The Needle Drop

Kendrick Lamar - "I"

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When Kendrick Lamar dropped his latest single a few weeks ago, the hip hop world felt itself once again in an uproar, potentially getting a glimpse into the music from one of the most anticipated followup albums in years. But things quickly took a polarized turn as many fans clearly stood in the camps of "I love it" or "it's trash." Now, K. Dot has followed up the release of the single with an accompanying video to coincide with Tuesday's election madness. The visuals appear to be yet another old to oldschool Cali hip hop, the opening vignette featuring what appears to be a "Menace II Society"-inspired block party as Kendrick gets his hair twisted and proceeds into the dance-y, Isley Brothers-sampled, and positive message'd song. With his signature voice manipulations well-intact, Kendrick continues to gain traction for his third album--even with a less-than-stellar response to the song. And the icing on the cake is Ron Isley's camero near the end, which goes along with the subliminal messages against police brutality, domestic violence and suicide.

- Ron Grant