Sonic anatomy: auntie diaries

Background

In early 2018, at a festival event in Alabama, Lamar invited a fan on stage to help perform M.A.A.D City. During the performance the woman uttered the n-word and stopped the performance and after a second attempt despite booing from the crowd, she continued. The event began a further discussion on white people and the use of words used to marginalize a race like the word was originally used as.

The Song Itself

The song opens with him reflecting on his auntie and how, even as a kid, he understood her transgender identity and still learned a lot from her. He then expands on this within his family, mentioning a cousin he admired for expressing himself despite his family’s disbelief.

The song reaches its peak when a pastor singles out his cousin to make a point about the supposed evil in the modern world. Lamar responds by defending his cousin, arguing that people should be loved rather than judged for the choices others see as wrong. The song ultimately reflects his evolution over the years in understanding his relationship with the trans community.

Controversy

Controversy came from the song in part due to Lamar's use of the f-slur to represent the reception to trans people within his life. The use is to kind of backhand the lyrics he speaks on accepting them and their identity by using as how even though he was in the right place he was still wrong with how we was using it even without any wrong intention.

The song ends with his cousin calling back to the concert to how if he can be fine with saying the f-slur he should be fine with people using the n-word. This causing the deeper exploration on the final three tracks.