Kendrick Lamar and Zacari
Today I am pretty excited to talk about one of my absolute favorite songs from Kendrick Lamar's latest album. This song features the vocals of an artist who has been quietly and powerfully been building his presence in the music world. Zacari is a soulful R&B artist out of California, and he has been featured in a few different albums and singles. But we will dive deeper into his music later.
So as we are making our way through Kendrick Lamar's album. The past two songs that we have had are very focused on societal injustice. They are very heavy songs to take in, the kind of songs which require a couple of listens to really have everything sink in. The material is very angry and pointed with a clear focus of what Kendrick Lamar wants to call out. And while I appreciate the depth to which Kendrick Lamar explores the impacts of media and preconceived notion, I am even more enamored by the way he delves into the recesses of his own mind and thought process. Now what made this song stand out to me as one of the best songs off the album, is the fact that we get to see a shift in that mental state. While other songs are more aggressive and violent, this song is gentle, and moreover, vulnerable. This is the most vulnerable and sensitive we have ever seen Kendrick Lamar, and for that, I genuinely appreciate the expression. With an artist like Kendrick Lamar, there are different kinds of vulnerability that we see. The more common kind stems from his passion for social justice and equity. His intense devotion towards pointing out and finding solutions for societal issues demonstrates a kind of vulnerability that is more like an Achilles heel. We know which buttons to push to set him off. But then we get songs like this, a rare vulnerability. With this song, we get an emotional vulnerability unlike anything else we hear on the album. Kendrick Lamar is baring his emotional soul to us. This is something that is not easy, and in the midst of all the content happening in the rest of the album, must have been even harder for Kendrick Lamar to express. Kendrick Lamar shows the world a tenderness and softness which is so very rare to see, and I appreciate the ability for him to show us that.
So what exactly is Kendrick Lamar talking about in this song? Well for starters, this is a bit of a lament for his significant other.There is a longing for love with this song, and I think the best part about it, is where Kendrick Lamar places the track on the album. This song is part of a push and pull duo- between lust and love. This song is the second half of the duo, which is where things get more interesting. Personally, I feel like Kendrick Lamar purposely placed these two tracks next to each other to describe the strong attraction the emotions of lust and love have. I mean this song even starts with the mention of love and lust! Now when we compare the sounds between the two songs, it seems as if there is a lot more poured into the work on this song. It is more of an earworm, has a clear break in theme and mood from the rest of the album, and is stylistically a completely different track. When placing the two tracks next to each other, it becomes clear which emotion Kendrick Lamar is more drawn towards. Love drives him and ensnares him more than lust ever could. And that, I believe, is why we have such a beautifully poignant song. The moving lyrics, the smooth and flowing rhyme and R&B feel. This song has radio ready kind of sound, complete with less complicated lyrics as well. While some people point out the simplicity of the lyrics as a negative, I kind of like it. The ease with which Kendrick Lamar can express exactly what he feels is refreshing! Unlike his previous love songs and romantic rap songs in general, there is no real talk or reality check. There isn't a paranoid twist or fear. Kendrick Lamar takes Zacari's vocal melody and just rolls with it.
Which segues beautifully into the next question: Who is Zacari? Well, I have to say he is one of my favorite music introductions of the year so far. Zacari has done some work with Kendrick Lamar in the past, but this song is more of his big spotlight. Believe it or not, Zacari wrote this song initally as an original production. However, Kendrick Lamar brought Zacari in on the album, and took the song and morphed it into the masterpiece we have today. What I love, is that Kendrick Lamar took Zacari's pre-existing hook and melody and weaves his own verses around that. He smoothly connects his own verses to the following chorus. The complimentary voices are also spectacular. Zacari's lighter and more soulful voice suits well as a complimentary voice to Kendrick Lamar's sharper voice. Zacari's tender falsettos and gorgeous tone smoothly flow with Kendrick Lamar's shy verses. Coupled with the light drum beats and synth melody, Zacari brings a romantic mood to the song. His opening on the track is stellar, setting that gentle and vulnerable tone for the entire song. Kendrick Lamar's added flavor to Zacari's original song really produced something that is captivating and moving.
This song is such an effortless expression of emotion and sensitivity. This sound is such a rarity from Kendrick Lamar, but he does such a phenomenal job with it. I will say, Zacari was a bit of a secret weapon on this track. His feathery and light vocals serve as a wonderful base for the expression of that vulnerability and love.
So as we are making our way through Kendrick Lamar's album. The past two songs that we have had are very focused on societal injustice. They are very heavy songs to take in, the kind of songs which require a couple of listens to really have everything sink in. The material is very angry and pointed with a clear focus of what Kendrick Lamar wants to call out. And while I appreciate the depth to which Kendrick Lamar explores the impacts of media and preconceived notion, I am even more enamored by the way he delves into the recesses of his own mind and thought process. Now what made this song stand out to me as one of the best songs off the album, is the fact that we get to see a shift in that mental state. While other songs are more aggressive and violent, this song is gentle, and moreover, vulnerable. This is the most vulnerable and sensitive we have ever seen Kendrick Lamar, and for that, I genuinely appreciate the expression. With an artist like Kendrick Lamar, there are different kinds of vulnerability that we see. The more common kind stems from his passion for social justice and equity. His intense devotion towards pointing out and finding solutions for societal issues demonstrates a kind of vulnerability that is more like an Achilles heel. We know which buttons to push to set him off. But then we get songs like this, a rare vulnerability. With this song, we get an emotional vulnerability unlike anything else we hear on the album. Kendrick Lamar is baring his emotional soul to us. This is something that is not easy, and in the midst of all the content happening in the rest of the album, must have been even harder for Kendrick Lamar to express. Kendrick Lamar shows the world a tenderness and softness which is so very rare to see, and I appreciate the ability for him to show us that.
So what exactly is Kendrick Lamar talking about in this song? Well for starters, this is a bit of a lament for his significant other.There is a longing for love with this song, and I think the best part about it, is where Kendrick Lamar places the track on the album. This song is part of a push and pull duo- between lust and love. This song is the second half of the duo, which is where things get more interesting. Personally, I feel like Kendrick Lamar purposely placed these two tracks next to each other to describe the strong attraction the emotions of lust and love have. I mean this song even starts with the mention of love and lust! Now when we compare the sounds between the two songs, it seems as if there is a lot more poured into the work on this song. It is more of an earworm, has a clear break in theme and mood from the rest of the album, and is stylistically a completely different track. When placing the two tracks next to each other, it becomes clear which emotion Kendrick Lamar is more drawn towards. Love drives him and ensnares him more than lust ever could. And that, I believe, is why we have such a beautifully poignant song. The moving lyrics, the smooth and flowing rhyme and R&B feel. This song has radio ready kind of sound, complete with less complicated lyrics as well. While some people point out the simplicity of the lyrics as a negative, I kind of like it. The ease with which Kendrick Lamar can express exactly what he feels is refreshing! Unlike his previous love songs and romantic rap songs in general, there is no real talk or reality check. There isn't a paranoid twist or fear. Kendrick Lamar takes Zacari's vocal melody and just rolls with it.
Which segues beautifully into the next question: Who is Zacari? Well, I have to say he is one of my favorite music introductions of the year so far. Zacari has done some work with Kendrick Lamar in the past, but this song is more of his big spotlight. Believe it or not, Zacari wrote this song initally as an original production. However, Kendrick Lamar brought Zacari in on the album, and took the song and morphed it into the masterpiece we have today. What I love, is that Kendrick Lamar took Zacari's pre-existing hook and melody and weaves his own verses around that. He smoothly connects his own verses to the following chorus. The complimentary voices are also spectacular. Zacari's lighter and more soulful voice suits well as a complimentary voice to Kendrick Lamar's sharper voice. Zacari's tender falsettos and gorgeous tone smoothly flow with Kendrick Lamar's shy verses. Coupled with the light drum beats and synth melody, Zacari brings a romantic mood to the song. His opening on the track is stellar, setting that gentle and vulnerable tone for the entire song. Kendrick Lamar's added flavor to Zacari's original song really produced something that is captivating and moving.
This song is such an effortless expression of emotion and sensitivity. This sound is such a rarity from Kendrick Lamar, but he does such a phenomenal job with it. I will say, Zacari was a bit of a secret weapon on this track. His feathery and light vocals serve as a wonderful base for the expression of that vulnerability and love.
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