I Am. All Of Us.
I Am.
Courtney.
Ah, the spirit of collaboration; it is truly one of our world’s most rudimentary concepts: find like-minded folks and get to work. It seems simple, but if you’re like me: a more withdrawn person, or if the perils of the post-lockdown world have eaten away at your social skills, then group tasks are enough to make you nauseous.
I want nothing more than to be part of a lil’ collective, and ride our lil’ bikes completing side missions around New York City where we live in our lil’ apartment. In our downtime from trying to merge ourselves into every major entertainment field (music, photography, film/television, etc.) we would live the type of life you see on @hidden.ny.
Following Kendrick Lamar’s album announcement which revealed the title to the artists’ long-awaited LP to be “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” my mind instantly gravitated to artists we love that all have their respective “&s”.
Gladys Knight & The Pips
Bob Marley & The Wailer’s
Sly & The Family Stone
Kool & The Gang
Who are the “Big Steppers”? Could they be Kendrick’s different voices/personas, his pgLang signees Baby Keem and Tanna Leone, former collaborators, or maybe even artists the world hasn’t been introduced to yet?
Whoever they are, I hope we know them. If you asked me to name most of the &s in the history of music, I’d probably fail. Is it my age? Am I ignorant? Or am I like the rest of the world: unable to recognize those that make just as equal a contribution to their collective as the star does.
I feel like an “&” in every aspect of life, always forgotten although my contributions are equally as impactful as anyone in the group. When I read Kendrick’s album announcement, it was a bittersweet moment. My mood instantly shifted as I realized I’d finally get new Kendrick; but there was the thought looming in the back of my mind that we have to examine the broader implications that come with being the “&” in life.
I Am.
Arial.
The second oldest of three siblings. I have always been an “&”. What could be considered a very valid afterthought was more of an extension for me. An extension of three other bright people who serve as the lead vocalist in a band marching to their own individual beats. When they need to construct a new rhythm to life I am afforded the mic in the spotlight.
Kendrick’s afro-surrealist approach to music in the past has always given way to the “&,” the weird and the often overlooked. His striking stories of love, identity, and violence from the streets of Compton have given us a deeper dive into the coming-of-age of a black man in America. He encouraged us to reflect on our stories while continuing to revisit his.
His theatrical use of voice inflection has been accompanied by symbolic imagery of good and bad intimate black experiences but none of them were told alone. Like some of the most respected “&s” in the industry, it’s impossible to tell any story without the help of other people.
Whether those people are background singers or other instrumentalists a part of a greater band, it is impossible to recall hits like Midnight Train To Georgia and Get Down On It without including every person and note that made the music memorable.
The problem in today’s fast-paced digital age of streaming is that often we don't get to experience the “&.” Music is here today and gone tomorrow. What used to require a full band can be achieved by one person on a laptop every single day if someone wants. Artists are forced to pump out music at lighting speed, cutting stories short and ultimately affecting the quality of music.
I found peace in being the echo that followed the scream because it continued a story that needed to be relieved over and over again. A melody that doesn’t fall by the wayside when it is no longer trending. An “&” that pushed a plot, we need more than ever to keep unfolding. Coming off a 5-year hiatus I am more than interested to hear what Kendrick’s “&” sounds of, because he has had time to physically live his life and carve his sound outside of the virtual world.
Since his minimalist tweet sending shockwaves across the internet, like everyone else I have squirmed to see and hear what this album would potentially entail. Less than a week before the release Kendrick blessed us with a visual for “The Heart Part 5.” To be completely honest I avoided the video until minutes before the album released because I wanted to reserve my initial reaction for this article.
As soon we pressed play the quote “I am. All of Us” was plastered across my screen.
Immediately captivated, I resonated with the idea that I could be myself and everyone else at the same time. That I wasn’t alone in my story but it was still equally unique to me.
The quote was followed by a static shot of Kendrick in the right third of the screen preforming every lyric in front of a deep red almost gradient background. This would have been enough for me, but he didn’t stop there. His facial transformations into some of the most prominent black men in American history challenged my inital idea of the “&.”
The “&” doesn’t stop when you're uncomfortable. It doesn’t stop when you do something that isn’t deemed “respectable” to society.
The “I Want You”, Marvin Gaye sample has rung loud throughout my mind since “The Heart Part 5” dropped. Marvin, Kendrick, and I alike all want something… something ever-fleeting, something that is seemingly always out of reach for people like us: the “&s” of history. Love, acceptance, the ability to forgive and forget is hard to find when you yourself have been deprived of such feelings for what seems like lifetimes.
As Kendrick morphs into those who have transitioned, and we hear another heavenly figure’s song sampled in the background, I realized being the “&” is an everlasting feeling. You can’t escape it. I can’t escape the feeling of wanting the love that Marvin yearned for nearly 50 years ago, I can’t escape feeling like my demise is in this imaginary race in hopes of deterring me from my dreams, I can’t escape wanting the hood to accept me like Kendrick. The “&” is everything…the good, the bad, the ugly, the unwaranted and unavoidable force that makes us question everything.