Asia
AKID1’s mural of Kendrick Lamar in Malaysia is unapologetic, raw, & full of truth
His concrete canvas is the voice of the struggle
In Kendrick Lamar’s latest surprise album GNX, the first song is ‘wacced out murals,’ a fierce testament to the rapper’s commitment to his art. He starts it by rapping, “Yesterday, somebody wacced out my mural,” meaning that someone defaced the mural on the side of Tam’s Burgers that Kendrick used in the Drake-dissing ‘Not Like Us’ video. Spraying over someone’s work is highly disrespectful in the world of graffiti.
In Malaysia, the opposite happened. AKID1 posted a video from the side of Baskin Robbins in Bangsar where he immortalized the Compton rapper by painting a mural. In it, Kendrick is hitting the rapper squat looking in one direction while rapping looking the other way. He’s above a Black Grand National, which GNX is short for, and is the album’s running theme.
In the caption, AKID1 states, “As artists, we ain’t just here to decorate walls. We’re here to heal wounds, spark minds, and connect souls. Through raw expression and fearless energy, we transform blank walls into powerful symbols and make it speak, proving art ain’t just something you see. It’s something you feel.”
Check out AKID1’s video of the mural below.