The Greatness of Kendrick Lamar’s “i”

“The world is ghetto with big guns and picket signs” – Kendrick Lamar

The anticipation for Kendrick’s “i” could be felt all over social media. The interest in new material from the TDE star reached a fever pitch after the release of the single’s artwork a week before the song dropped. I had nothing but the highest of hopes especially after his classic debut album, Good Kid M.a.a.d. City “came through and crushed the buildings”. Kendrick is an excellent writer and each song from his last album substantiates that claim without a doubt. We can go as far back as his earlier projects such as 2010’s O(verly) D(edicated) and 2011’s Section 80 to see his growth as a songwriter and the wide range of topics that your everyday generic rapper carelessly ignores. Kendrick confidently set the stage for his own coronation.

“i” in itself is a message of a self love and that’s connects all of us. In fact, I’m not sure what really makes me love this song more: the fact that it’s very positive or the technical aspect of his writing. This Rahki-produced tune carries on the funky spirit of The Isley Brothers classic “Who’s That Lady” but it feels like one of those revolutionary songs made in the 60’s and it very well could be our sound of change in 2014. What’s more powerful than saying to the world that you love yourself unconditionally?

If you take a look at the cover art, you’ll not only notice two pairs of hands creating hearts but the two individuals are wearing blue and red. If you aren’t knowledgeable of Kendrick’s background, he’s from Compton and in that city there’s a strong presence of Blood and Crip gang activity. Many lives have been lost due to senseless gang violence so you’d assume based on the single’s artwork alone, that Kendrick is making a statement against it. While surfing the web on the day of the single’s release, I noticed mixed reviews and everyone is indeed entitled to their opinions no matter how ass backwards. If anything, we need more of this in rap and on the radio. “i” will definitely have monstrous success and it will indubitably increase the desire for his sophomore album.