Kendrick Lamar generated an enormous amount of social media conversation with the release of his new album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.
One of the album’s songs, “Auntie Diaries,” garnered attention for its subject matter in particular. Kendrick Lamar raps about accepting trans relatives on the song.
Kendrick Lamar details growing up with a transgender uncle on “Auntie Diaries.” He recalls how he processed his uncle’s gender identity during his childhood.
“My auntie became a man and I took pride in it/She wasn’t gay, she ate p####, and that was the difference/That’s what I told my friends in second grade/She picking me up from school, they stare at her in the face/They couldn’t comprehend what I grew accustomed,” he raps.
Kendrick Lamar also tells the story of a transgender cousin. In one anecdote, K. Dot describes a confrontation with a preacher who singled out his cousin in front of the congregation.
“I said, ‘Mr. Preacherman, should we love thy neighbor?/The laws of the land or the heart, what’s greater?/I recognize the study she was taught since birth/But that don’t justify the feelings that my cousin preserved’/The building was thinking out loud, bad angel/That’s when you looked at me and smiled, said, ‘Thank you’/The day I chose humanity over religion,” he raps.
Kendrick Lamar’s “Aunties Diaries” elicited both praise and criticism on Twitter. Some felt it should be celebrated while others took issue with the track’s language and execution.
Check out some of the reactions to “Auntie Diaries” below.
Auntie Diaries is the first song in major support of the trans community from a rap artist as big as Kendrick and I can't voice how happy I am for it
— Agora (@sadboiinfinite) May 13, 2022
that kendrick song kinda brings up complicated feelings for me cause it reminds me of the way i got certain family members who “accept” me yet still see me as my old self. like they “trying” and i appreciate that much but they still dont actually *see* me if that makes sense
— Sage Introspekt 💖 (@_introspekt) May 13, 2022
We are not about to "cancel" Kendrick over Auntie Diaries. The most powerful man in hip-hop wrote a whole song supporting trans rights and acknowledging the homophobia he participated in. In a genre that has a history of homophobia, this moves the convo in the right direction.
— albert camus' cigarette (@albertcamusindc) May 13, 2022
Kendrick Lamar's "Auntie Diaries" off #MrMoraleAndTheBigSteppers is an incredible song about trans acceptance & intersectionality but a lot of people are hung up on some of its problematic elements. Here's a thread attempting to clear up the confusion. 💜🧵 1/x pic.twitter.com/N1UgZFviEV
— conure 🍉 🐦 (@conureCC) May 13, 2022
My thoughts on Kendrick Lamar’s “auntie diaries” as a trans woman myself pic.twitter.com/qh250HdAno
— Chloe Stankowski (@chloestankowski) May 13, 2022
no bc straight people are all like “auntie diaries is amazing” and gay people are all like “why did he say f*gg*t” and straight people are explaining to us why it was a good thing. do u see the problem here
— afro-arakkii leo says🔺RESIST🔺 (@arakkosuperstar) May 13, 2022
Auntie Diaries is a song for black people who encountered anti-LGBT sentiment growing up in black families.
At 13, my dad asked me if I was gay because I didn’t agree with him that all gay people belong in jail or worse.
— Arthur (Eden Is 🔆) 📚🔰 (@artisanrocky) May 13, 2022
