Heart Part Series

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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'.

In Their Own Story

On August 20, 2021, Lamar announced via blog post that he was producing his final project under Top Dawg Entertainment. By April 18, 2022, a PGLang-headed letter revealed the album name and date. His website updated with a page titled 'The Heart' containing 399 empty computer folders. Spotify accidentally leaked news of the song's release through playlist descriptions before correcting them. On May 8, Lamar released 'The Heart Part 5'. The music video features specific narrative arcs for each deepfaked persona, from Simpson's cultural defense to Hussle's longest verse acting as a post-murder soliloquy. Following the single's drop five days prior to the album's release on May 13, it was included as a digital bonus track.

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?

• The music video features Lamar transforming into six figures: O. J. Simpson, Kanye West, Jussie Smollett, Will Smith, Kobe Bryant, and Nipsey Hussle.
• 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.
• The song interpolates Marvin Gaye's 1976 single 'I Want You', earning posthumous credits for Leon Ware and Arthur Ross.