Kendrick Lamar – “The Heart Part 5”

Right before he dropped DAMN., Kendrick Lamar released a non-album track called “The Heart Part 4,” the fourth in a long-running series of loosies. And now, five days before the release of his apparent double-LP Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick is back with “The Heart Part 5.” It’s a decidedly sparse and funky track, one that puts a bright spotlight on K.Dot’s verse.

The song also arrives with a video directed by Kendrick and Dave Free that’s just a close-up of a very long-haired Kendrick rapping the lyrics, with one twist: Over the course of the clip, his face morphs into other Black celebrities including O.J. Simpson, Kanye West, Jussie Smollett, Will Smith, and the late Kobe Bryant and Nipsey Hussle. It begins with a quote from his new alter ego oklama: “I am. All of us.” Check it out below.