Heart Part Series

A deepfake-driven visual journey where Kendrick Lamar embodies six modern Black American figures to reflect on their distinct struggles and legacies.

The Heart Part series features 'The Heart Part 4' released in 2017 and 'The Heart Part 5', which arrived on May 8, 2022. This fifth installment served as a promotional single to anticipate Lamar's fifth studio album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, later appearing on that record as a streaming bonus track. The release marked Lamar's first solo project in over four years. A conscious hip-hop song driven by soul and jazz influences, it explores personal themes of empathy, death, and depression from multiple perspectives while addressing African-American culture and institutionalized discrimination.

Quick Facts

Creator: Kendrick Lamar
Album included on: Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (as streaming bonus track)
Previous entry: The Heart Part 4 (2017)
Grammy wins: Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song
Deepfake studio: Deep Voodoo

Lore & Background

The series follows a consistent trajectory of social commentary similar to Lamar's 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly. 'The Heart Part 5' expands this by utilizing deepfake technology created by Deep Voodoo (the studio behind South Park). In the music video, directed by Lamar and Dave Free, he stands against a red wall transforming into six figures in order: O. J. Simpson, Kanye West, Jussie Smollett, Will Smith, Kobe Bryant, and Nipsey Hussle. Each figure performs a verse reflecting their own perspective. Simpson references his 1994 Ford Bronco chase; Ye discusses his battle with bipolar disorder; Smollett addresses the media coverage of his 2019 hate crime hoax; Smith reflects on the backlash from his slapping incident at the 94th Academy Awards; Bryant speaks on influence through hard work; and Hussle delivers a soliloquy about being in heaven, forgiving his killer while noting his 'soul's in question'.

Reader's Guide

To understand 'The Heart Part 5', note its composition by Lamar alongside producers Johnny Kosich, Matt Schaeffer, and Jake Kosich (Beach Noise), with posthumous credits to Leon Ware and Arthur Ross for interpolating Marvin Gaye's 1976 single 'I Want You'. The song peaked at number fifteen on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number five on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart upon release. It also reached number 25 on the Global 200 and number eighteen on the Canadian Hot 100. In the UK, it hit number 24 on the Singles chart. The track received widespread critical acclaim, with Pitchfork's Dylan Green awarding 'Best New Track' and The Guardian's Ben Beaumont-Thomas giving a five-star review calling it a 'heart-stopping call for uplifted humanity'. At the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2023, it won Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song while earning nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Music Video.

Did You Know?

Before the official leak correction, Spotify accidentally teased 'The Heart Part 5' through a description of Lamar's playlists.
Nipsey Hussle's verse in the video is the longest and takes the form of a soliloquy where he states his soul is 'in question'.
Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free directed the music video, which was released simultaneously with the song on May 8, 2022.