Dissect - S1E14 – Complexion (A Zulu Love) by Kendrick Lamar

Episode Date: December 6, 2016

We continue our serialized analysis of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly by dissecting "Complexion (A Zulu Love)." Follow Dissect on social media @dissectpodcast. Purchase Dissect merch at dissectpodcast.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Dissect, long-form musical analysis broken into short digestible episodes. I'm your host, Cole Cushner. Today, we continue our serialized examination of Tapimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar. In our last episode, we reached the conclusion of Act 3, which we've titled Emerging Wings. After battling depression, survival's guilt, temptation, selfishness, and suicidal thoughts, Kendrick was humbled after an encounter with God on how much a dollar cost. The song concluded with the passage sung by Ron Isley, through which Kendrick asked for God's help in turning over a new leaf.

I wash my hands, I said my grace, what more do you want for me? Tears of a cloud. Yes, I'm not all what is meant to be. Chase of gray will never change if I can do. Turn this page. Help me change to write my wall. Kendrick's repentance represents the album's access point and signals the beginning of Act 4, which I've titled The Butterfly Sheds Light.

Having been humbled by God, Kendrick will embrace his leadership role and become an advocate for the Comptons of the world. Over the next four tracks, Kendrick will speak directly to the black community and preach a message of unity, self-love, and independence. Kendrick's first order of business will be to address colorism and black beauty on the album's next track and the subject of today's episode, Complexion, Azulhu Love. Complexion was one of the many songs inspired by Kendrick's trip to South Africa in early 2014. If you'll remember, the previous song and turning point of the album how much a dollar cost

was set in South Africa. And the importance of Africa in terms of the album's narrative mirrors Kendrick's real life, as the trip is said to have had a transform. formative effect on Kendrick. Remember, just a few years before 2014, Kendrick had never traveled outside of Compton. After returning to the States, Kendrick scrapped two or three albums with their material. TDE engineer mixed by Ali said of Kendrick's experience, quote, Lamar is a sponge. He incorporated everything that was going on in Africa and in his life to complete a million piece puzzle. Producer Soundwave recounts, quote, I remember he took a trip to Africa and something

in his mind just clicked. For me, that's when this album really started. Regarding the trip, Kendrick himself said, quote, I felt like I belonged in Africa. I saw all the things we wasn't taught. Probably one of the hardest things to do is put together a concept on how beautiful a place can be and tell a person this while they're still in the ghettos of Compton. I wanted to put that experience in my music. Yeah, well, the actual creative process of that album actually came from a trip. I had in South Africa, you know, where I'm looking at all these different types of skin complexions.

Uh-huh. You know. South Africa, there's a lot of white people out there, right? Yeah. Yeah. You know, and it was something totally different from what I expected to be from what the school books had taught me. Oh, is that right? Right.

What was so different about it? What was different is all you know is poverty or how bad Africa is or to be. Sure, sure. You know, this is what they teach you in grade school. And when you go out there, it's actually a beautiful place that you don't want to leave. Of course, you have some poverty-stricken places. Those are the images we see. Yeah, that's only, that's the only thing we see.

That's what they teach us. That's all they teach us. But they don't teach you the spirit of the people there, right? And that's probably what caught you, right? They don't teach you the walks of life and how shapes and faces, you know, still come from the same place. But have these different color skin tones. They don't teach you that. That's amazing.

don't teach you how a kid can have blue eyes but have the complexion of me. You know, so we take these, these things that we don't know back to where we're from, and we divide it. Sure. Now you had this colorism of this type of person with this skin tone and this skin tone, but we all come from this same place. Okay. Which is Africa.

You dig what I'm saying? Absolutely. That's one of the pieces of the messages I get across on my record. Complexion Azulu Love is produced by Thundercat and Terrace Martin, with additional production by Anadote. The song is structured in two parts. The first half is a mid-tempo funk-influenced dance beat in which Kendrick rhymes from the perspective of a field slave. On the song's second half, the beat is deconstructed, only to rise again with guest MC Rhapsody at the helm, who delivers the album's only feature verse. Thematically, complexion is centered around the concept of colorism, and we're going to take a few

minutes to explore this concept before diving into complexion. While racism is discrimination against individuals based on their heritage, which of course is often physically represented by varying skin colors, colorism is discrimination or prejudice against individuals based on skin color alone. Often colorism is talked about as interracial racism, that is, members of the same race, discriminating against each other based on varying shades of skin tone. As applied to African Americans, colorism can be traced back to slavery and European colonialism. From the 16th through the 19th century, most European colonial economies depended on African slave labor to survive.

Colonial officials noted that the vast amount of land they quote unquote discovered was useless without labor to exploit it. While 6.5 million people immigrated to America for 14, 1992 to 1776, only 1 million were Europeans, and the remaining 5.5 million were African. Privileged during this time was a course granted to white Europeans, while Africans were enslaved as field workers. So began the system of white supremacy and racist ideology this country was built upon. It placed whites on top of the social hierarchy, and placed blacks at the bottom. Slaves with lighter skin were typically given less physically strainiest domestic duties. while darker-skinned blacks were forced to do outside hard labor.

Those with light-skinned were shown favoritism, because they were more often than not family members, conceived by a white slave owner raping one of his slaves. White slave owners did not consider their mixed-race children blood, but they did give them privileges that dark-skinned blacks did not receive. Light-skinned thus became a desirable quality in the black community, as it often led to broader opportunities for education and acquisition of property. Fast forward to contemporary society, and the residual effects of slavery are everywhere.

One such effect is colorism, and the preference granted to lighter-skinned African-Americans over those with darker skin, both outside and inside Black America. Research has linked colorism to smaller incomes, lower marriage rates, longer prison terms, and fewer job prospects for darker-skinned people. In addition to the limitations it can put on economic opportunities, colorism can also have deeply psychological effects, most prominently on women in the black community. Studies have shown that most black women have been personally affected by interracial discrimination, and that women of different complexions have unique experiences based on their

skin tone. These experiences influence how they feel about themselves and how they interact with others. Bringing it all back to Tapipa Butterfly, the song complexion will address the issue of colorism, concerned mostly with its psychological effects and low self-esteem it can breed in women in contemporary society. The opening measures of complexion feature an isolated stomping bass and snare drum. Just before the beat drops, the words, I'm with this, are spoken by Pete Rock, the legendary producer, DJ, and rapper. The song's hook follows, anchored around the word complexion. There's more to this seemingly straightforward hook than meets the ear. Let's begin with the first word spoken, I'm with this. On its surface, the phrase is a simple affirmation

of the song's infectious beat, and the subject of complexion it speaks on. But the phrase and the way it's spoken closely resembles Big Daddy Kane's 1988 hit, Ain't No Half Steppen. First, let's listen again to Complexion's intro, immediately followed by the intro of Ain't No Half Steppen. This, Complexion. And now Big Daddy Kane. I'm just going to sit here and laid back to this nice mellow beat, you know, and drop some smooth lyrics. It's very possible that this song was the first song Kendrick ever heard in his life. It was Big Daddy Kane's biggest hit, and as it turns out, Kendrick's father was a fan. Some of my earliest memories, why can't say my earliest?

My mom's told me the moment they, you know, draw me from the hospital. I was in the back seat. My father's playing Big Daddy Kane. Yeah, and she was telling him, cut that music down that shit too. loud. And he's like, don't worry about it. He'll be listening to music. You know, when we get home, when he grow up and forever, you know what I mean? Lyrically, the hook of complexion is pretty simple. Complexion, complexion don't mean a thing. Complexion, it all feels the same. It's a clear pronouncement of the beauty in all shades of skin and rejection of the divisiveness of colorism.

The complexity of the hook comes through Pete Rock's adlibs, in which he says two-step and it's Zulu Love. Two-Step is a simple dance in which you step from side to side back and forth. It's likely Two-Step is commenting on the danceability of the song's beat, but could possibly be a clever nod to the first collaboration between Kendrick and Pete Rock. The song was called Let Me Be Me from the 2009 Kendrick Lamar EP, his first released after abandoning the moniker K-DOT. As we discussed on the very first episode of the season, this album, as well as the specific song Let Me Be Me is about acceptance of self. And it just so happens, Kendrick references Two-Step in the first verse's concluding lines.

With a thematic emphasis on that jerk shit, but I just rather two-step like my first steps, Jill Scott in my iPod as my head rest. Yes. Just let me be me. With a thematic emphasis on acceptance of self, the collaboration with Pete Rock and the use of Two-Step, it's likely Kendrick was making a conscious connection. If it were any other artists, we'd probably chalk it up to coincidence. But if you've noticed, these type of subliminal connections are all over to Pippa butterfly. The next ad lib on the hook of complexion is a Zulu love, which also acts as a parenthetical title of the song. Zulu is the largest ethnic group in language spoken in South Africa, and the Zulu culture is a concept called Ubuntu, which roughly translates to human kindness. seems to be no official definition of the term, the spirit of the word alludes to the intrinsic

interconnection among all humanity. When speaking on Abuntu, Archbishop Desmond Tutti said, quote, it speaks about our interconnectedness. You can't be human all by yourself. When you have this quality, you are known for your generosity. We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole world. When you do well, it spreads out. It is for the whole of humanity. While it's unknown if Kendrick was specifically citing the philosophy of Ubuntu on complexion's hook, we might safely assume the sentiment was similar. Union over division, humanity over ethnicity. One last tidbit about the song's hook before moving on. Originally, Kendrick envisioned Prince

singing the hook of the song, an idea that almost came to fruition. Regarding the near collaboration, Kendrick said, quote, Prince heard the record, loved the record, and the concept of the record got us talking. We got to a point where we were just sitting and talking in the studio. And the more that time passed, we realized we weren't recording anything.

We just ran out of time. It's as simple as that. The initial statement of the hook is followed by a brief verse. Darkest the midnight hour, her bright as the morning sun, give a fuck about your collection. I know what the German is done. Sneak.

Sneak me through the back window, I'm a good field nigger, I made a flower for you, out of kind just to chill with you. You know I go to distance. You know I'm ten toes down, even if that's a listening. Cover your ears, he bite to mention. Complexion. Who's stats, who's stas? Complexion don't mean...

...Centric claims an acceptance of all shades of skin color, from dark as the midnight hour to bright as the morning sun. The line, I know what the Germans done, refers to the racial hierarchy and scientific racism of Nazi Germany and Earth. Germany in early 20th century. Nazis believed Germans to be among the master Aryan race, and graded humans on a scale of pure Aryan to non-Aryan, who were viewed as sub-humans, among which were Jews and blacks. By citing the sliding scale of value determined by ethnicity and skin color, Kendrick seems to be calling out the absurdity of any bias based solely on external

features. The verse continues, sneak me through the back window, I'm a good field inward. I made a flower out of cotton just to chill with you. I know I'd go the distance, you know I'm ten toes down, even if master listening, cover your ears, he's about to mention complexion. Here, Kendrick is playing the part of a dark-skinned field slave, courting a lighter-skinned house slave with a flower made out of cotton. As a relationship would be deemed taboo, he has to sneak through the back window. After a repetition of the song's hook, the opening lines of verse two mirror verse one, with a few clever variations. The verse opens with the repetition of the line, dark as the midnight hour.

This time follows with, I'm Bright as the Morning Sun, brown skin, but your blue eyes tell me your mama can't run. Kendrick is calling himself bright for noticing the brown-skinned house slaves' blue eyes, and inferring that are, quote, Mama can't run. As we discussed earlier, many light-skinned house slaves were the product of white slave owners raping their slaves. By saying her mama can't run, Kendrick is implying. that her black mother couldn't run from the sexual impulses of her white master. Kendrick repeats the lines of verse 1 verbatim until arriving at the line,

even if master listening, which on verse 1 was followed by, cover your ears he about to mention complexion. Instead, Kendrick says, Even if master listening, I got the world's attention. Kendrick is likening the world's attention to the master listening, a clever reference to white America. He then says, so I'm going to say something that's vital and critical for

survival of mankind. If he lying, colors should never rival. Beauty is what you make it. Here, the butterfly sheds light, a prime example of Kendrick's new embrace of his leadership role. He's speaking directly to his audience with a very simple, straightforward message of unity and beauty in all things. As verse two concludes, Kendrick interjects the verse with a rare reference to his love life. woman love the creation it all came from God than you was my confirmation i came to where you reside and looked around and see more sights for sore eyes let the willie lynch theory reversed a million times with complexion two steps two steps

king sirsendricks says i used to be so mistaken by different shades of faces then wit told me a woman is woman loved the creation it all came from god wit here is short for whitney as in whitney alfred Kendrick's high school sweetheart now fiancé. Alfred is light skin, her mother mixed and her father black. Kendrick, who is darker skin, is crediting Whitney either literally or metaphorically for opening his eyes to the beauty of all women, as they are all created in God's image. The verse concludes with the line, Let the Willie Lynch theory reverse a million times. The Willie Lynch letter is based on an alleged speech given by British slaveowner William Lynch

in the early 18th century. It spoke on how to control slaves by creating within them a psychological divide by exploiting their differences, chiefly their skin tone. Pitting the slaves against one another would keep them from uniting and potentially overthrowing their master. The authenticity of this letter, which did not surface until the 1970s and made famous in the 1990s through email chains, has largely been debunked by historians. The letter contains several words and phrases that were not in existence at the time, and William Lynch was not born until 1742, 30 years after the alleged speech was given. Regardless of his speech or letter, the psychological effects of colorism is indisputedly rooted in slavery,

and Willie Lynch theory is an efficient way to package his sentiment. Of course, by saying let the Willie Lynch theory reverse a thousand times, Kendrick is expressing his desire to unshackle the cultural constraints of his community based on skin tone, reminding them it's a lasting effect of slavery. After a repetition of the song's hook comes a bridge that features the line, I like it, I love it, repeated continuously. Behind the vocals a piano gains prominence, while all else fades into silence. Lela Hathaway provides reverb-heavy vocal adlibs until a series of whistles are heard. Kendrick enters saying, where the home girl Rhapsody at. I need you to speak your mind real quick, Love 1. Kendrick is setting the stage for Rhapsody, a North

Carolina rapper signed to Jamala Records and Rock Nation. Known for her clever wordplay and storytelling, as well as speaking on issues like self-love and acceptance, Rhapsody's performance on complexion is the only feature verse on Topipa Butterfly. Rhapsody spoke on the details behind her feature and the colorism theme. When I was younger, I was something to mind, I have brothers and sisters, and two of them are like really high yellow, and I'm one of the darker ones, and I'd be like, you know, I'd be outside playing in the summer and I come in and be like, oh, you don't got black.

Oh, my God. That's when the joke start. And it became, you know, it became something for me like to the point where, you know, I go to the beach and I get sunscreen and it's like, I'm going to butter up on this sunscreen because I think it's going to protect me from UV rays, but it's going to keep me from getting too dark. But that wasn't the case. So I'd come back and I'd see that bathing suit strap and it's like, hang out. got three shades darker.

So, I mean, it was definitely something that I dealt with, but, you know, getting into hip hop and Spike Lee movies and the Cosby Show, like Rudy was one of my favorite characters. Like, you learn to love yourself. And it's like, man, we're all beautiful. Like, I'm not too dark. Black is beautiful. That's right.

I think in the 90s, like the black and beautiful slogan was really big. So, you know, it really changed how I looked at things. But, you know, I still see it today, like with my niece. You know, she's dark skin and I see her. you know, thinking like white Barbies are way more beautiful than black Barbies. And I never want her to feel like that. And this is something, you know, that's been happening. It dates back to slavery.

You know, light skin slaves were in the house. Darkson and slaves have to be in the field working. So you have a thing where, you know, oh, you're better than us. You're smarter. And it's still carry on today. So, you know, we need conversation and music like this, you know, to spark conversation and, you know, make change. Rhapsody's feature is filled with complex wordplay and double meanings.

And while Kendrick and Rhapsody apparently didn't discuss Tupac's importance to the album, the opening lines of her verse references him. Let me talk my Stu Scott. Excuse me on my Tupac. Keep your head up when did you stop? Love and die. Color of your skin. Color your eyes.

That's the real blues, baby like you men Jays, baby. You blew me away. You think more beauty in blue green. Rhinning gray, on my solomon up north, 12 years a slave, 12 years of age, thinking my shade too dark, I love myself, I no longer need you putt, enforcing my dark side like a young George Lucas, light don't mean you smart, being dark don't make you stupor. And frame of mind for them busters ain't talking woo-ha, need a paradox for the paradox. They tutor like too-to-like too-tirepity begins with the lines, let me talk my Stu Scott.

Excuse me on my Tupac. Stu Scott was a ESPN commentator who was light-skinned, and Tupac was dark-s. The next line, Keep Your Head Up, When Did You Stop Loving Die? This is a reference to the 1993 song Keep Your Head Up by Tupac. The track speaks on the struggles of black women, including beauty and skin color. The opening line of Keep Your Head Up is some say the black or the berry, the sweet of the juice, I say the dark of the flesh, dry your eyes never let her, forgive, but don't forget, girl, keep your head. And when he tells you you, you ain't nothing, don't believe. The opening line of Keep You Head Up is some say the black or the berry, the sweeter the juice. Interestingly enough, the next track on Tipinpa Butterfly is titled The Black or the Berry.

Rhapsody's verse continues with 12 years of age, think in my shade too dark. I love myself, I no longer need Cupid. Rhapsody has spoken about the insecurities early in her life about the darkness of her skin, saying I love myself, which is the tagline for the song I that will appear later on the album, Rhapsody now embraces her blackness and calls for others to do the same. She points out, quote, Light don't make you smart, being dark don't make you stupid. The second half of the verse continues these themes with more intricate wordplay.

I need a paradoxlection. It ain't complex to put it in context. Find an air beneath the kite. That's a context. Yeah, baby, I'm conscious. Ain't no contest. If you like it, I love it. All your earth tones been blessed.

Ain't no stress. Jigaboos want to be. I ain't talking J, I ain't talking B. I'm talking days we got school watching movie screens and spike your self-esteem. The new James Bond going to be black as me. Black as brown, hazelnut, cinnamon, black tea. And it's all beautiful to me.

Call your brothers magnificent, call all the sisters queens. We all on the same team. Blues and Piru's, no colors ain't a thing. Rhapsody says, like two Tods, L.L. You lose two times if you don't see you're beautiful in your complexion. This cleverly plays on the rapper and actor L.L. Cool J., whose real name is James Todd Smith, and warns that failing to see the beauty in yourself results in losing a lot, or taking two L's. Rhapsody continues her popular culture wordplay with the lines,

If you like it, I love it, all your earth tones been blessed. Ain't no need to stress. Gigaboos want to be. I ain't talking J. I ain't talking B. Jigaboo is a derogatory term for a very dark-skinned black person with stereotypical black features, wide nose, big lips, and nappy hair. When she says, I ain't talking J, I ain't talking B, she's referring to the power couple J-Z and Beyonce. One of Jay-Z's many nicknames is Jigga, and Beyonce is his girl, or boo. Rhapsody continues by saying, I'm talking days we got school watching movie screens, and spike your self-esteem, the new James Bond going to be black and blackish.

as me. Referencing movies and spiking your self-esteem, hints at Spike Lee and many of his films that explore the complexities within the black community. It is 1988 film School Days, a light-skinned fraternity patronizes a dark-skinned fraternity for their skin tone and nappy hair, referring to them as jigaboos. The line spike your self-esteem can also be interpreted as spiking or boosting your self-esteem, believing that a black man could and should play the iconic role of James Bond someday. Rhapsody brings her impressive verse to a close with a call to action. She says,

Call your brother's magnificent, call all the sisters queens. We all on the same team. Blues and Pairus, no colors ain't a thing. This explicit message of unification within the black community is a summation of the song's sentiments. By citing the gang's bloods and crips who claim the colors red and blue, she opens the verse up to interpretation through the lens of not only social divisions of colorism, but also through gang politics which invariably lead to the black-on-black

violence that plagues many inner cities across the nation. By saying they know colors ain't a thing, I believe Rhapsody is referring to the recent peace treaties enacted between some factions of the bloods and crypts, a sign that progress and unification is possible even in the most discordant conflict-ridden circles of the black community. The gang reference also makes a perfect segue into the album's next track, The Black or the Berry, which will address the, the complexities of black-on-black gang violence. Conclusions. Complexion, Azulu Love, is the first song that displays Kendrick's embrace of his leadership role, the spokesman for the Comptons of the world. While the song certainly contains his share of

historical references and lyrical double-takes, the overall message of the song is simple and straightforward. Complexion don't mean a thing. Kendrick and Rhapsody addressed the uselessness and hypocrisy of the black community's participation in colorism, an archaic complex rooted in European colonialism. Kendrick emboldens his community to unshackle themselves from the invisible handcuffs of slavery's long-lasting legacy. It's important to note that Kendrick's approach to the subject is not to speak to or persuade the perpetrators at colorism. Rather, he's more concerned with and speaks directly to its victims. He attempts to negate the antiquated notions of colorism with confidence, positivity, and a

celebration of beauty found in all women. In a surely calculated move, Kendrick chose a buoyant, danceable backdrop to support his message. More than most, Kendrick knows the intrinsic, persuasive power of a good beat. Kendrick's approach of change from within will become a prominent theme throughout Act 4. It's a strategy born from experience. As we heard on Good Kid Mad City, Kendrick battled the external forces of his violence-ridden environment with internal strength through God and self-expression. Thus far into Pimpa Butterfly, Kendrick has battled the external pressures of fame,

the temptations of success, and the constructs of a society built on the oppression of his people. He's learned that if these external viruses find their way inside, they quickly become all-consuming, leading to internal despair and depression. Kendrick will encourage his people to fight fire with water, with confidence, grace, and strength from within. Complexion Azulu Love ends with Rhapsody's reference to blues and pyruz, followed by a cryptic soliloquy performed by Kendrick himself. Ben for babies with no care. Teenage gun told us that don't play fair. Should I get out the car? I don't see Compton. I see something much worse. The land of the landmines. The hell that's on earth.

This mysterious outro will lead us into the album's next track, the juggernaut, the black or the berry. which will thoroughly examine next time on dissect. Dysect is written and produced by me. If you enjoy what you hear, please consider rating Dysect on iTunes or share a link to the podcast on your favorite social media outlet. You can follow us at Dysect Podcast

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