Kendrick Lamar

2022 - 5 - 9

The Heart Part 5 The Heart Part 5

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Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

Kendrick Lamar: The Heart Part 5 review – a heartstopping call for ... (The Guardian)

The rapper's flow is as charged and acute as ever as he lays out a manifesto of radical empathy.

“I want you,” Lamar says as the track’s final line, a statement of pure fraternal need. “You can’t help the world until you help yourself,” Lamar says as Hussle, and this is ultimately Lamar’s credo. Yet by rapping in the first person, Lamar blamed himself as much as anyone, and the track’s even fiercer invective was aimed at an apocalyptically racist US: “Your plan is to terminate my culture.” This is a key part of Lamar’s overall musical project: a sustained, fraught, fallible and passionate inquiry into the forces that tear down and build up Black America.

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Image courtesy of "Los Angeles Times"

Kendrick Lamar morphs into O.J., Kanye, Kobe in new video (Los Angeles Times)

'The Heart Part 5' is Lamar's first song as lead artist since 2018 and the first track from his upcoming album, 'Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers,' due Friday.

Little is known about “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers,” which will come five years after the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Damn” and four years after Lamar’s Oscar-nominated soundtrack for 2018’s “Black Panther” movie. Last week the rapper — who’s taken to using the name Oklama online — posted a picture of two CDs, one marked “Morale” and the other “Steppers,” which led to speculation that the new LP is a double album. The celebrated Compton rapper dropped a new song on Sunday, his first as a lead artist since 2018.

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Image courtesy of "PEOPLE.com"

Kendrick Lamar Morphs into Kanye West, Nipsey Hussle and More ... (PEOPLE.com)

Kendrick Lamar also transforms into the likes of other Black celebrities in the music video, including Kobe Bryant, O.J. Simpson, Jussie Smollett and Will ...

And always faith in the unknown," continued his letter to fans. "As I produce my final TDE album, I feel joy to have been a part of such a cultural imprint after 17 years. "There's beauty in completion. Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday? As I continue to pursue my life's calling." "All factual information for this release will come directly from this source only."

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Image courtesy of "CNN"

Kendrick Lamar's latest video features uncanny Kanye and Will ... (CNN)

Rapper Kendrick Lamar is causing a stir with the video for "The Heart Part 5," his first single in four years.

And my perspective may differ from yours." The words: "I am. Directed by Dave Free and Lamar himself, the video for "The Heart Part 5" starts simply enough.

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Image courtesy of "NME.com"

Kendrick Lamar's new song 'The Heart Part 5' is an emotive glimpse ... (NME.com)

When it comes to the art of masterful and vivid storytelling, no-one is slicker than the incredible rap juggernaut Kendrick Lamar. Throughout his rap tenure ...

Like the 44th president, Kendrick is an emotive speaker and ‘The Heart Part 5’ finds him trying to get his crime-riddled neighbourhood to change: “In the land where hurt people hurt more people / Fuck callin’ it culture”. Oklama seems to be the evolved version of Kenny from the aforementioned ‘TPAB’, where Kendrick’s critical eye helped him see where his community is flawed – on this single, though, Lamar speaks more plainly and there’s even greater empathy in his pen. On ‘The Heart Part 5’, this seems to be the best definition.

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Image courtesy of "HipHopDX"

Lupe Fiasco, Denzel Curry, Hit-Boy + More React To Kendrick ... (HipHopDX)

Twitter lit up on Sunday night (May 8) when Kendrick Lamar finally dropped new music from his forthcoming album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.

Gotta love hiphop culture man it covers all sides of our people. — charlton (@thekidlaroi)May 9, 2022 — Hit-Boy (@Hit_Boy)May 9, 2022

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Image courtesy of "Pitchfork"

Kendrick Lamar: “The Heart Part 5” (Pitchfork)

The latest installment in his long-running song series comes with a jarring video just ahead of his forthcoming album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.

“Part 5” is the second “Heart” entry to be paired with a video, and this time, the intrinsic link between song and visual is a double-edged sword. During the third verse, Lamar speaks from Nipsey’s perspective, positing what he might’ve thought at the moment he was shot and telling his family and his brother, Black Sam, that he’s watching over them. Twelve years later, his respect within the industry is unparalleled and he’s the first and so far only rapper ever to win a Pulitzer Prize. But gold can’t erase the bloodstains of the past, a fact that Lamar openly grapples with on his latest single “The Heart Part 5.”

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Image courtesy of "NBC News"

Kendrick Lamar uses deepfakes to morph into Ye, Will Smith in new ... (NBC News)

Kendrick Lamar's new music video, which dropped on Sunday, features the rapper morphing into the face of several public figures using deepfake technology.

“Damn” was also the first non-classical and non-jazz album to win the Pulitzer Prize for music in 2018. As Lamar begins the music video rapping by himself against a crimson backdrop, his face morphs into those of other Black men, including Ye, formerly Kanye West, Will Smith, Jussie Smollett and O.J. Simpson, as well as the late Kobe Bryant and Nipsey Hussle. The roughly 5-minute music video opens with a black title screen with a statement in white: “I am.

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Image courtesy of "NYLON"

What To Make Of Kendrick Lamar's Deepfakes? (NYLON)

No one gets the people talking like Kendrick Lamar. After a few years of being away, save for a brief emergence in 2021 for a song with cousin Baby Keem, ...

While that may seem like a cop out, it’s probably likely the closest to the truth: the deepfakes are a mix of tenuous connections and real statements Lamar intended to make. All of us,” suggesting it’s some sort of commentary on a topic that’s shared by and connects all the people mentioned in the video. As fans have begun dissecting “The Heart Part 5” online, the biggest question is trying to understand Lamar’s intention behind the deepfakes in the first place. In parts of the song, Lamar appears to embody each of the men he morphs into, creating a dense and complicated audio-visual narrative that exemplifies the sort of complex storytelling the rapper is known for. “Desensitized, I vandalized pain/ Covered up and camouflaged/ Get used to hearin' arsenal rain,” he raps, topics he’s touched on throughout his career. If you’ve missed the hubub, the rapper experiments with deepfake technology in its music video, morphing his face into that of O. J. Simpson, Kanye, Jussie Smollett, Will Smith, Nipsey Hussle, and Kobe Bryant over the course of its nearly 6-minute runtime.

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Image courtesy of "IndieWire"

Kendrick Lamar's Deepfake 'The Heart Part 5' Launches Partnership ... (IndieWire)

Kendrick Lamar previously announced a partnership with "South Park" creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker for a Paramount film.

Meanwhile, Stone and Parker have won five Emmys and kick off the 25th season of “South Park” this year. Lamar previously landed an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song “All the Stars” with SZA for 2018’s “Black Panther,” which the “HUMBLE.” artist also produced the soundtrack for. The first Deep Voodoo special titled “Sassy Justice” debuted in 2020, capturing a mock TV investigative report on deepfakes.

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Image courtesy of "Variety"

Kendrick Lamar's 'The Heart Part 5' Video Kicks Off Partnership With ... (Variety)

Kendrick Lamar's deep-faked 'The Heart Part 5' video is the first project from his partnership with 'South Park's Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

Stone and Parker are best known as the five-time Emmy-winning creatives behind “South Park,” which is set to air its 25th season in 2022. Production on the feature currently is in development. It’s a perfect medium for us.”

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Image courtesy of "Surface Magazine"

Kendrick Lamar Embraces Deepfakes, and Other News – SURFACE (Surface Magazine)

In the emotionally rousing new video for “The Heart Part 5,” Kendrick Lamar uses deepfakes to assume the identities of his peers.

On Thursday, SF Gate published an absolutely harrowing article about how these brands have capitalized on Gen Z. The stats are damning: 43 percent of Gen Z users have missed at least one payment, according to a survey by the polling site Piplsay.” —[H/T Input] Design Holding will now add Designers Company’s brands, which include furniture companies Menu, By Lassen and Brdr Petersen as well as The Audo hotel, to its portfolio.” —[H/T Dezeen] The hotel was built at the end of the 19th century. The 20,000 capacity venue draws upon Bavarian heritage through a support structure that pays homage to the lozenge shape used in the Bavarian state flag.” —[H/T ArchDaily] Previous studies have found meat alternatives have lower environmental footprints but this latest analysis is the first to assess what impact that could have in the world.” —[H/T The Guardian] Think of it as your cheat sheet for the day in design delivered to your inbox before you’ve had your coffee.

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Image courtesy of "It's Nice That"

How the creators of South Park turned Kendrick Lamar into a ... (It's Nice That)

Masterminded by Lamar and Dave Free, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and PgLang / Project3, the work stretches across the industry to ...

They put together Deep Voodoo for the project, a studio which consists of around 20 deepfake artists and technicians. As discussed in an interview with Dave Itzkoff in The New York Times, while the creators did not immediately identify themselves, Deep Voodoo is the handiwork of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park. In the interview, the collaborators explain that they began working with the technology for Sassy Justice because “everyone was so afraid of deepfakes”, but also to explore its potential as an art form. When Kendrick Lamar’s new music video for The Heart Part 5 landed online yesterday, Kanye West’s Famous sprung to mind – a music video that shares the same fake celebrity intrigue and potential zeitgeist-shaping power.

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Image courtesy of "The Standard"

Kendrick Lamar thrills fans with new video, morphs into famous ... (The Standard)

Celebrated American rapper Kendrick Lamar has released the new song The Heart Part 5 alongside its video, where he stuns fans by morphing into iconic ...

The video already has 12 million views in a span of just 24 hours. “Notice how Kendrick Lamar is placed slightly on the left of the video (similar to where The Heart is located in the human body) and his constant bounce representing The Heart beat. The release of the track has sent devoted fans into a frenzy, with The Heart Part 5 quickly trending on Twitter and Instagram. “The densely lyrical track goes on to ponder gang violence, mental health, religion and the murder of Nipsey Hussle, who was shot to death in 2019 outside his clothing store in South Los Angeles.” The track has been reviewed by The Guardian as a “heartstopping call for uplifted humanity”. The magazine reports that Lamar’s style of music is a form of social justice where he has been known to comment on controversial matters. “This is a key part of Lamar’s overall musical project: a sustained, fraught, fallible and passionate inquiry into the forces that tear down and build up Black America.”

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Image courtesy of "Complex"

Breaking Down the Symbolism and Meaning in Kendrick Lamar's ... (Complex)

Kendrick Lamar dropped a new song and music video “The Heart Part 5” and there's a lot to unpack. Here's a breakdown of the symbolism and deeper meaning.

The sound: The production on “The Heart Part 5” (especially in the second half of the song) has stripped-back moments, invoking the feeling of a spoken word message at an open mic night. “The culture” lies at the crux of all of these portrayals, as Kendrick conveys these influential (and polarizing) Black figures who are all a part of the same whole. The gloved hand on the right is taken from the infamous picture of O.J. Simpson in his 1995 murder trial, and the hand with a band-aid on it is Kobe’s after he won his fifth championship. But at the end of the second verse of “Part 5,” Kendrick asks us to think deeper about what we accept and embrace: “Fuck callin’ it culture.” Call it for what it is: murder, or treachery, or consequences of white supremacy. All of us”) that’s signed with the name “Oklama.” Kendrick has used the same alias to sign both of his recent letters about leaving TDE and dropping a new album, and it’s also the name of his new website. All of us”) by rapping for “niggas goin’ to work and sellin’ work, late for work / workin’ late, prayin’ for work, but he on paperwork.” Kendrick’s verse demonstrates that there’s no glamor in the gang lifestyle, and glory can be as fleeting as the solitary moment that someone snapped of you for a photo that ends up as your R.I.P. shirt. “The Heart” series: This is the fifth installment of Kendrick’s “The Heart” series. “The Heart Part 2” served as the opening track on Overly Dedicated. “The Heart Part 3” was recorded three days before the arrival of good kid, m.A.A.d city (and released just a day after he made it). And “The Heart Part 4” dropped three weeks before DAMN, helping to announce the impending project. A transitional era: “The Heart Part 5” arrives at a pivotal moment for Kendrick. He’s about to drop his final album while under contract with longtime label Top Dawg Entertainment, and he’s already transitioning to his new venture: pgLang. “Part 5” was released by TDE, but Kendrick also tapped pgLang to help execute the video. (Based on the themes in “The Heart Part 5,” it seems he’s focused on the ideas of “perspective” and “the culture” right now.) Here’s a detailed analysis of Kendrick Lamar’s new song and video “The Heart Part 5.” Kendrick’s new song “The Heart Part 5” gives us a lot of new material to dissect.

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Image courtesy of "The Root"

Kendrick Lamar Drops New Song 'The Heart Part 5,' Becomes OJ ... (The Root)

A week before his new album is set to release, Lamar dropped a song to excite rap fans.

But thanks to the Twitter detectives, they seem to be the hands of the people he morphs into during the music video. To my father, to my wife, I am serious, this is Heaven.” Should I feel regret about the good that I was into?” Fellow The Root staff writer Murjani Rawls tweeted, “Marvin’s estate is like the All-Madden difficulty of clearances.” As the title of the track suggests, Lamar is spewing his emotions throughout the entire track, giving us a perspective on what he feels about the “culture” and other thoughts that have been on the rapper’s mind during his musical hiatus. The weekend before Lamar’s fifth studio album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is set to drop, the rapper surprisingly released a new song and video for the “Heart Part 5,” the fifth installment in his “The Heart” series to whet the appetite of hip-hop fans.

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Image courtesy of "WUNC"

Kendrick Lamar, 'The Heart Part 5' (WUNC)

Each release in the "Heart" song series has signaled both an imminent new project and a new artistic beginning for Lamar.

Kendrick Lamar has, at last, announced his next album (and last for TDE records), Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, via the minimal website Oklama and the release of a powerful new track: "The Heart Part 5." Kendrick conveys this complexity in a minimalist video featuring only a single shot held on Lamar, his face intermittently deepfaked into O.J. Simpson, Will Smith, Kanye West, Jussie Smollet, Kobe Bryant and Nipsey Hussle. Enveloped in a sample of the sultry "I Want You" by Marvin Gaye, "The Heart Part 5" addresses relationships – between Lamar and his fans, between the cultures, between a Black person and this country.

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Image courtesy of "HipHopDX"

Joe Budden Explains Why He's 'So Fucking Jealous' Of Kendrick ... (HipHopDX)

The buzz surrounding the impending arrival of Kendrick Lamar's forthcoming project Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is palpable all over social media.

We don’t know what mood he’s in. We don’t know how he’s on.” We don’t know what he’s talking about.

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Image courtesy of "NPR"

Kendrick Lamar, 'The Heart Part 5' (NPR)

Kendrick Lamar has, at last, announced his next album (and last for TDE records), Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, via the minimal website Oklama and the ...

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Image courtesy of "NME.com"

Kendrick Lamar's new music video kicks off partnership with 'South ... (NME.com)

Kendrick Lamar's new music video for 'The Heart Part 5' suggests a partnership with 'South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

Until now,” Parker and Stone said in a joint statement. The show is set to “celebrate 25 years of the music of South Park” with Parker and Stone also due to be in attendance on the night. The deep fake was brought to life by Deep Voodoo, Parker and Stone’s studio specialising in the technology, according to Variety.

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Image courtesy of "KNPR"

Kendrick Lamar, 'The Heart Part 5' (KNPR)

Each release in the "Heart" song series has signaled both an imminent new project and a new artistic beginning for Lamar. Here, Lamar illustrates how he has ...

Kendrick Lamar has, at last, announced his next album (and last for TDE records), Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, via the minimal website Oklama and the release of a powerful new track: "The Heart Part 5." Kendrick conveys this complexity in a minimalist video featuring only a single shot held on Lamar, his face intermittently deepfaked into O.J. Simpson, Will Smith, Kanye West, Jussie Smollet, Kobe Bryant and Nipsey Hussle. Enveloped in a sample of the sultry "I Want You" by Marvin Gaye, "The Heart Part 5" addresses relationships – between Lamar and his fans, between the cultures, between a Black person and this country.

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Image courtesy of "NPR"

Kendrick Lamar returns, 5 years later and a world away (NPR)

The Pulitzer-winning rapper has returned with his first solo release since 2017's DAMN.

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Image courtesy of "Consequence"

Kendrick Lamar's 10 Best Songs (Consequence)

There are a handful of artists who can take five years off and stop the world when they announce their next project. Kendrick Lamar is one of those chosen ...

Its infectious, cool beat underlays the sharp edges of his words, intertwining with the narrative of 2012’s good kid, m.A.A.d city and ending with a powerful chant of new beginnings. In the meantime, enjoy, and scroll to the end for a playlist of all 10 tracks. Before looking to the future, we figured it was appropriate to go back in time for a bit.

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Image courtesy of "YR Media"

Kendrick Lamar Returns with 'The Heart Part 5' - YR Media (YR Media)

The video features a deep fake Jussie Smollett, Will Smith and more.

The video starts with a quote by his new stage name Oklama, “I am. Fans began to speculate the upcoming album, “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers,” will be a double album release after Oklama posted a photo on his website with two different CDs titled “Morale” and “Steppers,” respectively. All my fans, all my beautiful fans, anyone who’s ever gave me a lesson.

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