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Kendrick Lamar Drops Slur-Laden Song About Trans Relatives, Fans React
While well-intentioned, he uses the f-slur and deadnames in problematic new track "Auntie Diaries".
Grammy-award-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar dropped his new album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers today and his new song "Auntie Diaries" is raising eyebrows in the LGBTQ+ community.
Trigger warning: misgendering, deadnaming, and slur usage ahead.
The track details the story of Lamar's two transgender relatives. He opens the track with "My auntie is a man now," a phrase he repeats throughout the rap. He details the point of transition and reactions of his older family members.
"Asked my momma why my uncles don't like him that much/And at the parties why they always wanna fight him that much/She said, "Ain't no tellin'/Niggas always been jealous because he had more women."
Lamar then says he took pride in his uncle's identity because he was "The first person I seen write a rap/That's when my life had changed."
Later in the song, he transitions to a new focus, a cousin. "Demetrius is Mary Ann now," he raps.
"I mean he's really Mary-Ann, even took things further/Changed his gender before Bruce Jenner was certain/Living his truth even if it meant see a surgeon."
He continues on to call out Mary Ann's treatment by the local church who believed her to be an "abomination."
"The day I chose humanity over religion/The family got closer, it was all forgiven."
Lamar also comments on the usage of the f-slur "back when it was comedic relief," he raps, repeating the word several times throughout the song. "We ain't know no better." He ends the track with a realization. "To truly understand love, switch position/'Faggot, faggot, faggot,' we can say it together/But only if you let a white girl say 'Nigga'"
While the lyrics aren't exactly politically correct, Lamar seems well-intentioned and is advocating for an embracing of the transgender community, especially within Black families. "My auntie was a man now, we cool with it/The history had trickled down and made us ign'ant," he summarizes at one point.
Lamar and the track are certainly starting a conversation:
\u201cAuntie Diaries about to have y\u2019all outraging without context but it\u2019s an Ode to Kendrick\u2019s trans family member, from ignorance on the matter to being apologetic of his own actions.\u201d— Valter \ud83e\uddd7\ud83c\udffd (@Valter \ud83e\uddd7\ud83c\udffd) 1652417111
\u201cYo \u201cAuntie Diaries\u201d could be some REAL barrier-breaking stuff in hip-hop. Kendrick talking openly about his aunt and cousin transitioning and \u201cchoosing humanity over religion.\u201d\u201d— Khari Thompson (@Khari Thompson) 1652418686
\u201c@ndiiyaz i agree it\u2019s a very powerful song, but was it really necessary to include the f slur SEVEN times ? he\u2019s one of the greatest song writers of our generation, there were definitely other ways to word what he was trying to voice.\u201d— owen (@owen) 1652420181
\u201cWe are not about to "cancel" Kendrick over Auntie Diaries. The most powerful man in hip-hop wrote a whole song supporting trans rights and acknowledging the homophobia he participated in. In a genre that has a history of homophobia, this moves the convo in the right direction.\u201d— seth (@seth) 1652419318
\u201c@AilynVibes I think people are just sharing their opinion that he\u2019s still telling someone else\u2019s story as a straight man. & he could\u2019ve shared his story of being a witness to their story without saying the f slur multiple times in the song. The ending sentence he even shares the irony imo\u201d— Bella \ud83c\udf39 (@Bella \ud83c\udf39) 1652419032
\u201ci think kendrick lamar acknowledging that \u201ci don\u2019t know the right way to say what i want to but i love the trans ppl in my life\u201d is certainly better than the shit that a lot of other ppl say abt trans ppl\u201d— \ud835\udd98\ud835\udd94\ud835\udd8b\ud835\udd8e\ud835\udd86 (kal\u2019s dilf wife) (@\ud835\udd98\ud835\udd94\ud835\udd8b\ud835\udd8e\ud835\udd86 (kal\u2019s dilf wife)) 1652420947
\u201cI just be tired of cishet men thinking they can make their own rules around how to engage queer and trans folks. No, baby. You claim to want to be better, well engage us how we tell you. Why must you always push a boundary with us and expect us to be grateful?\u201d— Raquel Willis (@Raquel Willis) 1652448209
Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
