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Violence and Conflict in A Black American’s Environment in Kendrick Lamar’s Element

Recent trends show that it is common for artists to integrate what happens in their personal lives

in their productions. One such artist is Kendrick Lamar who captures his environment in

Element which reflects the typical experiences of Blacks. It does this by not only capturing

Lamar’s struggles as a celebrity who identifies with Blacks as sang but also the violence

associated with the environment that African Americans are raised in. Although it is not a

standard expectation because music videos and audio do not have to necessarily complement

each other, scholars find Kendrick Lamar’s visual of Element to be the perfect example of a

video that expands the scope from where the song left from (Puschack, 2017). The video adds

perspective to the idea of the Black man’s society with themes such as man verses man and verse

versus themselves with other concepts relating to representation of women and sexuality in

general. He relates all these to violence that symbolizers the opposition faced in their

environment but holds that even so, he— as well as the African American society which he

identifies with— will not be overwhelmed but rise above. Although some who may suppose that

the lyrical content of Lamar’s song is only concerned with his personal expressions may be true,

the visual provides an even wide perspective that justifies others who concede that Element plays

a role in drawing the racial lines and aggravating the conversation about the African American’s

society. For this reason, Element by Kendrick is evidence of a quality video in the way it
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intensifies the audience’s racial consciousness by providing a window into the inner struggles

relating to masculinity and general society of Black Americans.

Lamar’s Element uses imagery to powerfully show how violence is the major theme in

the video involving juxtaposition between the concepts of peace, purity, beauty, and pain. Lamar

does not hold back in the video as he aims to express what experiences that are faced in the

society at large. The video begins with a hand of a black person rising from a large water body

that probably symbolizes calmness that should exist in the utopian desires of the African

Americans. The hand may also be providing the preview of the primary theme of the song that

visualizes the lyrics where Lamar rises despite the challenges and opposition that exists around

him as the water might symbolize. A quick contrast picks from the calmness with harsh violence

as people fight in a kind of protest before dark creeps in showing a man injured in the head while

bleeding in the foreground. The first few seconds alone with a couple of scenes in the beginning

capture the uncertainty and scarcity of peace that exists the society among the Blacks. In all

these, though, it is not difficult to miss the intended intensity of the video that communicates in a

kind of warning to the audience about the succeeding scenes including a fire that burns down a

structure while people are overlooking. The use of beauty makes the video even more complex to

comprehend as a woman lies down but has a bug on her head. Children are also featured in the

same manner in Element’s video probably communicating their innocence in the African

American society that is vulnerable to violence. All these depictions show successful yet

purposeful expression of the various experiences including calm scenes that contradicts

terrorizing images of gangs fighting, house burning or children using guns.

The video exhibits quality by showing different conflicts such as that of man verses man.

However, this conflict is strongly depicted hence the theme of violence where Lamar is keen
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avenge all the bad other people have done to him. Literal confrontations make the video even

more powerful as it captures the typical situation that exists in the society. This is probably

because of the hint in the lyrics explaining the principle of “an eye for an eye” where Lamar is

positive that whatever happens to him is worth shedding blood, dying or killing for (Lamar

00:00:50- 00:01:00). The conflict between people amongst themselves is clear in the video as the

African Americans fight their colleagues. Besides the man who is bleeding in the head, a man is

seen punching another with a gang attacking another in the similar manner like the scene in the

middle after they hop off a car. An even enraged Lamar is seen punching a man who is

struggling on the ground. These acts speak of the classic theme of violence in the African

American society where individuals are accustomed to before eventually identifying with it. A

man teaching his son to punch is evidence of getting used this theme. In sum, the aggression and

conflict between the individuals and themselves in Element shows how the society is used to the

culture of violence.

More quality is shown by Lamar’s Element which uses juxtaposition between different

forms of violence to show the conflict of man verses self. One may think gangs and other

aggressive groups at the mention of violence but Element dramatically changes to show

individuals who conflict against themselves. Although some are peaceful, others like a young kid

who stands shirtless with snow falling on him seems to thinking about something that bothers

him. This is after a man drowns himself in water but struggles to get out probably after realizing

it was not the right decision. He struggles with making the decision to stay alive or commit

suicide as the lyrics say whatever happened to Lamar is “worth taking a life for” (Lamar

00:00:55- 00:01:00). He is later seen floating up the water in a calmer manner. Another instance

showing conflict within himself is when Lamar shows reluctance on whether to hit another man
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on the ground and at his mercy. Juxtaposition allows fixing other scenes that show violence but

with more people who are in a gang fighting each other. He later decides to hit him after Lamar

posed a rhetoric to himself on whether he should do it or not (Lamar 00:02:25- 00:02:35). In all

the instances, Kendrick Lamar gives in to alternatives that are more hurtful. This contradicts with

the theme in the lyrics which sought to emphasize that he would rise above no matter the

situation. Even so, these instances reinforce the argument that Element is a quality video as it

shows how conflict between man and himself whether to engage in violence is an experience in

the African American society.

From a different perspective, however, this paper concedes that those who entirely relate

the lyrical content and the video finding Lamar’s Element mostly speaks about his personal

experience rather than of the society as initially supposed. Cassie da Costa (11) who compiles

research and analysis of the video asserts that the “expressive and substantive visual language

that applies the rapper’s nimble mastery of lyric and rhyme to the complex challenges imagery

that his words profess.” He uses first person while referring to himself explaining how people

have treated him including how he has been disrespected, betrayed, or even fought but he

emphasis that he will continue doing what he does because that is his element. The words

explain what Lamar has gone through and his own experiences rather than those of the entire

society. A child is shirtless as snow falls on him as Lamar says how he has been stomped out in

front of his mother with nobody praying for him because all his grandmothers are deceased. His

furious self is seen punching someone in the video reinforcing the argument that he probably

expresses his experiences. This observation compromises the findings of the arguments that his

video is about the people who Lamar identifies with and not himself.
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Conclusively, Kendrick Lamar’s video of Element is a quality visual that provides a

social commentary about violence. The conversation about violence in the African American

society is an ongoing conversation that may overtake the general topic of racism in the long run.

Due to this, various ways and media have been used to advance the topic on violence as it is one

of the major experiences in the society in question. Kendrick Lamar’s music video of Element is

one way that the artist expresses his views on the topic of conversation. Violence is the primary

message that the video shows with most of its scenes showing how individuals fight against

themselves. Even though he does not directly speak about this topic in his lyrics his implies this

in his video that show violence. People are seen fighting in different scenes that contradicts other

peaceful instances such as when children stand calmly or a woman lies on a vegetative setting

just like the hand that rises in the beginning of the video. Juxtaposition is the main tool Lamar

uses in the video to show how the society is prone to violence. He is not focused to address the

causes of the violence exhibited like other conversations done regarding violence in the African

American society. Yet, this view differs from those who suppose that rather than continuing the

conversation on the experiences of the Blacks, Lamar intended to express his own experiences.

Even so, though, the video exemplifies quality because it is used to pass a message based on the

racial perspectives relating to violence.

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Work Cited

Costa, Cassie da. “Kendrick Lamar's Lyrics Get the Images They Deserve in the Video for

‘Element.".” The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 29 June 2017,

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/kendrick-lamars-lyrics-get-the-images-

they-deserve-in-the-video-for-element.

Lamar, Kendrick. “Kendrick Lamar - Element.” YouTube , Youtube , 27 June 2017,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glaG64Ao7sM.

Puschak, Evan. “Element: How Kendrick Lamar Collaborates” YouTube , YouTube, 30 June

2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqGKMaCAao4.