Andrew Veeder on September 24th, 2014

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After teasing its release last week, Kendrick Lamar finally dropped the first single from his forthcoming sophomore album. It’s entitled “i,” and was produced by L.A.’s Rahki. The new song samples the Isley Brothers’ classic “Who’s That Lady,” heavy on the cowbell, drum machine and psychedelia, and it’s a step in a different direction from the sound of his debut “good kid, m.A.A.d city.” “i” is both personal and positive (the hook is “I love myself”), beginning with a sermon snippet, and then Lamar spitting, “I done been through a whole lot / Trial, tribulations, but I know God / Satan wanna put me in a bow-tie / Praying that the holy water don’t go dry / As I look around me / So many motherf*ckers wanna down me / But ain’t no n*gga never drown me / In front of a dirty double mirror they found me,” before the nasty guitar sample takes us to the chorus. It’s an upbeat funky ride that continues morphing through multiple phases, with Lamar rhyming in multiple styles along the way. Treat yo’self.

||| Stream: “i”