Kendrick Lamar’s “Auntie Diaries” Lyrics Meaning

Kendrick Lamar’s “Auntie Diaries” is intrinsically a deep song, because it deals with what in actuality has been a controversial topic since time immemorial, that being homosexuality. Of course as far as said act is concerned, it’s safe to say that we are living in a time when it’s more accepted than its ever been. In places like the United States, homosexuality has become so mainstream that it’s virtually impossible not to be personally affected by it.

And so it is for instance with some of K-Dot’s uncles. They are upset because one of their siblings has decided to go through a gender transition. It is not specified if Kendrick’s aunt actually did surgery or anything permanently-altering in that respect. But more to the point, she has decided to live as a man. And as implied in the second verse, this is the way auntie has been even since Kendrick was a child.

As for Lamar himself, he doesn’t seem to have any problem with it. It can be said that since Kendrick’s aunt has always been this way throughout most of life, he’s grown used to it. You know, he likes his aunt/uncle regardless. And the way he sees it, the reason why his uncles are hatin’ is because said aunt, now being a man, is actually able to attract more women than they are.

Demetrius transitions into “Mary-Ann”

But going back to how homosexuality has been viewed throughout history, it’s more palatable, if you will, to accept a woman who ‘eats p–sy’ (as K-Dot puts it) than it is for a man who sleeps with other men. So in the third verse, with the focus now being on cousin Demetrius who has transitioned into “Mary-Ann”, now the entire family is “in disbelief”. But part of the reason is because they never knew that he was gay. But K-Dot was able to pick up on the signs. So whereas under normal circumstances in his youth he may have been compelled to chastise homosexuals as is the established norm, with Demetrius around he knew to hold his tongue.

Indeed as implied in the fourth verse, even prior to the days of Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner, Demetrius actually underwent a surgical gender-reassignment. And since then, as expected we may say, his relationship with Kendrick has changed.

However, to reiterate, this is someone Lamar has known his entire life, way before he came out of the closet. And he remembered how, due to his gay ways, the church looked down on his cousin.

But the way Dot sees it is that Demetrius was actually more pious than the straight dudes, even himself. So it’s as if the vocalist saying something like the church’s priorities are warped, i.e. focusing more on the exterior of a person than his interior. Or it can be said that in the very least, based on Kendrick’s own understanding of the Bible and Christianity, the church itself did not respond in a Christ-like fashion to Demetrius – nor Lamar, being his cousin – as a result of this matter.

Family Finally Embraces Them

In the here and now, it’s like the fam is chillin’. The implication is that maybe even the uncles mentioned earlier have come to accept their homosexual relatives. In fact things became so relaxed that for a time, Kendrick got to freely using the word “fa-got” in front of Demetrius. But his cousin checked him on this. In doing so, Demetrius reminded K-Dot of the time he publicly corrected a non-Black fan for using the N-word. And in his cousin making that comparison, Lamar did come to respect the overall power of colloquialisms that make be acceptable in some circles but offensive in others.

The Genius of “Auntie Diaries”

“Auntie Diaries”, understandably, has generated a lot of headlines. This has to be the first song ever where a rapper actually deals with the topic of homosexuality throughout. That’s the talent lyricists like Kendrick Lamar possess when compared to other hip-hop songwriters. He not has the ability to stick to a single topic but also subjects that not every other rapper is harping on.

But as far as the thesis sentiment goes, calling this song a support or advocacy of homosexuality may be bit of a stretch. Yes, Kendrick did accept the transition Demetrius went through, but it ain’t like he actually encouraged it. Actual points being made, reading in between the lines, is that under normal circumstances, K-Dot may not be too keen on entertaining homosexuals, especially gay men. But through experience, he knows that the power of love is even greater than that of discrimination. 

In other words, having a couple of relatives who are part of the LGBT community has shown the vocalist that he’s not the type to take a prejudiced stance as far as to actually ostracize a loved one. And the further implication, considering how the family has also eventually accepted these individuals, is that such a non-judgmental attitude, particularly when it comes to people you know and have a bond with, is more or less human nature, i.e. it being difficult to hate on a love one for long.

Credits for “Auntie Diaries”

Even though the presumption would be that Kendrick Lamar wrote this song by and large himself, officially he had a lot of help along the way. His co-writers are:

• Bēkon
• Caloway
• Craig Balmoris
• Jake the Snake
• Johnny Kosich
• Matt Schaeffer
• Rappy
• Homer Steinweiss
• Daniel Krieger

To note, Balmoris, Bēkon, Rappy and Caloway also produced the track. So did Kosich and Schaeffer (collectively known as Beach Noise) and Bēkon alongside his crew, The Donuts.

When was “Auntie Diaries” released?

“Auntie Diaries” is the second track on the playlist of “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers”, K-Dot’s fifth studio album. The album came out on 13 May 2022. It was backed by the combined efforts of BMG, Interscope, Aftermath and Top Dawg. And this project marks the end of an era, i.e. being Kendrick’s last under Top Dawg Entertainment.