Every week, Consequence's The Songs of the Week column looks at the best new songs of the past seven days and the most notable releases. Find our new favorites and more in our The best songs on Spotify playlist and other great songs from emerging artists, check out our New Spotify sounds Playlist. This week, we're taking a deep dive into Kendrick Lamar's surprise song.
During the MTV VMAs earlier this week, Kendrick Lamar returned unannounced and released an untitled song on his Instagram page. The timing of the release was likely no coincidence, as the song goes beyond his feud with Drake to criticize the state of hip-hop and the music industry as a whole.
Incorporating the energy of the black Air Force 1s from the album’s accompanying artwork, Kendrick opens with the chilling line, “I think it’s time to watch the party die.” Following the general line of his Drake criticism, Kendrick vents his frustrations with the state of “the culture,” launching into further subliminal criticisms of Drake and his associates, as well as anonymous rappers-turned-podcasters.
In Kendrick’s view, hip-hop is too focused on materialistic goals and gaining clout rather than seeking substance: “So where the soldiers at?” he asks. “The ones who lost it all and learned to learn from it / A thirst for life, head inside a book because he cared / Information that will change his life because he craves that.”
Kendrick’s distaste for some of his peers is so strong that he would “trade them all” for the late Nipsey Hussle, and he is lost in a “sunken place” haunted by ghosts. Seeing no way out of hip-hop’s malaise, his only solution is to burn it all down and rebuild from scratch.
With an upcoming headlining appearance at the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show, speculation about a new Kendrick album is at its peak. After rapping the new song that he's “not excited about releasing,” there are no guarantees, but it sounds like Kendrick still has plenty to say.
—Eddie Fu
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