Last Thursday, Kendrick blessed the world with a masterpiece that is the music video for his new single, “HUMBLE.,” and the interwebs are freaking out for more reason than one. Not only is the music video so dope you’ll want to watch it on replay until you melt into a Cornrow Kenny coma, but the song is great partly because of the way it celebrates natural beauty and everyone’s favorite tiger stripes: stretch marks.
As a hip hop and rap fan, there are a lot of times that I don’t know how to feel about songs and verses that are so catchy yet so offensive to women. How do I come to terms with singing along to songs like J.Cole’s No Role Modelz, which I love, when I hear the words like, “”f**k [her] then we kick [her] to the door… she deserve that” come out of my own mouth?”
How can I be a rap fan and a feminist at the same time?
Luckily, when artists like Kendrick Lamar create verses like the ones we see in “HUMBLE.,” it makes it easier to be both. Check them out:
“I’m so f**king sick and tired of the Photoshop
Show me something natural like afro on Richard Pryor
Show me something natural like ass with some stretch marks.”
As an average human with imperfections, it makes me so happy to hear someone celebrating stretch marks because they’re something almost everyone has, no matter your gender, and they shouldn’t have to be taboo or hidden.
In an ideal world, women wouldn’t be judged based on their looks in the first place. Still, I think that breaking down the impossible standards people are held to in pop culture is a step in the right direction.
To see more empowering rap lyrics or to check out the full video, click here!