Hey, everyone, welcome to my new show, where I share my thoughts and break down the latest and music and culture. So, as always, let's get into it. It has been a long five years since Kendrick Lamar released a solo project, his last being the political winning album Damn! After teasing new music back in August and announcing his long awaited album, Mr Morale and the Big Step is in April Kendrick, with his first lead single on Sunday night and visuals to accompany it. The Hard Part five is a continuation of the rapper's iconic The Heart Series, which he started in 2000 and 10. The ongoing series has been a staple and Kendrick discography and always coincide with the release of an album from the rapper. The video opens with Kendrick Lamar standing in front of Dark Backdrop, in which he raps about institutionalized racism and references his childhood in California. But as the video continues, Kendrick face most intercultural figures, some more controversial than others using deep fake technology. Among them include O. J. Simpson, Kanye, just Smaller, Will Smith, Kobe Bryant and The Hustle. The lyrics align with the person he's resembling, so the words in the land where people hurt more people occur when transforms into Will Smith, a reference of this year's Oscars when will publically slap Chris Rock after he made a harsh joke about Jane Smith. Meanwhile, the last verse pays homage to Nipsey, in which he dropped the perspective of the rapper for both words and mannerisms. In the video. These visual elements and use of storytelling are typical Kendrick, and if this is just off the back of one song, there's no telling what to expect from the entire album.
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