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Reincarnated (song)

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For the X Ambassadors song, see The Beautiful Liar (album).
"Reincarnated"
Song by Kendrick Lamar
from the album GNX
ReleasedNovember 22, 2024
GenreHip hop
Length4:35
Label
Songwriter(s)Kendrick Duckworth
Producer(s)

"Reincarnated" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, released on November 22, 2024 from his sixth studio album GNX. It contains a sample of "Made Niggaz" by Tupac Shakur and was produced by Sounwave, Jack Antonoff, Lamar himself, M-Tech and Noah Ehler.

Composition and lyrics

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The song starts with an introduction by Mexican singer Deyra Barrera,[1][2] who sings in Spanish "Que reflejan tu mirada / La noche, tú y yo" ("That reflect your look / The night, you and me").[3][4] Over the instrumental of "Made Niggaz", Kendrick Lamar performs in cadences evoking 2Pac's vocal style[2][3][5] and raps from multiple perspectives,[5] namely that of singers John Lee Hooker and Billie Holiday,[3][4][6][7][8][9] himself,[4][10] God[8][11] and Lucifer.[9] The first two verses[10] find him recounting being a guitarist that manipulated and lied to the masses and music industry for unfair profit (Hooker) and a Black woman performer on the Chitlin' Circuit whose drug addiction led to her death (Holliday).[4][6][7] Lamar notes that both of them were abandoned by their fathers[7] and imagines himself as a reincarnation of these musicians who is reflecting on his past lives.[8][12] In the third and final verse, he raps from his present-day position and enters a conversation with one he calls his father (referring to both his actual deceased father and God),[13][14] who interrogates Lamar and admonishes him for his contradictions.[7][8][10] Speaking between the viewpoints of himself and Lucifer,[7] Lamar expresses shame for his past mistakes[8] and asserts he has reformed, discussing he has been preventing his fame from negatively influencing him[7][10] and now uses his gifts to perform acts of kindness, bring peace and protect and help others[4][13][14] (e.g. "I put 100 hoods on one stage"),[4][14] promising to continue doing so.[4]

Critical reception

[edit]

The song was received generally positive reviews from music critics. Billboard's Michael Saponara ranked it as the best song from GNX.[15] Alexander Cole of HotNewHipHop called it a "phenomenal tribute that comes with Kendrick's signature storytelling."[5] Matthew Kim of The Line of Best Fit considered it "one of the finest storytelling songs of Lamar's career".[6] Karl Blakesley of Clash praised the song for its "exceptional production".[16] Kitty Empire of The Observer described it as "brilliant, wide-ranging".[14] Reviewing the album for MusicOMH, Ben Devlin wrote "It culminates with Kendrick appearing to break the cycle of fame and corruption, and while this resolution isn't as detailed or hard-won as Mother I Sober the track is certainly powerful with production cribbed from 2Pac's Made Niggaz."[10] Writing for HotNewHipHop, Aron A. called the song a "masterclass in storytelling" and commented Lamar "masterfully channels Tupac Shakur's cadence".[17]

Dakota West Foss of Sputnikmusic had a mixed reaction to the song, stating the content is "definitionally ridiculous and patently, capital-D Deep like some of the Kendrick songs of yore, but his flow and performance are once again in top form to deliver what is probably one of the best raps of the year in a year already full of great ones."[13] Reviewing GNX for Pitchfork, Alphonse Pierre criticized the song, writing "Unlistenable is 'reincarnated,' a homage to Tupac at his most paranoid and disoriented, where Kendrick writes from the perspective of old-time artistic influences. These writerly songs he's prone to, like this one or TPAB's 'Mortal Man,' have always been more technically impressive than anything else. It doesn't help that 'reincarnated' also feels like it exists to spite Drake for making that AI Tupac song that I forgot ever existed."[18]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "Reincarnated"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[19] 25
Australia Hip Hop/R&B (ARIA)[20] 6
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[21] 21
Global 200 (Billboard)[22] 12
Latvia (LaIPA)[23] 20
Lithuania (AGATA)[24] 20
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[25] 17
South Africa (TOSAC)[26] 8
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 65
UK Streaming (OCC)[28] 41
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[29] 38
US Billboard Hot 100[30] 8
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[31] 6

References

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  1. ^ Schonfeld, Zach (2024-11-23). "The Mysterious Mariachi Star of Kendrick Lamar's GNX". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
  2. ^ a b McLean, Wesley (November 25, 2024). "Kendrick Lamar Is in Rarefied Air on the Triumphant GNX". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Crone, David (November 22, 2024). "GNX - Kendrick Lamar | Album". AllMusic. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Mitchell, Matt (November 25, 2024). "Kendrick Lamar Reimagines Rap's Future and Reckons With His Past on GNX". Paste. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Cole, Alexander (November 26, 2024). "Kendrick Lamar Embodies The Spirit Of 2Pac On The Story-Drive "GNX" Cut "Reincarnated"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Kim, Matthew (November 23, 2024). "Kendrick Lamar Sketches the Blueprint For a New Rap Zeitgeist on GNX". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Wohlmacher, John (November 25, 2024). "Album Review: Kendrick Lamar – GNX". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e Petridis, Alexis (November 25, 2024). "Kendrick Lamar: GNX Review – Stunning Surprise From a Rapper Determined to Be the Greatest". The Guardian. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Williams, Kyann-Sian (November 25, 2024). "Kendrick Lamar – GNX Review: Turning Hatred Into a Teachable Moment". NME. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d e Devlin, Ben (November 29, 2024). "Kendrick Lamar – GNX". MusicOMH. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  11. ^ Reeves, Mosi (November 25, 2024). "Kendrick Lamar Caps His Huge Year With a Victory Lap on GNX". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  12. ^ Wood, Mikael (November 24, 2024). "For Kendrick Lamar, spite is an engine on the exhilarating 'GNX'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  13. ^ a b c Foss, Dakota West (November 26, 2024). "Review: Kendrick Lamar - GNX". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  14. ^ a b c d Empire, Kitty (November 29, 2024). "Kendrick Lamar: GNX review – amply backed-up grandstanding". The Observer. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  15. ^ Saponara, Michael (November 22, 2024). "All 12 Songs From Kendrick Lamar's 'GNX' Album Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  16. ^ Blakesley, Karl (November 26, 2024). "Kendrick Lamar – GNX". Clash. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  17. ^ A., Aron (December 2, 2024). "Kendrick Lamar "GNX" Review". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  18. ^ Pierre, Alphonse (November 26, 2024). "Kendrick Lamar: GNX Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  19. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. December 2, 2024. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  20. ^ "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. December 2, 2024. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  21. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  22. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  23. ^ "Straumēšanas Top 2024 – 48. nedēļa" [Streaming TOP 2024 – Week 48] (in Latvian). LaIPA. December 11, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  24. ^ "2024 48-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. December 7, 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  25. ^ "Official Top 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. November 29, 2024. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  26. ^ "Local & International Streaming Chart Top 10 Week 48-2024". The Official South African Charts. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  27. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 48". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  28. ^ "Official Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  29. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  30. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  31. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
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