Connecticut Town Reaches Settlement in Kendrick Lamar Video Suit

June 6, 2024 370 37 5

A Connecticut town has reportedly agreed to pay a $100,000 lawsuit settlement after being sued due to a teacher showing students Kendrick Lamar‘s “Alright” video.

Vernon, Conn. Settles Lawsuit Over Rap Video

On Wednesday (June 5), the Connecticut news outlet New Haven Register reported that an amicable conclusion has been reached in the 2022 lawsuit filed by the parents of a Vernon Center Middle School Student. The suit claims an unnamed eighth-grade social studies teacher showed students the documentary Hip Hop: Songs That Shook America in 2020, which features the visual for K-Dot’s Grammy-winning hit.

The suit alleges, “the video depicted officers as murderers and contained other shockingly violent scenes and controversial statements about police officers.”

The lyrics to the song feature the line, “And we hate po-po/Want to kill us dead in the streets for sure.” Toward the end of the visual, a man dressed as a cop points a finger gun at the rapper and shoots him off a light pole.

The student at the center of the lawsuit, the son of a police officer who suffers from a diagnosed learning disorder, reportedly suffered from emotional and psychological injuries and distress due to seeing the video, which included “post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, shock, confusion, sadness, feeling unsafe and social withdrawal.” As a result, his parents were forced to pay tuition costs to relocate him to another school.

Vernon Town Council members unanimously voted to approve the settlement on Tuesday (June 5).

Superintendent Joseph Macary noted of the decision, “We always do what’s in the best interest of students, and each student is different so each decision is different, but it’s always what’s best for the kids.”

“Alright” Named Best Hip-Hop Song of the Streaming Era by Spotify

“Alright” was the fourth single on Kendrick Lamar’s 2015 To Pimp a Butterfly album. The Pharrell-produced record, which is generally looked at as an inspirational track, won two Grammy Awards for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance in 2016. Last month, Spotify named the track the greatest hip-hop song of the streaming era.