Kendrick Lamar is a respected lyricist and has been one of the most prevalent artists in hip-hop for over a decade at this point. The Compton emcee is responsible for some of contemporary rap’s most prestigious projects, including Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers and DAMN. The vast majority of his material is well-received by critics and fans alike—however, one specific song of his agitated his followers. Lamar has always been versatile, but the track in question may have pushed the envelope a little too far for some.
Kendrick’s most hated track was released as a single for his 2015 album To Pimp A Butterfly, one of the musician’s most revered albums. Following the project’s release, Lamar’s fans were so in awe of its quality that they chose to forgive Lamar. However, during the lead-up to the body of work, they were not as kind. The song in question is ‘i’. When the LA native first presented fans with the track, it fell on deaf ears and evoked a lot of resentment. On first listen, it is a relatively good track that explores themes including self-love and pride. However, there was an adverse reaction to the single for an unknown reason. Produced by California musician Rahki, ‘i’ samples the 1964 Isley Brothers’ song ‘That Lady’ and was released alongside a compelling music video.
However, there is a reason why Lamar’s die-hard fans had such a knee-jerk reaction of hatred to the song. Over the past ten years, the Good Kid m.A.A.d City act has cemented himself as a musical visionary and creative. Furthermore, he has been branded by respected cultural figures as contemporary hip-hop’s saving grace. From the underground to the establishment, across the board, he has unanimously been dubbed the “Greatest Rapper of All Time.” His material has always managed to create tension, maintain a narrative, and cultivate drama while simultaneously sharing a sense of optimism and hope. That said, when the emcee shared ‘i’ with his fans, listeners got a catchy, shiny track with a simple hook akin to Pharrell’s ‘Happy’ and OutKast’s ‘Hey Ya.’ This enraged his loyal fans as, in their opinion, this was a sign of Lamar turning his back on them and selling out. However, the musician and creative simply sought to diversify and explore sonics he hadn’t before. However, he soon found out that some don’t like change.
However, irrespective of whether his critics like it or not, the ‘Humble’ lyricist has continued to evolve and adapt and won’t cease anytime soon. In an interview with music magazine The Fader about the song’s response, Lamar responded: “That’s great. I would hate to stay stagnant. I would hate for you to say there’s no growth. You’re supposed to innovate and not only challenge yourself but challenge your listeners… When you’re an artist, nobody should dictate what you should do, you should just do it.” You can listen to ‘i’ in the video below.
