and women being killed by police, yet only male names being remembered. The erasure of black women was also prevalent in the movement, as despite the sheer number of black women heading protests and organizations, men were often credited for their work. “Formation”, voted the #1 song of 2016 by Complex Magazine, has certainly left its mark on the culture. It continues to be an anthem for black womanhood while also raising the bar for self-expression and musical revolution.
Lyrics:
What happened at the New Wil’ins?
B*tch, I’m back by popular demand
Y’all haters corny with that Illuminati mess
Paparazzi, catch my fly and my cocky fresh
I’m so reckless when I rock my Givenchy dress (stylin’)
I’m so possessive so I rock his Roc necklaces
My daddy Alabama, mama Louisiana
You mix that Negro with that Creole, make a Texas Bama
I like my baby heir with baby hair and afros
I like my Negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils
Earned all this money but they’ll never take the country out me
I got hot sauce in my bag, swag
Oh yeah, baby, oh yeah I, ohhh, oh yes, I like that
I did not come to play with you h*es, haha
I came to slay, b*tch
I like cornbread and collard greens, b*tch
Oh yes, you besta believe it
Y’all haters corny with that Illuminati mess
Paparazzi, catch my fly and my cocky fresh
I’m so reckless when I rock my Givenchy dress (stylin’)
I’m so possessive so I rock his Roc necklaces
My daddy Alabama, mama Louisiana
You mix that Negro with that Creole, make a Texas Bama
I like my baby heir with baby hair and afros
I like my Negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils
Earned all this money but they’ll never take the country out me
I got hot sauce in my bag, swag
I see it, I want it, I stunt, yellow bone it
I dream it, I work hard, I grind til I own it
I twirl on them haters, albino alligators
El Camino with the seat low, sippin’ Cuervo with no chaser
Sometimes I go off (I go off), I go hard (I go hard)
Get what’s mine (take what’s mine), I’m a star (I’m a star)
‘Cuz I slay (slay), I slay (hey), I slay (okay), I slay (okay
We gon’ slay (slay), gon’ slay (okay), we slay (okay), I slay (okay)
I slay (okay), okay (okay), I slay (okay), okay, okay, okay, okay
Okay, okay ladies now let’s get in formation, ‘cuz I slay
Okay ladies now let’s get in formation, ‘cuz I slay
Prove to me you got some coordination, ‘cuz I slay
Slay trick, or you get eliminated
When he f*ck me good, I take his *ass to Red Lobster, ‘cuz I slay
When he f*ck me good, I take his *ass to Red Lobster, we gon’ slay
If he hit it right, I might take him on a flight on my chopper, I slay
Drop him off at the mall, let him buy some J’s, let him shop up, ‘cuz I slay
I might get your song played on the radio station, ‘cuz I slay
I might get your song played on the radio station, ‘cuz I slay
You just might be a black Bill Gates in the making, ‘cuz I slay
I just might be a black Bill Gates in the making
I see it, I want it, I stunt, yellow bone it
I dream it, I work hard, I grind til I own it
I twirl on them haters, albino alligators
El Camino with the seat low, sippin’ Cuervo with no chaser
Sometimes I go off (I go off), I go hard (I go hard)
Get what’s mine (take what’s mine), I’m a star (I’m a star)
‘Cuz I slay (slay), I slay (hey), I slay (okay), I slay (okay
We gon’ slay (slay), gon’ slay (okay), we slay (okay), I slay (okay)
I slay (okay), okay (okay), I slay (okay), okay, okay, okay, okay
Okay, okay ladies now let’s get in formation, ‘cuz I slay
Okay ladies now let’s get in formation, ‘cuz I slay
Prove to me you got some coordination, ‘cuz I slay
Slay trick, or you get eliminated
Okay, ladies, now let’s get in formation, I slay
Okay, ladies, now let’s get in formation
You know you that b*tch when you cause all this conversation
Always stay gracious, best revenge is your paper
Girl, I hear some thunder
Golly, look at that water, boy, oh lord