After a very long hiatus Kendrick Lamar fans got a pleasant surprise with the release of the single and video The Heart Part 5. The new song is another chapter of his "The Heart" series ahead of the release of his forthcoming album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. "The Heart Part 5" was released on Sunday, and it came with a surreal music video in which Lamar changes into various Black celebs while performing the song over a red backdrop.
Kendrick Lamar transforms into O.J. Simpson, Kanye West, Jussie Smollett, Will Smith, Kobe Bryant, and Nipsey Hussle during the six-minute video using deepfake technology (the use of AI to replace the likeness of one person with another in film and other digital media).
Critics are losing their minds about the video and the lyrics for the new song which has prompted many analyses and deconstructions for both the video and lyrics. According to the Magazine Fader, "Kendrick Lamar’s “The Heart Part 5” is a masterclass in non-preachy urgency." Kyann-Sian Williams noted "When it comes to the art of masterful and vivid storytelling, no-one is slicker than the incredible rap juggernaut Kendrick Lamar. It seems the wait for new music from Lamar was well worth it