Kendrick Lamar is back. It's been five long years since we last saw our hero— but he's here to save the day—and our collective faith in hip-hop— with his new song "The Heart Part 5." The song (from the forthcoming album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers) finds the rapper in deep thought about street culture, incarceration and death. “As I get a little older, I realize life is perspective,” he says in the intro. There's layers here. Each listen invites something more to unpack. It's empathetic and eerily prophetic, especially given the high-profile and unexpected arrests of rap superstars Young Thug and Gunna just days later.
The track is the fifth installment of "The Heart", a series that has followed the rapper throughout his discography. The jarring, funky beat features a sample of Marvin Gaye's "I Want You." We know the Gaye estate doesn't play with their catalog and clearances, so this is a feat in and of itself.
The music video for "The Heart Part 5" is nothing short of a mindfuck. This is the first video that I've literally watched (and rewatched) in a long time. Kendrick, using deepfake technology, morphs into controversial stars like Kanye West, Will Smith, O.J. Simpson and Kobe Bryant. It's symbolic. There's a thin line between hero and villain in the world of celebrity and each of these men has experienced both sides of fame. Kendrick might be the beloved, Pulitzer Prize-winning hip-hop artist right now, but that can change. Love turns to hate so easily. He's them and they're him.
In the final verse, he transforms into Nipsey Hussle, a fellow Los Angeles rapper who was murdered in 2019 and became a cult hero, and raps from the perspective of his fallen friend:
And to the killer that sped up my demise
I forgive you, just know your soul's in question
I seen the pain in your pupil when that trigger had squeezed
And though you did me gruesome, I was surely relieved
I completed my mission, wasn't ready to leave
But fulfilled my days, my Creator was pleased
Kendrick Lamar is a generational artist. In an era where hip-hop is a crowded landscape of one-track wonders, antics to game the streaming algorithm, and mercenaries chasing clout, it's refreshing to hear art. From an artist who is meticulous and discerning . He hides in the shadows, and then POW! decides to announce a surprise release. Instead of spending millions on splashy marketing or the latest social media craze, he posts to his Oklama website, which looks like it runs on MS-DOS. Never change, K. Dot.
Every visual, every move, is intentional.
King Kendrick and his family/Twitter
And the music industry is turned into chaos. I wonder how other artists feel when they heard the new Kendrick? According to insider estimates, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers is expected to sell nearly 500,000 units in its first week, which would make it 2022's biggest debut. Between you, me and the wall, I've heard more than one rapper change their release date, just so they wouldn't have to compete.
Now that's power.
Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers drops May 13. Clear your schedule.
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