What is the meaning behind “I’m so fuckin’ sick and tired of the Photoshop Show me somethin’ natural like afro on Richard Pryor Show me somethin’ natural like ass with some stretch marks”? HUMBLE. by Kendrick Lamar
- by imrk
- March 25, 2023
Kendrick challenges the media to portray women in their natural state. “Photoshop” is a digital image-editing software made by Adobe. It is often used to retouch its subjects, and to make people appear “hotter” by making them more “doll-like”. Stretch marks are scars that occur when a person rapidly gains weight or height. Kendrick wants his women to be natural and not try to use apps like Photoshop to try and make themselves “hotter”. Comedian Richard Pryor , who Kendrick also mentioned on “King Kunta,” had an afro, which is a naturally-occurring hairstyle. Due to social expectations of beauty, black people (especially women) will sometimes go to great lengths to straighten their naturally kinky hair; Kendrick is not only asking for natural beauty but also affirming black beauty. When Kendrick delivers this line in the music video, he raps at a model who crosses a split-screen showing the difference between her manicured self and her natural look. When Kendrick crosses the line, his appearance doesn’t change at all, showing how he is always “real.”