Reflecting Kendrick Lamar’s “Mirror” single on his album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
Discovered by Dr.Dre, Kendrick Lamar Duckworth aka Kendrick Lamar born in Compton California released his first single titled “She Needs Me” which came out in 2010 as a ringtone remix. Signed to Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment, and many more. He is known as one of the most influential artists of his time and he is commonly known for his complex wordplay and artistry.
Starting off with the chorus of the song which goes
Lyrics by © Genius
It can be inferred that Kendrick is talking about him and that he needs to worry about his life and himself by not putting anyone else before him. Although it seems very conceited but he follows this statement by apologizing.
“Lately, I redirected my point of view
You won’t grow waitin’ on me
I can’t live in the Matrix, huh“
Lyrics by © Genius
Going back to Verse One he talks about his relationship with himself and how he is tired of “Living in the Matrix”, The Matrix could mean that he’s tired of trying to find solutions with the person he’s in relations with. It could also mean that he thinks of her as a puzzle and not a person. I think he’s talking about his relationship with his baby’s mother and how she always needs him around but he can’t because he’s focusing on himself. Although she needs him he feels like he isn’t good for them and he shouldn’t be there so that they can grow emotionally and physically.
Moving forward to Verse three
” ‘Cause all of it’s toxic
Girl, I’m not relevant to givin’ on profit
Personal gain off my pain, it’s nonsense
Darlin’, my demons is off the leash for a moshpit
Baby, I just had a baby, you know she need me
Workin’ on myself, the counselin’ is not easy
Don’t you point a finger just to point a finger
‘Cause critical thinkin’ is a deal-breaker
Faith in one man is a ship sinking
Do yourself a favor and get a mirror that mirror grievance
Then point it at me so the reflection can mirror freedom
She told me that she need me the most, I didn’t believe her
She even called me names on the post, the world can see it
Jokes and gaslightin’
Mad at me ’cause she didn’t get my vote, she say I’m triflin’
Disregardin’ the way that I cope with my own vices
Maybe it’s time to break it off
Run away from the culture to follow my heart“.
Lyrics by © Genius
Going back to him talking about toxicity and speaking about the fact that his life is on display and a lot of people have denounced opinions without understanding the duality or value of the context behind whether or not what they talk about is true or not. “Don’t you point a finger just to point a finger” It can be inferred that he can be talking to his baby mama or us (the fans) and is trying to make us understand that pointing a finger randomly because when you put your faith in one man it has enough power to sink a ship. “Cause critical thinkin’ is a deal-breaker, Faith in one man is a ship sinking”. Furthermore when he says “Do yourself a favor and get a mirror that mirror grievance, Then point it at me so the reflection can mirror freedom” He is talking about again how society can put their faith in one man without knowing any background information just knowing something that someone else knows or lied about them. Mirroring grievance can mean looking at yourself and understanding that you can be unfair and pinpoint someone against society for no reason. Then again when you point the mirror at Kendrick his reflection mirrors freedom. Lastly, he talks about how in his past relationship she needed him but he didn’t believe her and he wants to break it off and run away and follow his heart. Dating back to when he spoke about choosing himself.
Lyrics by © Genius
In summary, this song talks about personal growth and understanding yourself and others. Also to understand when you cannot gain anything by being around those who don’t serve you anything. Understanding that sometimes you can be the issue and the best thing you can do is put yourself first and leave.
Song Rating: 10/10 for wordplay and direction
Artist: Kendrick Lamar
