The Ice Cube track Kendrick Lamar called “one of my favouritest joints”
Using rap music as a form of protest and a way to provide information to the public is relatively commonplace today. The genre puts artists in a unique position, as they have the ability to say a lot in a little amount of time. Subsequently, a number of rappers use that ability to talk about current socio-political matters, painting a lavish picture of the world as they see it and providing insight to those who might otherwise not be aware.
Nobody does this better than Kendrick Lamar. The rapper is frequently praised for his innate ability to weave narrative into his songs and albums. His debut record, good kid, m.A.A.d city, was a story that took the listener through a night in Compton, starting with villainy and ending in death and redemption. To Pimp a Butterfly touched on themes of racism and self-acceptance, while Mr Morale and the Big Steppers told the listener their upbringing does not define them and they have the opportunity to change.
Of course, Kendrick Lamar wasn’t the first person to incorporate a level of consciousness into his music. While much of early rap music was considered party music, given how much of a live experience hip hop was, some rappers decided to use the genre to discuss the harsh realities of their surroundings.
One of the first to do this was Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five with their song ‘The Message’; however, it was left to other rappers to do away with censorship when talking about their lives and provide listeners with a candid look at their lives. Schoolly D and Ice T were two of the first to speak about living gangster lives in their music, but the genre of Gangster Rap as a whole was propelled to the spotlight by NWA before being further championed by Ice Cube throughout his solo career.
This music was a major influence on Kendrick, who took from what gangster rap did and expanded upon it. One Ice Cube track, in particular, stayed with him for a long time and is now considered by the rapper as one of his favourites.
“I remember them playing that in the house as a kid but not really knowing how much it would influence the world,” he said, talking about the album Death Certificate. “So I really doubled back to it a few years back and really sat down and listened to it.”
He continued, moving on to one song in particular. “It’s just a crazy, crazy album. ‘A bird In The Hand’ is one of my favouritest joints. I’m sure it was a big influence, just what he talked about. Cube talked about a lot of stuff that was going on in the world as well. He blended that into the streets, and it was really from a raw standpoint. That’s why I like that the most.”
As a Compton rapper, there is no doubt that the likes of Ice Cube would always influence Kendrick, but it’s clear that that influence stretches further than just wanting to make rap music. Kendrick took Cube’s ability to weave narrative through songs and tie them to the streets, and elevate it to make movie stories throughout his records.