Kendrick Lamar’s comments on Ferguson have people very upset, but is he telling the truth?

Kendrick Lamar’s comments on Ferguson have gotten some people slightly upset.

Why? In an interview with Billboard , Kendrick condemned the killing of Michael Brown, but said that the issues also start from within the community.

Kendrick Lamar’s comments

“I wish somebody would look in our neighborhood knowing that it’s already a situation, mentally, where it’s f—ked up. What happened to [Michael Brown] should’ve never happened. Never. But when we don’t have respect for ourselves, how do we expect them to respect us? It starts from within. Don’t start with just a rally, don’t start from looting — it starts from within.”

These comments have enraged many and sparked plenty of debate around what Kendrick meant.

Azealia Banks weighed in on Kendrick Lamar’s comments, saying it’s “The d-mbest sh*t I’ve ever heard a black man say.”

Banks also criticized Kendrick for saying this to a “white publication” and to “speak for your f–king self” during her series of tweets that are still ongoing at the moment.

But does Kendrick Lamar have a valid point? I’ve preached this to an extent before – that it starts within us, as a community. How can we change the circumstances around us, if we don’t fix the problems within us?

Read more of the interview on Billboard.