DAMN.: The Art and Importance of Storytelling

How do Kendrick Lamar’s album DAMN. and the work of photojournalist Gordon Parks tell stories that bring attention to social issues?

Know (knowledge):

• Kendrick Lamar’s album DAMN. and its cultural impact
• The work and activism of Gordon Parks
• The art of storytelling and how it can be done through photos and music

Mastery Objective:

• Students will be able to better understand the craft of storytelling by analyzing Kendrick Lamar’s 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning album DAMN and the work of photojournalist Gordon Parks.

Note: For this lesson, teachers will need access to Kendrick Lamar’s album DAMN. This lesson contains strong language and references to abuse, sex and drug use. It is intended for upper grade levels. Teacher discretion strongly advised.

In this lesson, students will analyze several tracks from Kendrick Lamar’s Pulitzer Prize-winning album DAMN. They will answer questions about selected songs from the album together as a class. Students will also participate in a gallery walk composed of stills from the music video for Kendrick Lamar’s “ELEMENT.” and the work of Gordon Parks that inspired the video, exploring how photos tell stories and tell us about race in the United States. The lesson will conclude with students using inspiration from Lamar and Parks to create their own creative storytelling project.

In April 2018, rapper Kendrick Lamar made history when he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Music for his 2017 album DAMN. Not only was Lamar the first non-jazz or classical musician to receive a Pulitzer, but DAMN. was the first hip-hop album to win the prestigious award.  After already being widely celebrated by critics and fans and appearing on numerous end-of-the-year “Best Album” lists in 2017, the Pulitzer jury recognized the album as “a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life.”

DAMN. recounts Lamar’s experience after the mega success of his magnum opus To Pimp a Butterfly, an album detailing some of the struggles and experiences within the Black community in the United States. To Pimp a Butterfly was immortalized when Harvard University decided to archive it in its Hip Hop collection, as well as through the song “Alright,” which became widely considered the unofficial anthem of the Black Lives Matter movement and one of the most influential songs of the 2010s.

While To Pimp a Butterfly was widely praised, it still drew backlash, especially from American conservatives. After an award show performance of “Alright,” reporters on the Fox News network proceeded to bash Lamar’s song and performance, arguing hip hop was more “dangerous” than racism for Black American youth. The song, which was made to instill hope in the aftermath of several high profile police brutality cases in the United States, was painted as anti-police and anti-American. This backlash (along with the praise), spurred Lamar into the spotlight as not only a political performer, but one of the leading voices in hip hop.

In DAMN., Lamar addresses such conservative critiques, using the 14 tracks to confront his critics and haters while telling the story of his upbringing in Compton, California, his feelings towards fame, and his experience as a Black American after the presidency of Barack Obama.

Lamar’s storytelling transcends the 14 tracks on DAMN. through the six music videos created for the album. In the music video for “ELEMENT.” Lamar pays homage to another great storyteller: photojournalist, director, and activist Gordon Parks. After working odd jobs, Parks eventually landed a job with the Farm Security Administration (FSA) in the 1930s, focusing his work on the segregation of Washington D.C. After the FSA closed in 1943, Parks freelanced as a photographer until he landed a job at Life Magazine from 1948 to 1972 as the first Black photojournalist for the publication. While at Life Magazine, Parks focused his photos on fashion, celebrities, but also social injustices of everyday people. Some of his most well known photo essays focused on racism, poverty, and the struggles of people systemically distanced from power. With his photos, Parks was able to tell the stories, in addition to giving a platform to people who were regularly ignored and discriminated against in The United States.