King Kunt The Romantic Hero

King Kunta derives its suprasensible beauty from its underlying tones of romantic ideals, and Kendrick himself as the embodiment of the Romantic hero. As Eco explains, the Romantic hero prevails through his ability to unite the oppressed and lower class of people against the aristocratic world. “The common denominator linking people who were often very different from one another and who only later were to cohere into a homogenous social class sharing similar tastes, attitudes, and ideology was the perception that the aristocratic world, with its classical rules and elevated concept of Beauty, was a cold and narrow-minded one” (Eco, 313). In King Kunta, Kendrick constantly reprimands the upper class, detailing the oppression imposed upon
Kendrick, once a down-trodden, ordinary member of oppressed black America, has now risen to the self-proclaimed status of ‘king’ through his own individual endeavors. By the means of sheer will power, hard work, and relentless preservation, Kendrick has triumphed against discrimination. Eco remarks that the emphasis of individualism (a quality characteristic of romanticism) was amplified “by the fact that writers and artists were obliged to compete with one another on the free market in an attempt to win the favor of public opinion” (313). Kendrick not only competed against, and seemingly conquered, other rappers, but also the racist white America that sought to oppress him. His fiery ambition shines from his lyrics; he is mad about all of it, and rightfully so. He does not wish to sit back quietly and pretend as if his anger directed towards institutional racism does not exist. Yet, he is not stressed about the situation. When confronted with opposition, Kendrick invites the criticism; he takes the negativity and is proud of it—he is proud to be a black man. No matter what others may do or say in an attempt to debase Kendrick Lamar, he knows that he is still the king.
Kendrick, as the romantic hero that he is, draws upon historical literary elements as a source for inspiration and a means to portray the significance of his song. Most striking is Kendrick’s invocation of the yam. In Chinua Achebe’s novel,
Instead, he accepts the world as it is. That is not to say he remains complacent; his fervid vigor still exudes throughout of the album, but instead of recklessly expressing emotion at a whim, Kendrick is able to channel his emotions. In “Alright”, Kendrick acknowledges the racism present in America. As a black man, and a famous black man, he is a target of society, of the police, of America. All seek to destroy him, whether it is by slandering his reputation or shooting him dead in the streets. However, Kendrick no longer wallows in despair when confronted with this opposition, but instead rejoices through his romantic