Introduction

“The ghost of Mandela, hope my flows they propel it, let these words be your earth and moon you consume every message”

Hip-hop is a genre that revolves around fruitful themes and complex social and political commentary, dating as far back as the 1970’s, focusing on the main idea of liberation and the emancipation of the black man; this is particularly evident in Kendrick Lamar's extended music video 'Alright.' His music essentially provides a platform, not only for young African-Americans and the black youth to self-identify with but also a wider audience through the universal themes discussed by particular revolutionary hip-hop artists like Lamar, Public Enemy and N.W.A. However the stereotypes associated with hip-hop provide a negative platform for the genre due to the glamorisation and the fetishizing of the materialistic aspects such as 'gangsta life' and violence, therefore elder audiences especially, negatively associate the genre with the three ignorant foundation words, 'drugs, sex and violence’ which is undoubtedly a “shallow understanding of rap, which in many cases results from people’s unwillingness to listen to rap lyrics, many of which counsel anti-violent and anti-drug behaviour among the youths who are their avid audience.” Lamar’s lyrics address significant, complex debates from racial discrimination and the dichotomy of race and class to the potential demise of hip-hop artists through their materialistic demeanour, therefore Lamar is able to provide a universal voice of reason as the “entire expressive culture of hip hop resonate not only with the anxiety of youthful social rebellion, but extant global socio-political inequities as well” whereby audiences are able to be positively impacted by his social and political commentary.