Luisa Dalli.
The MFA DE&I Council would like to see an industry where everyone can thrive, feel heard, supported, and safe to do their best work. Let’s meet the Changers who are sharing their own lived experiences to inspire us all to change for the better.
Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance wasn’t just a halftime show – it was a symbolic message. While mainstream rap bends over backwards for commercial success, Kendrick stays perched on a different throne, reminding us that real hip-hop is about lived experience, not just a flashy performance. This is why he currently reigns supreme, standing above the machine-polished shine of artists like Drake (yeah, I said it).
This isn’t to discredit Drake – his ability to craft hits is undeniable. Drake may be one of the biggest musicians of our time, but let’s be clear – Drake isn’t hip-hop.
At least, not in the way hip-hop was built to be. Hip-hop isn’t about streams, chart dominance, or catchy hooks. It’s about storytelling, struggle, and authenticity. It’s about lived experiences shaping the music, not just industry expertise.
The difference between lived experience and industry expertise
Drake, for all his accolades, grew up on the set of Degrassi, a Canadian high-school drama that, let’s be honest, was Heartbreak High with puffer jackets. He’s an exceptional performer, but his version of hardship is about heartbreak and industry politics. His music is polished, his bars are clever, but his life? It’s been largely curated by the entertainment industry.
Kendrick? He’s straight out of Compton. His opportunity to connect with Dr. Dre wasn’t just a savvy industry move – it was genealogy – a direct line to the DNA of West Coast hip-hop. But what sets him apart is how his music breathes. Every verse carries weight. His music isn’t made for the charts; they’re essays, manifestos, prayers, poems disguised as beats.
This isn’t just industry hype – it’s facts. Yes, Kendrick has won three times as many Grammys as Drake. But more importantly, he’s got a Pulitzer Prize.
A Pulitzer isn’t awarded for catchy hooks or TikTok trends. It’s for work that shifts culture. Kendrick seamlessly fuses his lived experience with deep industry expertise, proving that authenticity and mastery can coexist to push hip-hop forward.
The DE&I parallel: When experience and expertise don’t talk to each other
Now, you might be thinking: what’s this got to do with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I)? Everything.
The backlash against DE&I – especially in the US, where anti-affirmative action rhetoric is making a comeback – is basically the Kendrick vs Drake debate in a corporate setting. If Kendrick represents action from lived experience, and Drake embodies action from industry expertise, then the cultural backlash against DE&I suggests that many see it as having drifted too far towards the performative – more optics than impact or, dare I say, more Drake than Kendrick.
Don’t get me wrong, policy needs to be founded in industry expertise, and we’ve seen DE&I initiatives drive real policy change – something the industry should celebrate – from parental leave and equal pay to mentorship programs and hybrid work. All policies we should not easily forget.
But here’s the thing: DE&I needs industry expertise to work hand in hand with lived experience to be authentic and impactful. And too often, we’ve seen one without the other.
What can our industry learn from Kendrick’s approach of expertise intertwined with lived experience?
Kendrick Lamar’s approach to music offers a crucial lesson: true impact happens when lived experience and industry expertise work together. If we want DE&I efforts to be more than just corporate lip service, we need to take a page from his playbook.
Here’s how:
- Get personal with the problem: Kendrick remains deeply connected to his community, whether through collaborations with local artists or storytelling that reflects real experiences. Too often, initiatives are crafted in boardrooms without real connection to the people they’re meant to help. The best policies start by listening through first-hand accounts and on-the-ground conversations that bring depth and understanding to the real and human experience being tackled beyond surface statistics.
- Stand up for the work: Kendrick’s Super Bowl performance made it clear that his artistry wouldn’t be watered down for mass appeal. As an industry, we can sometimes be guilty of taking the easy road. The best work challenges perspectives, makes people uncomfortable in the right ways, and refuses to be diluted for the sake of easy approval. Whether it’s championing diverse voices, tackling tough topics, or fighting for integrity in storytelling, real impact comes from work that stands for something.
- Aim for a Pulitzer: Kendrick won a Pulitzer because he transformed lived experience into art that demands action. Our stories should be more than just inspiration – they should be the foundation for real change. That’s where we need to invest in expertise. It means investing in research, adapting policies based on real-world impact, and ensuring systemic change isn’t just an aspiration but a reality.
Just like hip-hop, DE&I is more than a trend. The real work – the Kendrick approach – demands both experience and expertise. Anything less is just a performance. Or should I say, ‘One Dance’.
Luisa Dalli is Strategy Director at Havas Media Network Australia
To broaden your understanding of DE&I, complete the SBS Core Inclusion course – Australia’s leading online DE&I training course – available for free to MFA member employees
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