Kendrick Lamar is back! Shortly after officially announcing his follow-up to 2017’s DAMN., Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, K. Dot has released a new song/video entitled “The Heart Part 5.”
The visual was directed by pgLang’s Dave Free and Lamar himself, showing the Compton rapper in front of a camera with a burgundy background, wearing a plain white tee and a black bandana performing the track. The impassioned performance gets elevated as the song progresses, with Lamar morphing into a select group of notable black men that have left their mark on the culture, for good or for worse. We get deepfake performances of OJ Simpson, Will Smith, Jussie Smollett, Kobe Bryant, Kanye West, and Nipsey Hussle, with their appearances aligning with key and relevant lyrics, from “Friends bipolar, grab you by your pockets” for Kanye to “In the land where hurt people hurt more people / Fuck callin’ it culture” for Will Smith.
The most impactful scenes were left for last, with bars that see Kendrick take the POV of someone like Nipsey, addressing his fans, loved ones, and even his killer, from the other side.
