RETRO MUSIC PRESENTATION

TRANSCENDENTALISM IN MUSIC

by Lucas Learman

TRANSCENDENTALIST MUSIC

PRIDE.

ALL FALLS DOWN

DON'T STOP BELIEVIN'

Kenrick Lamar

Kanye West

Journey

PRIDE.

Transcendental Lyrics

MAIN MENU

LISTEN

KENDRICK LAMAR

Background

Transcendentalism

Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was born in 1987, in a dangerous area of Compton, California. He began creating music at a young age and was signed to a record label as a teenager in 2005. He is well-known for his albums such as good kid, m.A.A.d city, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, To Pimp a Butterfly and DAMN. Duckworth is more widely known from his most popular song, "Not Like Us," a diss track against fellow artist and rival Drake.

Compton's criminal activity, violence, and gangs surrounded Kendrick Lamar throughout his youth. Duckworth never joined a gang like the rest of his peers. He remained focused on his musical career and successfully avoided the violence of his city. Kendrick Lamar demonstrates transcendentalism by not conforming to the societal expecation of joining a gang. He also listened to his intuition which guided him to become a successful musician.

TRANSCENDENTALISM IN PRIDE.

"Hell-raising, wheel-chasing, new worldly possessions flesh-making, spirit-breaking, which one would you lessen?"

Click on the music notes!

"The better part, the human heart, you love ’em or dissect 'em Happiness or flashiness? How do you serve the question?"

"I don't trust people enough beyond they surface, world I don't love people enough to put my faith in man"

More Transcendental Lyrics

TRANSCENDENTALISM IN PRIDE.

"Last time I ain't give a fuck, I still feel the same now My feelings might go numb, you're dealin’ with cold thumb I’m willin' to give up a leg and arm to show empathy from Pity parties and functions of you and yours"

Click the CDs!

"I can’t fake humble just 'cause your ass is insecure"

"Sick venom in men and women overcome with pride A perfect world is never perfect, only filled with lies"

ALL FALLS DOWN

Transcendental Lyrics

MAIN MENU

LISTEN

KANYE WEST

Background

Transcendentalism

Kanye West was born in Atlanta, Georgia on June 8, 1977. His parents divorced when he was three years old, so West was raised by his mother. Kanye West enjoyed art and music from a young age and often participated in talent shows. He would go on to attend Chicago State University, where his mother was professor, but dropped out after one year to pursue music. His debut album was titled The College Dropout. Other popular albums created by West include Graduation and The Life of Pablo..

Throughout his lifetime, Kanye West has built a history of controversies. From small mistakes, such as releasing albums late, to making anti-semeticcomments online, he has always challenged the norm. His unique clothes from his brand, Yeezy, transcendentalize the fashion industry. Although he attacts criticism from many, it is undeniable that Kanye West exemplifies Transcendentalism throughout his work.

TRANSCENDENTALISM IN ALL FALLS DOWN

"That major that she majored in don't make no money But she won't drop out, her parents'll look at her funny"

Click on the music notes!

"The concept of school seems so securr Sophomore, three yurrs, ain't picked a carurr She like, 'Fuck it, I'll just stay down hurr and do hair'"

"She's so precious with the peer pressure Couldn't afford a car, so she named her daughter Alexis She had hair so long that it looked like weave Then she cut it all off, now she look like Eve"

More Transcendental Lyrics

TRANSCENDENTALISM IN ALL FALLS DOWN

Click the CDs!

"Man, I promise, I'm so self-conscious That's why you always see me with at least one of my watches Rollies and Pashas done drove me crazy"

"It seem we livin' the American Dream But the people highest up got the lowest self-esteem The prettiest people do the ugliest things"

"Drug dealer buy Jordan, crackhead buy crack And the white man get paid off of all of that"

DON'T STOP BELIEVIN'

Transcendental Lyrics

MAIN MENU

LISTEN

ARTIST BACKGROUND

Background

Transcendentalism

Journey is a rock band formed in 1973. Members icnlude Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Jason Derlatka, Deen Castronovo, Randy Jackson, and Arnel Pineda. They have made popiular songs such as "Don't Stop Believin'", "Open Arms", and "Feeling That Way"

Journey revolutionized American Rock by maintaining relevancy while the genre changed. During the 1980s, the popularity of heavy metal skyrocketed. Journey stayed true to themselves and stayed relevant while creating the music they wanted to create even though it was not what was most popular.

TRANSCENDENTALISM IN

"Workin' hard to get my fill Everybody wants a thrill"

Click on the music notes!

"Payin' anything to roll the dice Just one more time

"Strangers waitin' Up and down the boulevard Their shadows searchin' in the night"

THANK YOU!

SOURCES ARE LOACATED ON THE NEXT SLIDE

Works Cited

“Hell-Raising, Wheel-Chasing, New Worldly Possessions / Flesh-Making, Spirit-Breaking, Which One Would You Lessen?” Genius, genius.com/11666594. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024. “Kanye West.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 9 Nov. 2024, www.britannica.com/biography/Kanye-West. “Kendrick Lamar.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 8 Nov. 2024, www.britannica.com/biography/Kendrick-Lamar. “She Had Hair so Long That It Looked like Weave / Then She Cut It All off, Now She Look like Eve.” Genius, genius.com/2800. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

Journey highlights the endless cycle of work to reach the weekend thrill. They note that everyone chases a thrill but they must work hard to get what they want. The lyrics might also be telling the listener that in order to get "a thrill" they must first look within and fill themselves with their own values.

The dice are referring to life. They are telling the listener to value their life because this is the one chance they get. This connects to the importance of self-reliance because a life based on society is wasteful compared to a life led by one who lives from within. The band wishes they could live again so they could truly be happy their whole life.

Lorem ipsum dolor

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit

• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.
• Consectetur adipiscing elit.
• Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut.
• Labore et dolore magna aliqua.

The band describes people of society as strangers to themselves. They are just meer reflections of society and not their true selves. They walk up and down the boulevard means they do the same thing and try to impress the same people with no true aim. Their shadows searchin' in the night represent the people's true selves, attempting to find their belonging but are prevented by the facade of society.

Kendrick Lamar describes the devilish desires of many members of society. He highlights the chase of materialism and how it slowly breaks one's spirit. He asks what is more important: spiritual gain or material gain? This connects to the transcendentalist topic of individualism because Lamar is pointing out how people are too concerned about others which is slowly breaking down their own spirits.

Kendrick Lamar describes the choice everyone is faced with throughout their lives: Do you help others? or Do you use others? He also utilizes a rhetorical question to make the listener think about what they value: Happiness or flashiness? This connects to the topic of intuition as Lamar is asking the reader to look within and listen to their tuition and ultimately come to the realization that materialism is irrelevant in the grand scheme of life.

Lamar portrays his lack of trust in society because of man's unpredictable tendencies. He does not trust in anyone beyond their surface because their surface is potentially a facade to hide their true identity. These lyrics tie into the theme of self-reliance because Kendrick Lamar feels he only has himself to rely on because he is not sure if he can trust anyone else.

Kendrick Lamar is emphasizing his past flaws. He realizes he was overcome with pride and did not care about other's feelings. He was inconsiderate towards others but recognizes that he must change. This is an example of intuition because he is looking within and finding what is truly right.

Kendrick Lamar utilizes these lyrics to show that he is nopw becoming humble and moving past his weaknesses. This ties in well with Ralph Waldo Emerson's quote from Self-Reliance: "It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it. It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude" (Emerson). The quote shows that it is difficult to know someone else's life and those who criticize Lamar do not know what he has overcome.

The lyrics compare venom to conformity to show that is slowly killing people. Kendrick Lamar is conveying the message that truth is found within and from noncomformity. He also points out that if everyone lived and agreed with society, then the world would be full of lies because people have their own opinions, values, and thoughts.

The lyrics depict a woman who has recently had a child and named her Alexis, so it seems as if she owns a Lexus car. She is so worried about what other think of her that she is willing to use her to child to make her seem richer than she is. This ties perfectly into a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Self-Reliance": "The other terror that scares us from self-trust is our consistency; a reverence for our past act or word, because the eyes of others have no other data for computing our orbit than our past acts, and we are loath to disappoint them" (Emerson). Emerson describes how many people think that all eyes are on themselves and how they look, just like the woman Kanye West depicts.

Kanye West highlights society's limitations on individuals. People are often expected to go to college even if it is not a good fit for them. West is describing the dilemma many college students have where their major makes litle amounts of money but they cannot drop out because their parents and peers will judge them for it.

In the lyrics, Kanye West highlights the flaws of society. He points out that society forces everyone into school and to pick a career at a young age. School often does not work well with many people because they want to pursue careers that do not contain elements from their classes. West utlizes the example of a woman who is not enjoying school and decides to be a hair stylist. This shows the limitations of society from the school system because it is not pushing her to be ambitious

Kanye West mentions how much he lets society affect what he do. He shows how he is limited by society becaus he feels he must do and say certain things when he is in public.

West points pout how flawed society is because the people who "win" are left with feelings of regret. To win they must do everything it takes. This leads to them not following their intuition and losing "the game of life."

Kanye West demonstrates to the listener how flawed society is. He gives an example of a crackhead purchasing crack from a drug dealer. Then the dealer buys a pair or Jordans with the drug money. The profit from the Jordans ends up in a rich CEO's hand. This shows that no matter what the people at the top always benefit from those at the bottom.