God Is Gangsta

God Is Gangsta
God Is Gangsta
Directed by The Little Homies
Jack Begert
PANAMÆRA
Produced by Sam Canter
Christian Sutton
Tyler Sobel-Mason
Starring Kendrick Lamar
Music by Lamar
Cinematography David Bolen
Production
companies
Running time
 0:07:21
Country United States

God Is Gangsta is a music video published by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, consisting of the songs "U" and "For Sale?" from his 2015 studio album To Pimp a Butterfly, which lyrically discusses the issues of race, mental health and institutional discrimination.[1][2][3] It was released on December 30, 2015, to Vimeo and on January 13, 2016, to YouTube.[4][5][6][7][8]

Background

Frequently described as a short film, the first half of the music video, which reflects on mental health issues, begins with the first song "U".[9][10] Lamar confronts his self-doubted, hateful and guilty self alone while screaming the words "Loving you is complicated" with a whiskey bottle in a small room.[2][11] The second half of the video which starts "For Sale?", provides a view into the often-misinterpreted belief that happiness is achieved with success. At a strip club where Lamar has spent the night, suggesting that success and fame is preceded by troubles and temptations, he presents the story about his encounter with the "promises of material salvation" of a devil-like figure named Lucy, who is portrayed in the album.[12][13] The "For Sale?" segment was filmed in David Lynch's nightclub, Silencio, in Paris, France.[14][15][16]

Commercial reception

National Public Radio wrote that "The imagery itself is striking, but what makes this section of the music video hit home is how openly Lamar presents his personal battles with depression, an issue that often gets pushed aside in the African-American community."[2] AXS described the music video as "uncomfortably beautiful." and stated: "Although the pair of videos are completely different, they do seem to complement the tracks very well without a literal interpretation."[17] XXL asserted that "God is Gangsta" is Lamar's final message in the video, implying the challenges of life.[18] Bustle identified "8 moments" from the video that are not safe for work, picking scenes such as Lamar and the whiskey bottle, the strip club and his baptism.[19] The Source described the video as "intriguing, with several intense moments soundtracked wonderfully by his music and all sorts of cryptic touches."[20]

References

  1. ↑ Lindner, Emily (December 31, 2015). "Kendrick Lamar Confronts His Demons In 'God Is Gangsta' Joint Video". MTV. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 Robert, Cam (December 20, 2016). "Best Music Videos Of 2016: Kendrick Lamar, 'God Is Gangsta'". National Public Radio. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  3. ↑ Barna, Daniel (January 3, 2016). "Kendrick Lamar Thinks 'God Is Gangsta' In New Short Film". Nylon. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  4. ↑ Claymore, Gabriela (December 31, 2015). "Kendrick Lamar – "God Is Gangsta" Short Film (NSFW)". Stereogum. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  5. ↑ Biedenharn, Isabella (December 31, 2015). "See Kendrick Lamar's trippy new short film, 'God is Gangsta'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  6. ↑ Hill, John (December 31, 2015). "Watch Kendrick Lamar Go Insane in His New Video for "God Is Gangsta"". Vice. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  7. ↑ Lilah, Rose (December 31, 2015). "Kendrick Lamar "U / For Sale?" (God Is Gangsta)". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  8. ↑ Frydenlund, Zach (December 31, 2015). "Here's Kendrick Lamar's New Short Film, 'God Is Gangsta'". Complex. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  9. ↑ Palermino, Chris (January 1, 2016). "Check out Kendrick Lamar's NSFW short film God is Gangsta". Digital Trends. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  10. ↑ Jones, Jaleesa (December 31, 2015). "Kendrick's short film 'God is Gangsta' is so brilliant that it hurts". USA Today. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  11. ↑ Fischer, David (January 1, 2016). "Kendrick Lamar Debuts 'God Is Gangsta' Video". Highsnobiety. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  12. ↑ Chau, Thomas (December 31, 2015). "Kendrick Lamar Closes 2015 With 'God Is Gangsta' Video". PopCrush. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  13. ↑ Blistein, Jon (December 31, 2015). "Kendrick Lamar Faces Demons, Temptation in 'God Is Gangsta'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  14. ↑ Torres, Eric (December 31, 2015). "Kendrick Lamar Shares 7-Minute Short Film God Is Gangsta". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  15. ↑ Platon, Adelle (December 31, 2015). "Kendrick Lamar Debuts 'God Is Gangsta' Video". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  16. ↑ Kaye, Ben (December 31, 2015). "Kendrick Lamar shares short film "God is Gangsta"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  17. ↑ Cormier, Nicole (December 31, 2015). "Kendrick Lamar's 'God is Gangsta' is uncomfortably beautiful". AXS. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  18. ↑ Simmons, Ted (December 31, 2015). "Watch Kendrick Lamar's New Short Film". XXL. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  19. ↑ Cusumano, Katherine (January 1, 2016). "Most SFW Moments From Kendrick Lamar's New Video". Bustle. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  20. ↑ Orcutt, KC (January 2, 2016). "Kendrick Lamar Shares Short Film 'God Is Gangsta'". The Source. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
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