It's a great, great experience to finally get the reception that you know you rightfully deserve.
Every time I write these words they become a taboo,_x000D_ _x000D_ Making sure my punctuation curve, every letter here's true,_x000D_ _x000D_ Living my life in the margin, and that metaphor was proof.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the struggle of expressing oneself authentically while confronting societal constraints and taboos.
Kendrick Lamar's quote illustrates the tension between personal expression and the societal expectations that often impose limits on creativity and identity. By acknowledging that his words become taboo, he highlights the challenges artists face in communicating their truths, urging listeners to understand the deeper meaning behind his lyrics which serve as both a personal narrative and a commentary on societal issues. The reference to living life in the margins suggests that he finds strength and identity in the spaces often overlooked or deemed unacceptable by mainstream culture.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the role of artists in challenging societal norms.
More from Kendrick Lamar
All quotes →I've been called a recluse. There's definitely truth in that. I like to spend time alone.
This is the thing about hip-hop music and where people get it most misconstrued: It's all hip-hop. You can't say that just what I do is hip-hop, because hip-hop is all energies. James Brown can get on the track and mumble all day. But guess what? You felt his soul on those records.
The majority of my interactions with police were not good. There were a few good ones who were actually protecting the community. But then you have ones from the Valley. They never met me in their life, but since I'm a kid in basketball shorts and a white T-shirt, they wanna slam me on the hood of the car. Sixteen years old.
People have to go through trials and tribulations to get where they at. Do your thing - continue to rock it - because obviously, God wants you here.
I penetrate the hearts of good kids and criminals
Similar quotes
I love being able to reach people directly, but in an ideal scenario, I would not have to rush the release of new music… but the message is still there.
My first plays were amazingly bad, but I had a teacher who thought I had promise, and he kept working with me. I finally went to a summer workshop before my senior year with people like Sam Shepard and Maria Irene Fornes who encouraged me to write from my subconscious, and suddenly all this material about culture clash came out.
The word war itself has a kind of glazing abstraction to it that conjures up bombs and bullets and so on, whereas my goal is to try to, so much as I can, capture the heart and the stomach and the back of the throat of readers who can lie in bed at night and participate in a story.
The second, and I think this is the much more overt and I think it is the main cause, I have been increasingly demonstrating or trying to demonstrate that every possible stance a critic, a scholar, a teacher can take towards a poem is itself inevitably and necessarily poetic.
I went to the zoo one day and saw a chimp playing with a beat-up acoustic guitar in a way I had never seen before. Instead of using the pick the chimp was banging the neck and tapping it with its fingers. I knew the chimp was on to something so I practiced this new technique in my room for hours until I'd perfected it.
The audience is the most revered member of the theater. Without an audience, there is no theater. Everything done is ultimately for the enjoyment of the audience. They are our guests, fellow players, and the last spoke in the wheel which can then begin to roll. They make the performance meaningful.