28. Kendrick Lamar - “Alright”
This song became my anthem for anxiety in 2015, or more like a mantra. Whenever I would find myself slipping into the self-reflecting prism of anxiety I would sing this chorus over and over in my head like some sort of holy refrain, and it would help me through it. It was my lifeline in the midst of chaos and uncertainty, and for that I am forever grateful.
Now I know this song has so much bigger implications, but I’m human, and on top of that I’m white, so I’m terrible. I appropriate art and take all the world’s problems and relate them back to myself, simplifying them into my own compact and neatly packaged collection of ‘White Boy Problems’. It’s hard not to sometimes, but I at least try to remain aware of it. That being said, lets flip the lens from myself back onto a society that is so much more worthy of the focus.
If this song could help me through chaos and uncertainty, then I can only imagine the value it had to the marginalized and disenfranchised in 2015 and up into the present. This song take’s all the burdens of those who go through everyday of life feeling lesser, discriminated, hated and even forgotten, and reminds them of their value. It’s encouraging, like a sonic hug, or two strong hands grabbing you by the cheeks and looking you in the eye to reassure you that we’ve been through all of it before and so much more, and we will make it through this as well.
It’s discouraging and infuriating that a reminder like this is even needed, that decades later POC are still experiencing discrimination not only on an individual level, but an institutional level. And if I find it discouraging and infuriating, then once again I can only imagine how it feels to live it, how it feels to have who you are, the very fiber of your being and self singled out and made to feel unsafe. It would be so easy to grow hopeless, despondent, and even violent, yet as Kendrick preaches, and like the bravery and grace that so many Americans display on a daily basis shows - you keep going. You strive for better, to be the best you and create the best future. It’s inspirational. I don’t know where to go from here, or how to move forward, but I’m listening, and I hope I can play my part and continue to force myself outside of my little bubble.
