Young Guru Details Double Meaning In Kendrick Lamar’s “Euphoria”
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Young Guru wants fans to dig deeper into Kendrick Lamar’s “Euphoria.” On Wednesday (May 1), the acclaimed music engineer elaborated on the samples used in the venomous diss track. He took to his Instagram Story to break down the Richard Pryor reference at the song’s beginning.
It isn’t clear upon first listen, as the vocal performance is reversed. However, after the audio is forwarded to its original state, what’s being said becomes clear: “Everything they say about me is true.” The quote is a direct reference to Pryor’s role in The Wiz playing the titular character. Guru confirmed this reference and explained how this correlates with Kendrick’s antagonizing record. He explained that it represents a larger conversation that Dot feels is relevant to Drake’s rap persona.
“I realize some of my young people and my students never seen The Wiz. If you came up in a Black household, it was mandatory. The dance scene in Oz is incredible, but it points out that pop culture is fake. The Wiz changes the colors, and people just go along with it. Richard Pryor later admits that he is a fake and a phony,” he said.
Gu then switched his attention to the song’s opening sample, “You’re My Latest, My Greatest Inspiration,” by Teddy Pendergrass. The Roc-A-Fella alum explained that the sample was used not only for its sonics but also because Pendergrass’ story is relevant. “Teddy Pendergrass got into a car accident and had to live the rest of his life paralyzed in a wheelchair,” he added.
Drake has also used a wheelchair in his career. The Canadian actor rose to fame after appearing in Degrassi as Jimmy Brooks. Jimmy’s most popular episode is when he gets shot during a mass shooting at school. The incident leaves him permanently confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
Kendrick Lamar dropped off “Euphoria” on Tuesday (April 30) and immediately shifted the tide in the feud. The Compton emcee rapped for 6 minutes, disparaging Aubrey’s rap persona and his battle to be accepted by Hip-Hop—and maybe himself.
K. Dot also presented a pseudo psyche evaluation of Drake’s seemingly complex relationship with his Blackness. Lamar questioned the biracial man for only using his Blackness when it was convenient for him, if at all.
Contrary to what the internet thought, the verse was less about Drake not being Black enough because he’s light-skinned or biracial and more about whether or not he “Started From The Bottom.” Dot’s lyrics suggest Drake’s Blackness depends on his adjacency to other authentic and proven forms of Blackness.
The DAMN rapper called into question the idea of Aubrey hating who he truly is as a Black man and not feeling like his Black Canadian experience is truly enough. So, then, according to K. Dot, Drake has attempted to compensate for this throughout his career. Lamar gave examples, such as Drizzy using a litany of accents throughout his career, depending on who he is rapping or hanging with. He also called out his stubby braids for comedic effect and clowned him for allegedly getting procedures done to maybe hide his Blackness or to emphasize it.
Regardless, Dot feels Drake has postured his Blackness when it’s convenient despite seldom speaking on Black issues — all while labeling Rick Ross a racist for calling him a “white boy.”
This breakdown ties into both of Guru’s points about The Wiz and Teddy Pendergrass. Much like the paraplegic Drake played on screen and Pryor’s role as The Wiz: it’s merely a character he’s playing or, as Kendrick Lamar put it, “You’rе not a rap artist/ You a scam artist with the hopes of being accepted.” Cold.
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