A Brief and Terrible Analysis of Kendrick Lamar’s FEAR
Tags: Kendrick Lamar, Songanalysis, Hip Hop

“A virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life.” (2019, The Pulitzer Prizes). It has been fifty years since modern rap surpassed the urban scene in regard to the stew of music, political direness, and the Do It Yourself ethic. With ten music awards, eleven Grammy nominations, and a Pulitzer Prize, DAMN. is introspective and ruminating, which has led to a significantly large impact on the Black community and all the issues which surround it. The album was released in 2017 on Good Friday, a day which denotes the death of the righteous at the hands of tyrants. This hints at the audience, or the fans who waited until that day, that themes of religion and suffering (with his identity) might come into play.

FEAR. opens with a voicemail from Carl Duckworth that references Deuteronomy 28:28 which states, “The lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart.”. Heathens perceived that when the fiendish are offered over to a criminal, God manifests Himself as the one who avenges their wrongdoings. Thus, it is in all instances of “astonishment;” for that the individual who is simply stupefied by their agonies, are overpowered by the hand of God. In the beginning of the song, seven-year-old Kendrick’s greatest source of fear and dread is his mother who disciplined her child ‘traditionally. “I beat yo ass, keep talkin’ back / I beat yo ass, who bought you that”, 7 more “I beat yo ass” ‘s said by his mother listed. The repetition here is used to emphasise the point that there were always consequences to all of his actions from a young age, implying that he felt a certain kind of pressure to not mess up and be perfect as a child.

The theme of suffering is continued in the bridge, “Why God?” sets the tone for what is to follow. “Why God do I gotta suffer” This is Lamar’s way of confronting God on his internal brawls, never understand what he did to deserve the pain he felt. “The pain in my heart carrying the burden for the struggle.” Is said in reverse, this might be because he now believes that much like the FX, his pain has now been reversed. Or not. “Why God do I gotta bleed? / Every stone thrown at you resting at my feet.” This is a metaphor of the idiom ‘Don’t shoot the messenger’ as he is ridiculed for spreading God’s words, thus standing out due to not falling under the stereotype others have created for him.

The second verse represents Lamar’s fear at the age of seventeen in regard to the fact that his skin tone could cost him his life. Kendrick’s intonation within the second verse is quite monotone, almost dead. He shows no sign of life as he creates a laundry list of seventeen ways to die at the ripe age of seventeen, one of which is “I’ll prolly die because these colours are standin’ out”. Regardless of whether the weariness stems from repeated police brutality aimed towards unarmed black individuals or the debilitation of being denied whether socially or professionally, there is a continuous looming heaviness that comes as a package with being black historically and in the modern day.

In a 2014 interview with Complex, Kendrick states “I’ve got this thing where I’m scared Imma lose all my money… I be talking to a few of my partners that’s doing they thing. A few of them don’t feel the same way but it’s like a real deal for me. I treat myself every now and then, but for the most part I be wanting to be smart about it. If my music were to stop today, how would I make this stretch for the rest of my life? My kid’s lifetime? Hopefully, my grandkids. If I stopped today, how would I do that?”. The third verse represents his fears as a twenty-seven-year-old. He now feels pressure peaking as his career is finally palpable. “Is it for the moment, and will he see me as Job? / Take it from me and leave me worse than I was before?” This illustrates him finally facing God as he views Him as vindictive and not comprehending the blessings he has been given. He struggles to accommodate with his commercial achievements, “All this money, is God playin’ a joke on me?”. This may also be a way to ask God why He chose to give him money later on in life, or rather ‘Why money and not happiness?’.