Auntie Diaries

Album: Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022)
Charted: 47
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Auntie Diaries" finds Kendrick Lamar assessing his relationships with gender as he discusses two transgender relatives.
  • During his first two verses, Lamar tells us about his trans auntie who started living as a man. As an elementary schoolboy, Lamar joined in with his classmates to use homophobic slurs, but was still proud of his aunt. She had been that way all his life, so he didn't batter an eyelid at her trans ways. When the young K-Dot asked his mother why his uncles didn't like her, she explained that she had more women than they did.
  • Lamar concludes the second verse by introducing his favorite cousin, Demetrius, who went further than his aunt. Demetrius actually went through a surgical gender-reassignment and transitioned into Mary-Ann.
  • During the third and fourth verse, K-Dot recounts his family's disbelief when Demetrius transitioned. However, the rapper had picked up the signs and didn't join in with his school friends' homophobic teasing. He later recounts calling out his preacher when he said Demetrius was just "going through some things."
  • Happily, Lamar's family came to accept Mary-Ann's transition, and things became relaxed enough for Lamar to use the word "fa--ot" in front of his cousin. When Mary-Ann challenged him on this, Lamar recalled an incident when he brought a white female fan onstage to rap his "m.A.A.d city" track with him. She rapped the lyrics verbatim, causing Lamar to correct her for using the N-word. The Compton artist immediately recognized his hypocrisy of using the F-slur as a straight cisgender male.
  • Lamar co-wrote "Auntie Diaries" with the track's drummer Homer Steinweiss, guitarist Daniel Krieger, and its producers Caloway, Rappy, Beach Noise, Bekon and Craig Balmoris.

    Producer/songwriter Bekon contributed to eight out of the 14 tracks on Kendrick Lamar's DAMN album. He played keyboard, synthesizer, strings and sang backing vocals on this track.
  • That's the German-Canadian spiritual teacher and writer Eckhart Tolle who says "This is how we conceptualize human beings" in the intro. His self-help guide, The Power of Now, has sold over three million copies in North America.
  • Kendrick Lamar premiered "Auntie Diaries" live on July 19, 2022, during his concert at Oklahoma City's Paycom Center.

Comments: 1

  • Honestly Slay from Slay Nevada Usaslay honestly. v good song, great message too
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Cheerleaders In Music Videos

Cheerleaders In Music VideosSong Writing

It started with a bouncy MTV classic. Nirvana and MCR made them scary, then Gwen, Avril and Madonna put on the pom poms.

Shaun Morgan of Seether

Shaun Morgan of SeetherSongwriter Interviews

Shaun breaks down the Seether songs, including the one about his brother, the one about Ozzy, and the one that may or may not be about his ex-girlfriend Amy Lee.

Real or Spinal Tap

Real or Spinal TapMusic Quiz

They sang about pink torpedoes and rocking you tonight tonight, but some real lyrics are just as ridiculous. See if you can tell which lyrics are real and which are Spinal Tap in this lyrics quiz.

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson of Jethro TullSongwriter Interviews

The flautist frontman talks about touring with Led Zeppelin, his contribution to "Hotel California", and how he may have done the first MTV Unplugged.

Stan Ridgway

Stan RidgwaySongwriter Interviews

Go beyond the Wall of Voodoo with this cinematic songwriter.

Dar Williams

Dar WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

A popular contemporary folk singer, Williams still remembers the sticky note that changed her life in college.