Humility, apparently, is the new megalomania. Maybe it’s the effect of Kanye West blethering on about being a genius, but it’s no longer cool to be half-crazed by your perceived brilliance. You have to be polite, deferential and, crucially, not a dick. The poster boy of this new anti-braggadocio is Kendrick Lamar, who, ironically, has less reason to display humility than most, seeing as he is arguably the best mainstream artist in hip-hop; one reviewer even compared him to Mahatma Gandhi. Interestingly, someone else who has been stressing the importance of being humble this week is Francis, the 266th pope. So, who has the greatest claim to the title of king of humility? Let’s find out!
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick’s anthem Humble starts so well – for one thing, he was big enough to use a beat that was originally intended for another artist, Gucci Mane, which suggests a refreshing lack of arrogance. “I remember syrup sandwiches and crime allowances,” he says at the start of the first verse, which makes one think we are about to hear a 21st-century version of Wu-Tang Clan’s C.R.E.A.M., a paean to the struggle to overcome tough times.
Sadly not. Within a few lines, he has moved on to “counting this parmesan” (ie money) at his accountant’s place, then he works in a plug for D’Usse cognac, yours for £70 a bottle. “Girl,” he continues, “I can buy yo’ ass the world with my pay stub,” which is many things, but not exactly humble (and rather unromantic to boot). The extent of Kendrick’s message is encapsulated in the chorus, which repeats the phrase: “Hol’ up bitch, be humble,” which strikes one as rather ungallant. By the time he gets around to boasting about having been paged by Barack Obama, with the caveat: “I stay modest about it,” the temptation to yell: “No, you don’t! This isn’t modest at all!” is great. Interestingly, in the video to Humble, Kendrick spends much of his time in a Catholic priest’s outfit, except when his hair is on fire. What can it all mean?
Humility rating: 1/10
Pope Francis
When the pope gave his TED talk – filmed in Vatican City and broadcast in Vancouver on Tuesday – at no point did he rock any hip-hop apparel by way of response to Kendrick. Instead, he called on world leaders to act more responsibly and, indeed, humbly. (Whoever could he mean?) One of the themes that his 18-minute talk shared with Kendrick’s joint was his humble beginnings. However, Francis stuck with the humility thing for a good deal of proceedings, at no point mentioning parmesan or, indeed, any other cheese. “Power,” he said, “is like drinking gin on an empty stomach. You get drunk ... and will end up hurting those around you.” You could argue that, given he is in charge of the Catholic church and lives in a palace in what is basically his own country, it’s a bit rich deriding the joys of being powerful. However, since he was effectively having a pop at Donald Trump, we’ll let it go.
Humility rating: 4/10
