- Well, I'm actually
moving to the beat. (Laughing) - I exercise to this song. (Laughing) (hard rock music) - (FBE) Today,
we're gonna have you read some lyrics from top songs
all by one current artist and tell us the meaning
and what you think, then you'll get to listen
to the songs you read and tell us your thoughts.
- Okay, excellent. These are always fun.
- Ever since I've was 12,
I've been into lyrics. - I like old-school a lot,
and new music all depends on who brings it. - I doubt if it's any kind of rap. I hope not.
(Chuckling) Otherwise, we'll
just stop right there. - "Yep, her president is black. She black too. Purple label on her back,
but that tab is light blue.
She take it straight to the head. Then she look at me,
she got A.D.H.D." - I got no idea who it is,
but he says she's got problems. - It's a little discrimination,
a little making some fun of somebody who's
got a health challenge. That does not sit well with me at all.
- "Now I done grew up
around some people livin' their life in bottles. Granddaddy had the golden flask. Some people like the way it feels." - "Some people
wanna kill their sorrows. Some people wanna
fit in with the popular.
That was my problem." Yeah, this is all about alcoholism. - Trying to drown their sorrows, that's probably why
most people drink a lot. - I mean, who doesn't know
about the guy in the bar who is drinking
to suppress his sorrow? - Sounds like he woke up to something. Sounds like he woke up
to a little revelation of some sorts.
- He got involved with alcohol,
trying to get rid of his bad feelings, insecurities,
and he did that as a result-- he wanted to just fit in. - "Why you babysittin'
only two or three shots? I'ma show you
how to turn it up a notch. First you get a swimming pool
full of liquor, then you dive in it." - First, you're the victim,
where you're doing what your peers are doing,
and now it sounds like you're the big guy. - Swimming pool full of liquor,
that's a lot of liquor.
- It's taking it
to the extreme other side of someone who's babysitting
two or three shots. - I think he's owning up to the fact that he himself had some problems
as a result of what he saw, and the message could be,
"Listen to me. Don't get into a situation,
don't experience life like I did. It's not good for you." - "Wouldn't you know.
We been hurt, been down before." It's the N-word.
"When our pride was low,
looking at the world like, 'Where do we go?'" - There's a sense of,
"I'm at the bottom, looking up. What do I do now?" - We've been here before,
so we know what this situation is like, where we've been
confused about which direction we should go in life. - People judge and they
take away people's hope and every kid
especially should have hope. - You know, discrimination
is very upsetting, and it makes you feel, you know,
that you're not really worthy.
- N-word, "and we hate po-po. Wanna kill us
dead in the street fo sho'." - "I'm at the preacher's door. My knees gettin' weak
and my gun might blow. But we gon' be all right." - He's upset because
I guess the police are, you know, basically what's going on right now.
Young black men
are getting, you know, shot. - He has to get
on his knees and pray, and he's been
on his knees for a while, that they're getting weak. - I think it's fabulous because
the police need to start listening. - No one can tell me
what I'm feeling about something somebody does to me
or, you know, in my case, the anti-Semitism going on
at the colleges around the United States,
and I'm the son of a survivor.
No one can tell you,
"Well, you shouldn't feel this, you shouldn't feel that."
No, I don't like it. None of us are to judge
what someone else is feeling about what's going on
in their world or community. - "I remember syrup sandwiches
and crime allowances. Finesse and, you know,
with some counterfeits, but now I'm countin' this." - "Parmesan where
my accountant lives.
In fact, I'm downin' this." - Syrup sandwiches,
that's kind of like ketch-up sandwiches or something like that. You're poor,
so you just eat what you can. - Well, he's been down. Maybe now he's up.
- There's a lot
you can pull from this. Even though I don't like the N-word
and the content of this rap song or whatever, maybe
this is the writer's story. - It's like a story
from rags to riches. He used to eat syrup sandwiches,
and now he got money.
He got Parmesan. - "Girl, I can buy yo'--"
(stammering) There-- hello. "Girl, I can buy yo' ass
the world with my paystub. Ooh--"
Oh, Lord.
There it is again. "Ooh, that... Good. Won't you sit on my taste bloods?" - A lot of the songs
have the women, you know, dancing and they're
throwing the money around, and they really feel that
they can buy the women, which a lot of them can.
- Well, it's not one
that I would use, you know, if you're trying to impress a female,
you just gotta, you know-- that's not my style. - "I got power, poison,
pain and joy inside my DNA. I got hustle though,
ambition flow inside my DNA." - He's probably a rapper
that's been successful with his music and he's full of himself. - What I'm guessing is good to bad,
I have all the capabilities built inside me.
- It's in his bones,
it's in his blood, you know, power and poison
and pain and joy, it's all inside. - You know, you have pain,
but you do have joy in your life. But I like the part with the power
because it sounds as if he's able to handle himself.
He's got confidence. - There could be somebody
that is facing some difficulties in their life-- they're discouraged,
they have no ambition, they have no drive,
and then they hear this song, they could be uplifted.
It's just positive. It shows character. This is good. I'm pleased.
- (FBE) Any idea whose lyrics
you've been reading? - No clue. - No idea at all. - I have no clue. (Laughing) - I have no idea, but I like it.
- (FBE) So these were lyrics
to songs from Kendrick Lamar's repertoire.
- Oh, okay. I know him and I like him. - Doesn't ring a bell.
(Laughing) - (FBE) Kendrick Lamar
is continuing the tradition of music being a form of protesting,
like Bob Dylan and Sam Cooke in the '60s. Kendrick has tapped
into a deep-seated dissatisfication with the status quo
in American society. So what are your thoughts
on activism in music? - I think it's great.
It's a great platform. - Music has a lot
to contribute as far as letting people know what's going on.
- Young folks,
they're listening to this. Their eyes, their ears are wide open
to what this person is gonna say next, so
they should say something positive. - (FBE) Let's play you
the songs you read. - Okay.
(Laughing) - Yep, her president is black She black too
- Yeah, I like that beat. Nice, really good. - She take it straight to the head
- Wow, I could actually understand the lyrics when he said them. - ...She got A.D.H.D.
- Yeah, I had a feeling
it was this kind of a rhythm. - Now I done grew up
'round some people Livin' their life in bottles Granddaddy had the golden...
- I know this song. - ...Everyday in Chicago Some people like way it feels Some people
wanna kill their sorrows Some people wanna
fit in with the popular That was my problem Why you babysittin'
only two or three shots? - Well, I'm actually moving
to the beat.
(Laughing) - ...Get a swimming pool
full of liquor Then you dive in
- Pretty cool. It's actually, yeah, you know--
like I said, it's not a message that would get to me,
but it's a message that needs to be out there. - You can actually hear the lyrics. A lot of those songs,
you can't even understand what they're saying.
I really like that about him.
- Wouldn't you know We been hurt,
been down before - I heard this before, too. But I didn't really know who it was. - Where do we go? [Bleep], and we hate po-po Wanna kill us
dead in the street fo sho' [Bleep], I'm
at the preacher's door - Yeah.
- My knees gettin' weak And my gun might blow
- Yeah, I-- nope. - It's got a great hook to it,
the way it leads up.
- A little violence there,
just a tad bit, but I really like the beat. - I remember syrup sandwiches
and crime allowances Finesse a [bleep]...
- I exercise to this song. (Laughing) - ...My accountant lives In fact, I'm downin' this...
- Yeah, he sounds very happy. You know, it sounds like
he's got everything under control. - ...The world with my paystub Ooh, that [bleep] good,
won't you sit it on my taste bloods - Yeah, it's not my type.
Not my kind of song. Sorry to have to say that.
You know, there
is some poetry to these. - I got power, poison,
pain and joy inside my DNA I got hustle though,
ambition flow inside my DNA - Yeah, I think
my children would like it. - You can understand
what he's saying, which is rare for me
as far as rap goes. - He seems like a very fluent writer.
- He's been having
feelings about issues that need to be talked about. - It hits its targeted audience
with a good message. You can't do better than that. - I have, you know, some of Jay-Z
and different artists, but I don't have him
and I know he's really good, so I'm gonna check him out.
- Thanks for watching us take on
Kendrick Lamar on the React channel. - Don't miss out, subscribe! - If you liked this episode,
then go ahead and hit that Like button. - Bye! - Hey guys, I'm Katie,
a React channel producer. Thank you so much
for all your comments requesting Kendrick Lamar.
I loved doing this episode.
So let me know down in the comments which artists you
want to see next time. Thanks guys, bye!.
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