Promise That You Will Sing About Me
The Power and Poetry of Kendrick Lamar
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A stunning, in-depth look at the power and poetry of one of the most consequential rappers of our time.
Kendrick Lamar is one of the most influential rappers, songwriters and record producers of his generation. Widely known for his incredible lyrics and powerful music, he is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. In Promise That You Will Sing About Me, pop culture critic and music journalist Miles Marshall Lewis explores Kendrick Lamar’s life, his roots, his music, his lyrics, and how he has shaped the musical landscape.
With incredible graphic design, quotes, lyrics and commentary from Ta-Nehisi Coates, Alicia Garza and more, this book provides an in-depth look at how Kendrick came to be the powerhouse he is today and how he has revolutionized the industry from the inside.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Pop culture critic Lewis (There's a Riot Goin' On) offers an insightful deep dive into the mind of Pulitzer-winning hip-hop artist and producer Kendrick Lamar, "a master of remaining in the moment." In an incisive analysis that weaves in quotes about Lamar from such cultural figures as Ta-Nehisi Coates with the inspiring history of his career—from hitting #1 on Billboard's album chart in 2012 with Good Kid, M.A.A.d City to garnering 11 Grammy nominations ("more than any given rapper in a single year") a few years later with To Pimp a Butterfly—Lewis paints a captivating portrait of a luminary whose lyrics capture the struggles, triumphs, anger, and hope of an entire generation of Black Americans: "I am from the inner city, the ghetto. If I can use my platform to... talk about something that's real, I have to do that, period," Lamar told Lewis. Throughout, he extols the ways Lamar's work has—like the controversial music of his predecessors (notably Tupac and Biggie)—encouraged discussions of racial disparity and politics, noting, for instance, how his song "Alright" has become a "rallying cry" for "hope and perseverance" in the Black Lives Matter movement. Fans and hip-hop enthusiasts will relish this thought-provoking work.
