Kendrick Lamar’s New Album Challenges The Culture To Think

Hip hop is king and Kendrick is holding court. With the release of his fifth studio album, titled “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers,” Kendrick Lamar is making the world stop and take notice of his genius. Beyond his ability to push rhythmic boundaries, Kendrick is also challenging the culture to think. From Kyrie Irving to topics of sexuality, this album is more than beats and bass–  it’s an invitation to reexamine whatever we thought we knew. Hip hop, at its best, has always been that artform that confronts the culture in a not so subtle way and this album is but a reminder of that legacy.

From its infancy in the Bronx, hip hop has always been a thoughtful artform. It always made you think,  but hip hop also challenged its listeners, from the beginning, to move to a very different beat. From discussions of poverty, police brutality and inequality to albums centering on political protest, hip hop has always demanded thought of its audience. But hip hop also centered the perspective of the marginalized, a raw filter through which the world is examined. Hip hop, more than any other genre, forces us to wrestle with hard questions, think outside the box and challenge everything. Kendrick Lamar is building on that tradition.