@JohnSmith-yw9nk

4 years ago

FEEL is, in my personal opinion, one of the most impressive tracks on an already brilliant album and one of the most thoughtful and introspective hip-hop hop tracks that has come out in a while. As such, I'm happy to go through and analyze every word of it. It is first important to understand the context of the song. The whole DAMN album should be viewed to some extent as a single composition and, as with all of Kendrick’s albums, major themes run throughout every track. The album is built heavily on Deuteronomy Chapter 28, which discusses the punishments God inflicts on those who are disobedient to him. The album shows the author’s fight against the idea that the evils that currently surround us (the current White House administration, waves of police violence, spurts of violent crime, etc) are God's punishment for the iniquity of Americans. For Kendrick, it's personal. He had become a mouthpiece of the liberal movement. Alright became an anthem of hope in the wake of the apocalyptic ravings of the alt-right (a term which the song's title plays upon). Suddenly, instead of being a prophet of the popular movement that swept America, he watched as voters rejected his ideology wholesale and found himself as a voice of resistance instead. The album continually focuses on his disappointment with the situation, summarized by the thought that, even as he was pouring out his soul for American consumption, the people of his country never took the time to pray for him in return. One thing that Kendrick does brilliantly and which this particular song exemplifies is the tendency to help others see their own issues by pointing out his. He doesn't try to tell you what's wrong with you, he only says what's wrong with him in such a way that you can realize that you are the same. Unsurprisingly, the song is about how he feels, and he goes through such a spectrum of emotion that everyone can relate. The song begins with soft ethereal music and voices repeating the words that form the central theme of the album: Ain't nobody prayin' for me Kendrick then begins the first by examining some of the things he's recently been feeling, especially those that relate to hopelessness and failure. I feel like a chip on my shoulders I feel like I'm losin' my focus I feel like I'm losin' my patience I feel like my thoughts in the basement Feel like, I feel like you're miseducated Feel like I don't wanna be bothered I feel like you may be the problem I feel like there ain't no tomorrow, fuck the world The world is endin', I'm done pretendin' And fuck you if you get offended At this point, he starts turning his focus outward, beyond himself to others around him, and eventually coming back to the point at which he started. I feel like friends been overrated I feel like the family been fakin' I feel like the feelings are changin' Feel like my daughter compromised and jaded Feel like you wanna scrutinize how I made it Feel like I ain't feelin' you all Feel like removin' myself, no feelings involved I feel for you, I've been in the field for you It's real for you, right? Shit, I feel like- Ain't nobody prayin' for me The first verse lays out the basic themes and structure of the song, but with the focus entirely on him and his immediate surroundings. In the second verse, his eye turns towards society as a whole. As he examines the societal problems around him, he also reflects on the part he plays in them. He opens the second verse by looking towards the African American community, and his regret that so much more focus is put on which rapper is best, rather than the needs of the community. I feel niggas been out of pocket I feel niggas tappin' they pockets I feel like debating on who the greatest can’t stop it But, ironically, merely mentioning the debate regarding the greatest rapper is enough to trigger his ego and distract him from the social message he had begun to voice. Others may disagree, but I see this section as demonstrating his own prideful weakness rather than genuine self-aggrandizement. I am legend, I feel like all of y'all is peasants I feel like all of y'all is desperate I feel like all it take is a second to feel like Mike Jordan whenever holdin' a real mic I ain't feelin' your presence Feel like I'ma learn you a lesson After which, he manages to rein in his ego, and his words turn quickly back to what he sees as his own role in the problems that plague his community. Feel like only me and the music, though I feel like your feelin' ain't mutual I feel like the enemy you should know Then he names the problems more specifically. First drugs: Feel like the feelin' of no hope The feelin' of bad dope A quarter ounce manipulated from soap Then incarceration: The feelin', the feelin' of false freedom I'll force-feed 'em the poison that fill 'em up in the prison Then he alludes to police brutality: I feel like it's just me Look, I feel like I can't breathe Look, I feel like I can't sleep It is at this point that Kendrick really takes off. The beat remains the same, but the rhythm of his vocals goes into a syncopated polyrhythm that slides on and off the beat fluidly. I find these lines to be some of the most eloquent commentary on the societal degradation around us that popular music has yet produced. Look, I feel heartless, often off this Feelin' of fallin', of fallin' apart with Darkest hours, lost it Fillin' the void of bein' employed with ballin' Streets is talkin', fill in the blanks with coffins Fill up the banks with dollars Fill up the graves with fathers Fill up the babies with bullshit Internet blogs and pulpit, fill 'em with gossip He then harkens back to the Tupac interview that he engineered at the end of To Pimp a Butterfly, in which Tupac talks about the coming apocalypse (the very one that Kendrick hopes against in Alright). Now Kendrick sees himself in the midst of that very cataclysm, and is dismayed to see how quickly the rage against it subsides and turns back into apathy: I feel like this gotta be the feelin' what 'Pac was The feelin' of an apocalypse happenin' But nothin' is awkward, the feelin' won't prosper The feelin' is toxic He then proceeds to name all the enemies he finds himself pitted against one by one: I feel like I'm boxin' demons Monsters, false prophets, schemin' Sponsors, industry promises Niggas, bitches, honkies, crackers, Compton, Church, religion, token blacks, and bondage Lawsuit visits, subpoena served in concert Until his feelings finally overwhelm him and boil over into rage, but even in his rage, he remains remarkably centered: Fuck your feelings, I mean this for imposters I can feel it, the phoenix sure to watch us I can feel it, the dream is more than process I can build a regime that forms a likeness I can feel it, the scream that haunts our logic Finally, his own rage dies down and becomes a swirl of contradictory feelings: I feel like say somethin', I feel like take somethin' I feel like skatin' off, I feel like waitin' for 'em Maybe it's too late for 'em And then at last, like Gilgamesh, he ends on the same fundamentally human question with which he began: I feel like the whole world want me to pray for 'em But who the fuck prayin' for me? Ain't nobody prayin' for me Who prayin' for me? Ain't nobody prayin' Like all artistic compositions, the quality of a song is the province of personal opinion. Nonetheless, understanding the themes and language at play as well as the context can help a listener to appreciate it more fully. I hope this has helped you to appreciate what I judge to be a remarkable work of hip-hop poetry.

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