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Kendrick Lamar Has Done It Again

RnB/Hip Hop | Sunday 6th October 2013 | Natasha

 

Kendrick Lamar has done it again. Not long after his verse on Big Sean’s track, ‘Control’ took the hip-hop world by storm - a recent 15 second clip from the 2013 BET Hip-Hop Awards has been released.... and what a teaser it is. The 15 second preview shows the T.D.E cypher which includes Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, Jay rock, Ab Soul and Isiah Radhad. But for now, the attention is all on K.Dot as we decipher his lyrics and speculate who his shots are aimed at:

‘‘Yeah, and nothings been the same since they dropped ‘Control’/ And tucked a sensitive rapper back in his pyjama clothes/ Ha ha jokes on you, high-five, I’m bulletproof/ your sh*ts never a penetrate, pin the tail on the donkey boy you been a fake.’’

Some believe the shots are aimed at Drake because of the ‘sensitive rapper’ remark and the line ‘nothings been the same’ (we don’t need to remind you of Drakes album title, Nothing Was the Same). Add that to the recent interview Drake had with Angie Martinez on Hot 97, where he says he thought what Kendrick did on ‘Control’ was ‘harsh’, and you may be right. However, others think Papoose was in the firing line after calling Kendrick a f*ck**g joke in his response to ‘Control.’ Could Kendrick’s ‘‘Ha ha jokes on you’’ be directed at Papoose? And then of course, there is the speculation that he was dissing both of them at the same time. Many are excited to potentially witness a hip hop battle between two (or more) talented rappers again - @NewEraMar tweeted, ‘Drake vs Kendrick Lamar. Finally a real lyrical battle. I been waiting for this one!!!!’

Whoever it’s aimed at, there is no denying Kendrick is at the top of his game right now, and he shows no signs of giving up his rightfully earned spot for anyone that easily. The 2013 BET Hip-Hop Awards will air in the US on October 15th and then three days later on Friday, October 18th in the UK. The excitement and buzz around this cypher is almost at an explosive point and we cannot wait to hear the rest of Kendrick’s verse along with T.D.E and undoubtedly, the responses that will surely follow.

Comment: This is the beautiful thing about hip hop and lyricism as a whole: a rapper can mean one thing with a clear intention, but words and lyrics are full of ambiguity, with the potential to be opened up for interpretation. I think it is this idea that makes what Kendrick has done so refreshing for the genre of hip hop. We are being forced to really think about what’s being said, decode sentences and piece the puzzle together. And whatever outcome you are left with, well, that’s your prerogative - and is the beauty of art.

 

Natasha Artwell
@NatashaArtwell

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