When it comes to looking at media, it is very obvious how powerful it is. What I mean by this is how it has the power to reaffirm and even challenge certain ideas or major issues occurring in today’s world. Not only is the media this powerful but so many cultural texts. Cultural texts include things such as books, films, songs, and even paintings. There are several cultural texts already created in the world that address things such as culture and race. Some examples of these could include those involved in the rap group N.W.A. as well as a rapper named Kendrick Lamar. In Lamar’s songs “Alright” and “The Blacker the Berry,” both of which are from his most recent album To Pimp A Butterfly, he says things that not only reaffirm but also challenge the racial discrimination towards African-Americans and their culture through his use of certain lyrics.
To …show more content…
Throughout the song, Lamar says things like “your plan is to terminate my culture,” and “you hate my people, I can tell cause it’s threats when I see you” (Lamar 2015). When he says “you” and “your” he is referring to racist white America and by doing so, he is explaining that there is a racial tension between black and white people. One line in particular which addresses the issue of racial discrimination is “the blacker the berry, the bigger I shoot. (Lamar 2015)” This line originated from the quote “The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice,” which was used to promote positivity within the black culture. Lamar altered the quote as a way to justify the racial profiling towards African-American men performed by racist police officers. In the eyes of police officers, when they see a bigger African-American man, they see them as being dangerous and usually carrying some sort of weapon; therefore, justifying the officers killing numerous
To …show more content…
Throughout the song, Lamar says things like “your plan is to terminate my culture,” and “you hate my people, I can tell cause it’s threats when I see you” (Lamar 2015). When he says “you” and “your” he is referring to racist white America and by doing so, he is explaining that there is a racial tension between black and white people. One line in particular which addresses the issue of racial discrimination is “the blacker the berry, the bigger I shoot. (Lamar 2015)” This line originated from the quote “The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice,” which was used to promote positivity within the black culture. Lamar altered the quote as a way to justify the racial profiling towards African-American men performed by racist police officers. In the eyes of police officers, when they see a bigger African-American man, they see them as being dangerous and usually carrying some sort of weapon; therefore, justifying the officers killing numerous