Why Kendrick Lamar would be a world-class copywriter

To be fair, most rappers would make decent copywriters. 

Most of their songs are filled with falsified stories to resonate on an emotional level with their audience. 

And, yes, this also applies to songwriters too. They figure out how to tell a story with deep emotional ties that can also apply to the entire world. 

In fact, one of my favorite songwriters is a man called Robert Hunter. He wrote most of the songs for the Grateful Dead. Yes, the Dead have a massive following. But what’s interesting about Robert Hunter’s lyrics is how often people will argue about their true meaning. He was inspired heavily by Christianity, which also is a masterclass at getting the audience to arrive at their own conclusions. But regardless of the conclusions you come to, the Dead songs inject hope deep into your soul. A key lesson for copywriters or anyone wanting to write more persuasively. 

And this applies equally to Taylor Swift. Even if I couldn’t name two of her songs for you without googling. 

Anyway, I’m rambling. 

This email is about Kendrick Lamar. 

One of the things that ol’ Kdot (as the kids call him, and which happens to be much easier to type) did in his beef with Drake was “attack” him from a bunch of different angles. 

Another key trait copywriters oughta have. 

But then he did something that truly puts him in a league of his own, whether you’re ranking him as a copywriter or a rapper:

Y’see, Drake has had a whole bunch of people diss him in his career, especially as of recent, but the Drake disses also date back nearly 10 years. And so, a lot of the stuff Kdot said was repeating what others have said. 

Don’t reinvent the wheel if you don’t have to. 

But he also took it a step further… 

Once he settled on an angle, say, calling Drake a deadbeat dad (which is not new in the pantheon of Drake disses), he “turned his head” and found a bunch of more interesting angles, even though the main angle was still the main angle. 

He found a “side angle” if you will. 

Once he found a side angle, he turned his head and found another one. 

Then another one. 

Then another one. 

And another one. 

Sticking with the deadbeat dad example… 

Kdot then wrote a letter to Drake’s son, both of his parents, his unclaimed daughter, and then to Drake himself in a song. He found the angle within an angle.  

It’s a new twist on an old trick. 

And it’s something that will make you much wealthier than you are now if you apply this to copy. 

(He did this several other times too but I don’t wanna bore you with more examples.) 

How does this work in copy?

Well, you answer me:

Could you find an angle within this angle? The angle: Lose weight without dieting or spending two hours in the gym every day

Your answer: 

That’s why copywriters, good ones at least, get paid outrageous fees. 

When you find this angle within an angle, this side angle, and it’s a real thing that your market also deeply understands, then, well, you win the persuasion game. But you gotta win again the next day. 

And the next day. 

And the next day. 

And the.., well, you get the point. 

Anywho:

I’m gearing up for two weeks of rather extensive traveling. If you want The Doctor to fix your email strategy before then, hit reply, and let’s chat. 

Time is moolah - as I say. 

John