Mortal Man

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Mortal Man

"To Pimp a Butterfly. It means to have these wings emerge in a caterpillar mind state of the ghetto" (Lamar)

"To Pimp a Butterfly. It means to have these wings emerge in a caterpillar mind state of the ghetto" (Lamar)

MORTAL MAN

Mortal Man

Reportedly inspired by a trip Lamar took to Nelson Mandela's cell on Robben Island during a visit to South Africa in 2014, this song finds the Compton native hoping that he continues the legacy of the South African icon. Lamar explained to MTV News: "We're so confined with hatred and want to point out people's flaws that we don't see the big picture in what they're doing. And it's been done with leaders way before my time. They did it to Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior, feel me? So who am I? I'm just a man, that's why we call it 'Mortal Man.'" 

Mortal Man & Tupac

Is the interview in Mortal Man real?

Within the album's closing song, “Mortal Man,” Lamar engages in a conversation with the late Tupac Shakur using audio excerpts from a rare 1994 interview between Shakur and the host of Swedish radio show P3 Soul, Mats Nileskar.

Q.1  Mortal Man 

1. Whom exactly does Lamar address in lines 28 – 31? 

• His fans. 

Q.2 Mortal Man

In line 37 Lamar writes: ‘ I freed you from being a slave in your mind, you’re very welcome’. What did exactly Lamar do to free his funs in their minds?  

• Kendrick wants to be revered like the iconic Nelson Mandela. He compares freeing the minds of Black America with songs like “i” to Mandela’s work against the apartheid regime in South Africa. 

revere: feel deep respect

Q.3  Mortal Man

Loyalty is one of the main themes of the song Mortal Man. At the beginning of the song Lamar refers to loyalty of his funs. What kind of loyalty does Lamar address in lines 51 – 55? Be as explicit as possible. 

• Just as Nelson Mandela’s wife waited 27 years for him to be released from prison, Kendrick wonders if his fiancée will wait 25 years (the minimum sentence for murder) for him to return. After asking the male perspective, Kendrick asks the female audience if the man they think is “the one” would really be there for them through the thick and thin.

Q.4 Mortal Man

Lines 83 – 86 convey contrast in Lamar’s thinking and perception. Can you explain this contrast? 

• Bad Judges and magistrates are notorious for holding one view of the law – being either harsh on a certain type of criminal for a certain type of offense (or being too easy on certain types of criminals), or, even worse, holding an actual grudge against a particular individual, and sentencing him/her more harshly when that individual is brought before the judge. Kendrick’s anger toward those who mistreated him is contrary to the more peaceful philosophies of Nelson Mandela. Mandela was held in a cell on Robben Island for 18 of his 27 years spent in prison. Kendrick describes visiting Mandela’s cell to try to find clarity. 

Q. 5. In line 95 Lamar says: ‘ How many leaders you said you needed then left’ em dead?’ Lamar refers to betrayal of some of the people who are significant for his culture? Who are these people? Can you name them? 

• Kendrick is showing everyone how some of the most influential people throughout history have been betrayed: Moses lead the Jews out of the oppressive rulers of Egypt to freedom but, while getting the ten commandments from God, the people he had just helped started to worship false Gods. Huey Newton was an African-American political and urban activist who co-founded the Black Panther Party. He was assassinated by a member of the Black Guerrilla Family, which had former Black Panthers among its members. Detroit Red, or Malcolm X, was one of the most influential leaders during the civil rights movement in the US. He was assassinated by members of the Nation of Islam, the group he once led. Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist. He was assassinated by a white supremacist. JFK, or John F. Kennedy was the President of the United States. He was assassinated—Kendrick calls the listener (metaphorically) a “shooter” and “assassin,” accusingly. Jackie Robinson was the first black man to ever play in the Major Leagues for the then-Brooklyn Dodgers. Jesse Jackson is an American civil rights activist. Last but not least is the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. Although he was one of the greatest musicians to ever live, he faced scrutiny after accusations of child molestation and on his bizarre appearance and behavior.

Q.6 Mortal Man

In line 142 Lamar refers to poor people as ‘ the ground.’ Based on the meaning conveyed in the lines 142 – 148, explain why Lamar uses the word ‘ ground’ to name poor people. 

• As he says in his own words, “The Ground” is the symbol for the poor people. Basically, poor people are the foundation, the root, the impetus of society. The poor harvest the food, the poor build everything, the taxpayers pay for everything. The working class, the bottom of the pyramid. Although these people may have less money, these people make up 95-98% of the population, or simply put an overwhelmingly large majority. Now once the foundation ceases to support, what happens to the top of the building? It collapses and it gets swallowed into “The Ground”.

Q.7 Mortal Man

From whose point of view are the lines 162 – 175 written/told?

• Tupac’s point of view.

Q.8 Mortal Man

How would you interpret the question in line 268?

• Are we the butterfly, or are we the caterpillar destroying our surroundings.

To Pimp a Butterfly & Mortal Man

To Pimp A Butterfly has a loose concept of a caterpillar and a butterfly. Lamar was a caterpillar during his upbringing in the Compton hood. However, by discovering his rap abilities he made himself into a butterfly, the evolved form of the caterpillar that's admired for its beauty. The Compton rapper ends this track with a spoken-word poem in which he questions why he is now so attractive to all the 'caterpillars' back in his hood, now he has found success and how they can break free of the hood cycle. "Although the caterpillar and butterfly are completely different, they're one and the same," Lamar concludes.

How does Lamar create his meaning in 'Mortal Man'?

• internal monologue
• dialogue
• direct address 'you'
• intertextual references
• rhetorical questions
• metaphors
• repetition