Weekly updates:

Music
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Weekly updates


Kendrick Lamar has just released a refreshingly positive lyric video for his latest single, which might just help some of the songs’ very vocal haters to see the light.

When my roommate (who is the biggest hip-hop head I know) asked me what I thought of Kendrick Lamar’s jarringly upbeat new single ‘i’, I foolishly let slip how much I liked it. For the next few minutes he stood before me with the most disgusted look on his face as I nervously spluttered out a series of nonsensical arguments that cited my respect for the man’s “creative approach to the rap song structure” and compared ‘i’ to songs like Outkast’s ‘Hey Ya’ – a move that would only dig myself into a deeper hole.

A few days and a fantastic Fader article later, I realised (thanks to superior communicator Aimee Cliff), what I really meant to say was that Kendrick was “genetically modifying a subversive tale of self-love in the face of societal marginalisation, physical/emotional trauma and depression” to reach as wide an audience as possible.

Now that I watch the video though, I’m beginning to think that my biggest mistake was attempting to overanalyse a song that’s best understood through its ability to pick a listener up when they’re feeling down, however intelligent they may be.

More Kendrick Lamar

Watch: Flying Lotus – ‘Never Catch Me’ 
Kendrick Lamar kills it with eight minute freestyle on Power 106FM
Twitter Reacts: Kendrick Lamar drops ‘i’ single from upcoming album