On August 20, 2021, Kendrick Lamar revealed through a blog post on his website that he was in the process of producing his upcoming fifth studio album; his final project under Top Dawg Entertainment.[4] He shared the album's name and release date through a pgLang-headed letter on April 18, 2022.[5] Following the announcement, his website was updated with a new page entitled "The Heart", which contained 399 empty computer folders.[6] News of the song's release was accidentally leaked by music streaming serviceSpotify, who teased the song through a description of Lamar's playlists before being changed.[7]
"The Heart Part 5" is aconscious hip hop record driven bysoul andjazz influences.[8] Lamar wrote the song alongside its producers Johnny Kosich, Matt Schaeffer, and Jake Kosich (known collectively as Beach Noise).[9]Leon Ware andArthur "T-Boy" Ross received posthumous songwriting credits for the interpolation of the 1976 single "I Want You", as performed byMarvin Gaye.[10]
Themusic video for "The Heart Part 5", directed by Lamar andDave Free, was released alongside the song on May 8, 2022.[13] In the video, Lamar performs the song against a red wall, while usingdeepfake technology to transform himself into six modern Black American figures: in order, they are former football player and convicted felonO. J. Simpson, rapperYe, actorsJussie Smollett andWill Smith, former basketball playerKobe Bryant, and rapperNipsey Hussle. The deepfakes were made bySouth Park creatorsTrey Parker andMatt Stone's studio Deep Voodoo.[14]
Each of the six deepfakes perform a verse from the song that reflects on their own perspectives.[15] Simpson's verse, which addresses itself as being done "for the culture", mentions a "bulletproof rover" as a reference to his1994 Ford Bronco chase.[16] Ye's verse reflects on his battle with what was believed to bebipolar disorder and how often he has been taken advantage of.[17] Smollett's verse reflects on the hypocrisy surrounding the media coverage of his2019 hate crime hoax and subsequent arrest.[18] Smith's verse reflects on the backlash he received following hisslapping incident ofChris Rock at the94th Academy Awards.[19] After a moment of silence from Lamar, Bryant's verse reflects on being an influential figure through hard work and dedication.[20] Hussle's verse, the longest in the video, takes the form of asoliloquy in the aftermath of his2019 murder, saying that he is in heaven and forgives his killer but that his "soul's in question".[21]
"The Heart Part 5" was met with widespread critical acclaim, with Lamar's tribute to Hussle, a lifelong friend, receiving universal praise amongst critics and his peers.[22][23] Hussle's longtime partner, actressLauren London, described the music video as "powerful art."[24]Pitchfork crowned the song with its "Best New Track" honor, with Dylan Green writing, "The convincingness of the deepfakes is mixed, to say the least, but they amplify Lamar's words and serve to visualize a complicated lineage through Blackness and the pressures of celebrity. [...] Perspective constantly changes the playing field of life and Lamar is preparing us for what feels like his biggest shift yet."[25]
In a five-star review, Ben Beaumont-Thomas ofThe Guardian called the song "a heartstopping call for uplifted humanity", adding that Lamar's "flow is as charged and acute as ever as he lays out a manifesto of radical empathy." Highlighting Lamar's "own love for his community", Beaumont-Thomas praised how he "divines"Marvin Gaye's "innatesocial conscience, changing the title line from one of lust to one of hope, using the urgentdisco rhythm to perfectly impart the seriousness of his feeling."[26] Kyann-Sian Williams ofNME writes that "In the final version of his form (he's said this will be his last album on the Top Dawg Entertainment label), Lamar – or Oklama – is taking ownership of his elder role in the rap world. He sees his influence and now wants to be a voice of reason and morality, not just a coveted rap star."[27]
