Like the music on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly, the rapper's music videos are equally complex and lengthy and his latest, titled "God is Gangsta" combining the tracks "u" and "For Sale (Interlude)," is no exception. The release of the 7-minute music video has everyone talking.
The seven-minute short film opens with Lamar in a drunkin' stupor yelling at the void for the "u" portion of the video directed by Jack Begert, according to Pitchfork. The music is so visual to begin with that watching this feels like a perfect movie adaptation of your favorite book. Lamar is anguished and desperate in the video, spilling his drink all over the room and moving sporadically as the room begins to distort around him. A bottle spins endlessly on the table behind Lamar as he raps to the camera and images appear and disappear from the mirror to his side.
Moving on to the "For Sale (Interlude)" portion of the video directed by PANAMÆRA, Lamar is in a kind of trance and filmed at the Paris nightclub Silencio, which is owned by David Lynch. Lamar raps as the craziness of the club swirls around him and the video switches between old European noir style shots and a more modern look all while interspersing images of religion and vice.
Watch the full short film below and be sure to tell us what you think in the comments section.
Lamar undoubtedly has one of the best albums of the year wracking up a slew of critics' choices as well as 11 Grammy nominations, which is just shy of Michael Jackson's record setting 12.
His previous video for "These Walls" had a similar level of depth but was conveyed through the lens of a black comedy as he "Hit the Quan" and a prison inmate told stories of his adventures. Since "These Walls," "u," "Alright" and "For Sale (Interlude)" all happen in succession on the album, fans can really start to piece together the visual message Lamar is trying to send.
