The interview touches on the album’s lead single, “The Heart Part 5,” and the accompanying music video. For those who might not have seen it, the video found Lamar transforming into a number of figures, including Tupac, Will Smith, Nipsey Hussle, and more controversial figures such as Kanye West and Jussie Smollett.
As it turns out, Lamar had been working on the concept with Dave Free years prior, through discussions about “polarizing figures” and behavior. “I look at everything as a social experiment,” Dave shared.
From there, the two decided to include another surprising duo in their video development discussions: South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. While Lamar and Dave are reportedly developing a live-action comedy with Parker and Stone, their conversations took a surprising spin. Parker and Stone own a company specializing in using deepfake technology that helped Lamar and Dave exact their vision.
“You see Kendrick turned into Tupac, Kendrick turned into Kanye, and I think we had Eminem,” Stone said in Lamar’s profile.
It went on to earn a Grammy nomination for Best Music Video, so it seems the partnership worked out.
Barack Obama has shared his highly-anticipated year-end lists for 2022, including one for the songs he loved the most. While Obama has some obvious picks, as artists like Maggie Rogers (included for “That’s Where I Am”) and SZA (included for “Shirt”) have made the list in previous years, he also did some artist discovery this year it seems.
He included Ethel Cain’s “American Teenager” and Rosalía’s “Saoko,” from her album, Motomami. Obama also loved releases by Bad Bunny, Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, and Lizzo while spotlighting rising artists like Sudan Archives, Omar Apollo, Ayra Starr, Rema, Plains, Zach Bryan, and more.
“I always enjoy sharing my end of year music playlist with all of you — and this year we heard a lot of great songs,” he captioned. “Here are some of my favorites. Are there any songs or artists I should check out?”
I always enjoy sharing my end of year music playlist with all of you — and this year we heard a lot of great songs. Here are some of my favorites.
Some of the artists who were included on Obama’s favorites of 2022 have also started responding. “did not have a former president including my anti-war, anti-patriotism fake pop song on his year end list on my 2022 bingo,” Cain posted on Twitter.
did not have a former president including my anti-war, anti-patriotism fake pop song on his year end list on my 2022 bingo
As for the public’s reactions to Obama’s playlist, social media users have been disappointed by the lack of Drake and Taylor Swift, as well as suggesting he checks out Goose, Arctic Monkeys, and other 2022 albums before December ends.
The music video opens with a black-and-white filter, revealing Lamar sitting at a piano while in a room with the 77-year-old actress. Known for her roles in Red and The Queen, Mirren laughs with the “Poetic Justice” artist about taking someone else’s parking spot.
Shifting to a serious note, Mirren then says, “You texted me at 2 o’clock in the morning: ‘I feel like I’m fallen.’ Why’d you feel that way?” Following a brief pause, Lamar simply answered back, “Life.”
Throughout the remainder of the three-minute video, Lamar flaunted a number of eye-catching visuals. Splicing different scenes along with the therapy session, the Grammy-winning star showed himself rapping in a studio, laying in a field, standing in a desert, and more.
AUSTIN, TX – OCTOBER 01: Recording artist Kendrick Lamar performs on the Samsung Stage during day two at Austin City Limits Music Festival 2016 at Zilker Park on October 1, 2016 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images for Samsung)
Released this past May, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers features 18 tracks and marks the rapper’s first project since 2016’s DAMN.
Last month, the Grammys released their nominations for 2023, with Lamar’s latest album up for both Album Of The Year and Best Rap Album.
In a recent sit-down with W Magazine, he shared the vulnerable process behind the album, revealing that some of his family didn’t know about the subject matter until its debut.
“I could have cut corners and got flashy with it and worded my words a certain way—nah, I had to be in the rawest, truest form I could possibly be in order for it to be freeing for me, in order for me to have a different outlook and the perspective on people I’m talking to,” Lamar shared. “I had to reap whatever consequences came behind that, and also be compassionate and show empathy if they were hurt by it.”
Check out the music video for “Count Me Out” below. Sound off in the comments afterward with your thoughts on the new visual.
In Kendrick Lamar‘s new album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, the Compton rapper extols the virtues of therapy. So it makes sense that in his video for “Count Me Out” from the album, he visualizes what his typical therapy sessions might look like. A bonus for movie buffs: his therapist in the video is played by none other than Dame Helen Mirren, who also narrates on the album and provided her voice to his tour for it.
The video is shot partially in greyscale and partially in vibrant color, depicting the average stresses of Kendrick’s life, from mundane disputes over grocery store parking spaces to relationship breakdowns with his wife, who also cameos in the video. There’s also (naturally) some Christ-figure imagery, continuing a metaphorical kick Kendrick has been on for a while.
Kendrick had some big moments in 2022, beginning with his appearance alongside Dr. Dre for this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show and including no fewer than six Grammy nominations for Mr. Morale. The album, which completed his record deal with Top Dawg Entertainment, was featured on Uproxx’s Best Albums Of 2022 list and also featured the videos “Rich Spirit” and “N95.”
Watch Kendrick Lamar’s “Count Me Out” video up top.
