The Problem with Kendrick Lamar and His Need of Validation

Kendrick Lamar has broken records in hip-hop and gotten more awards than most, but a recurring theme of his is based on whining about not being congratulated by certain people. His need for validation speaks loudly of a deeper issue Kendrick Lamar suffers from which is untamed ego. His is likely caused by a little man syndrome.

Kendrick Wants a Cookie

Recently, Kendrick Lamar was chosen over rapper Lil Wayne to perform at the Super Bowl as a headliner. What ensued was a fallout, where Wayne claimed the Super Bowl performance was “ripped away” from him in an Instagram live video. Considering some of Wayne’s past performances in which he walked out mid-showed, showed up over an hour late or performed badly seemingly under the influence of drugs, NFL officials might have considered these issues when making their decision.

[Kendrick] expresses feeling let down by one of his idols.

Still, Kendrick addressed the matter and raps, “Used to bump ‘Tha Carter III,’ I held my Rollie chain proud/ Irony, I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down.” In these bars, he expresses feeling let down by one of his idols. They show this affected him on an emotional level.

He goes on to rap, “Won the Super Bowl and Nas the only one congratulate me.” This is where the problems start. Being chosen to headline this event is the ultimate congratulations from the NFL itself. It is literally them saying, “Congratulations. You’ve been chosen to…” Getting a congratulations from Nas is by no means something small or insignificant. Nas is a legendary rapper and icon who’s left indelible footprints in hip-hop. He is part of rap’s history. Still, his congratulations would be moot had the NFL not made their decision about Kendrick.

Wayne doesn’t owe Kendrick Lamar a congratulations.

The other problem is that Kendrick seemingly takes a shot at Lil Wayne for not congratulating him. Wayne doesn’t owe Kendrick Lamar a congratulations. It would be nice for Lil Wayne to call Kendrick up and say, “Good job, guy,” but that’s probably not what Wayne wants.

In Lil Wayne’s Instagram video where he reflects on not being chosen, he expresses feeling like the opportunity had been snatched from him. Regardless of it was, in Wayne’s state of mind, he holds this to be true. With this as the case, congratulating Kendrick would be the last thing on his mind.

The Takeaway

Kendrick Lamar was chosen for the Super Bowl slot, but that doesn’t seem to be enough for him. He expects to be congratulated, even by his competition. Nobody owes Kendrick Lamar a congratulations. Going at this rate, he’ll create more enemies than friends.

This article was written by Jermaine Reed, MFA, the Editor-in-Chief of The Reeders Block. He also works an Adjunct College Professor. Join the email list to get notifications on new blog posts and books. This article is 100% human-written. And remember, if you see an error, that’s what makes us human. Subscribe and share.