Analysis: Rapper Kendrick Lamar

There is always an imaginary pedestal that people tend to put celebrities on. Given the amount of glorification these people receive, one would begin to believe each of them possess a godly trait. Rapper Kendrick Lamar is one of many celebrities who receive such treatment, but in his song “u” he reminds the listeners that he is very much human like everyone else. He gives a second-person narrative about his life over the past few years and the suicidal thoughts he had in a hotel room, which provides a great story that says, “Hey, I’m human too.” His use of pathos, repetition, and vocal variation throughout the song creates a mental visualization for his listeners, which allows his purpose that, money doesn’t buy happiness, to be easily recognized.

In the first verse, the concern quickly switches over to a feeling of dejection as Lamar introduces the listeners to the start of these new insecurities when he belittles himself and tells us that he can influence one-hundred thousand people, but he can’t influence his own sister to do the right thing. The feeling of dejection stays with the listeners for the rest of the song, and is heightened after the song shifts with an instrumental change, going from jazz to upbeat blues after the hook is repeated for the last time. At the beginning of the shift, there is a skit of a Latina housekeeper knocking on a door, and in Spanish, saying, “Open the door, open the door, I have to clean your room! It’s just that there isn’t much time, and I need to clean your room. Excuse me!” Along with the screaming in the introduction of the song, there is an allusion to his poem that appears throughout the album, To Pimp a Butterfly, specifically the lines that read, “Found myself screaming in the hotel room, I didn’t wanna self-destruct.” As soon as the second verse begins, the listeners should feel immediate heartbreak when Lamar begins to rap while in the midst of tears. Telling the story of his best friend being shot and struggling in the hospital, Lamar blames himself for the death of his friend because he only gave him a FaceTime call rather than flying in for a visit, although he was overseas when the shooting occurred. Rather than repeating the hook before the third verse, there are just quiet tears that allow the listeners to feel his pain. Being the last verse of the song, Lamar definitely doesn’t fail in making this the most powerful one; between the drinks of alcohol and the confessions of mood swings and depression, all of the concern, dejection, and heartbreak felt throughout the song combine.