Why Kendrick Lamar Deserves to win a Nobel Prize

My assessments of Lamar's oeuvre thus far and why his impact on the music industry and the world at large deserves the level of recognition that being a Nobel Laureate would bestow.

The 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature being awarded to Bob Dylan opened up the public’s eyes to the possibility that musicians could accept the prize. The cited reason behind the committee’s decision to esteem his career so highly was his dedication to the American folk tradition; not only has he held these historically relevant songs in the zeitgeist for the span of his career, but he has additionally adapted some tunes to be more pleasing to the modern ear. Many other artists may have similarly deserved the award in their time, but the nature of stardom in our time is to burn out as quickly as one rises to the top (Dylan’s longevity being a major exception). That being said, who else that meets the qualifications¹ for the award ought to be considered for the honor? Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I’d like to give my justification as to why Kendrick Lamar ought not only be the next musician to receive a laureate, but to further assert that he should be the next person period.

Another unstated feature of Bob Dylan’s music that influenced his victory was his ability to speak about faith and religion on songs that would reach the Billboard charts. This is not to suggest that there is a bias in favor of Christians on the Nobel committee, but rather to point out how out of place themes of deeper spiritual reflection are between the “sex, drugs, and rock & roll” of the era. Since then, music has only become more about extolling vice and ignoring virtue. That’s why it is especially peculiar to see songs like “PRIDE.” or “Money Trees” or “Sing About Me I'm Dying of Thirst” on the lips of the same people praising Chris Brown, P-Diddy, or R. Kelly. DAMN in particular makes repeated specific reference to lines from the Bible and Lamar’s interpretation of the faith. On “FEAR.,”² one of Kendrick’s cousins leaves a voicemail that mentions Deuteronomy 28:28, which Hebrew Israelites commonly use in messaging to justify their struggle in the world. The rest of the song expounds on Lamar’s experiences with pain and suffering at the hands of a supposedly benevolent God. On “LUST.,” he calls attention to Luke 4:4 to reflect on his attitudes towards earthly pleasures that he’s been worrying about throughout the rest of the song. Additionally, “How Much a Dollar Cost?” off the album To Pimp a Butterfly has the same core message as the first half of Lot’s story from Genesis 19 or Baucis and Philemon from Ovid’s Metamorphoses³.

It is not his mere use of the Bible as a font of reference that is interesting, however, but rather his struggle with the teachings therein. Occasionally his attitudes fluctuate between belief and nonbelief or devotion and Job-like strife. The most notable religious theme throughout his work is his struggle with the vice of pride. One can trace the inherent contradiction between the search for great honor all the way back to Aristotle. In the Nicomachaean Ethics, the word he uses to describe the proper balance of the ambition towards honor as τῑμή (honor), but the excess as φιλότιμος (overambition) and the deficiency as αφιλότιμος (underambition). Instead of having unique vocabulary to describe these concepts, even modern man resorts to the use of prefixes because it has the largest grey area of all the so-called golden means. Obviously it’s not appropriate to throw others under the bus on one’s road to success, nor is it okay to lie profligate in front of the corporate ladder to allow others to pass over you, but Lamar generally has to deal with the upper echelon of this issue. Self-doubt does sneak in at times on tracks like “u” but even that resolves itself on its response, “i.” The songs that better reflect his struggles with pride are “United in Grief,” “Man at the Garden,”⁴ and obviously enough, “PRIDE.”

Academics have already heaped praise on good kid, m.A.A.d city since its release in 2012. Enough video essays on double entendres and Kendrick Lamar’s lyricism exist online, and to discuss them would be redundant, so this essay will assume a basic familiarity with his skill with the pen. A professor of literature at Georgia Regents University who used the text of the album in his classroom has compared GKMC to James Joyce’s work. Indeed, it has both the qualities of the nonlinear storytelling of Ulysses and the coming-of-age plotline of A Portrait of The Artist as a Young Man. What the album brings to the table is a better understanding of contemporary issues in a neglected corner of modern society: the ghettos of America. Lamar portrays himself as a child who, through a combination of luck, virtue, talent, and the power of prayer, was able to avoid becoming another statistic. Children growing up in identical positions seldom see the resources necessary to earn an honest income and rise above the need for the additional funds that gang life nets. This is not even to mention the pressure to join a side from peers as well as a sense of revenge for lost friends and family.

With this album having sold millions of copies, Kendrick Lamar continues to struggle with the scars from the past, which are discussed in detail on To Pimp A Butterfly. Many consider this to be his magnum opus, but it requires the context of GKMC in order to fully understand why. Despite his “escape” through stardom, Lamar still maintains ties to that community. His efforts to elevate all his friends become more difficult than he had initially expected, and the guilt not only of falling short of that goal, but also missing out on being a good influence in the community⁵ eventually leads him to binge-drinking. From this deep pit of depression, the album rebuilds Lamar’s self image over time as he develops a broader understanding of the world around him, traveling not only to his homeland of Compton, but further to the homeland of Africa. The first poem in “Mortal Man” that the listener hears in fragments throughout the album acts as a final reflection on these themes, and the second comes during a mock interview Lamar has with Tupac created from archival footage.