Dissect - S5E4 - DNA. (Part 1) by Kendrick Lamar

Episode Date: October 22, 2019

DNA. lays the philosophical groundwork for the album DAMN. In the song’s first half, Kendrick defines his genetic makeup as a mixture of biological (family), environmental (Compton), and cultural (hip-hop) inheritances. Say hi @dissectpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. Purchase Dissect merch at https://shop.dissectpodcast.com/. Listen to original Dissect themes on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2k8BsZM. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Spotify Studios, this is Dissect, long-form musical analysis broken into short digestible episodes. I'm your host, Cole Kushna. Today we continue our serialized analysis of Dam by Kendrick Lamar. On our last episode, we dissected the album's opening track, Blood. There we unpack the ominous wickedness, weakness dichotomy that begins Dam and the life or death consequences and are choosing between these two paths. We heard this opening sequence as echoing the teachings of both Jesus and the biblical prophet Moses. We speculated that weakness is the way that leads to life through selflessness, forgiveness, and peace, while wickedness is the way that leads to death, through selfishness, vengeance, and violence. We heard in Blood's cryptic parable a cautionary story about an innocent

man killed by a blind woman he was attempting to help. We suspected the blind lady to represent Lady Justice, the personification of a society's justice system. With that in mind, we extracted from the parable a number of layers of parallel meanings. On one level, it sounds like the story of Jesus, the incarnation of God who preached nonviolence and forgiveness that was ultimately assassinated by his own community and betrayed by its justice system. We also speculated that the parable echoed Kendrick's own story and the backlash he faced after the release of Tipip a Butterfly, an album that attempted to help his community through nonviolence and forgiveness. Finally, we viewed the parable as representing the various ways different societies, from ancient

Rome to modern America, react to the mistreatment and abuse of the innocent. In this way, we can hear the death and blood as evoking the recent killings of unarmed black men at the hands of police officers and the American justice system that saw fit to acquit the majority of these cases. Ultimately, blood ends with a clip pulled from Fox News in which two hosts mock and criticize Kendrick's song All Right. Our state his views on police brutality with that line in the song, quote, and we hate the po-po, want to kill us in the street, foe show. Oh, please.

Oh, I don't like it. The inclusion of this clip seems to confirm our suspicion that the parable and blood in part reflects Kendrick's own story following the release of Topimp a butterfly. We're left wondering how our newly proclaimed prophet would react to such criticism. And how would he now lead as people in the face of ongoing injustice? Would he continue to be inspired by the butterfly and preach weakness, or would the backlash you faced have him feeling betrayed, inspiring him to turn his back on his prophetic role, and revert to only looking out for his own best interests? It's with these questions in mind that we proceed into Dam's next track, the subject of our episode today, DNA.

DNA is written by Kendrick Lamar and produced by Michael Williams II, better known by his alias, Mike Will made it. The first half of the track is centered around a guitar playing a simple but ominous melody. This riff accents the interval of a minor second, an extremely dissonant interval. Accenting this interval gives DNA its dark tonal quality. Accompanying this guitar part is a synth subtly harmonizing a fifth above the main riff. Both the guitar and synth are supported by an 808 heavy, drum track. This minimal yet monstrous sounding beat provides a beefy backdrop for Kendrick Lamar's version of a braggadocio rap track. Braggadocio rap is a classic hip-hop form in which a rapper

boasts about his personal attributes, particularly his sexual prowess, wealth, and toughness in comparison to other rappers. Braggadocio rap has been criticized for having a limited subject matter and is often cited to argue against the creativity or talent needed to create hip-hop music. artist Jay-Z addressed this notion directly in his book decoded, comparing Bragadocio Rap to a sonnet. Quote, sonnets have a set structure, but also a limited subject matter. They are mostly about love. Taking on such a familiar subject and writing about it in a set structure, forced sonnet writers to find every nook and cranny in the subject, and challenge them to invent new language for saying old things. It's the same with braggadocio and rap. When we take the most familiar

subject in the history of rap, why I'm dope, and frame it within a 16-bar structure of a rap verse, sync to the specific rhythm and feel of the track. More than anything, it's a test of creativity and wit, unquote. To Jay-Z's point, Kendrick's DNA is a creative and unique take on the braggadocio rap form. To boast about his personal attributes, Kendrick continually plays off of DNA, or deoxyrival nucleic acid, the molecule is responsible for the genetic coating of human beings. DNA resides in our cells, which are incredibly small, so small in fact that the average human consists of over 100 trillion cells. Yet, if all the DNA within just one of these cells were arranged into a single straight piece, that DNA would be nearly two meters long.

Kendrick very cleverly structures his lyrics on DNA in a similar manner to the tightly packed molecular structure of biological DNA. The majority of the song's lyrics are incredibly compact, at times just short sentence fragments that move from idea to idea rapidly. But as we'll see in our analysis, when you examine the majority of these compact lyrical fragments under a microscope, they each contain an overwhelming wealth of information, rich with complex historical references. Thus, like biological DNA,

the song DNA will contain a number of these compact fragments that, when viewed as a whole, display the genetic coding that makes Kendrick Lamar who he is today. In an interview with Big Boy TV, Kendrick spoke about how the DNA he inherited from his father, Kenny Duckworth, inspired the spirit of the track. Where is your mind at? What does DNA mean to you as far as when you're writing that? It was just the attitude. The attitude of being confident and putting that in lyrics and putting that old record. That's all of this. And where does that confidence in that DNA? Where does that come from? I think that part of me was definitely the side of my father for sure.

or he coming here. He's loud. He's extra. I heard that. He's the start of the party, the end of the party, and he's confident about where he comes from. And of course that father's DNA runs through you. Definitely.

The fact that Kendrick's confidence comes directly from his father plays into the fact that, as we'll hear, Kendrick has inherited traits in its DNA from his biological predecessors. However, throughout DNA, we'll also hear references to his environment, specifically his childhood in Compton, California, and the effects that it had on his development. In this way, DNA is a complex examination of biological inheritance and environmental circumstances,

that unique and critical interplay between nature and nurture that makes us who we are. And before we dive into the song's lyrics, we should first remember that DNA comes directly off the heels of the Fox News clip at the end of blood. Thus, DNA feels like a direct response to that criticism. Why Kendrick would choose to respond to Fox News through a deep philosophical analysis of who he is seems to be in line with Kendrick's response to criticism about his art and message in general. I say this all the time for people who take that out of context or take anything I say out of context and I'm not even blaming the magazines. I'm blaming the people listening to it or reading it. Know who I am first. Understand where I come from before you make any remarks because

I've been through a lot and I've seen a lot. And where I come from, we, we, I've done a lot to tear down my own community. So for you to not recognize that and see 100% flip, please learn it. Kendrick encourages his critics to know his story and where he comes from before they pass judgment on him. And for those like the Fox News commentators who are ignorant to how he came to be who he is, Kendrick is going to let them know and then some here on DNA. Oh, please. I don't like it. I got, I got, I got loyalty inside my DNA.

Cocaine quarter piece got war and peace inside my DNA. I got power, poison, pain, and joy. The repetitions of the word I got that begin DNA, established that this track is going to be a boast about the things Kendrick possesses. But unlike material possessions, Kendrick boasts about his genetic traits, rapping, I got loyalty, got royalty inside my DNA. Theatically, this line is one of the most compact summary.

of the persona that Kendrick has constructed over his previous two albums, specifically in their conclusions. Good Kid Mad City ends with Compton, a song that celebrates his devotion and loyalty to his city, family, and day one friends. He also expresses his royalty in Compton's opening lines. And so at the conclusion of Good Kidman Mad City, Kendrick established the loyalty to God's God and his city that lead directly to Kendrick's new status as royalty. These themes of loyalty and royalty also played out over to Pimp a Butterfly. Specifically at the conclusion of that album, Kendrick redefines the N-word to mean royalty,

thus suggesting that all black people have royalty in their DNA. N-E-G-U-S definition, royalty, king royalty, wait, listen, N-E-G-U-S, description, black emperor, king ruler, now let me finish, And so we hear in the opening lines of DNA, Kendrick summarizing the conclusions he drew about himself and his people through his previous two albums. At the same time, we also recognize that I Got Loyalty Got Royalty inside my DNA comes as a direct response to the Fox News critique we hear just before these lines. It would seem that the mockery of his music has Kendrick feeling defensive, triggering him to aggressively and defiantly reinforce his status as royalty, who remains loyal to and proud of where he could. comes from. Kendrick continues DNA wrapping, cocaine quarterpiece got war and peace inside my DNA. By coupling cocaine trafficking with war and peace,

we assume Kendrick is referring to his experience in Compton, and the drug trafficking and gang warfare he witnessed there. Saying these things are in his DNA implies that he inherited them, and we think immediately of Kendrick's father, who was a member of a Chicago gang known as the street disciples, as well as Kendrick's uncles who were affiliated with the Pairu and Crip gangs in Compton. While Kendrick never joined a gang himself, his family legacy of gang affiliation has filled Kendrick with tendencies that are both positive and negative. And to this point, we also recognize the duality of war and peace in more universal terms,

and Kendrick throughout DNA will totter between his instincts for both conflict and harmony, violence and compassion. Case in point, Kendrick continues rapping, I got power, poison, pain, and joy inside my DNA. I got hustle, though, ambition flow inside my DNA. Again, Kendrick is reinforcing here the inner conflict and moral complexity that exists inside him. And as the next line suggests, these conflicting attributes seem to have been present since birth. Kendrick says, I was born like this, perform like this, which y'all she was a new weapon. I don't contemplate, I'm off your fucking head. This that put the kids to bed. This that I got, I got, I got, I got real. Kendrick says, I was born like this since one like this, immaculate conception.

Here, Kendrick contrasts his own birth in early childhood to the immaculate conception. The first of several biblical references were going to find throughout DNA. The immaculate conception refers to the claim that Jesus' mother, Mary, was born without original sin, a term that itself refers to the inherited human tendency of choosing wickedness. If Mary was born without this original sin, it would mean that she lacked this tendency of choosing wickedness. As a result, Jesus could be born free of wickedness and is therefore able to choose weakness. This, of course, stands in stark contrast to Kendrick's conflicted family heritage we discussed previously. We might then wonder why he'd compare his own birth to the

immaculate conception. This gets clarified in the following lines, I transform like this, perform like this, was Yeshua a new weapon. It would seem that even though Kendrick's DNA shaped his character from birth, he's still capable of being transformed or reborn, so to speak. We saw such transformations play out in both Good Kid Mad City and to Pimp a butterfly, so it's no surprise that he connects his transformation to his rap performances, implied by the line perform like this. Kendrick then suggests that his own act of speaking words that inspire transformation is actually a weapon, specifically Yeshua's weapon. Yeshua is the Hebrew name from which the Greek name Jesus is derived.

In Hebrew, Yeshua means Yahweh is salvation. Yahweh is the name of the God of Israel. Claiming himself Yeshua or Jesus' new weapon implies that Kendrick views himself as an instrument in service of God. This is confirmed in a conversation Kendrick had with Zane Lowe. And when I say as a weapon, I always felt like God used me as a vessel, period. You know, whether to show my flaws, whether to show my intellect, to show my pain, to show my hurt, to share my stories, to share his message.

I can say the nastiest thing on record, period. But I still feel like that's a vessel. You need to hear that because I can't sugarcoat the reality of what's going on out here. I can't sugarcoat the reality of my imperfections. These are ideas that's coming way beyond me. man that's just how I feel about it since day one. As we just heard, Kendrick believes that God uses him as a vessel in order to share God's message with the world.

Kendrick believes he shares this message by offering all of himself to his listeners. This provides insight to why he's beginning damn with a detailed account of his blood, of his DNA, and all of its flawed complexities. As DNA continues, Kendrick plays off the word weapon, rapping, I don't contemplate, I meditate, then off your fucking head, this that put the kids to bed. Having just claimed to be an instrument for the teachings of Jesus, who we know preach non-violence, self-sacrifice, and forgiveness,

these lines come as a bit of a surprise. By definition, contemplation refers to the thoughtful observation of external environment, while meditation focuses on a person's internal environment. Most Westerners tend to be acquainted with meditation through Buddhist practices. However, Christianity actually began as an Eastern religion with its own tradition of meditation, mostly centered around chanting biblical poetry. Such meditation was declared in the book of Psalms to be a way in which one can turn away from wickedness and be blessed.

Quote, Blessed is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand in the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of the arrogant. But his delight is in Yahweh's commandments. On his commandments he meditates day and night. for Yahweh regards the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked ends in destruction, unquote. Due to his conflicting and flawed DNA, Kendrick's form of meditation does not lead to avoiding the way of the wicked. Instead, his meditation swiveles into a pun on premeditated murder,

as Kendrick decapitates his enemy and knocks out the rest of his rivals as if there are children being put to sleep. After displaying this contrast between both the peaceful and violent tendencies in his DNA, Kendrick will double down on his killer mentality. We'll dissect that mentality, along with the rest of the first half of DNA, right after the break. Welcome back to dissect. Before the break, we discussed DNA's first few measures. There we heard Kendrick describe both the positive and negative attributes in his DNA.

After lines about decapitating his opponents after a meditation session, Kendrick continues to display his killer mentality. Kendrick says, I got realness, I just kill shit because it's in my DNA. I got riches built into my DNA. Here, Kendrick seems to be claiming that his life is real by virtue of his tendency to kill. As Kendrick dives deeper into his instincts toward violence and greed, we hear for the first time evidence that wickedness has produced great suffering even within his body. He says, I got dark, I got evil, that wrought inside my DNA.

Kendrick then says, I Got Off. Paired with the previous lines about dark and evil rotting in his DNA, I Got Off seems to insinuate that he's committed a crime without being convicted. It stands to reason that Kendrick is talking about getting away with murder. On the track Mad City, Kendrick asked whether we'd believe him if he confessed to killing another black male at the age of 16. On the track The Black or the Barry, Kendrick further insinuates that he killed another black male when he was younger. It's important, so why did I weep when trade from money was in the street when game banking make me kill a nigga blacker than me. Based on these tracks in past interviews, we don't know whether Kendrick actually personally murdered someone or just feels responsible for the murder. Either way, the guilt from Kendrick's troublesome past has left him with a troubled heart.

But ever the contrarian, Kendrick follows the lines about evil. rotting in his DNA with lines about his perpetual windstreet. I just win again, then win again like Wimbo did I serve. Yeah, that's him again. The sound that engine in is like a bird. You see fireworks and cough and tire your skirt the boule of fault. I know how you work. I know just who you are.

See, use it, use a bitch. You almost probably switch inside your DNA. Problem is a mess. All that sucker shit inside your DNA. Inside your DNA fish I dig. Kendrick wraps, I just win again, then win again like Wimbledon I serve. Kendrick uses the image of a tennis match to describe his conflict with an unnamed opponent. He plays off the tennis term winner, which refers to an exceptional shot that an opponent is unable to handle.

Kendrick continues by doing donuts in a sports car. He wraps, yeah, that's him again, the sound that engine is like a bird. You see fireworks and corvette tires skirt the boulevard. comparing his engine to a bird is a reference to the whistling sound from turbo engines, while fireworks likely refers to the flames emitted from shortened exhaust pipes. We should also note in this passage the change of perspective Kendrick sneaks in. He begins by saying, I win again, but then in the corvette lines he switches to the third person, saying, yeah, that's him again.

He does this sly switch of perspective to set up the next line, which introduces the second person pronoun you. This allows Kendrick to now take direct verbal shots at a stereotypical opponent, perhaps inspired by the Fox News commentators. He says, I know how you work, I know just who you are. See, you's a bitch. Your hormones probably switch inside your DNA. And BDSM, the word switch refers to someone who alternates between dominant and submissive roles. The implication is that Kendrick's opponent only acts like an alpha male amongst weaker individuals. Whenever he approaches Kendrick, his erratic hormones cause him to become Kendrick's bitch. Kendrick then moves on to further dismember his opponent,

rapping, problem is, all that sucker shit inside your DNA. Daddy probably snitched, heritage inside your DNA. Backbone don't exist, born outside a jellyfish I gauge. In addition to calling his opponent a bitch and a switch, Kendrick alleges that his opponent's father was a snitch. Snitch is a derogatory term that refers to someone who, disregards the rules of the street by reporting illegal activity to the police. Snitches are seen as weak individuals who are incapable of standing up for themselves as if they

have no backbone. Kendrick thus determines that his enemy has the DNA of a spineless jellyfish. As the verse continues, Kendrick turns the focus back to himself. Kendrick wraps, see, my pedigree most definitely don't tolerate the front. Should I been through probably offend you, this is Paula's or. oldest son. In contrast to the spineless and fake tough rival in the previous lines, Kendrick can trace his pedigree through his confident father, Kenny, and his mother Paula, who endured numerous struggles to get Kendrick and his siblings where they are today. Kendrick then goes on to itemize the legacy he received from his parents. He wraps, I know murder, conviction, burner,

boosters, burglars, ballers, dead, redemption, scholars, father dead with kids, and I wish I was fed forgiveness. In an interview with the Rolling Stone, Kendrick commented on this specific line, saying, quote, I can't tell you the shit I've been through without telling you the shit I've been through, unquote. The implication here is that if you were to detail his tribulations, he might incriminate himself and others, so instead he keeps the events non-specific in list form. At the end of this list, Kendrick shows a brief moment of vulnerability by admitting the one thing he wished his parents had nurtured in him, the ability to forgive others. At this point, we're not sure who Kendrick wishes he could forgive or what caused him to realize

the value of forgiving others. It could be that Kendrick, as Yeshua's new weapon, is struggling with Yeshua's or Jesus' greatest weapon, forgiveness. Jesus famously taught his followers that if they did not forgive those who offended them, God would not forgive them of their own offenses. Judging by DNA thus far, it seems clear that Kendrick is not yet ready to forgive his adversaries, making it impossible for the forgiveness of his own sins. At this point, we should remember that DNA began as the response to Fox News. We also recall that Kendrick just admitted that guilt is eating away at him, possibly due to his involvement in a capital offense. Hence, if Kendrick cannot make peace with the conservative opposition, he will likely have difficulty finding peace of mind.

Without the ability to forgive, he will not be able to choose weakness and will be resigned to live in a constant state of war. This idea of ongoing war leads us into the next line, wherein Kendrick asserts that he has a soldier's DNA. We think first of Kendrick's father, whose home city is nicknamed Shirek, a blending of Chicago and Iraq. We think also of Kendrick's childhood in Compton, which Kendrick has described as a war zone. Finally, we might also think of the trauma endured by soldiers and the post-traumatic stress

disorder many of them live with. Having experienced his share of trauma, growing up in Compton, something he documented on Good Kid Matt City, we might speculate Kendrick suffers from some form of PTSD himself. As the lengthy verse of DNA continues, Kendrick explores his childhood years more deeply. In this section, Kendrick shows that despite the drastic change in his family's circumstances in the present day, there's a clear continuity between who he was as a child and who he is now. He says, born inside the belly of the beast, a reference to his birthplace of Compton, California.

Belly of the beast is yet another biblical reference, this time to the story of Jonah, the prophet who rejected God's call and finds himself inside the belly of a large carnivorous fish or whale. Kendrick then states, my expertise checked out in second grade. This is likely when Kendrick was seven years old, the year he became an older brother. When talking about his childhood in interviews, Kendrick has said, he often spent time by himself contemplating his environment. This unusual maturity he showed from an early age led his mother to nickname him Man Man. In the same interview we referenced earlier, Kendrick explains how DNA was in part an attempt

to understand himself at the age of seven, the age his mom began calling him Man Man. There's three types of themes in that record. It's me recognizing the world around me. Yeah. To me recognizing the lifestyle that I've grown to see and indulge in from time to time. From a famous perspective to come into grips to the idea of knowing who Man was, you know, as a seven-year-old boy and figuring out who they see as Kendrick Lamar, you know. And taking all these different aspects and personality. from my own perspective, from me, for my soul, and putting them in the record. Kendrick continues DNA rapping,

When I was nine, on sale motel, we didn't have nowhere to stay. At 29, I've done so well, hit cartwheel in my estate. Here, Kendrick shows the degree to which his circumstances have changed in the span of two decades. Having a baby brother and living in a motel at age nine were likely factors in developing Kendrick's maturity and ambition at a young age. Twenty years later, these traits have led Kendrick to such great success that he could purchase and live inside a mansion. The imagery about doing cartwheels, something we do as excited children, illustrates how

his wealth has allowed him to recover a part of childhood he never enjoyed due to his family's financial hardships. Kendrick continues, and I'm going to shine like I'm supposed to, antisocial extrovert. As we mentioned earlier, Kendrick often preferred to be alone in a corner of of the room as a child. This antisocial behavior often masked the fact that Kendrick's attention was always turned toward his external environment, particularly the complexities of his family members. At the same time, Kendrick also describes himself here as an extrovert, a term for someone who primarily obtains gratification from outside of themselves. Kendrick's extroversion is often on display

when he performs as a rapper and feeds off the energy of the crowd. The internal conflict between being antisocial and an extrovert suggests that even when Kendrick chooses to surround himself with people, he may still feel antagonistic and isolated. Kendrick continues, and excellent mean the extra work, and absentness what the fuck you heard, and pessimist never struck my nerve. Here Kendrick seems to display how his antisocial extroversion prepared him to work hard toward excellence. While such dedication might mean he was absent physically, he was never absent-minded. Rather, he referred to avoid the pessimists who failed to recognize the ambition that flows inside his DNA. As DNA reaches the conclusion of its first lengthy verse, Kendrick recites three lines,

rich with meaning. Kendrick says, and Nazareth going to plead his case. Kendrick says, and Nazareth going to plead his case? Here, Nazareth refers to Jesus of Nazareth. Pleading his case likely refers to the trial in which Jesus pled innocent of false accusation. It's unclear what Jesus' trial has to do with Kendrick until we consider the next line, and Nazareth going to plead his case the reason by powers here on earth. The implication here is that Jesus' trial has led to Kendrick having power on earth. When we outline Jesus' trial, it becomes clear why Kendrick has asserted this notion.

Jesus was accused of claiming to be the king of Jews, an act of treason. Despite his pleas of innocence at trial, Jesus was ultimately put to death. Upon his resurrection three days later, His disciples asked Jesus whether he'd use his power to restore the kingdom of Israel. In response, Jesus said he was going to ascend to his throne in heaven and would instead bestow power upon his followers. Quote,

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses, even to the remotest parts of the earth, unquote. This, of course, adds substantial context to the lines, the reason my power is here on earth. According to Jesus, the Holy Spirit is the power that comes down from heaven to his followers on earth, Kendrick among them. Moreover, Jesus claimed that the Holy Spirit came to earth to enable Jesus' followers to serve as as witnesses, meaning that his followers would tell others about Jesus' life, just like someone

called upon to testify in the legal case. They would in theory tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. This leads to the final line of DNA's first verse. Kendrick says, Salute the truth when the prophets say. As we mentioned before, the main function of a prophet is to convey a message that's inspired by a given spirit.

In the same way that spirits can be good or evil, they can also convey messages that are either true or false. This is why Jesus clarified that the spirit he sent down to his followers was the spirit of truth. Quote, When the comforter comes, whom I will send you, the spirit of the truth who goes out from the Father in heaven, He will testify about me, and you will also testify, unquote.

As we heard discussed earlier in his interview, Kendrick believes that his own life is being used as Yeshua or Jesus' new weapon. In that same interview, Kendrick explains how the words he says come down from a power much higher than himself. It's out of my hands. These words, you know, they're not just made up words. You know, when I say I sit and I live with him, you know, and I really zone into him. these are ideas that's coming way beyond me and that's just how I feel about it since day one the higher power that Kendrick refers to is likely the same spiritual power of truth that Jesus promised

to send his disciples so we can see how the final three lines of DNA's first verse are a potent summary of Kendrick's role as messenger he says a Nazareth going to plead his case the reason my power is here on earth salute the truth when the prophets say This all implies that Kendrick believes that his power is the spirit of the truth that comes down from God. The spirit is what enables Kendrick to serve as prophet and endure the trial of slanderous accusations from outlets like Fox News. After this dramatic conclusion of verse 1, DNA transitions into a chaotic bridge that features several layers of vocals. In the midst of the chaos, we here emerged the voice of Fox news host Haraldo Rivera. The audio clip comes from the same news segment that played at the end of the previous track, Blood.

Haraldo claims that hip-hop has done more to damage young African-Americans than racism in recent years. This critique against hip-hop in general seems to have struck a nerve with Kendrick. As we know from studying his discography, music is responsible for saving Kendrick's life. and a large part of his cultural inheritance. Kendrick defends himself by saying, I live a better life, I'm rolling several dice, lines that seem to embrace his hip-hop inheritance. Specifically, the rolling several dice line likely refers to silo, a form of illegal street gambling in which players roll three dice. These kinds of dice games are popular within urban black culture and references to dice games run throughout the history of hip-hop.

One of the better examples is in the song Casualties of a Dice game by Big L. As the last spot, and I'm a gamble until he come back. Why not? Quick clack, cocked the gap back, got to be strapped. The game was mad pack. Mad cat's pockets was fat. They play in Celo. My dick get hard.

As the name of the song might suggest, Big El describes sore feelings from a dice game that trigger a cycle of violence in which Bigel, three other young black men, and one police officer end up getting shot to death. Given the history of crime and violence caused by dice games, Kendrick's assertion that he's rolling several dice further associates Kendrick's DNA with the subversive heritage of urban hip-hop culture.

At the same time, Rolling Dice could be alluding to Good Friday, the day that Kendrick released Dam. After the trial that found Jesus to be guilty, the same trial Kendrick just referenced at the end of verse 1, soldiers were given orders to execute Jesus by hanging on a cross. Jesus prayed for these soldiers by saying, Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do. However, these soldiers seemingly paid no attention. In the very next sentence, the soldiers proceed to roll dice to gamble for Jesus' remaining clothes. If Kendrick is making a reference to these events, it would further emphasize that he has quote-unquote soldiers' DNA. And like the soldiers of the Bible, he's ignorant of how to receive forgiveness, thus his irate reaction to

Haraldos comments about hip-hop. As the chaos of the bridge leads to its climax, Kendrick recites a powerful couplet. Let's have another listen. Kendrick raps, This is my heritage, all I'm inheriting, money and power, the maker of marriages. Kendrick raps, this is my heritage, all I'm inheriting, money and power, the maker of marriages. Given the reference to hip-hop culture we just heard, these lines seem to further express Kendrick's inheritance of hip-hop culture. This would explain why Kendrick claims that his inheritance is tied to three common themes of braggadocio rap, money, power, and sex. Furthermore, what distinguishes these lines is not just what Kendrick says, but how he says it. Kendrick uses what's known as a triplet flow.

A triplet is a rhythmic grouping of three notes, ta-tta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-tta-tta. Despite its use by hip-hop artists like Bone Thugs in Harmony and Three Six Mafia, the triplet flow has seen a recent resurgence in popularity, particularly in trap music, spearheaded by the rap trio Migos. By defending himself and the culture at large against Geraldo's defamation of hip-hop, while using a triplet flow on a trap beat, Kendrick is cleverly and effectively embodying the culture of hip-hop circa 2017. By doing so, he's not just defending himself against Geraldo's critique,

he's also defending the hip-hop community at large. DNA's chaotic bridge ultimately transcends into the song's second half, which features an entirely new musical landscape. The transition into this second half is accentuated by a five to one countdown, sampled from the launch of Freedom 7, the spaceflight that made Alan Shepard the first American to reach outer space. Including the spaceflight countdown adds tension and drama leading up to the venomous explosion that is the second half of DNA. A second half will examine note by note, line by line. Next time on Dysect. Dysect is produced by me for Spotify Studios. Today's

episode was written by Femi Olutade and me. Song Recreations by Andrew Atwood. Audio editing by Eric Bass and me. Original theme music by Birocratic. You can now stream all the original Dysect themes composed by Birocratic on Spotify. Just click the link in the show notes. If you enjoy Dysect, please tell a friend about the show, and be sure to say hi on Twitter and Instagram at Dysect Podcast. You can also purchase Dyscmerch merchandise at Dyscpodcast.com. Okay, thanks for listening, everyone. I'll talk to you next episode.