As long as hip-hop music has been around, rappers have alluded to athletes and other celebrities in their lyrics, with Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant’s name often coming up due to the universal respect people have for him both before and after he died.
That is again the case in Kendrick Lamar’s new song “The Heart Part 5” that is expected to be on his upcoming album “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers,” which comes out on Friday.
Lamar, who is known for his creativity in music, took it to a whole new level with this song as he dropped the music video on Sunday night.
In the video, Lamar raps about intellectual things such as gang violence, mental health and much more, but for part of the song, his face is morphed into other prominent Black celebrities.
Among the people he portrayed were O.J. Simpson, Kanye West, Will Smith, Jussie Smollett, Kobe Bryant and Nipsey Hussle:
This was a really cool, thoughtful video that Lamar put out to begin what should be an extensive album rollout considering he hasn’t dropped any solo projects since 2018.
As far as the part of the song involving Bryant goes, Lamar is essentially comparing himself to the Lakers legend by saying how hard work and dedication shaped their respective successful careers.
“Consciousness is synchronized and crystal clear. Euphoria is glorified and made His. Reflectin’ on my life and what I done. Paid dues, made rules, change outta love. Them same views made schools change curriculums,” Lamar rapped with Bryant’s face morphed over his.
Lamar pays tribute to Bryant before final game
This is not the first time Lamar has paid tribute to Bryant in his songs, and he even wrote a personal tribute to him called “Fade to Black” before Kobe’s last game with the Lakers in 2016.
As two of the best in their respective fields, it’s clear that Bryant and Lamar had a strong mutual respect for each other, and that continues for Lamar even after Kobe’s passing.
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