Kendrick Lamar dropped his fifth studio album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers today, and fans are already taking to social media to praise the rapper’s latest body of work — particularly on the song “Auntie Diaries,” where he appears to show his support for the trans community. The 34-year-old gets personal on the track, where he raps, “My auntie is a man now,” before going on to discuss his transition.
But there’s more. Kendrick then revealed that his cousin, too, was a member of the trans community, saying, “Demetrius is Mary-Ann now.” He continued, “I mean he’s really Mary-Ann, even took things further. Changed his gender before Bruce Jenner was certain. Living his truth even if it meant see a surgeon.” The California native, who is arguably one of the biggest rappers in the world, has touched on a subject matter most of his Hip-Hop peers have never spoken about in their music — at least not in a positive manner.
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It didn’t take long for fans to react to the song, having taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, with one writing, “Auntie Diaries is the first song in major support of the trans community from a rap artist as big as Kendrick and I can’t voice how happy I am for it.” Another wrote, “Yo Auntie Diaries could be some REAL barrier-breaking stuff in hip-hop. Kendrick talking openly about his aunt and cousin transitioning and “choosing humanity over religion.”
A third person continued the conversation, tweeting, “Kendrick Lamar dropped Auntie Diaries, a song about trans acceptance & intersectionality, while conservatives across the country are pushing a full on assault on all LGBTQIA+ people & their allies. He didn’t have to do this – he’ll probably get s**t for it – but he did. Powerful.”
The Humble hitmaker announced his latest album last month, followed by the recent music video release for his single, The Heart 5, where he morphs into many notable Black figures while also shedding light on his new persona Oklama. The song partially samples Marvin Gaye’s I Want You, while the visual itself starts with Kendrick positioned in the off-center to the right against a red backdrop.
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As his face begins to morph into the late rapper Nipsey Hussle, Kendrick raps, “And to the killer that sped up my demise, I forgive you, just know your soul’s in question / I seen the pain in your pupil when that trigger had squeezed / And though you did me gruesome, I was surely relieved / I completed my mission, wasn’t ready to leave / But fulfilled my days, my Creator was pleased.”
Kednrick famously graced the Super Bowl Halftime Show stage alongside Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, and Eminem back in February, which was watched by a whopping 113 million people