Combating the "Other" Through Music

The Black Panther soundtrack, released in February 2018, continued the theme of black representation in media that the film had already established by featuring an all black artist lineup, with rapper Kendrick Lamar producing and featuring in every single track on the album. The album incorporates traditional African elements, as well as featuring South African rappers and singers performing in their native South African languages to establish the authenticity and unique nature of the musical piece. In particular, the lyrics of the closing track “Pray For Me”, performed by The Weeknd and Lamar, embody the representative nature of the album and works to fight against some of the stereotypes attributed to the black population.

According to Smith, media messages lead to the creation of the “Other”, a group of people who are different from the main protagonists. This creation of the “Other” oftentimes leads to harmful stereotypes and limits the representation of minorities in media. As Smith states, minorities (“Others”) are often painted to be either the villains of the story or as needing to be flawless in order to be accepted. Minorities lose the ability to correctly represent themselves when they have no control over the portrayal. This one dimensional depiction leads to an incorrect and harmful perception of the black population, an image which Lamar and The Weeknd seek to combat with their track.

The lyrics of “Pray for Me” depict an internal battle within oneself, a constant conflict between fighting yourself and eventually accepting that you are your own hero. Lamar showcases this internal battle when he raps “I fight the world, I fight you, I fight myself” at the start of his verse but later adds “You need a hero, look in the mirror, there go your hero”. Even though Lamar goes through intense struggles in life and struggles to accept himself, he is ultimately his own hero. Only Lamar himself can stop his fighting; he is the only one who prays for him.

“Pray For Me” serves as an example of both delegative and expression representation. Delegative representation occurs when members of the group create the portrayal of the group. In this case, the song was produced and performed by black artists; The Weeknd and Lamar have control over the type of message and image conveyed by the song. Both artists create a genuine feel to the song and present the audience with a taste of African culture by incorporating African drumming and traditional African vocalization onto the track.

Expression representation, on the other hand, is the creation of identity beyond the stereotype. The lyrics challenge the notion that black people are one dimensional— either the villain or the perfect person— and instead presents them as multifaceted beings. Lamar and The Weeknd attempt to stay away from either extreme end of the spectrum, focusing on adopting a unique position in the middle. The black population is neither a villain nor a perfect person, but rather something completely unique and realistic.

The Black Panther soundtrack combats the image of the black “Other” that persists in media and allows Lamar and the other featured artists to take control of their own representation. Through this control, they shows that black people are complex individuals who must stand up for themselves when no one else will. Black people are capable of being their own heroes.