Kendrick Lamar, The Heart Part 4 | Track Review 🎵

Kendrick Lamar slaughters the competition on new single, “The Heart Part 4.”

Kendrick Lamar is “kind of a big deal.” Scratch that – Kendrick Lamar is a “big deal.”  After releasing an album of B-sides in 2016 (untitled unmastered.) and collaborating with other artists, he returns with a new single, “The Heart Part 4.” “The Heart Part 4” is signature Kendrick through and through. Only K-Dot could deliver a track like “The Heart Part 4.”

Expectedly, there’s a lot to dissect on “The Heart Part 4.” This wouldn’t be Kendrick Lamar without the West Coast MC making the listener be analytic.  First of all, it should be noted that there are numerous musical shifts within the production work.  This keeps “The Heart Part 4” from the being the slightest bit predictable.  After shifting through different sounds, things finally settle in.  It opens with smooth soulful production work, before shifting to an edgier, more malicious sound.

Lyrically, “The Heart Part 4” is chocked-full of grandness.  Genius! He begins things with a rather simple, enjoyable hook: “Don’t tell a lie on me / I won’t tell the truth ‘bout you.” It’s simple, mind you, but read into it, and hook potentially opens up a can of worms.  Lie on Kendrick Lamar, he’ll expose the truth on you, which evidently, could be damning. He then proceeds to spit like a madman.  On the first verse (part one), he speaks on his rap career.

“Thirty millions later, my future favors
The legendary status of a hip-hop rhyme savior...
My day shift’s
Been devoted to fuckin’ up bundles of paper.”

Later, he goes on to speak about his future as a parent and preparing for a child’s future: “I’m satisfied when I strategize my kid’s future.” On the second part of “The Heart Part 4,” Kendrick Lamar goes off to say the least.  The rhymes are quicker and edgier.  At the top of the second verse, he seems to be taking shots:

“My fans can’t wait for me to son ya punk-ass
And crush ya whole lil shit
I’ll big Pun ya punk-ass, you a scared lil bitch
Tiptoein’ around my name, n*gga you lame...”

Whew! Confidence continues to fuel Kendrick’s fire, as he boasts:

“I put my foot on the gas, head on the floor
Hoppin’ out before the vehicle crash, I’m on a roll
Yellin’, ‘One, two, three, four, five
I am the greatest rapper alive!’”

He hilariously, though accurately, comments on the state of the world:

“The whole world gone mad
Bodies is addin’ up, market’s about to crash
N*ggas is fake rich, bitches is fake bad
Blacks that act white, whites that do the dab.”

Final Thoughts

The remainder of his epic second verse continues to showcase his rap genius, whether it’s attacking Donald Trump, touting his next, album, or merely spitting mad rap game.  All in all, “The Heart Part 4” shows Kendrick Lamar at his best.  He’s still the rapper to beat in recent times, and whenever his new album materializes, it should be another masterpiece.

Kendrick Lamar • The Heart Part 4 – single • Interscope • Release: 3.24.17

 Photo Credit: Interscope