Kendrick Lamar blessed us with To Pimp A Butterfly four years ago. Let’s take a look at why the fourth single, Alright, is one of the best songs of all time.



In order to really understand this track we first have to understand the track prior to ‘Aright’. This track is ‘u’, one of the most depressing songs off the album. Kendrick is in a hotel room drunk, alone and depressed. He shouts at himself for his mistakes, cries discussing the death of a friend and finishes the track considering suicide.

The world’ll know money can’t stop a suicidal weakness – Kendrick Lamar on ‘u’

‘Alright’ being the next track is crucial after such a depressing trip. The track starts with a quote from The Color Purple, a novel centred round American civil rights, the perfect opener for the song.

Alls my life I had to fight – Sofia in ‘The Color Purple’

In the context of the song Kendrick is talking about both his internal struggles but also the struggles of being a black man in America. The rapper then looks to God for reassurance that no matter how hard times are he will be alright. As soon as Kdot says alright the beat kicks in and the listeners get three minutes of reassurance and happiness. Refreshing after such a depressing track in ‘u’.

The first and second verse discuss Kendrick’s internal struggles. He talks about how he feels he is letting his mother down through his vices. How he feels it is too late for him to change and turn his life around. He discusses how the devil, personified as Lucy, has control over his life. Again, despite all these hardships the song will always go back to ‘we goin’ be alright’. This sends a message of optimism to the listener that no matter what happens things are going to be okay.

The pre-hook, however, is what sparked the most controversy with the song. Kendrick talks about how as a black man he feels like there is nowhere in the world he is welcome. He then goes on to discuss the disdain the black community have with the police due to the increasing amount of police brutality. After all of this, Kendrick turns to God. He accepts that he may not be perfect but he just wants acceptance and a place in the world. Once again, it doesn’t matter because he reminds the listener that ‘we goin’ be alright’.

N*gga, and we hate po-po

Wanna kill us dead in the street fo sho’ – Kendrick Lamar on ‘Alright’

Geraldo Rivera said this section of the song is ‘not helpful at all’ and went on to say that ‘hip-hop has done more damage to African-Americans in recent years than racism’.

He could not have been more wrong about the impact this song had. With the powerful pre-hook followed by an even more powerful hook the song became the anthem for the Black Lives Matter movement.

A campaign against systematic racism and the police brutality against the black community. The song helped bring together a community of people fighting for an important cause.

‘Alright’ is not only a beautiful sounding song that explores the artist’s internal struggles as well as struggles in society but it stands for something. Something important.

When people think of the best songs ever they might name a beautiful song like ‘What’s Going On’, an experience like ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ or a song with a lovely message like ‘Imagine’ but very few songs are held as closer to a civil-rights movement like ‘Alright’.