Entertainment

Kendrick Lamar's "Humble" Is Fire From Start To Finish

by Ashley Rey

The self-proclaimed "hip-hop savior" is proving that he's just who he says he is. Kendrick Lamar's "Humble" music video dropped on March 30, and it's anything but ordinary. The visuals alone are enough to get one excited for new work from the Compton rapper. But one listen to the Mike WILL Made-It production, and you're guaranteed to lose your mind. After taking jabs at Donald Trump, and allegedly dissing rappers Big Sean and Drake in "The Heart Part 4," you'd think that K-Dot would lie low to give a chance for rebuttals. I guess Lamar thought a week was plenty, because he continues to annihilate them in Thursday's release. It's all still speculation, of course. But I can't help but think that the "Humble" lyrics are, at least, aimed at Big Sean.

"Humble" serves as a reminder for Lamar's rap class not to get beside themselves. But the rapper also uses the track spill the beans on all of his wealth and accomplishments. In the first verse, Lamar spits, "Girl, I can buy yo' a-s the world with my paystub." It's self-explanatory, really. His cup runneth over with cash. The rapper continues to flex his muscle (and his wallet) with the following stanzas, saying:

Piss out your per diem, you just gotta hate 'em, funk
If I quit your BM, I still ride Mercedes, funk
If I quit this season, I still be the greatest, funk
My left stroke just went viral
Right stroke put li'l baby in a spiral
Soprano C, we like to keep it on a high note
It's levels to it, you and I know, b---h, be humble

But, the hook? The hook is where the To Pimp a Butterfly creator lets his opponents know what the real deal is. By repeating "be humble, sit down," Lamar is reminding these other rappers just what they should do if they don't want to be embarrassed by his lyrical genius. I can't help but wonder whether or not the rapper's use of "li'l b---h" is a direct jab at Detroit's pride and joy, Big Sean, or if it's just a general insult to belittle anyone who thinks they're a better rapper than him. Either way, Lamar executes it perfectly to give the track a nice comedic edge.

But his second verse is where the potential diss to Big Sean, or any other rapper, lives. Straight out the gate, Lamar says: "Who that n---a thinkin' that he frontin' on, Man-Man?" And if the lucky rapper referenced thought for a second that he could get over on the Compton native, they have another thing coming. Lamar gives specific instructions on what he'd like the dissee to do, by saying: "Get the f--k off my stage, I'm the Sandman. Get the f--k off my d--k, that ain't right. I make a play, f--kin' up your whole life."

Oh, but he's not finished yet. And to show that he's over the mediocrity and falsehoods about "living large" that other rappers are saying, Lamar spits:

This s--t way too crazy, ayy
You do not amaze me, ayy
I blew cool from AC, ayy
Obama just paged me, ayy
I don't fabricate it, ayy,
Most of y'all be fakin', ayy
I stay modest 'bout it, ayy
She elaborate it, ayy

Bottom line — Kendrick Lamar is tired of all of the hype beasts, and he's calling out any and everyone who makes pump faking a hobby. And just to prove, once again, why the "hip-hop rhyme savior" is the greatest, Lamar reminds us that his music is his vice, and comes from a sober mind — not from popping pills, or smoking weed, or drinking alcohol like a lot of other famous folks:

This that Grey Poupon, that Evian, that TED Talk, ayy
Watch my soul speak, you let the meds talk, ayy
If I kill a n---a, it won't be the alcohol, ayy
I'm the realest n---a after all,
B---h, be humble

April 7 can't get here fast enough, when hopefully we'll be receiving a full album of these fire tracks that may or may not be disses at other big names in the game. I can't wait.