Tupac Shakur And Kendrick Lamar – Two Revolutionary Artists In The Rap Music Industry

Rap is a synonym of impact. This genre of music has been present in humanity since 1973. Rap songs are not only intended to be part of Billboard Hot 100; they have a deeper meaning, such as a way of expressing feelings, ideas, experiences, dreams, and so much more. It is fascinating how rap artists can make a huge impact in society, from dance challenges to lyrics that nowadays are used as motivational quotes. But more important, rap songs are triggers for social revolutions. It is no secret that African-American have been discriminated and silenced in the past, but rappers gave a voice to everyone left behind. They give power to the powerless, and that is what makes them special. The authors behind these masterpieces are messengers of the forgotten ones, to the world. Nevertheless, who are these heroes that represent the repressed black society? It’s a no-brainer. Tupac Shakur and Kendrick Lamar are legends in the rap industry, and despite their difference of time in the history of music, the impact they made is equally relevant and revolutionary in society.

Tupac made such an impact in society and won prestige because he is a truthteller. His purpose was to address social issues that usually the low classes have to deal with, through his songs. He was living in oppression because of being black, so he wanted to tell the society that something was wrong, and it needed to change. His inspiration came from the situations he lived, real life stories, and these anecdotes were impacting since he was involved with gangsters. International Business Times named Tupac Shakur the most influential rapper of all time in the article Tupac Shakur’s Influence After 15 Years: From Eminem to Libyan Rebels. His position as a rap idol is nothing but well-deserved, 2pac wanted to make a positive change with his talent in music. What made him win such prestige was how he showed to the world what was hidden, he was fighting for justice.

Rap is known for being a type of music that mostly teenagers listen to, and Tupac’s music followed this pattern. Young people used to attend his concerts and listen to his music around 1991 when he was in the spotlight. Nevertheless, after his death in 1996, his audience remained loyal to his music and until today, he is not forgotten nor his music because of the revolution he made. But when he was just a newbie in the music industry, he was frequently claimed by the black population since his songs were dedicated to them. His style, his purpose, and his origins were extremely attracting to young people and specially to the African-American population. However, people from different races also listened to his music since his motive was true to everybody: the world needs justice. Shakur’s aggressive and raw style to write his songs captivated the audience. He wanted to tell stories and he expressed it as uncovered as he could. His song Changes explicitly describes how black people are left behind. “Cops give a damn about a negro”, “I see no changes, all I see is racist faces”, and several more verses of this song are the ones who characterize Tupac and his fearless reputation. As well, a good example of 2pac’s style is the lyrics of his song Only God Can Judge Me. It reflects his frustration to such unfair situation he and the black race was living in. These two verses summarize the mixed feelings expressed in this song. “‘Black Power!’ is what we scream”, “And our fate is a lifetime of hate” represented how black people was fighting for their rights, but how their hope was dying since their war against racism was not working. Indeed, Tupac hided no subliminal messages in his songs, he was about pure and raw truth, that is why people loved him. His main focus was about social issues but the fact that he was a rich, young and talented man cannot be forgotten. Every young soul loves to party and so did 2pac. A good example to take is the videoclip from the song I Get Around. Here the artist appears with many girls in a party. He made it seem like he is the man who has it all. Obviously, this kind of behavior attracted many fans since everyone desires a life full of money and fun. The classic stereotype of a celebrity was presented in his videoclips, and this did nothing but get more audience. As for Kendrick Lamar, he is said to be an American storyteller by the article Kendrick Lamar Is a Great American Writer, But There Is Room to Grow published in Sojourners. To emphasize the prestige that is given to this rapper, the journalist of the website claimed: “hip-hop is ‘CNN for black people’, and Lamar is the best reporter in the business. On the other hand, Kendrick Lamar is one of the greatest rappers in the world right now and he even considers himself as the “best rapper alive”. There are many reasons why he is considered one of the best of all time. He is the type of person that doesn’t care at all about being criticized; is characterized for his vivid lyrics and the flow of his songs. Kendrick is profoundly influenced by the west coast hip hop and the 90’s gangsta rap, also he is constantly referred as a “political rapper”, which means that he is regularly mentioning and giving opinions about political issues and introducing them into his lyrics. Moreover, he also focuses in topics such as racism, injustice in the neighborhoods, and black power, giving him a lot of popularity and controversy. The New York Times defines Lamar’s writing style as “anti-flamboyant, interior and complex, and a technical rapper”.

Another reason that makes Kendrick Lamar so important in today’s hip hop music is the way he varies and repeatedly changes his voice tone in order to deal with different types of feelings, characters, and moods to give the audience a better perception of his songs. An example of how Kendrick uses their songs as a way of transmitting a message can be seen in his song “How Much a Dollar Cost”. This song is a narrative of one of Lamar’s experiences, he explains that one day he was visiting the place where he grew up and an old homeless man approaches to him and tests Lamar’s empathy now that he is rich and famous.

The impact that Kendrick has made is indisputable and it has gone beyond the universe of rap, his ability of creating astute lyrics and combining it with the use of distinct music instruments makes him a complex musician, which is in fact a really rare thing is today’s society. Lamar’s trick to influence more in society is seen a lot in his music videos, he raises social issues and illustrates them with original and creative motion that makes the listener feel comfortable and entertained at the same time. Kendrick Lamar’s has a huge audience extension that goes from teenagers to 50 years old people, that is because most of Kendrick’s song are related to problems that society faces today and almost everyone can feel related to. Lamar revealed his inspiration to become an artist in his interview with The Morning Riot, published in Vibe Magazine. It turns out that it all started when he saw Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre shooting a music video when he was 7 years old. Something that is commonly heard in Lamar’s songs are politic topics regarding the United States politic system and even oppression around the world. Sagal Mohammed wrote an article for Glamour magazine in which she explains how Kendrick Lamar has been able to creatively communicate and express the social and political issues around the world. Mohammed explains that even from the beginning of his career he has been able to express his concern and opinions about political systems. In the article, the author creates a list of songs composed and interpreted by Lamar that follow this structure. Mohammed states that “Kendrick anecdotally explores the mindset of those involved in the gang warfare lifestyle in areas similar to where he was raised” and that if the government provides education to young people in these areas, they would understand that there is way to resolve his problems and find a solution. Lamar clearly likes to spread protests against sensible topics, and it is something that he has kept as a constant through his years of career.

Besides the connection these both rappers have, their songs send meaningful messages to the audience. There are similarities that can be found in the careers of both artists. These similarities are the ones that give Lamar the title of “The Millennial Tupac”. Both artists have a similar mindset that can come from the same West Coast roots. The topics and social issues that Kendrick Lamar brings to the rap musical industry tend to remind the black love and political climate that was significant in Tupac’s music. Furthermore, the success of both artists tends to mark a similarity between each other. Rap music tends to touch a lot of themes, but the intelligence that is required and the social consciousness needed to compose music such as Lamar’s or Tupac’s are really rare. Songs such as “California Love” by Tupac and “Compton” by Kendrick Lamar, that both touch the same topic of social sensibility in neighborhoods in California, are just one example of the similar styles of both artists.

The impact of rap music and their interpreters in society is unmeasurable. The significant sensitive topics that are usually touched in rap music is what give each artist their signature within the industry. Both Tupac Shakur and Kendrick Lamar are part of the authors behind the incredible music works that rap has created. From black discrimination, to politics, their songs have encouraged society to rebel against the measurements people tend to live with. Even though they both lived different decades, and different social problems, Tupac and Lamar dedicated their careers to promote a message of the social injustice in our world. Currently, Kendrick Lamar has earned the title of today’s Tupac Shakur. This statement proves that, even though there is a clear difference of rap eras between them, their impact in society puts both artists in the peak of the rap industry.