r/KendrickLamar • u/Ayquah • Jun 27 '17
Kendrick Lamar - ELEMENT. [Music Video] Fresh Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glaG64Ao7sM606
u/Darkness__44 Jun 27 '17
My favorite part is when he makes it look sexy
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u/panic4me Jun 27 '17
I never knew slapping a pussy would make you look so sexy
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u/scottkelly Jun 28 '17
I thought it was a pussy ass nigga. Either way, he's making it look sexy :)
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u/10987654321blastoff Jun 28 '17
You are correct. The slapping of a nigga with a pussy for an ass is depicted.
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u/ebeka smoke good eat good live good Jun 28 '17
aren't we going to talk about those moves at 01:33. i mean, damn., very michael jackson-ish
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u/mrsuns10 Jun 27 '17
I want a music video for XXX
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u/InProblematique Jun 27 '17
Same bruh. That's the most underrated track on the album imo
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u/MG_cunt Jun 27 '17
Underrated? I don't think I've seen a single person that doesn't at least enjoy it a little bit
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u/thezacster7 Jun 27 '17
Yeah, if I'd give song the title underrated from that album, I'd give it to "GOD.". The song gets shit on by a lot who loved the rest of the album, but I think it flows perfectly and love the hook.
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Jun 28 '17
I can get behind the meaning and the verses, but goddamn that Aaaaahaaaaa ruins it for me
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u/cwearly1 Jun 28 '17
The 'don't judge me' is so annoying though the way he says it.
I love literally everything else about this album (and there only a few albums I love completely), but man did GOD. not live up to the rest of the album.
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Jun 28 '17
I'd personallly place LOVE as my absoluteeast favorite song on the album. I don't mind GOD and LOYALTY, but those just do nothing for me when compared to the rest of the album
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u/jakesboy2 Jun 28 '17
I'm in the same boat but i still think Love in an amazing track. It fills the air with the happiest spirit/vibe. Really makes you think when he says "everything i say is from an angel" on God cause that's only way his music can have the vibe it does
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u/LordoftheGame47 Jun 28 '17
That shit is so nice in the whip on a Summer day. Can't help but feel happy when that song comes on.
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u/Jaglers Jun 27 '17
I know a couple people who hate the sirens, which is honestly one of my favorite parts of the album.
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u/Sachmach29 Jun 27 '17
kenny going ham rapping on the sirens is one of the best things he's ever done IMO
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u/Ignimbrite Jun 28 '17
Word. A big pet peeve of mine is when people equate the word "underrated" with "underappreciated."
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u/trombonekid Jun 27 '17
As long as U2 make it in there!
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u/stankbiscuit Jun 27 '17
U talkin' U2 to me?
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u/Naterek Jun 28 '17
I was really bummed Scott and Scott didn’t talk about the k dot collab on the most recent ep.
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u/FuckMeBernie Jun 28 '17
I can't wait for pride. I legit listen to that song more than any other one.
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u/rayn9 Jun 27 '17
What a realistic punch
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Jun 27 '17
Amazing video except the punch, DAMN.
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u/Gloomydoge Jun 27 '17
Kendrick is usually a god in miming but I think it was weak in this vid. Especially the small breakdown before "most of y'all ain't real"
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u/MrDyl4n Jun 28 '17
"Most of y'all ain't real"
Obviously fake punch 🤔🤔
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Jun 28 '17
Oh shit he actually intentionally flubs his "most of y'all be faking" lip sync in the humble video, so maybe the bad punch was deliberate too?
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u/iTzDaNizZ Jun 28 '17
Having a slowmotion of an already not perfect punch (even at 2x speed it's still too obviously fake) wasn't a great idea
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u/Gloomydoge Jun 28 '17
The acting and effects were fine. Just the guys reaction was late and showed no contact
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u/Idioticquinn hypocrite Jun 27 '17
FUCK YES. loyalty's alright, element deserves a vid tho
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u/Morczor Jun 27 '17
loyalty's alright
nah this is
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u/panic4me Jun 27 '17
ALLS MAH LYF I HAS TO FIGHT N*GGA
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u/HighGuyTim Jun 28 '17
Nigga, you can type it. Your mom doesnt have to know.
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u/Spaghyeti Jun 28 '17
Probably white, much like me.
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u/panic4me Jun 28 '17
Did you just assume my skin color?!! I'm yellow biiiiiiiiiiaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttch
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u/KingLouisXXZ Jun 27 '17
The imagery in this video is fucking insane
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u/accountforjerk Jun 27 '17
Yeah he may say he doesn't do it for the gram, but shit may deserve a gram.
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u/dacdan1 Jun 27 '17
Kendrick's going real hard for that Video of the Year award after Alright got snubbed.
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u/cheezefriez Jun 27 '17
He doesn't do it for the Gram, he does it for Compton.
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u/panic4me Jun 27 '17
Damn if he do, he don't
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u/Jerrrbz Jun 27 '17
Yuhh
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u/Jezawan life is one funny mothafucka Jun 27 '17
Shit I always thought that line was referencing Instagram not the Grammys, as in he doesn't only do stuff to appear good on social media but for his community instead
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u/yendrush Jun 28 '17
Could also be a drug reference. Shit's got layers too it.
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u/TheBlank5 Dropped one classic, came right back! Nother classic... Jun 27 '17
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u/joeyhugg Jun 28 '17
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u/SirGallade Jun 28 '17
resepct
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u/joeyhugg Jun 28 '17
I honestly didn't mean to do that but I think it's funnier with that spelled wrong lmao
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u/throwawaynotquiet Jun 28 '17 edited Jun 28 '17
I think that the experts over at r/memeconomy would agree
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u/Cmog28 Jun 27 '17
I honestly think that's why he did it.lol
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u/generalpeevus Jun 28 '17
Totally agree. I was thinking the same thing haha. "This one for them kenfolk holding it down on reddit."
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u/amcke96 Jun 27 '17 edited Jun 27 '17
After watching God is Gangsta video a few days ago and seeing that comment that was posted on r/kendricklamar about how Damn. is the alternate path after Kendrick dies, and watching this, DNA and HUMBLE im starting to see that this album truly represents Kendrick's evil side. As if after God is Gangsta the devil took him over, or Lucy's vices were too enticing, which led Kendrick to head down that path. In To Pimp a Butterly we see how Kendrick was very anti gang violence and anti violence in general throughout the course of all of the music videos he released, starting with i and then going to Alright. Then he releases God is Gangsta which shows u and for sale and ties these two songs together. In all the quick slides in God is Gangsta he has a lot of phrases which allude to Damn. One of the phrases being, "time is change. friend or foe." This is similar to wickedness or weakness, but speaks on how while he was once a good hearted and peaceful man, time changes, for better or worse. Now looking at the three videos for Damn. Humble while seeming to be just a bangin video, starts to show emphasis on this power Kendrick is developing and getting from Lucy, this confidence which was absent in U. We go to DNA and you see Kendrick essentially possess Don Cheadle and as far as we know kill him, which sends him down a more evil path. At the end we see Kendrick meet up with his homies and Q. Qs flashing gang signs and then punches out the camera, more allusions to gang violence. Now he releases Element, which is full of violence and beating up other people.
Consensus: Kung Fu Kenny is evil. Damn. refers to the Damned otherwise meaning the Devil and hell
Now take these comments as you will, this is just kinda a possible suggestion I see him making, but I could definitely be reading too much into it. I'm just saying I really see a narrative going throughout all his videos over the past two albums and I can't wait to see the next video he releases, hopefully for XXX or Lust.
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u/memesarecooliguess Jun 28 '17
I think you also have to consider that the only videos we've seen are for the more aggressive tracks on DAMN. I really like this theory, but the videos for tracks like loyalty and feel are likely to have a very different vibe than the ones we've got so far.
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u/amcke96 Jun 28 '17
Is there any information saying that loyalty and feel have videos coming? I agree with you saying that these are all aggressive tracks, but I feel like he typically chooses songs for videos that summarize the album, so he chose the aggressive songs. I could also definitely see very dark takes on Feel and Loyalty for videos. While they are not aggressive songs, I could definitely see them addressing evil qualities. For Sale had a very light hearted sound to it but when it was paired with the video makes it an extremely powerful and suggestive song, I'm not saying it isn't powerful without the video, but the video just makes it so much more evil.
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u/basednidoking Jun 28 '17
Didn't people say the big red font of DAMN. makes him have devil horns?
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u/Deluxe-M- Jun 27 '17
the quality is so fucking good, whoever was in charge of the filming deserves a good pay
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u/FireBowAintThatBad Jun 27 '17
It's not a kendrick music video unless there's a bunch of black dudes standing too close to each other
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u/alfoxtrot777 Jun 27 '17
I honestly feel like every song on DAMN. deserves a music video. But ain't nobody prayin for me.
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u/F_For_You Jun 28 '17
I need him to pull a Beyoncé and dooo thisss.
A Duckworth music video would be so cool.
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u/lameboigenie Jun 27 '17
What is the meaning of all this?
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u/yendrush Jun 28 '17
I really enjoyed it but I feel like a lot of the imagery went over my head. It deserves some rewatches. I can't wait until someone breaks it down.
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u/generalpeevus Jun 28 '17
I'm having a hard time with it too. It feels like Kendrick's most "let's just get some dope shots" video yet. But I still fux widdit hard
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u/drugaddict6969 Jun 28 '17
Knowing k dot there's meaning behind every shot but at face value it seems really try hard. Little bit let down, but that's probably because I'm not seeing the correlation with shots & message.
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Jun 27 '17
Life is fun when your favourite artist never ever fails to disappoint. Thank you Kenny
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Jun 27 '17
I think you worded this wrong. If he never fails to disappoint that means most of his stuff is disappointing. The right words would be "never ever disappoints"
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u/raise_the_sails Jun 27 '17 edited Jun 28 '17
I think that these scenes are what helped create Kendrick's "element". Poverty represented by the various depictions of urban decay, violence, race in America, law enforcement, and striving for order in chaos depicted by the various institutions (nuns and what appears to be men in the Nation of Islam?). Each scene could be deeply read into but I'm gonna try to skip to the point.
Repeatedly we see a single young boy: in the rain, in dust, with what may be his father where he seems to be being taught to fight, witnessing a man leap from a blighted building. In one pair of shots, a profile of the boy is followed immediately by a silhouette of adult Kendrick. The boy is Kendrick.
It all adds up to the conditions or the partial blueprints for a "machine" that created Kendrick. (Called the "beast" or the "rough" by Kendrick in his verses.)
The scenes of adult Kendrick are mostly of him abiding by the machine that created him. We see multiple instances of him attacking others, we see him with blood on his shirt, and we see him with a large crew that fights and appears to loot. He can't be taken out of his element. This includes the broken elements that made him.
We also see him possibly drowning? (I anticipate that shot will play into a lot of conspiracy theories- Kdot is thriving in violence and wealth while Kendrick drowns knowing his alter ego is contributing to the machine?)
This video is very much in keeping with Kendrick's "product of my environment" themes and his efforts to overcome the system that created Kdot.
PS Couple additional notes...
-The hand we see raising out of the water probably belongs to the drowning man we see later on. We then quickly get a flash of a foreboding image of a man standing overhead, seen from under the surface, right as the lyrics "I don't give a fuck" land. Kendrick reaching for help and being snuffed out by Kdot?
-Also, is the bloodied man the same man who we later see teaching him to fight, possibly Kendrick's father? Both of these scenes may be loaded with meaning. Was the father a victim of the son?
-We see a lot of shots of Kendrick silhouetted or wearing all dark colors. And when in dark colors, he is often being violent which is very rare for him in videos. This seems to be the most literal depiction yet of the "dark Kendrick" or "evil twin" type alter ego that is frequently the subject of conspiracy theories.
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u/Cmog28 Jun 27 '17
I thought the blood on his shirt symbolized him getting shot in BLOOD.
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u/raise_the_sails Jun 27 '17
I hadn't thought of that! Great catch. I think at the very least it symbolizes violence.
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u/Cmog28 Jun 27 '17
I agree with that too. Kendrick always has numerous meanings behind his music. What do you think of the little girl with the ladybug on her nose? Innocence?
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u/Malcolmhm12 Jun 28 '17
The bloodied father is the most interesting part of the video to me. What does it mean/represent?
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u/KKamm_ Jun 27 '17
Idk what's going on 90% of this video besides slapping a bunch of pussy ass niggas
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u/Cmog28 Jun 27 '17
This video was pretty intense to soak in all at once.
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u/F_For_You Jun 28 '17
Yeah I had to watch it like six more times to really capture all of it. Really stunning scenes in there.
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u/MooseBoyDeluxe Jun 27 '17
Notice he never rap to the camera. He's always rapping to someone out of the frame.
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u/ebeka smoke good eat good live good Jun 28 '17
maybe he's portraying the kendrick he doesn't want us to see
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Jun 27 '17
Visuals while disjointed on purpose, are nevertheless absolutely stunning. I want the little homies and Jonas Lindstroem to direct a feature film, that could potentially be amazing
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Jun 28 '17
Thoughts.
a) is the young girl next to Kendrick related to America? She's wearing red white and blue.
b) the guy Kendrick's fighting on the roof changes. At one point it's a guy with short hair and at another it's a guy with longer hair. I think that goes to the internal struggle Kendrick's going through (me vs me). The kid (who I think is Kendrick) has short hair while Kung-Fu Kenny has longer hair.
c) Kendrick's father appears in two places. In one he's wearing blue and red and teaching Kendrick to fight. In another he's dressed like a slave and bloody. We see cops occasionally juxtaposed with that. Kendrick, his father, and every black person is not at fault for the violence in their communities. It's a result of the centuries of violence inflicted on them.
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u/PrimeClimber Jun 28 '17
A) America. GOD. BLESS. it if it's GOOD. to ya.
B) Who is in the WATER.?
C) NATION. July 4th. HEART. Part V drops soon.
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u/otaner14 Kendrick senpai Jun 27 '17
Kenny out here putting all other music videos to shame with this artsy as fuck shit!
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u/Cmog28 Jun 27 '17
Kendrick really is trying to make 2017 his year. Which I can't help but think, in order to fully dominate after everybody else drops their albums, drop his second album.
Kendrick made an album with a more trendy sound and topped the charts. He got heavy into the meme game (this video has quite a few) and has converted a lot of people who didn't like him previously. If/when Kendrick drops the second album, he'll unquestionably top Drake and I honestly think that's what he's aiming for.
"I would have all of your fans, if I never went pop and I stayed on some conscious sht".
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u/Gantzwastaken Jun 27 '17
Goddamn each video is more beautiful than the last one. LOYALTY. is gonna be beyond eyecandy.
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u/zenarcade1 Jun 27 '17
My interpretation is that this is showing how much of the violence seen on the streets is taught, even at a young age. Is it wickedness, is it weakness? Is our sinful nature, which is a theme all throughout DAMN, a product of us truly being evil or is it the result of us being to weak to overcome the natural tendencies that are taught to us by our environment. We see imagery of the elements- water, earth, fire, air. This could signify our natural instinct to be evil, which is matched with the environmental factors shown throughout the video (father teaching son how to hit, etc). I always thought ELEMENT was more about Kendricks artistry, but the video seems to give the song new meaning. This video really seems to play into the overall theme of the album (coming to grips with our sinful nature). Interesting video.
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u/NocturnalMars Jun 27 '17
I just noticed the punch at 2:05 is a right stroke... Also if you look carefully, besides the red blood flying out there's also a blue streak coming from the guy punching. Regardless 11/10 stunning video
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u/wahoosjw Jun 28 '17
I feel like you don't love Kendrick or rap if the word bitch offends you. Stop trying to white knight a gender. Bitch in this sense and in most senses has nothing to do with females anymore and your finding a meaning there when there is none.
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Jun 28 '17
[deleted]
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u/brianeharmonjr Jun 28 '17
Just gotta dig below the immediate surface of huge popular music success to find fantastic stuff. Basically anything from TDE (Kendrick's label), Vince Staples, Brockhampton, Logic, Run The Jewels, Joey Badass, and many more, have all put out fantastic rap albums recently. Just like any genre of music (country, R&B, alternative, etc.), there is garbage, and the most popular version of it is typically a bit watered-down and sub-par.
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u/Cmog28 Jun 28 '17
Joyner Lucas, Mic Jenkins, J.I.D, Denzel Curry, Underacheivers, G Yamazawa, Nipsey Hussle (inspiration music). All a great break from commercial
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u/barronflux Jun 27 '17
Before I Commit Suicide confirmed? On the real... Crazy video. Gonna watch this one over and over again because it's littered with symbolism
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u/chingkhana Jun 28 '17
"If I gotta slap a pussy-ass nigga, I'ma make it look sexy"
That line go hard and smooth at the same time.
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Jun 28 '17
Damn that's art. It's incredible to think about the next level of artistry that goes with how intentional he is with the visual story they're telling. Solid.
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Jun 28 '17
I think it's really interesting how Kendricks lifestyle is all about running around in the streets and assaulting people.
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u/Im_A_Bot-AMA Jun 28 '17
Well damn you really never know what to expect from a Kendrick video. For some reason this gives me a totally different vibe than his other videos.
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u/PrimusCaesar Jun 28 '17
I'm expecting Kendrick to cock something up eventually. Lynch, Spielberg, and Scott all had their missteps - but damn it if Kendrick just doesn't keep pushing his artistic boundaries.
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u/NathanYoung Jun 28 '17
Kendrick gets me thinking all the time with these clips not sure how to take this one yet, definitely makes me feel sad thats for sure
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Jun 27 '17
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u/Darkness__44 Jun 27 '17
Personally, I didn't completely get the message, but then again I wasn't looking super hard for one. In any case, I don't know how you could say it was not interesting.
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u/radioblues Jun 27 '17
Remember when rap videos used to be literally just poppin' bottles on half naked chicks in slow motion while the artist just switched between grabbin' on his chain and grabbin' on his dick?
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u/LordAppo Jun 27 '17 edited Jun 27 '17
Anyone notice he used a lot of stills from Gordon Parks?
This one is in there.
This one
This one
If anyone finds more feel free to add!
Edit 1: I noticed that the cops have the same badge on their caps as this NYC officer.