Lead single “Over When We’re Sober,” featuring Ashley Cooke, is among several collaborations on the LP. Other stand out duets include the whistling opener “Dirty Money” with Justin Moore; the patriotic country-rap hybrid “Me and My House” featuring Struggle Jennings and Demun Jones; and the soaring “God Isn’t Country” with Rascal Flatts’ Gary LeVox. The cinematic music video sends the singer into a kinetic, head-on collision, and the entire rain-soaked, colorful saga was shot on the new iPhone 16 Pro. The song, part of what has become a very public feud between Lamar and the “Hotline Bling” rapper, debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 when it was released in May, according to Billboard. It has also amassed almost 900 million streams on Spotify to date, according to the petition. For too many centuries in this country, black Americans couldn’t afford to harbor doubt.
From the birth of the Old Negro Spiritual, black America has crafted hymns to get over the confounding hardships of this world. Embodies a year in which hip-hop — and America at large — finds itself wrestling in public with does kendrick lamar do drugs its inner demons. He could’ve made another Black Lives Matter anthem like “Alright” to quell our fears. Instead he held true to his prophetic vision and laid his vulnerabilities on the line.
Anderson .Paak and 50 Cent also made special appearances during the star-studded performance. As if performing at the Super Bowl in your home city wasn’t enough, the Compton rapper also got to watch his home team, the Los Angeles Rams, hoist the Lombardi trophy at the end of the night. Due to the breakthrough success of his Aftermath Entertainment debut (good kid, m.A.A.d city), most people attribute Kendrick Lamar’s discovery to fellow Compton legend Dr. Dre. But seven years before Dre’s label came calling, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith saw potential in a 16-year-old rapper by the name of K.Dot. Each verse was addressed to one of Drake’s closest family members – his mother, his father and his six-year-old son, Adonis.
Nobody bothered to come up with a chorus because a chorus wasn’t the point. Kenrick Lamar did not consult me on when he should drop his new album GNX. I have to work extra shifts at the content factory because of this man’s timing. Kendrick’s buddy Jack Antonoff is a different story, but I would not presume to imagine that Antonoff told Kendrick to release his new earthshaking blockbuster record a few days before the Number Ones column on “Humble.” That would be too weird.
Most prophets die misunderstood, their pronouncements discarded by the drug addiction rulers of the day and their followers, only to be paid credence in hindsight. Has garnered the fanaticism to warrant a re-release, despite the only difference from the original being a reversed tracklist, speaks to the degree to which his message is being heard. Whether we, as individuals, a people and a nation, are prepared to take heed remains to be seen.