Last Tuesday, Kendrick Lamar dropped “i”. In this age of Internet music, the release of a new single is a fairly unremarkable event, but Lamar’s “i” is easily one of the most hotly anticipated drops of the year.
Following Lamar’s electric 2012 album, “good kid, m.A.A.d. city,” rap fans have watched and waited through a K.Dot (one of Lamar’s many stage names) dry spell of nearly two years. While Lamar has remixed, toured and dropped several memorable guest verses until now (“Control,” anyone?), not a single track — let alone an album — has emerged from his studio at Top Dawg Entertainment.
Lamar is much like musical artists of days past (i.e., pre-iTunes, Spotify and Soundcloud) in that he appreciates the value of the album as a full body of work, meant to carry the listener on a wild ride through whatever world he wishes to create.
His first standout mixtape, “O.verly D.edicated,” explores various themes surrounding romantic relationships and personal success, certainly representative of a 23-year-old mentality.
“Section.80,” Lamar’s debut album, discusses the trials and tribulations of balancing faith with earthly temptations. “Good kid” is a narrative of one jarring, drug-addled, fateful night that occurred during Lamar’s teenage years. With the release of “i” and last Thursday, a teaser from a new track called “I’m Da Man,” listeners can only guess what story he’ll tell with his next album.
Based on his previous work, one can assume K.Dot’s untitled album will speak on his rise to fame and success, encompassing the optimism, anxiety, celebration and frustration that comes with living under public scrutiny. Both “i” and “I’m Da Man” share the message of self-confidence. Lamar isn’t a stranger to creating boasts and beats catchy enough for millions of listeners to want to listen and rap along. Take “Backseat Freestyle,” “I Do This (Remix),” and now, “I’m Da Man,” for instance. However, “i” has a different tone.
Lamar uses “i” to develop an extended metaphor which compares the world to “a ghetto filled with big guns and picket signs,” a war zone encompassing various political and social institutions bent on bringing down his individual spirit. He preaches self-love and the importance of finding inner happiness in the face of fear and despair. The Isley Brother’s “That Lady” playing in the background only serves to further lighten the mood of the song, certainly a much different feel from the deep trap beats of “I’m Da Man.” Even the album art — two members of rival street gangs holding their hands in hearts — serves as a proponent of overcoming negativity to spread collective happiness.
We should look forward to this new age of Kendrick Lamar. Taking into consideration “i” and “I’m Da Man,” this new album will certainly continue Lamar’s unfinished story with a worldlier and wiser new chapter that fans have been waiting for since the last lyrics of “good kid.”
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