Promise That You Will Sing About Me: Kendrick Lamar in Posterity

Sometimes it would seem that the quietest moments turn out to have the loudest repercussions. This would seem to be a consistent case for twenty eight-year old Kendrick Lamar, whose career has been defined by surprise and unannounced publications of music that shortly afterward are spun into respected works of art. With an album that no one anticipated going to the 2013 Grammy awards, another album that leaked a week ahead of schedule (and brought Kendrick 5 Grammys), and an album that was released with almost no warning whatsoever, Kendrick Lamar Duckworth makes headlines with his art; of this there is no doubt. But the question posed by Kendrick himself is this: “And I hope that at least one of you sing about me when I’m gone; Am I worth it? Did I put enough work in?” Kendrick Lamar deserves long-term academic respect by music historians because of his performance abilities, intellectual and lyrical content, musical push within the rap genre, and his position with both critics and fans.