{"id":13235,"date":"2022-05-11T09:51:19","date_gmt":"2022-05-11T01:51:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/?p=13235"},"modified":"2022-08-08T17:09:55","modified_gmt":"2022-08-08T09:09:55","slug":"kendrick-lamar-the-heart-part-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/2022\/05\/11\/kendrick-lamar-the-heart-part-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Hope amidst oppression: A deep look into Kendrick Lamar&#8217;s &#8220;The Heart Part 5&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><b>By Anton Karve<\/b><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Quick Look:<\/b><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"#0\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Song<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"#1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our Thoughts<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"#2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our Review<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>[DISCLAIMER] The views presented below are one view on what Kendrick&#8217;s new song, &#8220;The Heart Part 5&#8221; is about. If you see\u00a0things differently, drop a comment about your views! Part of the beauty of art lies in the ensuing discussion amongst the beholders.<\/p>\n<p>On 8 May 2022, Kendrick Lamar dropped \u201cThe Heart Part 5\u201d, and the hip-hop world snapped to attention. This was the Grammy and Pulitzer-prize winning rapper\u2019s first single since his critically-acclaimed 2017 studio album \u201cDAMN.\u201d, and a new addition to Kendrick\u2019s \u201cThe Heart\u201d series always contains hints about his upcoming projects.<\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uAPUkgeiFVY?start=164\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/center>Kendrick utilises his \u201cThe Heart\u201d series to ponder his thoughts on the current circumstances surrounding himself, his community, and even the world.\u00a0&#8220;Part 5&#8221; is no different, exploring deep and prominent themes while repeatedly switching up rhyme schemes, flows, and most notably, faces. Partly through the music video, Kendrick Lamar begins to use deepfake technology to morph into various famous (and infamous) black celebrities, such as Kanye West, Will Smith, Kobe Bryant, Nispey Hussle,\u00a0Jussie Smollett and O.J. Simpson. The song&#8217;s message and means have raised many questions among fans, but most of all it raised the hype for Kendrick&#8217;s upcoming album, &#8220;<em>Mr. Morale &amp; The Big Steppers<\/em>&#8220;,\u00a0which releases\u00a013 May, 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s what fans have been saying on Twitter:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"qme\" dir=\"ltr\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TFMJRRF4r8\">pic.twitter.com\/TFMJRRF4r8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; DIO @ Offkai (@DoomSteve) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DoomSteve\/status\/1523458786345725953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 9, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">When Kendrick Lamar turned into Nip and Kobe <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0yGZcdjMXE\">pic.twitter.com\/0yGZcdjMXE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Chris (@__chris22__) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/__chris22__\/status\/1523457528750780416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 9, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/KingMosesDaGod\/status\/1523458869456158720?s=20&#038;t=5oiWkXlaoHZw550dkmFDaQ<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">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. ART. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/nlLNejWZZ5\">pic.twitter.com\/nlLNejWZZ5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Joey2.0 (@joeysnice) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/joeysnice\/status\/1523557518970015745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 9, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Kendrick Lamar came back after a 5 year hiatus continuing his The Heart series for his fans and making it over 5 minutes long without a moment wasted. The perfect rapper, idc.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Dedee ? (@thoughtfulbae) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/thoughtfulbae\/status\/1523477898724003841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 9, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;I am all of us&quot; &#8211; oklama Kendrick Lamar <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jILyRWIdl5\">pic.twitter.com\/jILyRWIdl5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Hiiipower &#8211; TDE News (@hiiipowers) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hiiipowers\/status\/1523657620825194496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 9, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Kendrick Lamar on the 3rd verse when he turn into Nipsey Hussle: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/CwdZzUBNA9\">pic.twitter.com\/CwdZzUBNA9<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Man Of The Year (@ManOfTheYear808) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ManOfTheYear808\/status\/1523537396675104768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 9, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"0\"><b>The Song<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The music video of \u201cThe Heart Part 5\u201d begins with an ambiguous and unexplained quote,<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 644px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/uAPUkgeiFVY\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2022\/05\/09\/07\/57576935-0-image-a-111_1652078689282.jpg\" alt=\"Kendrick Lamar The Heart Part 5 Music Video\" width=\"634\" height=\"423\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;I am. All of us.&#8221; the opening quote from Kendrick Lamar&#8217;s &#8220;The Heart Part 5&#8221; music video. Image &#8211; Kendrick Lamar\/Youtube.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kendrick then cuts onto the screen, wearing a simple white shirt in front of a dark maroon background. He stares into the distance with a solemn, even pained expression upon his face, crossing his arms and clutching his shirt sleeves. A groovy backing track plays, featuring samples from Marvin Gaye\u2019s sensual \u201cI Want You\u201d. A few bars later, Kendrick starts to speak:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;As I get a little older, I realize life is perspective<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And my perspective may differ from yours&#8221;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kendrick Lamar has been known to rap from the perspectives of different characters and alter-egos, and there are many examples of this. His 2012 studio album, \u201c<em>good kid, M.A.A.D city<\/em>\u201d features his \u2018good kid\u2019 persona, drifting through states of hopelessness, delirium, pain and rage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/10yrPDf92hY?start=175\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2015, Kendrick appears to rap through his own personal perspective on \u201c<em>To Pimp A Butterfly<\/em>\u201d, delivering suave, confident bars over a variety of jazz and funk instrumentals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_ZTYgq4EoRo?start=49\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though it isn\u2019t officially stated, it can be inferred from the above two quotes that Kendrick will likely be looking through the lens of a new character, \u201cOklama\u201d, in \u201c<em>The Heart Part 5<\/em>\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;I come from a generation of pain, where murder is minor\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rebellious and Margielas&#8217;ll chip you for designer\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Belt buckles and clout, overzealous if prone to violence\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make the wrong turn, be it will or the wheel alignment<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Desensitized, I vandalized pain, covered up and camouflaged\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Get used to hearin&#8217; arsenal rain&#8221;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Through Oklama, Kendrick focuses heavily on issues such as cycles of violence, mass incarceration and institutionalised racism against black and brown minorities. Most of all, he laments on the gradual demonisation of \u201c<em>the culture<\/em>\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Homies done f***ed your baby mama once you hit the yard, <\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">that&#8217;s culture<\/span>\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Twenty-three hour lockdown, then somebody called\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Said your lil&#8217; nephew was shot down, <\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">the culture&#8217;s<\/span> involved\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I done seen n****s do seventeen, hit the halfway house<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That&#8217;s <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">the culture<\/span><\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, point the finger, promote ya\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remote location, witness protection, they gon&#8217; hold ya<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But <\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that&#8217;s <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">the culture<\/span><\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, crack a bottle\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hard to deal with the pain when you&#8217;re sober<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the land where no equal is your equal\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Never say I ain&#8217;t told ya, nah\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the land where hurt people hurt more people\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">F*** callin&#8217; it culture&#8221;<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the line \u201c<em>F*** callin\u2019 it culture<\/em>\u201d, Kendrick (and\/or Oklama) condemns the depiction of African-American culture as violent, vice-ridden and powerless to change their own circumstances.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Get out and get his brains blown out, lookin&#8217; to buy some weed\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Car wash is played out, <\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">new GoFundMe accounts&#8217;ll proceed<\/span>\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A brand-new victim&#8217;ll shatter those dreams<\/span><\/i><\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the culture&#8221;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He signals at the necessity for oppressed communities to rise beyond their predicament and break the self-perpetuating cycle themselves, rather than relying on external parties such as government authorities or sympathetic donors to do so.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Besides \u201cOklama\u201d, a character with fading hope that black and brown communities will overcome the shackles of \u201c<em>the culture<\/em>\u201d, Kendrick also raps from the perspective of several infamous celebrities. With a bodily jerk, he swipes his hands down his face and viewers are hit with a shock. Nothing else has changed, except viewers are now looking at the face of O.J. Simpson, uncannily superimposed onto Kendrick using deepfake technology.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uAPUkgeiFVY?start=103\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another jerk, and we now see deepfake Kanye West spitting lyrics that reference Ye\u2019s bipolar disorder diagnosis. He also references issues about friends that take advantage of one\u2019s deteriorating mental state for selfish personal gain.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Friends bipolar, grab you by your pockets\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No option if you froze up, always play the offense&#8221;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uAPUkgeiFVY?start=112\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kendrick then transforms into Jussie Smollett, and raps about the hypocrisy of people that publicly condemn incidents where black people were killed, yet participate in black-on-black violence themselves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;History repeats again\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make amends, then find a n**** with the same skin to do it&#8221;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uAPUkgeiFVY?start=128\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This line drips with irony, as Smollett infamously fabricated a racist and homophobic hate crime against himself in 2019 using two hired Nigerian men. Smollett did this with the purpose of framing and condemning Trump MAGA supporters, but Kendrick makes the point that regardless of the outcome, hypocritical acts only serve to delegitimize and downplay the importance of the real issues minorities face.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uAPUkgeiFVY?start=164\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Dehumanized<\/span><\/i><\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, insensitive\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scrutinize<\/span><\/i><\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the way we live for you and I&#8221;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This line is delivered using the face of Will Smith, who experienced emotional turmoil in the past few years as his personal relationship issues were pulled to the surface and continuously <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">scrutinised<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by the public.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;In the land where <\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">hurt people hurt more people<\/span>\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fuck callin&#8217; it culture&#8221;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">scrutinization<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">dehumanisation<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> came to a climax when Smith walked up on stage and slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony (\u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hurt people hurt more people<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d).<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 2250px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/arts-entertainment\/2022\/03\/27\/will-smith-slaps-chris-rock-oscars\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/2I5JKRVOJUI6ZHN5BVDATVCMDQ.jpg\" alt=\"Will Smith Slaps Chris Brown Oscars\" width=\"2240\" height=\"1520\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Will Smith slaps Chris Brown at the 2022 Academy Awards Ceremony. Image &#8211; The Washington Post.<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Take the drums out&#8221;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The final forms Kendrick takes as he raps over a stripped-down beat are Kobe Bryant and Nipsey Hussle, two iconic black celebrities and philanthropists that were known to have extended strong and consistent effort to uplift their communities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 1510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/uAPUkgeiFVY\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/imagesvc.meredithcorp.io\/v3\/mm\/image?q=60&amp;c=sc&amp;poi=face&amp;w=1500&amp;h=1000&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2022%2F05%2F09%2Fkendrick-lamar-2.jpg\" alt=\"Kendrick Lamar Nispey Hussle Kobe Bryant Deepfake The Heart Part 5\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kendrick Lamar (centre) deepfakes as the late Nipsey Hussle (left) and Kobe Bryant (right). Image &#8211; Kendrick Lamar\/Youtube<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Sacrifice personal gain over everything\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just to see the next generation better than ours&#8221;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nipsey Hussle was murdered in 2019 outside the store he built for his community, while Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash on the way to a NBA game in 2020.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Should I feel resentful I didn&#8217;t see my full potential?\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Should I feel regret about the good that I was into?\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Everything is everything, this ain&#8217;t coincidental\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I woke up that morning with more heart to give you\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As I bleed through the speakers, feel my presence&#8221;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In a heartbreaking turn, Kendrick raps the last section of the verse from the perspective of Nipsey Hussle, addressing his murderer as well as the family, friends and community he left behind.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;And to the killer that sped up my demise\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I forgive you, just know your soul&#8217;s in question\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I seen the pain in your pupil when that trigger had squeezed\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And though you did me gruesome, I was surely relieved<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And Sam, I&#8217;ll be watchin&#8217; over you\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure my kids watch all my interviews\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure you live all the dreams we produce\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep that genius in your brain on the move\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And to my neighborhood, let the good prevail\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure them babies and them leaders outta jail&#8221;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though a risky and controversial choice to speak through the perspective of the dead, Kendrick does display respect towards Hussle\u2019s legacy. From a personal perspective, Kendrick (and\/or Oklama) accepts that those who partake in black-on-black violence carry their own pains that led them to this point. In this, he takes a \u2018forgive, not forget\u2019 standpoint. He expresses hope that despite the passing of such iconic black leaders, there is still potential for change.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Look for salvation when troubles get real\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8216;Cause you can&#8217;t help the world until you help yourself\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And I can&#8217;t blame the hood the day that I was killed\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Y&#8217;all had to see it, that&#8217;s the only way to feel\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And though my physical won&#8217;t reap the benefits\/<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The energy that carry on emits still&#8221;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2 id=\"1\"><b>Our Thoughts<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is an individual responsible for the state of their larger group, or is the group responsible for the state of the individual? <\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is a layered question, exploring the relationship between individuals and their communities, as well as that between communities and the larger societies they are part of.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kendrick clearly believes in the former, that individual communities must prioritise uplifting themselves rather than relying on external support of the larger society. Similarly, Kendrick takes a stance that the individual must first stay true to their values and morals before relying on neighbours to influence their decisions.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are we products of our environment, or is it really the opposite? <\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There\u2019s an argument for each side. After all, can we really expect oppressed minorities, chained down by a system that seeks to dehumanise and destroy their culture, to break the cycle of oppression themselves? During \u201cThe Heart Part 5\u201d and throughout his discography, Kendrick Lamar has constantly reinforced his belief that <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">they can<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though I have not experienced the overbearing oppression black and brown minorities face in the US, as a member of a minority in my home country I can understand and agree with Kendrick\u2019s sentiments. A change in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">perspective <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">can only truly take place once the individual takes on personal accountability to ensure the change. The only one that can create the ideal circumstances for positive change is the individual themselves. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I believe we\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> products of our environment,\u00a0but our future actions need not be bound by past traumas. In the end, the most important assets to have when facing impossible circumstances are hope for a better future, and the courage to actively move towards that future ourselves.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"2\"><b>Our Review<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like the majority of his creative projects, Kendrick puts a vast amount of effort into the densely-packed \u201c<em>The Heart Part 5<\/em>\u201d. It is a song and music video absolutely dripping with symbolism, contextual meaning and emotion. Clever rhyme schemes and flow changes are expected for a Kendrick song, yet each new track he produces still feels unique and colourful. The funky, arousing Marvin Gaye-sampled beat contrasts the solemn, gut-punching lyrics, strongly increasing their effect but still making your head bounce to the rhythm.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The music video shocks viewers with the sudden deepfakes. They might initially seem like a cheap shot at the audience, but the meaning behind the different faces quickly becomes clear. All the faces shown belong to public figures that perpetuated society\u2019s view of \u201c<em>the culture<\/em>\u201d in some way, shape or form. <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The artwork for <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kendricklamar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@KendrickLamar<\/a>&#39;s &#39;The Heart Pt. 5&#39; has some meaning behind it. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qP8nrxc1eX\">pic.twitter.com\/qP8nrxc1eX<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; HipHop-N-More (@HipHopNMore) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HipHopNMore\/status\/1523495651212165122?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 9, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deepfaking the late Kobe Bryant and Nipsey Hussle, and rapping from Hussle\u2019s perspective could almost be seen as being done in bad taste, but given the context and meaning behind the song and video, it\u2019s generally clear that Kendrick did so from a point of respect, not shock value.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Altogether, for a song and video that were meant to deliver Kendrick\u2019s inner thoughts and generate hype for his upcoming album, \u201c<em>The Heart Part 5<\/em>\u201d accomplishes its goals incredibly well. I\u2019d give it a solid overall 9\/10. What did you think about the song?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Kendrick Lamar&#8217;s new studio album, &#8220;<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Mr. Morale &amp; The Big Steppers<\/em>&#8220;, releases 13 May, 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/oklama.com\/master\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/oklama.com\/master.jpg\" alt=\"Kendrick Lamar Oklama New Album The Heart Part 5 Mr. Morale &amp; The Big Steppers\" width=\"600\" height=\"747\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kendrick Lamar teases his upcoming studio album, &#8220;Mr. Morale &amp; The Big Steppers&#8221;. Image &#8211; Kendrick Lamar.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Anton Karve Quick Look: The Song Our Thoughts Our Review [DISCLAIMER] The views presented below are one view on what Kendrick&#8217;s new song, &#8220;The Heart Part 5&#8221; is about. If you see\u00a0things differently, drop a comment about your views! Part of the beauty of art lies in the ensuing discussion amongst the beholders. On [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":13363,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,20,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brands","category-features","category-latest-news"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13235"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13235"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13235\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28610,"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13235\/revisions\/28610"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}