Kendrick Lamar Releases “N95” Music Video
Photo: Pitchfork
In addition to the rollout of his most recent album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar has released the music video for the album’s song “N95.”
In the video, in which the 34-year-old rapper co-directed with Dave Free, Lamar is spotted floating above water while reflecting the crucifixion of Jesus pose, escaping a group of men in a cat-and-mouse scene, and doing donuts in a car with Baby Keem, who is the co-producer of the track.
“N95” is the second new video released by Lamar this month, after “The Heart Part 5.” Lamar stands as the director of his latest music video with pgLang collaborator Dave Free.
The rapper is distorted into deepfakes of OJ Simpson, Kanye West, Kobe Bryant, Nipsey Hussle, Jussie Smollett, and Will Smith in the visual. Trey Parker and Matt Stone, co-producing a comedy film with Lamar, supervised the creation of the video via their studio Deep Voodoo.
Lamar revealed the album last August alongside a new website called Oklama, announcing that it would be his last release for Top Dawg Entertainment.
“I feel joy to have been a part of such a cultural imprint after 17 years,” he said. His promotional statement is like what Michael Jordan said of his legendary comeback fax.
Mr. Morale is the rapper’s first album after Damn was released in 2017. He snagged a Pulitzer Prize award and a bunch of Grammys for his 2017 album. He spent his years doing LPs alongside numerous projects and collaborations, giving appearances on tracks by Busta Rhymes, Terrace Martin, Sir, and Anderson.
Lamar has also teamed up countless times with Baby Keem, particularly creating “Family Ties” with his cousin. The artists gained the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 2022 for the track.
Following his appearance on stage during the Super Bowl halftime show in February, Lamar is scheduled to headline Glastonbury and Rolling Loud Miami this year.
Lamar is often dubbed one of the most influential rappers of his generation. Apart from his solo career, he is also a part of the hip hop group Black Hippy together with his former Top Dawg Entertainment labelmates Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, and Schoolboy Q.
He was raised in Compton, California, and started his musical career in his teenage years under the stage name K.Dot, releasing a mixtape called Y.H.N.I.C. (Hub City Threat Minor of the Year) that gathered local attention, resulting in his contract with indie record label TDE.
Overly Dedicated earned him the beginning of his recognition in 2010. A year later, he independently released his first studio album, Section.80, which contained his debut single, “HiiiPoWeR.”
Since that release, he has garnered many online following and teamed up with numerous famous rappers. Later, he had a record deal with Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment under Interscope Records.
In 2012, Lamar made his major-label debut with Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City, gaining mass recognition and mainstream success.