Maybe music artistes are all going to the same tarot reader or something because everyone is dropping new music. Justin Bieber’s ‘Swag’, Travis Scott’s ‘Jackboys 2’ and Clipse’s ‘Let God Sort Em Out’ have all come out in this past week, and the latter has just dropped a music video with none other than Kendrick Lamar. Clipse, which is a duo consisting of Malice and Pusha T, seem to be offended about something because their verses cut straight to the bone; it’s almost as if there was no need for Kendrick on this track, but if there is a song about the capitalisation, violence and ever-growing angst of the successful Black man, our resident Compton artiste finds space for himself regardless of the situation.
It’s rather interesting that Kendrick is featuring with Pusha T and Malice, considering he and Pusha both have malice for a common enemy, Drake. Aside from bad puns, it doesn’t exactly take Lester Bangs to figure out how quickly Kendrick must have said yes to the feature on a song by a fellow Drake ‘fan’. The song opens with a strong verse by Pusha, but even though the cadence of the artiste fits the Pharrell Williams-produced beat, the actual content isn’t something unique because we have seen this fight take place too many times now. The rapper talks about another fellow rapper, Jim Jones (although I don’t think Pusha considers him a part of the culture), who in a recent interview hailed Drake as the greatest rapper of all time (not sure why). Pusha accused the rapper of “chasing a feature” that is out of his reach and tells him to stop flexing his fake jewellery before he truly gets called out and shunned by the entire industry.
Malice starts by building on the same narrative and says that he is sure that Jones has by now figured out that this song is about him. He effortlessly quotes passages from the Bible (John 10:10) and makes references to Leonardo DiCaprio’s The Revenant. While an argument can be made that the two rappers are making a mountain out of a molehill, rappers were never exactly known for letting things go and not being petty about something someone said. Kendrick then takes things ahead, and you guessed it, it’s not pretty at all. K-Dot starts his verse by making a reference to the Kumbaya movement, which basically teaches one to be helpful and accepting towards their fellow men. He makes it clear that he isn’t down with the peace be with all state of mind and is here to take names.
He accuses certain people of making hip-hop too commercial (such layered hints) and shouts out both Nas and Rakim in the same couplet, talking about how hip-hop is dead, which was the title for Nas’ 2006 album of the same name. He offers his respect to Rakim in the next bar as he praises him for the lyrical genius he is and how he influenced so many rappers that came after him. With more Bible references, star-sign mentions (Kendrick loves those), and giving shouts outs to everything from the Genovese crime family to the failed Trump assassination, Kendrick attempts to lay the law down, which says that he is the best of this generation, by far.
What’s rather amazing about the track is that Malice is able to hold on to his own while rapping with Kendrick and Pusha, who, according to many, are much more established names in the industry. His clarity of thought is unmatched, and his ideas reach your cerebral cortex without having to watch three different YouTube videos and then trying to mix and match whatever information you have got. Pusha and Kendrick are determined and brutal in their execution and deliver verses with impressive double entendres and references while maintaining a flow worthy of William’s backing track. All in all, it’s a great song, but only if you don’t understand any of the Drake hate, because it’s over, it’s old, and no one needs another lawsuit.
