Audio Kendrick Lamar is probably hip-hop’s hottest property right now, and on ‘i’, the first official single since the release of his critically acclaimed Good Kid M.A.A.D City, he takes the time to remind everyone to love themselves a little bit. An uplifting message accompanies a funky backdrop, but the single has already divided critics between regarding this as a cheese-ball of a tune or celebrating the fact that one of the biggest lyricists in the world is delivering a message like this. I’m feeling a bit of both, but the production is so nicely done (credit to Rahki, who manipulates The Isley Brothers’ ‘Who’s That Lady’) that I’ve already given it a few replays already.
Either way, hot off his jazz fusion-driven collab with Flying Lotus, Kendrick continues to demonstrate his extraordinary versatility.
