Kendrick Lamar made his comeback on Sunday (May 8) by dropping “The Heart Part 5” with a deepfake music video that morphed him into a number of public figures, including the late Nipsey Hussle. In his third and final verse, K. Dot raps from the perspective of Nipsey.
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“I wake up that morning with more heart to give you,” Kendrick raps. “As I bleed through the speakers, feel my presence/To my brother, to my kids, I’m in Heaven. To my mother, to my sis, I’m in Heaven/To my father, to my wife, I am serious, this is Heaven/To my friends, make sure you countin’ them blessings/To my fans, make sure you make them investments.”
He continues, “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.”
Nipsey Hussle’s longtime partner Lauren London, later took to her Instagram Stories to co-sign the tribute, describing it as “Powerful Art.”
Following Nipsey Hussle’s passing in 2019, Kendrick Lamar reflected on touring together 10 years prior and how much he learned from him.
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“Casually I would go out to the crowd and listen to the substance he spewed on stage,” he wrote in the program for his memorial service. “Thinking to myself, this is the type of talent I want to be apart of. His charisma and way with words was powerful. But his integrity as a person, made me even more enthused. I watched a young, ambitious black male orchestrate fellowship amongst the men around him on that tour. Determined to execute one thing — and that was Greatness. Greatness in knowledge, greatness in wealth, and greatness in self.
Every Verse Kendrick Lamar Has Dropped Since 'DAMN.'
“My curiosity about who he really was started to grow from that moment in time. Was he a product of Crenshaw and Slauson? Was he a radical? Or was he a thinker? That mystique kept me engaged throughout his life career. The years progressed, and my admiration grew from up close and from afar. Watching his interviews, his philosophies, and his work amongst the black community.
“Time surely revealed itself. I realized Nipsey was all of those perspectives. But most importantly, he was a vessel from God.”
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Watch Kendrick Lamar’s “The Heart Part 5” video below, ahead of his new album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppersset to drop on Friday (May 13).
