There is currently no song more extreme than Kendrick Lamar’s racially and politically charged, latest single ‘Blacker the Berry’. But what is he actually saying? And what does it all mean? I reveal all in Skool Girl’s new feature DECODED!

Let us start with the title; Blacker The Berry; as a follower, student and fan of Hip-Hop I can’t help but think this is Lamar’s subtle way of paying homage to one of, if not the greatest rappers of all time, Tupac Shakur.

The opening line of Tupac’s hit song ‘Keep Your Head Up‘ is

“Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
I say the darker the flesh then the deeper the roots”

Verse 1

I’m the biggest hypocrite of 2015

Once I finish this, witnesses will convey just what I mean

Been feeling this way since I was 16,  came to my senses

You never liked us anyway, f*** your friendship, I meant it

I’m African-American, I’m African

I’m black as the moon, heritage of a small village

Pardon my residence

Came from the bottom of mankind

My hair is nappy, my d*** is big, my nose is round and wide

You hate me don’t you?

You hate my people, your plan is to terminate my culture

You’re f***in’ evil I want you to recognize that I’m a proud monkey

You vandalize my perception but can’t take style from me

And this is more than confession

I mean I might press the button just so you know my discretion

I’m guardin’ my feelins, I know that you feel it

You sabotage my community, makin’ a killin ‘

You made me a killer, emancipation of a real n**** 

From the first line of the first verse Kendrick Lamar presents us with a very intriguing statement that makes us want to carry on listening to the end.

‘I’m the biggest hypocrite of 2015’ - He claims that he is the biggest hypocrite of 2015, not a very positive thing to say about yourself, so why does he think this? We don’t truly find out until the end of the song, but he does drop some clues .

‘Been feeling this way since I was 16’ – I can’t help but think that this line is referring back to his song Maad City from his first album where he says “If I told you I killed at N**** at 16 would you believe me?” If this is true, he could be feeling like a hypocrite for protesting against the treatment of black people in America when he himself has been guilty of ‘black on black’crime.

‘You never liked us anyway, f*** your friendship, I meant it’ – ‘You’ in this line is referring to White America and/or the ‘system’and the ‘us’is black people in America, he feels that the race relations in America are fickle and insincere.

‘I’m African-American, I’m African’ - Notice that in this line he goes from calling himself African-American to totally disregarding the American part of his heritage  by calling himself African; this shows his pride for his identity and ancestry , which is the main theme of the song.

‘Came from the bottom of mankind’ - This is not something that he truly believes however he knows this is how many ignorant people in society view black people due to slavery.

‘My hair is nappy, my d*** is big, my nose is round and wide’ – Here he lists a few racially stereotypical physical features usually assigned to black people, however instead of denying or shying away from them he admits to having them and does so in a very proud  tone, almost as if to say, “that is how I look and what?”

‘You hate my people, your plan is to terminate my culture’-  Here he is talking to the western ‘system’which is usually criticised for being designed to ‘keep the black man down’ or as he put it; ‘terminate our culture.’

‘You’re f***in’ evil I want you to recognize that I’m a proud monkey’ -  In this line he states that he wants the opposition to recognise that he is a ‘Proud monkey’. It is well known that monkey is usually used as a racial slur toward black people,  however Kendrick embraces it and says he is proud to be one  and somehow takes power and ownership of a previously negative connotation . It could be argued that the same kind of thing has happened with the ’N word’ in the Hip-Hop culture.

‘You vandalize my perception but can’t take style from me’- Here he states that although people may want to damage his image  and the way people perceive him, they cannot take away what he has been gifted with.

‘And this is more than confession’ – What is Kendrick confessing to? Could he still be talking about the crime that he has claimed to of committed when he was 16?

‘You sabotage my community, makin’ a killin’ - The sabotage that he refers to is most likely the introduction of crack cocaine to the black community  in America as this is the era in which he grew up. ‘Makin’ a killin’ is a double entendre as the introduction of drugs led to the higher powers in society making a lot of money , but it also led to an increase in crimes such as murder .

Pre-Hook

The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice

The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice

The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice

The blacker the berry, the bigger I shoot

‘The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice’ – The first three lines of the pre hook present the positive affirmation of being black.

‘The blacker the berry, the bigger I shoot’- This is a more negative line. It could be in reference to the hypocrisy of black on black crime, but is more likely referring to the mentality of those who commit police brutality based on nothing more than racial profiling . The latter is more likely as this song was written and released in the height of the Ferguson conflict between the black community and the police force following the shooting and murder of Michael Brown.

Hook (Assassin)

I said they treat me like a slave, cah’ me black

Woi, we feel a whole heap of pain, cah’ we black

And man a say they put me in a chain, cah’ we black

Imagine now, big gold chain full of rocks

How you no see the whip, left scars pon’ me back

But now we have a big whip, parked pon’ the block

All them say we doomed from the start, cah’ we black

Remember this, every race start from the block, just remember that

For the most part the hook is self-explanatory, however there are some interesting contrasts to point out. For example reggae artist Assassin talks on how we were once put in chains but now have big gold chains full of rocks (Diamonds)and how we went from having whips that scarred our backs to having big whips (cars)parked on the block. In the last line he says  ‘every race starts from the block’ but this has a double meaning. He says that every race starts from the block (the thing that athletes put their feet on before the gun sounds). Here he is saying no matter what position you reach in life, we all started from the same place. The word ‘block’also sounds like ‘black’, in this case the race is no longer an activity, its now talking about different races within humanity and is therefore pointing out that those who criticise, ridicule and hate the black race should remember that they also come from a black ancestry  as is it commonly said that humanity started in the continent of Africa.

Verse 2

I’m the biggest hypocrite of 2015

Once I finish this, witnesses will convey just what I mean

I mean, it’s evident that I’m irrelevant to society

That’s what you’re telling me, penitentiary would only hire me

Curse me till I’m dead

Church me with your fake prophesyzing that I’mma be just another slave in my head

Institutionalize manipulation and lies

Reciprocation of freedom only live in your eyes

You hate me don’t you?

I know you hate me just as much as you hate yourself

Jealous of my wisdom and cards I dealt

Watchin’ me as I pull up, fill up my tank, then peel out

Muscle cars like pull ups, show you what these big wheels ’bout, ah

Black and successful, this black man meant to be special

Katzkins scans on my radar b****, how can I help you?

How can I tell you I’m making a killin’?

You made me a killer, emancipation of a real n*****

‘I mean, it’s evident that I’m irrelevant to society’ – This statement could be due to the fact that young black men have been treated as irrelevant and unimportant  in America in recent times hence a string of unjust killings  which lead to the frequently trending hashtag #BlackLivesMatter .

‘That’s what you’re telling me, penitentiary would only hire me’ - This line refers to the fact that many young black men in America are often told that they are more likely to end up behind bars than get a job.

‘Curse me till I’m dead’ - Curse could refer to the negative labels and stereotypes that are placed on Kendrick.

‘Church me with your fake prophesying that I’mma be just another slave in my head’ - This statement could mean two things; the first is the fact that back in the slavery times, slave owners used to use bible scriptures out of context  in order to keep their slaves in line, scriptures such as:

Ephesians 6:5:
‘Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling’

‘fake prophesying’could also mean the opinions of the opposition on how Kendricks future will end up according to them.

‘Institutionalise manipulation and lies
Reciprocation of freedom only live in your eyes’ - This line not only nods towards another track on the album called ‘Institutionalize’, it also highlights that the reality for many black people in America is full of institutionalisation, manipulation and lies. ‘Freedom only lives in your eyes’, here Kendrick is again addressing white America pointing out that the ‘American Dream’only really exists for them.

‘I know you hate me just as much as you hate yourself
Jealous of my wisdom and cards I dealt’ – This line shows that he believes that racial hatred stems from people having personal insecurities and is also due to jealousy. The fact that he says that he dealt the cards tells us that he is working hard for the things he has accumulated.

‘Black and successful, this black man meant to be special’ – Despite all the opposition that black people have faced we are still successful, in particular Lamar, there is no denying this mans success thus far!

‘Katzkins scans on my radar b****, how can I help you?’- Katzkin are a high end brand or car seat cover , giving us an idea of the wealth he has occurred due to his success.

Verse 3

I’m the biggest hypocrite of 2015

When I finish this if you listenin’ sure you will agree

This plot is bigger than me, it’s generational hatred

It’s genocism, it’s grimy, little justification

I’m African-American, I’m African

I’m black as the heart of a f******’ Aryan

I’m black as the name of Tyrone and Darius

Excuse my French but f*** you — no, f*** y’all

That’s as blunt as it gets, I know you hate me, don’t you?

You hate my people, I can tell cause it’s threats when I see you

I can tell cause your ways deceitful

Know I can tell because you’re in love with the Desert Eagle

Thinkin’ maliciously, he get a chain then you gone bleed him

It’s funny how Zulu and Xhosa might go to war

Two tribal armies that want to build and destroy

Remind me of these Compton Crip gangs that live next door

Beefin’ with Piru’s, only death settle the score

So don’t matter how much I say I like to preach with the Panthers

Or tell Georgia State “Marcus Garvey got all the answers”

Or try to celebrate February like it’s my B-Day

Or eat watermelon, chicken, and Kool-Aid on weekdays

Or jump high enough to get Michael Jordan endorsements

Or watch BET cause urban support is important

So why did I weep when Trayvon Martin was in the street?

When gang banging make me kill a ni*** blacker than me?

Hypocrite!

‘This plot is bigger than me, it’s generational hatred’-  Again this line could be alluding to two things, firstly the opposition and suppression  that he faces is not a personal attack against him but instead is something that has passed on from generation to generation . However ‘the plot’ could also be the gang banging lifestyle  that passes on through generations in a family, this could be the case as this verse includes many references to American gangs such as the Crips and the Piru’s (Bloods).

‘I’m black as the heart of a f******’ Aryan’- Here he is referring to those associated with the Aryan Brotherhood, which is a prison gang which heed to Nazi teachings. The gang is only open to white people and are said to kill those of other races for no other reason than the colour of their skin, which is evil hence Kendrick describing their hearts as black.

‘I’m black as the name of Tyrone and Darius’ - Kendrick is suggesting that these are names typically given to black males.

‘Know I can tell because you’re in love with the Desert Eagle’ – Desert Eagle is a type of gun.

‘Thinkin’ maliciously, he get a chain then you gone bleed him’ – He points out that some people are willing to kill over things as futile as jewellery.

‘it’s funny how Zulu and Xhosa might go to war
Two tribal armies that want to build and destroy
Remind me of these Compton Crip gangs that live next door
Beefin’ with Piru’s, only death settle the score’ -  He compares the activities and intentions of two of Americas most notorious gangs with two of the biggest tribes in South Africa.

‘So don’t matter how much I say I like to preach with the Panthers’- He is saying all the gang activity takes away from the fact that he would want to participate in the following things, one of which is preaching with the Black Panthers  who were very active protesters in the civil right movement.

‘Or tell Georgia State “Marcus Garvey got all the answers’ – Marcus Garvey was a political figure in the early 20th century  who preached about rebuilding infrastructure in order to overcome social inequalities.

‘Or try to celebrate February like it’s my B-Day’ – February is Black History Month in America.

‘Or eat watermelon, chicken, and Kool-Aid on weekdays’ – Watermelon, chicken and Kool-Aid are things that African-Americans are stereo typically said to enjoy eating and drinking.

‘Or jump high enough to get Michael Jordan endorsements’ – This means to reach a high enough level to be able to get endorsed by celebrities, ‘jump high enough’was used to illustrate a higher level of success as Michael Jordan is a famous basketball player.

‘Or watch BET cause urban support is important’ - BET stands for Black Entertainment Television.

‘So why did I weep when Trayvon Martin was in the street?
When gang banging make me kill a n**** blacker than me?
Hypocrite!’ – So here we have it! The reason that Kendrick Lamar refers to himself as the biggest hypocrite of the year  at the start of every verse. Although throughout the song and album he is protesting his hate for the way black people are treated in America, he is very aware that he is surrounded by gang violence which is a massive cause of ‘black on black crime.’ He knows that being affiliated with a gang gives him the potential to kill someone blacker that him despite the fact that he chants ‘the blacker the berry, sweeter the juice’Hypocrite!

Could the crime that Kendrick claims to have committed at the age of 16 actually be true? Maybe we will find out on his next album!

Feature images via tumblr