I couldn’t understand what he was saying. Like I was listening to a foreign language. Everyone I was with looked at me like I was a crazy person when I said that in the moment.
It’s probably because his lyrics are infamously complex and detailed, like poetry that takes time to digest. It also didn’t help that he just couldn’t say swear words, so what he was saying literally didn’t make sense.
The show and lyrics were not very accessible for people who aren’t fans of Kendrick, partially because he didn’t try to make it accessible. The whole show was intentional minimalistic and counter to the opulent norm of the superbowl. That itself is the statement Kendrick consistently makes as an artist:
Mass appeal is boring, fake, and worthless; be genuine and appeal to those you actually care about. It was a show for the Black community and the people who like his music, and that’s a good thing actually.
Sigh. Sorry, I get that it comes off that way, and I tried my best to tread lightly. I don’t want to disclose my background or musical tastes. But I will concede I live under a rock, and I’ll leave it at that.
I can’t speak for everyone, but for me personally it’s just part of auditory processing difficulties. If the lyrics are not extremely clear without a lot of distractions it all just gets jumbled into a hopefully pleasant noise. Same thing happens with basically all rock.
The only people I understood in that show were Samuel L. and some of SZA.
I couldn’t understand what he was saying. Like I was listening to a foreign language. Everyone I was with looked at me like I was a crazy person when I said that in the moment.
It’s probably because his lyrics are infamously complex and detailed, like poetry that takes time to digest. It also didn’t help that he just couldn’t say swear words, so what he was saying literally didn’t make sense.
The show and lyrics were not very accessible for people who aren’t fans of Kendrick, partially because he didn’t try to make it accessible. The whole show was intentional minimalistic and counter to the opulent norm of the superbowl. That itself is the statement Kendrick consistently makes as an artist:
Mass appeal is boring, fake, and worthless; be genuine and appeal to those you actually care about. It was a show for the Black community and the people who like his music, and that’s a good thing actually.
Complex and detailed is one thing, but it wasn’t like dense poetry for me. It was unintelligible, like a magnum opus written with poor handwriting.
I get that this is kind of a “me” problem. I’m just here to vent cuz it made me feel stupid.
Nothing wrong with not understanding, but saying African American slang sounds like a foreign language does rub the wrong way.
Sigh. Sorry, I get that it comes off that way, and I tried my best to tread lightly. I don’t want to disclose my background or musical tastes. But I will concede I live under a rock, and I’ll leave it at that.
I had a coworker say the same thing but honestly I don’t get it. He’s like the opposite of a mumble rapper.
I can’t speak for everyone, but for me personally it’s just part of auditory processing difficulties. If the lyrics are not extremely clear without a lot of distractions it all just gets jumbled into a hopefully pleasant noise. Same thing happens with basically all rock.
The only people I understood in that show were Samuel L. and some of SZA.
I was so impressed with his diction