“You ain’t gotta lie to kick it, my n-gga/You ain’t gotta try so hard…”
—Kendrick Lamar, You Ain’t Gotta Lie (Momma Said)
Man. Hold Up.
Let your Drunk Auntie–and by ‘your Drunk Auntie,’ I mean me–dissect this for a minute. We say phrases like:
- Fake it til you make it.
- People will believe whatever you tell them.
- Fame is in the follower count.
“You ain’t gotta lie to kick it!”
This was something we used to in junior high. It was our way of gently calling each other out when one of us was boasting a few too many stories. And, it was our a way of proclaiming allegiance to an unpopular opinion about something. Think: My mama buys me Payless shoes. I ain’t gotta lie to kick it!
Now that I’m older, I see it all the time. The demeaning “power quotes” about being a boss that shade employees. Photos of exotic vacations complete with fancy cocktails and luxury jewelry. And of course, it’s all hashtagged with #MyLife #DoingMe #Blessed #Boss.
Writers write. At least that’s what dream hampton says on Twitter when she exercises the discipline to leave tapping out bursts of updates in favor of longer form writing. Real writing. That gets published. In books. And magazines. 
