N95_(song)

N95 (song)

N95 (song)

2022 single by Kendrick Lamar


"N95" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released as the lead single from his fifth studio album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, on May 20, 2022 through PGLang, Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The song was produced by Boi-1da, Sounwave and Jahaan Sweet, with additional production by Lamar's cousin, fellow American rapper and record producer Baby Keem.

Quick Facts Single by Kendrick Lamar, from the album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers ...

Composition and lyrics

"N95" has been described as "a seething cultural critique where Lamar spits bile in multiple directions over a bleakly catchy, bass-driven instrumental".[3] Lyrically, Lamar raps about masks that go with expensive clothing rather than the N95 respirator mask that was used during the outbreak of COVID-19, as he raps: "Take all that designer bullshit off and what do you have? Bitch you ugly as fuck".[4] During the bridge, Lamar uses a verse that was originally intended for the song "Vent" from his cousin Baby Keem's album The Melodic Blue (2021), yet did not make the cut.[5]

Critical reception

Chase McMullen of Beats Per Minute drew a comparison between "N95" and "the blistering raps of" Lamar's fourth studio album, Damn (2017).[6] The Guardian music critic Alexis Petridis noted that "the tone of his delivery changes so dramatically and so often that it sounds less like the work of one man than a series of guest appearances".[7] NME music critic Kyann-Sian Williams saw the song as "the most high-octane track" from Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, which includes "a plethora of zippy one-liners and humour, which you might not expect sandwiched between piercing commentary on materialism and society".[8]

Music video

Lamar was seen filming a music video in September 2020, which would later be confirmed as scenes of "N95" (said scenes were Lamar floating above the ocean and using a phone booth). The official music video for "N95", directed by Lamar himself and Dave Free, was released on May 14, 2022. Similar to his music video for "Element", the video features heavy imagery in the form of a wide range of scenes. At the beginning of the video, a sign reads "This Shit Hard" in big red capital letters and appears a few more times throughout the video. Scenes include Lamar in a Jesus-like crucified pose floating over ocean waves, Lamar doing workouts on the roof of a dilapidated apartment, Lamar running from a horde of black men (which serves as a reference to Childish Gambino's music video for "This Is America"), an example of the 20th century doll experiments, Lamar and Baby Keem walking through a hallway (the latter suddenly kissing the former on the cheek, causing both of them to stop in their tracks), Lamar using a phone booth, and more.[9][10][11]

Credits and personnel

Charts

More information Chart (2022), Peak position ...

Certifications

More information Region, Certification ...

Release history

More information Region, Date ...

Notes

  1. Mancini, who publicly came out as a trans man in January 2023,[12] is credited by his deadname.

References

  1. Bien, Ava (2022). "Kendrick Lamar's N95". The Summit Pinnacle.
  2. Thomas, Fred. "Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers – Kendrick Lamar". AllMusic. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  3. Songfacts. "N95 by Kendrick Lamar - Songfacts". www.songfacts.com. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  4. McMullen, Chase (May 18, 2022). "Album Review: Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  5. Villa, Angelica (2022-05-20). "Kendrick Lamar's New Music Video Features Two Major Texas Landmarks". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  6. Peters, Mitchell (May 14, 2022). "Kendrick Lamar Drops Striking New 'N95' Video: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  7. Lavin, Will (May 14, 2022). "Kendrick Lamar drops beautifully complex 'N95' video". NME. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  8. Fekadu, Mesfin (January 31, 2023). "How Kendrick Lamar's "Auntie Diaries" Helped Music Engineer Emerson Mancini Come Out". The Hollywood Reporter. Eldridge Industries. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  9. "Kendrick Lamar – N95" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  10. "Croatia Songs (Week of May 28, 2022)". Billboard. May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  11. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 202220 into search. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  12. "Track Top-40 Uge 20, 2022". Hitlisten. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  13. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  14. "Tónlistinn – Lög" [The Music – Songs] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  15. "2022 20-os savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. May 20, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  16. "Kendrick Lamar – N95" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  17. "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. May 23, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  18. "RIAS Top Charts Week 20 (13 - 19 May 2022)". RIAS. May 24, 2022. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  19. "ČNS IFPI". IFPI ČR. Note: Select SK SINGLES DIGITAL TOP 100 and insert 202220 into search. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  20. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  21. "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 24, 2024. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter N95 in the search box.
  22. "Kendrick Lamar "N95"" (in Italian). Radio Airplay Italia. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.

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