Disclaimer: This post has nothing to do with anything, I just got super hyped and had to write about it.
As the last musical guest on 'The Colbert Report', Kendrick Lamar debuted a new, untitled track. Backed by Terrace Martin, Thundercat (with some filthy m-effing wah bass), Bilal and Anna Wise, the song was soulful, angry, poetic, jazzy (a sax solo!) and fucking amazing.
Kendrick has already been coronated as the king of west coast hip-hop (Colbert suggests he buy life insurance), but now that he's on top, he's gone in a direction so maverick, it's beginning to challenge the basic conventions of hip-hop. The new track has no apparent hook/verse structure, and was almost entirely dependent on live instrumentation. In the interview, Kendrick tells Colbert he has begun thinking of himself more as a writer and a storyteller than as a rapper. The percussionist's hand-drumming near the end is a clear nod to slam poetry bongos, showing how Kendrick is beginning to think of himself less as a rapper, and more as a spoken-word poet. Is this pretentious? No, at least not yet. Right now Kendrick is just too damn good.
The lyrics of the song itself are structured almost like a fable, where Kendrick talks successively to Asian, Indian, Black and White men, and is given advice on how to improve his life. Except the white man only sees him as a commodity, and a way to make money. Here the song turns into an assertion of Kendrick's creative independence.
What is most exciting is how completely this song defied conventions, while remaining irresistibly fun to listen to. Will this song result in a massive shift in the hip-hop landscape, towards extended storytelling and genre-crossing sonic influence? Definitely not. But here's to hoping Kendrick keeps exploring uncharted territory, and begins influencing other artists to do the same. His new album is rumored to be out in the next month or two, and I couldn't be more excited.
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