Mortal Man
Final track on To Pimp a Butterfly with a faux Tupac interview.
"Mortal Man" is the sixteenth and final track on Kendrick Lamar's third studio album To Pimp a Butterfly, released March 15, 2015 through Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. At 12 minutes and 7 seconds, it is 3 seconds longer than "Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst" at 12:04. The song is composed of a song section, a poem section, and ends with a faux-interview between Lamar and the late rapper Tupac Shakur. It encompasses free jazz, spoken word, and jazz rap, and was positively received by music critics upon its release, praised as one of the best from the album and Lamar's discography. Although not released as a single, it charted at number 7 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart in the United States.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Kendrick Lamar
- Album
- To Pimp a Butterfly
- Released
- March 15, 2015
- Recorded
- around 2015 (Grammy's)
- Genre
- Free jazz
- spoken word
- jazz rap
- Length
- 12:07
- Label
- TDE
- Aftermath
- Interscope
- Writer
- Kendrick Duckworth
- Mark Spears
- Stephen Bruner
- Fela Anikulapo Kuti
Facts from the source article.
Background
Lamar wrote "Mortal Man" while on Kanye West's Yeezus Tour. The song ends with a simulated interview between Lamar and Tupac Shakur, sourced from an obscure November 1994 interview between Shakur and Mats Nileskär of Swedish radio station P3 Soul, recorded weeks before Shakur was shot at Quad Studios. Lamar met Nileskär in Germany in 2014 and received the audio; Tupac's stepbrother Mopreme Shakur and mother Afeni Shakur approved its sampling. Tupac Shakur estate-affiliate Tom Whalley said Lamar conceived the idea of appending a posthumous interview to the track. Lamar stated he was inspired after seeing Shakur's shadow talk to him while asleep and realizing they were both born in June. Whalley did not hear the final results until after the album's release. The original interview was publicly released around the same time as the album. Top Dawg president Punch recalled that during the album's creation, Lamar felt lost in the concept and asked Punch to write something to sum up the album; those words were added to the song's end. Lamar said the title meant he is "just a man," and the song was inspired by his 2014 trip to Robben Island, South Africa, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. Lamar also said it is about people pointing out others' flaws without seeing the big picture, citing Jesus as an example. Miles Mosley, invited by Kamasi Washington near the end of production, recorded double bass on the track.
Composition and lyrics
"Mortal Man" opens with a melodic section that names Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., Huey P. Newton, Malcolm X, John F. Kennedy, Jesse Jackson, Jackie Robinson, Michael Jackson, and Moses, while its chorus asks listeners whether they would remain fans when things go wrong. The song uses a sample from a 1977 cover of Fela Kuti's "I No Get Eye for Back" by Houston Person, and its sound is built around mid-tempo drums and muffled orchestration. According to analyst Monica R. Miller, the chorus line questions if fans would stick with Lamar through hard or controversial times. Across the album To Pimp a Butterfly, a poem is gradually revealed, and after the song portion of "Mortal Man," the full poem is spoken. Following that, Lamar stages a simulated interview with Tupac Shakur, where free jazz creeps in as they talk about fame, the growing wealth of the upper class, and the cycle of black power. Lamar then tells Shakur a metaphor comparing people on the street to caterpillars that must consume everything around them, only turning into butterflies if they reach their potential. Miller suggests the cocoon stage might represent life, death, the system, or an industry that exploits artists before they can transform. Analyst Sequoia Maner described "Mortal Man" as the album's crown jewel and its thesis statement.
Critical reception and legacy
Critics have praised "Mortal Man" as a standout deep cut from Kendrick Lamar's album. Ben Travis of GQ described it as a stunning finale that clarifies the album's themes. Entertainment Weekly's Kyle Anderson ranked it among the record's two best songs, while ABC News found its fake interview odd but compelling. In 2022, BuzzFeed's Kasim Kabbara placed it 26th on his list of Lamar's best tracks, calling it a strong outro. The song drew controversy for a line referencing Michael Jackson, which some felt excused the singer's sexual abuse allegations. Terrace Martin later covered the track on his 2016 album Velvet Portraits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which label released Mortal Man?
Mortal Man was released by TDE, Aftermath and Interscope.
Who produced Mortal Man?
Mortal Man was produced by Sounwave.
Who wrote Mortal Man?
Mortal Man was written by Kendrick Duckworth, Mark Spears, Stephen Bruner and Fela Anikulapo Kuti.
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