The whispers are getting louder as Kendrick Lamar rattles the community of hip-hoppers with his latest album, released on Friday, where he boldly claims he’s an Israelite.  The HiiiPower lyricist has thrust a new theory about the nativity of the descendants of slaves into the mainstream.  That’s right, Kendrick isn’t “Black no more” and neither are you. Now the quiet speculation amongst the most “woke” of us is steadily spreading.  So, what does this mean? Well, for one, it means that out of all the places you could go to read about the hippest Black Hippy, you end up here.

[bctt tweet=”Kendrick isn’t Black no more and neither are you” username=”TaughtofYah”]

It didn’t take long before the requests began to come in to explain more about what King Kendrick released regarding the Israelite roots of African-Americans.  Which is not unexpected because this is something we have been speaking publicly about for over three years now with videos and even articles discussing the evidence and proof about the Hebrew roots of African Americans. In fact, not even 24 hours after the album’s release the inquiries began to trickle in challenging us to go in depth or “fact-check” the album.  Since our history is a topic we not only talk about but live, it is our pleasure to indulge.

But before we get to his lyrics, some of you are probably just wondering if it is true or not that the descendants of the Transatlantic Slaves are Hebrews… the answer is yes; it is true.  Many people have never been taught that the Bible describes the Israelites as black (Songs of Solomon 1:5-6).  This is confusing for us today because the Jewish people who currently reside in Israel with pale skin are often considered the children of Israel.  However, it is a quietly known fact that they are not connected to the original people and that the original people had dark skin.  For example, when the late President of Egypt was asked about peace in the middle east after the Jewish people began to live in the land of Israel, he said: “you will never be able to live here in peace because you left here black and came back white.”  That is barely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to facts that testify to the Truth of our history.  For more details, feel free to watch our full presentation of the evidence that connects us to our history.

FEAR.

Let’s break down some lyrics. We won’t be going in order of the track list and we won’t offer commentary for every song, but “FEAR.” is one that stands out a bit.  This one song actually sums up the entire album.  We’ll use this song to understand the theme which will take us to the many references of the curses that Kendrick showcases throughout.

The song begins with threats from an aggressive mother to her child to instill fear.  The first verse lists various reasons that the mother would punish her child while using the phrase “I’ll beat your [butt].”  The next verse lists all the many reasons that a 17-year old K Dot would worry about death. Using the phrase, “I’ll probably die,” he mentions everything from being killed by a drug addict to being murdered by police officers – all of which are relevant concerns to many African-Americans with his background.

In the last verse, Kendrick continues by explaining his fears that crippled him at the time of his success. He then summarizes the album in a way with the lyrics below:

I’m talkin’ fear, fear of losin’ loyalty from pride
‘Cause my DNA won’t let me envolve in the light of God
I’m talkin’ fear, fear that my humbleness is gone
I’m talkin’ fear, fear that love ain’t livin’ here no more
I’m talkin’ fear, fear that it’s wickedness or weakness
Fear, whatever it is, both is distinctive
Fear, what happens on Earth stays on Earth
And I can’t take these feelings with me
So hopefully they disperse
Within fourteen tracks, carried out over wax
Searchin’ for resolutions until somebody get back

Notice the words represent other titles of songs on the album.  He’s telling us that this album chronicles a conflict within him that causes him to react in a way that makes him feel either wicked or weak.

I’m talkin’ fear, fear that it’s wickedness or weakness

We didn’t mention it before, but if you heard the song then you know about the opening clip of Kendrick’s cousin explaining to Kendrick the curses in the Bible written in Deuteronomy 28.  The song ends in a similar fashion by finishing with his cousin’s voice revealing to Kendrick that the “so-called Blacks, Hispanics, and Native American Indians, are the true children of Israel.” Now there are some people who consider themselves as Hispanics and are also descendants of the Hebrews of ancient times but I haven’t seen anything in the Bible or history to suggest all Hispanics, Native Americans or Blacks are Hebrews.

DNA.

In the first track – entitled “BLOOD.” – Kung Fu Kenny demonstrates the oppression of our people represented by someone trying to help a woman who the woman ends up killing.  The next song is “DNA.” which described the blessings and curses that come with our bloodline.  He lists positive qualities like royalty, ambition, and riches in his DNA as well as negative qualities like war, poison, darkness, and evil. This is much like Deuteronomy 28.  This chapter in our Law sets forth blessings from God and curses all of which are connected to Israelites as a people.  Since these curses and blessings were connected to our people, it is essentially part of our DNA.  This is why Kendrick feels that his DNA keeps him from evolving in the light of God as he rhymes in the song “FEAR.”  This song highlights the internal struggle within him between righteousness and evil.  This plays out throughout the album which is shown in the titles with songs like “PRIDE.” coming before “HUMBLE.” or “LUST.” coming before “LOVE.”

YAH.

After “DNA.” comes “YAH.” which is an interesting title.  Yah is actually the shortened version of the Most High God’s name.  Psalm 64:8 reads “Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name YAH, and rejoice before him.” In this track, Kendrick highlights the conflict even more after denouncing being called Black by saying:

I’m a Israelite, don’t call me Black no mo’
That word is only a color, it ain’t facts no mo’
My cousin called, my cousin Carl Duckworth
Said know my worth
And Deuteronomy say that we all been cursed

Although the little-known fact that we come from the true Israelites is being introduced into the mainstream discussion for the first time, Kendrick is not exactly the first celebrity to spread this knowledge.  A couple of the members of Boys II Men have publicly presented themselves as descendants of Israelites. There is even a video of one of them singing in the middle of a Hebrew gathering (I can’t find the video now, but if anyone has the link contact us please).  Former NBA All-Star, Amar’e Stoudemire, has also spoken the truth about our history on multiple occasions.

With all that said, it is important that we understand the Truth and the whole Truth.  Many people will use part of the truth mixed with misunderstandings and lies to create confusion.  In Kendrick’s case, we should continue to pray for him as he deals with his internal conflict while simultaneously standing against his behavior that is contrary to the Truth of Yah.  All the cussing, violence, fornication, intoxication and other sins that he presents as acceptable should not be ignored when we discuss the message of his album.  Be clear, even if we know that we are direct descendants of Moses himself, it is of no benefit to us if we do not repent from all sin and submit with faithful obedience to the Son of the Most High according to the will of Yah.  I don’t doubt that Kendrick is somewhat aware of this Truth as well.  The confliction described throughout the album makes it clear that he feels DAMNation looming.