Kendrick Lamar’s “HUMBLE.” Reiterates Our Seat At The Table
In the dynamic music video for his new song “HUMBLE.” Kendrick Lamar, harps on a powerful visual that has recently been used by other popular artists to celebrate black people and their experience: the table. While seemingly simple, the prop has recently signified relevance, potential, and prosperity.
On September 30th Solange Knowles released the best (in my humble opinion) album of 2016. An ode to the beauty and brilliance in being black, A Seat At The Table, redefined confidence and what it means to be unapologetic, simultaneously.
While each song intricately explored the covert and overt (“Don’t Touch My Hair”) hardships that black people face daily, collectively, the album served as an exclusively uplifting (“F.U.B.U”) and reassuring body of work.
Released soon after a particularly devastating summer, when black men like Alton Sterling and Philando Castille were being added to a long list of unconscionable deaths just days apart, A Seat At The Table instantly served as the base of self-care and motivation for black people — a feat that Solange acknowledged in an interview with her sister, Beyoncé, for Interview magazine. “The biggest reward that I could ever get is when women, especially black women, talk about what this album has done, the solace it has given them,” she said. For many black women like myself, the most rewarding part of A Seat At The Table is what the album represents; the often dismissed and disregarded richness and royalty of black people, which is signified in the title alone.
During a candid conversation with Ari Shapiro, Solange was asked if she felt like she had a seat at the table. “Absolutely. By the way, I’ve always had a seat at the table,” she replied. But her further explanation of the title honed in on its significance, thereby reinforcing its impact [on black people].
“We’ve always had a seat at the table. I think that title has a lot of different subtexts. I think one of the seats at the table is also saying that, you know, I’m inviting you to have a seat at my table. And it’s an honor to be able to have a seat at our table and for us to open up in this way and for us to feel safe enough to have these conversations and share them with you. I think that, you know, so many times, black people — or any people who are oppressed — have to constantly explain to people what’s right and wrong and what hurts and how to approach this. And I think that even me, I’m still learning so much about other cultures and I think that when you have the opportunity to learn from that, you are gracious and you are appreciative and you listen. And so that was also my way of saying I am opening myself up to everyone to have a seat at this table…”
While the table, as well as our seat at it, have always existed, they have become more pronounced in the last year. Now, the table returns, courtesy of Kendrick Lamar.
Initially dressed like the Pope, the notable rapper proceeds to casually sit back and break bread with a few friends — much like Jesus did with his disciples — as he painstakingly declares that he’s not just the best or the most real, but royal, holy even.
Music of this magnitude is expected of Lamar. His third and latest album, To Pimp A Butterfly, authentically explored race, particularly that of the black experience. His strength and pride were evident from start to finish, but especially on songs like “King Kunta,” and “The Blacker The Berry.” In fact, To Pimp A Butterfly offered that very solace that Solange spoke of long before A Seat At The Table. However, it’s not a competition. The importance lies in the repetition of crucial themes — the innate power and potential black people were and are trained to believe they don’t encompass.
“Humble” builds upon songs like “Alright” — the unofficial 2015 anthem — and takes things a bit further. Sure, easing our concerns might be apart of the goal, but Lamar seems to be focusing on the bigger picture in irony alone; we’re going to be alright because we have no other choice but to be, and ironically, overcoming your circumstances is not always something to be humble about.
Granted, Lamar’s song has more to do with him and the seemingly untouchable quality of his rhymes, but the combination of history, his lyrics, and the visuals, radiates that greatness far beyond him and to a group of people, black people. And, as a result, Solange’s efforts are maximized, much like her older sister’s, Beyoncé.
In February, just a few days after sending the beyhive into a frenzy announcing she was expecting twins, Beyoncé gave a stunning performance at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. Flooded with radiant, female goddess iconography, as well as powerful spoken word from her breakout (and also unapologetically black) album, Lemonade, she reminded fans and industry aficionados alike, of why she is one of (if not) the best artists today.
The sub 9-minute set was chill-inducing, but the most memorable part began three and half minutes in. As a divinely dressed —pay homage to Mami Wata, Oshun, Kali, Venus and the Virgin Mary—Beyoncé began to sing “Love Drought,” she walked across a long table where a diverse group of black female dancers [or ‘disciples’] was sitting. As Beyoncé reached the head of the table, she sat down, leaned back, and then proceeded to slowly strut to the center as the dancers longingly pranced around her, before standing on the table themselves. As she sang, “You and me could move a mountain” they raised their hands as if in solidarity, signifying the power in numbers. Even as she sang “Sandcastles,” an undeniably heart-wrenching song about broken promises in a relationship, the unity was palpable. Furthermore, they not only had seats at the table but were standing on it. The table was merely a beautifully decorated platform, a pedal stool.
To some, the iconic imagery used by the Knowles sisters and Kendrick Lamar might be offensive. But, as a Christian — someone who regards the Bible as the absolute truth — I do not. Instead, I am more struck by the synchronization in statements by each of these artists. They’ve taken centuries of struggle, strife, and seemingly inescapable setbacks, and fueled them into a new narrative. They haven’t just sat at or stood on tables, they’ve turned them. So sit down, be humble.
