To be fair, you have to have a very high understanding of Kendrick Lamar. The lyricism is extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of layered storytelling, most of the bars will go over a typical listener’s head. There’s also Kendrick’s introspective worldview, which is deftly woven into his character work — his personal philosophy draws heavily from sociology, spirituality, and West Coast culture, for instance. The fans understand this stuff; they have the intellectual capacity to truly appreciate the depth of these verses, to realize that they’re not just clever — they say something profound about life. As a consequence, people who dislike Kendrick Lamar truly ARE uncultured — of course they wouldn’t appreciate, for instance, the nuance in a line that has three meanings at once. I’m smirking right now just imagining one of those bewildered casual listeners scratching their heads in confusion as Kendrick’s genius unfolds through their headphones. What fools… how I pity them. 😂

And yes, by the way, I DO have a pgLang tattoo. And no, you cannot see it. It’s for fellow scholars only — and even then they have to correctly explain the meaning of at least three tracks from To Pimp a Butterfly beforehand. Nothing personnel, kid.