Hip-hop fans have praised Kendrick Lamar for speaking candidly about transgender issues on his new track Aunties Diaries.
In the song, the rapper discusses overcoming his ingrained homophobia and learning to accept his trans family members.
The song, taken from the back half of his latest album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, sees Kendrick grapple with his prejudices and acknowledge the homophobic content present in his early work, now that he’s 'old enough to understand now'.
The first half of the track sees Lamar talk about his relationship with his transgender ‘aunt’ growing up and how they provided him with an early source of inspiration, claiming that they 'cut my hair at the pad, was loving my fade/The first person I seen write a rap/That's when my life had changed.”
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After examining the early source of his prejudice from a childlike perspective, the second half of the track sees Lamar rap about his 'favourite cousin' who later came out as trans, and the church’s response to her transition.
Kendrick admits that he initially became distant and felt uncomfortable around his cousin at first, before eventually choosing 'humanity over religion' and learning to accept them for who they really are.
Addressing his cousin, he adds: “The very second you challenge that s**t I was kicking,” drawing parallels between Kendrick’s own use of slurs and an onstage incident in 2018 when he invited a white fan to rap one of his songs along with him before publicly shaming her for using the N-word.
The track has proven divisive since its release, with some listeners criticising Kendrick’s use of homophobic slurs within its lyrics, as well as the repeated misgendering and deadnaming of the trans people referred to in the song.
However, these aspects have been defended by other listeners, who argued that the intentionally hurtful language was used to illustrate how Kendrick wrestled with his own past prejudices in order to move towards acceptance.
“Auntie Diaries is the first song in major support of the trans community from a rap artist as big as Kendrick and I can't voice how happy I am for it,” tweeted one user in support of the song, which has since been liked more than 22,000 times.
Others agreed, with one stating: “Kendrick’s Auntie Diaries, my highlight of this new album, is easily one of the most beautiful and important pieces of music that rap has produced. Wow. It is going to help countless people.”
“Kendrick Lamar using his platform, in the current climate, to advocate for the liberation of trans people is powerful.
"He didn't have to. But out of love, he did,” wrote another.
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is out now.
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Topics: LGBTQ, Music, Kendrick Lamar, Rap
Tom Sanders