Jen The Prude
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
*If you think I talk about Kendrick too much, why are you here? Just hit that 'ignore' button* 
For the rest you, continue on...
I think that we can all agree that J.Cole and Kendrick are viewed as the new school faces of conscious rap. However, I do think that when it comes to the media (white media especially), J.Cole is slightly overlooked and his music is judged harder than Kendrick's.
Why is this, I thought. And then it kinda hit me:
You see, unlike many rappers, J.Cole actually graduated college. And unlike most people, he actually graduated with HONORS. There's nothing about J.Cole that can make cacs feel inherently superior to him and so he's ignored or slightly brought down the size.
With Kendrick, it's different. While he is seemingly smart (the imagery in many of his songs are on point) and non-threatening, Kendrick is still hood - openly admitting to feeling awkward and insecure around white people. When he is rapping about drugs, uncouth friends and relatives, and the hardships of growing up in the ghetto, cacs get a perverse pleasure from that shyt. It makes them feel better about themselves. And so they place Kendrick on a pedestal and overrate everything single thing he does without (I suspect) even bothering to truly listen to the music.
I was really surprised when many people described TBAP as 'unapologetically black' while touting positive mainstream reviews of the album without a hint of irony.
If an album is unapologetically black and rages against the machine, shouldn't it make white people uncomfortable? Has anyone stopped to think why cacs are supporting music that supposedly low-key bashes them?
Of course, people here rarely see the forest for the trees.
For the rest you, continue on...
I think that we can all agree that J.Cole and Kendrick are viewed as the new school faces of conscious rap. However, I do think that when it comes to the media (white media especially), J.Cole is slightly overlooked and his music is judged harder than Kendrick's.
Why is this, I thought. And then it kinda hit me:
You see, unlike many rappers, J.Cole actually graduated college. And unlike most people, he actually graduated with HONORS. There's nothing about J.Cole that can make cacs feel inherently superior to him and so he's ignored or slightly brought down the size.
With Kendrick, it's different. While he is seemingly smart (the imagery in many of his songs are on point) and non-threatening, Kendrick is still hood - openly admitting to feeling awkward and insecure around white people. When he is rapping about drugs, uncouth friends and relatives, and the hardships of growing up in the ghetto, cacs get a perverse pleasure from that shyt. It makes them feel better about themselves. And so they place Kendrick on a pedestal and overrate everything single thing he does without (I suspect) even bothering to truly listen to the music.
I was really surprised when many people described TBAP as 'unapologetically black' while touting positive mainstream reviews of the album without a hint of irony.
If an album is unapologetically black and rages against the machine, shouldn't it make white people uncomfortable? Has anyone stopped to think why cacs are supporting music that supposedly low-key bashes them?
Of course, people here rarely see the forest for the trees.
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