
History by nature is the past, but it is made in the present. Separate events become tied together by the similar values they share into the phrase “making history” people often too playfully toss around. The death of Eric Garner created the environment for a new historical movement, and the riots as a result of the death of Michael Brown began the movement. With several other similar tragedies, tensions have spiraled out of control. Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” is a commentary not only on the tensions that exist in modern day America but also a message of inspiration to the black community. Kendrick is faced with the dilemma of being a celebrity who is able to speak out but at the risk of his own career and success. Due to this, the bulk of the video follows the social standards associated with a rap video. However, a few scenes lash out at this standard challenging them in a manner that threatens to break them. One may argue that these scenes distract from the rest of the video by using images that are too controversial and therefore take away from the rest of the video. However, despite the fact this may be a common opinion, it is quite the opposite because if Kendrick did not address the problem he could not offer a solution to it. These short scenes not only reveal the reality of weakness that black males have but also reveal the essentiality of perseverance despite it.  

Before the lyrics to the actual song begin, Kendrick puts forth this idea by utilizing a bug’s eye shot of man drinking straight from a bottle of Hennessy with the words “so I kept running” playing over this scene. He appears powerful because of the nature of a bug’s eye shot which causes him to appear even bigger than the man already is, but in the context of the lyrics playing over the scene a sense of vulnerability is created because of the knowledge that the man is running from some sort of sorrows. With his eyes closed, shoulders relaxed, completely expressionless we are able to feel these sorrows on a new level. Rather than simply being told about them, we are shown them in an all to relatable image of defeat. 

This reality is then reinforced by the following scene of what Kendrick refers to as his “safe haven”. The close up of a young boy covered in blood forces us to look at his face. We are met with his eyes and can feel pain through his gaze, but the shot enables us to see his face covered in blood, which although it is black and white, appears to be thick and the redness of it embeds itself into our mind. Fire glows white in the background creating an image of destruction on all levels. It is not simply the people who are being hurt, but also the community they live in. However, the following image reminds the audience of Kendrick’s overall theme by using a medium shot in which we are able to see the party that is occurring around these men. The party is a reminder that happiness still exits behind the pain we constantly hear about in today’s world. In this instance, the pain of police brutality and unjustified killings, yet it is difficult to even image this pain through the smiles and jumping of the men as they enjoy their escape from reality. 

Kendrick then uses a parallel image at the very end of the video. The long shot of Kendrick standing on top of a light post portrays him as powerful. With his arms out Kendrick hints at the biblical story of Jesus’s death and portrays himself as a sort of leader of the city. He appears large due to the bug’s eye shot of him over the city which depicts him as the prophetic leader his message makes him. After being shot, the audience watches as his body falls to the ground and the screen goes black. The image of powerlessness is provoked in our minds, yet Kendrick quickly contradicts this with his overall motif when we are met with the close up of his face. Although he is still on his back lying on the ground, his eyes open and he smiles into the camera directly meeting the audiences gaze. This image further the previous notion of a prophetic leader by depicting a resurrection. Without repeating the chorus he has frequently used throughout the song, “we gon’ be alright”, we are reminded of it and the message that accompanies it. A message of more than just perseverance because in Kendrick’s eyes they are not simply to survive the times. Kendrick preaches that they are able to go beyond this and be happy at this time. 

These two images combine to further the overall message of “Alright” in a way that opposes the rest of the video. Other scenes are more optimistic. Stereotypical images such as dancing, cars, and flying are used to set the tone of the rest of the video. However, these two darker scenes create a deeper more powerful image. Their relevance to recent events make them controversial as Kendrick depicts twice in the video a white officer shooting a black man. However, crossing that line that allows them to be criticized as controversial is where the scenes derive their power from. By blatantly addressing the struggle, Kendrick is able to depict a more clear, concise image of triumph. Even though the video is a metaphor itself, its message is conveyed in a manner that is very literal. We see a man bleeding from his face get up and party. Kendrick, after being shot and falling to what should have been his death, looks into the camera and smiles. We are tricked into believing for a moment that what we are watching is not a symbol but instead a reality. This reality of tenacity in a time of struggle is the message of “Alright”. The message that for a brief moment frees us from the politics and convulsion of these issues into a happiness paralleled by no other. 