Rapper Kendrick Lamar dropped a new song Sunday night, titled ‘The Heart Part 5’. It comes ahead of the ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers‘ album which is set to release on May 13. 

As the title of the new song suggests, this is the fifth installation in ‘The Heart’ series, which is a long-running tradition with the singer-songwriter who is in the habit of dropping these numbers before the release of an album. ‘The Heart Part 4’ came ahead of Lamar’s Pulitzer and Grammy-winning album ‘DAMN’, which was released in 2017. 

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In the clip accompanying the new track, the rapper’s face can be seen morphing into individuals like OJ Simpson, Kanye West, Jussie Smollett, Will Smith and Nipsey Hussle. The lyrics remain relevant to the person Lamar morphs into. For example, he raps about bipolar disorder when turning into Kanye, or about murder when he becomes the late Hussle. 

Dave Free and Kendrick Lamar have directed the clip, and it has been produced by Beach Noise, which includes the songwriting trio Matt Schaeffer, Johnny Kosich, and Jake Kosich. The video also credits Deep Voodoo for the deepfakes. This studio is a venture by ‘South Park‘ creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who Lamar is reportedly working with, on a live-action comedy. 

Lamar’s announcement of his new album also came as a surprise, when the rapper posted a cryptic tweet in reply to someone claiming he’s officially retired. Over his ‘The Heart’ series, there’s been a shift in the rapper’s perspective. While earlier installations were about Lamar’s contemplations, Part 4 signals a reversal as he launches more into action. 

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The new single begins with a quote from Lamar’s alter ego oklama, saying “I am. All of us.” 

Prior to this, Lamar appeared in the Superbowl LVI halftime show in Los Angeles, alongside hip hop legends Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem among others.