Photo by Nihal Demirci Erenay via Uplash.

In 2025, Kendrick Lamar solidified his place as one of the most influential artists of the 21st century. With his unique blend of lyricism and cultural commentary, Kendrick Lamar has become a force to be reckoned with. This year, Lamar’s continued success at the Grammys, his role in the ongoing discussion about Black culture and social justice, and his culturally significant Super Bowl halftime performance have all further cemented his legacy.

Kendrick Lamar Dominates the Grammys 

2025 marked yet another historic year for Kendrick Lamar at the Grammys. This year, he not only added more trophies to his already impressive collection but also triumphed in some of the most prestigious and highly competitive categories.

Lamar’s critically acclaimed track “Not Like Us” emerged as a standout of the year, earning him an impressive five awards. The song took home Rap Song of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Rap Performance, and Best Music Video, solidifying its cultural and artistic impact.

These Grammy wins in 2025 weren’t just personal victories for Lamar; they symbolized the increasing mainstream recognition of rap. As Kendrick said himself, “This is what it’s about man, because at the end of the day, nothing is more powerful than rap music. We are the culture, it’s gonna always stay here and live forever.”

 Black Artists and the Grammys – Is 2025 a Turning Point?

Kendrick Lamar’s triumph at the Grammys in 2025 also raises important questions about the relationship between Black artists and the Recording Academy. Historically, Black musicians, particularly in genres like rap and R&B, have faced systemic barriers to receiving proper recognition for their work. The controversy surrounding Beyoncé’s repeated losses in major categories, such as her 2023 “Renaissance” loss for Album of the Year, has fueled debates about the Grammys’ treatment of Black artists.

But 2025 seems to mark a shift in how Black artists are being recognized. With Lamar’s sweeping wins in major categories, especially in categories like Song and Record of the Year, traditionally dominated by pop and rock artists, there is a growing sense that the Grammys may be moving in a new direction.

This year Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Cater” also won Album of the Year, a win that was widely celebrated. Critics and fans alike are hopeful that 2025 represents a turning point, one where Black artists are no longer sidelined but celebrated for their contributions to music and culture at the highest level. While questions remain about whether this shift will be permanent, the success of artists like Lamar and Beyoncé in 2025 is a promising sign. It may mark the beginning of a more equitable future for Black musicians in the music industry’s most prestigious award show.

Kendrick Lamar’s Symbolic Super Bowl Halftime Show

Kendrick Lamar’s performance at the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show was impactful. In a year where social justice continued to dominate conversations, Lamar used his platform to make a powerful statement about race, identity and resilience. 

Throughout the halftime show, Kendrick relied heavily on imagery and symbolism to make his point. The giant PlayStation controller that dominated the stage may have represented the idea of life as a game, with the American Dream being something that is “played” and often controlled by larger systems. At one point,  the dancers were arranged in formations of red, white, and blue, which at first seemed like just a standard patriotic gesture. However, the dancers often shifted in ways that fractured the imagery of the American flag, symbolizing a nation deeply divided by race, class and political tensions.
In addition, the decision to have Serena Williams perform the Crip Walk was laden with meaning. As Dr. Sequoia Maner, a professor at Spelman College in literature, explained. 

“A lot of people said, ‘Oh, you know, that’s a jab at Drake,’ right? Serena is Drake’s ex. But we forget in 2012, Serena was lambasted for doing the crip walk on the world stage at the London Olympics. And that was a moment in which we really saw this vitriol aimed at one of the most excellent top performers, saying that she was too loud and that she was too ghetto for a kind of respectable sport like tennis, right?” 

For a deeper dive into the symbolism in the half time show  you can read more in Halima Jibril’s article titled,  “America Has a Problem: Unpacking Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl symbolism.”

As 2025 continues, Kendrick Lamar’s influence on music, culture and social justice shows no signs of slowing down. His Grammy wins represent a new era for Black artists in the Recording Academy, while his Super Bowl halftime performance stands as one of the most significant cultural moments of the year. Lamar’s ability to use his platform to address difficult social issues while pushing the boundaries of his craft makes him one of the most important artists of our time. 

As a longtime fan of “The Bachelor” franchise, I anxiously awaited the announcement for who would be named the next “Bachelorette” in the Season 28 finale. Of course, it’s exciting to see how the season ends and who the bachelor ends up with, but it’s also equally exciting to see who the next Bachelorette will be, which is one of the season’s stand-out contestants. Season 28 of “The Bachelor” featured Joey Graziadei, a 28-year-old tennis pro from Pennsylvania, as the lead. Graziadei  was looking for his future wife among 32 contestants. 

Graziadei’s season was one of the most popular with the season finale bringing in 6.31 million viewers, which is the most watched Season Finale in the history of “The Bachelor” franchise. The fan favorite contestant was Maria Georgas, who I was also hoping would be selected since her unfiltered and authentic personality shone through in Graziadei’s season. However, Jenn Tran was announced as the lead for “The Bachelorette” Season 21. Tran is a 26-year-old physician assistant and was loved by the fans during Graziadei’s season due to her compassionate and sweet personality.

Jenn Tran is Vietnamese American, making her the first Asian Bachelorette, and first Asian lead of any “Bachelor” franchise season. 

“Growing up, I’ve always wanted to see Asian representation on TV,” said Tran, in response to this historic moment, “And I feel like it was really sparse. Any time Asians were in the media, it was to fill a supporting character role, to fulfill some sort of stereotype, and I always felt boxed in by that. And now to be here today, standing in this position being like, I am going to lead my own love story. I am going to be the main character in my story, I just can’t help but think about how many people I’m inspiring and how many lives I am changing.” 

“The Bachelor” franchise has faced controversy in the past and criticism due to its lack of diversity and racism scandals. In the 21 years the show has been on air, there have only been two other leads of color, Matt James and Charity Lawson. During James’ season, there was controversy that the show had perpetuated racial stereotypes in James’ storyline after he spoke out about how his father, who is Black, was presented as an absent father. The former host, Chris Harrison, exited the show after he defended Rachel Kirkconnell, a contestant on James’ season, who had attended a party at a plantation and liked social media posts with the Confederate flag in them. 

For many years, the cast of “The Bachelor” has been overwhelmingly white and homogenous. I can remember watching prior seasons with majority white and stereotypically beautiful contestants, many of whom were former pageant contestants or NFL cheerleaders. Of course, the contestants themselves did nothing wrong. The fault lies with the casting and production. The lack of racial, body type and socioeconomic diversity in the shows remains exceedingly obvious. Over the past few seasons, there has been greater racial diversity, but often these contestants have been given unequal storytime editing and screen time. Jokingly, I’ve often mentioned to my friends that it seems like they only keep the Asian contestants on long enough to be tokenized before the white lead chooses another white contestant at the end. 

Not only are there issues with a lack of diversity in “The Bachelor,” but there are also issues of cyberbullying and harassment that contestants of color experience from fans and online users. Social media following can be viewed as a proxy for fans’ support for certain contestants, and white contestants see a greater growth in following after being on the show than contestants of other races, according to Bachelor Data. In addition to unequal support from fans, many contestants have faced online hate and racism. Rachel Nance, a contestant on Graziadei’s season who finished in the top three and is African and Filipino American, spoke out about the racially motivated hate she’s received from fans. Nance said, “I was nervous to talk about it because I know some people feel uncomfortable when they hear that racism is still going on in 2024. But I think people need to sit in feeling uncomfortable because, how do you think I feel getting those messages?”

It’s easy to write off the show’s casting and historic decision as trivial since, after all, it’s just a reality show. However, as an Asian woman, I believe that this moment is important and that more people should take notice of it. As Jenn Tran pointed out, Asians are overlooked in almost all forms of media, and when they are portrayed, they’re often stereotypical or relegated to supporting roles. I think it’s important for an Asian-American woman to finally be a star in her own story rather than a token who is overshadowed by white voices. I’m excited to see how her journey plays out and am hopeful that her season will be a turning point for reality TV to showcase more Asian contestants. 

You can catch the new season of “The Bachelorette” on ABC airing on Jun. 1, 2024. 

Over the weekend of Sept. 24, 2021, a photo took the Olathe and Kansas City community by storm, prompting district and city-wide calls to action in preventing instances of racist speech or expression. The photo detailed two white students holding a sign stating, “If I was black, I would be picking cotton. But I’m white, so I’m picking you for HOCO [Homecoming]?” The sign also featured cotton balls alongside yes and no checkboxes

The two teens in the photo –one male and one female –were identified to be students from Olathe South High School in Olathe, Kan. and St. James Academy in Lenexa, Kan.

In response to public outcry, St. James Academy responded promptly to the situation on Sept. 25 via a Twitter statement:

Soon after, Olathe Superintendent Brent Yeager issued an official statement on Sept. 30, writing, “I am deeply saddened that this happened in our community. However, this should serve as [a] message to all of us to come together, to create positive change. Creating an inclusive community is incumbent on all of us.”

Rhonda Windholz, the mother of the female student in the photo, released a statement to KSHB 41 News on Sept. 25 to shed more light on the situation: “One Caucasian and one African-American boy were involved. It was the African-American boy who actually made the sign, already marked up and took the picture. This by no means makes it right…”

Although sources have stated the involved Black student was suspended, banned or otherwise discouraged from attending the high school, there are no confirmed reports of this happening.

Yeager’s letter to the community concluded that the district will be working to prevent instances such as this from happening in the future, but also encouraged parents to take action and talk to their children about racism.

This incident occurred only days after the Park Hill South School District opened an investigation into a student-initated petition calling for the reinstatement of slavery.

This is an ongoing case and The Hilltop Monitor will update once more information is released.

If you spend any time on social media platforms such as Youtube or TikTok, you have likely come across the trend of “Karen” videos. For those who are unfamiliar with Karen videos, they are videos of generally white, middle-aged women who are causing a big scene in public areas over what are often minor disturbances or inconveniences. This has become a viral trend on the internet, with some Karen compilation videos amassing millions of views. Youtube stars like Cody Ko have made Karen reaction videos that have also gained millions of views. The meaning of the term “Karen” has changed during the relatively brief time that it has been an Internet trend, however, so here are a few popular examples – that are also some of my personal favorites – to highlight the shifts in this comical online trend. 

This video of Susan Peirez, also known as some variation of “the airplane Karen,” from early 2018 is what introduced me to the Karen trend. Peirez, who was unhappy about sitting near a crying baby, was yelling and cursing at the mother of the child as well as a flight attendant. Not long before she was removed from the flight, Peirez told the flight attendant that “she may not have a job tomorrow.” Ironically, Peirez was the one without a job the next day. Her name and picture were removed from the New York State Council for the Arts website, which is where she previously worked. 

Threatening to get company employees fired has been a staple of the Karen moniker since the beginning, and videos like the one of Peirez have contributed to that. The phrase “I’d like to speak to your manager” has become the appointed motto of Karens for the same reason.

The next Karen video is titled Kidz Bop Karen, which signals a shift from Karens simply being rude to being a bit more unhinged. It is hard to fully explain what is going on because we do not get many details, but it sounds as though Karen – who I will refer to as such because her real name is not revealed unlike the last video – is upset at the passenger of a Lyft driver who almost hit her vehicle. She uses several expletives but claims that her children cannot hear her because they are listening to Kidz Bop, a group that edits and performs popular songs to make them kid-friendly. 

While it is hard to say whether this video was the catalyst for the shift in the original trend that made Karens seem more unstable and erratic, Kidz Bop Karen certainly contributed to it. She is seen throughout the video making strange faces at the camera and uses very exaggerated hand gestures. Behavior like this has been seen more recently in videos such as this, where the woman in question begins to dance like an inflatable tube man at a used-car sales lot. Because of videos like this, the term Karen has begun to mean more than just a rude and entitled middle-aged white woman. 

The evolution of the term Karen did not stop there, however. Calling someone by the name Karen can now be used to call out someone’s racist beliefs or actions. A popular example of this is Amy Cooper, also known as the Central Park Karen. The story goes that Christian Cooper, the man recording the video, was birdwatching and asked Amy Cooper to put her dog on a leash so it wouldn’t disturb the birds. Cooper, who is of no relation to the man recording, was not happy about this. This is all we know before the video starts, where Amy Cooper tells Christian that she is going to call the cops and “tell them there’s an African-American man threatening my life.”

Cooper trying to intimidate and threaten a black man by calling the police sparked outrage, especially due to the fact that this video went viral right around the same time as the murder of George Floyd. She was fired from her job and was charged with falsifying a report. Amy Cooper is not entirely alone, as many popular Karen videos, such as this one, show the women in question telling other people to “go back to their country.”

All of this has led to the term Karen evolving from a term used to make fun of rude, middle-aged white women to a term that is used as a stand-in for white entitlement and privilege. The term is continuing to grow in meaning as well. It is now used to target men, such as this article calling Donald Trump “The Karen in Chief,” which was the main problem I had previously had with the trend. There are plenty of men who act rude and entitled, so including them in the Karen trend is only fair.

Not only are many of these videos hilarious, but they have also shown that there are consequences for people who are rude, entitled and racist. If you are not familiar with Karen videos, I strongly suggest you watch some. You will not be disappointed.