Kendrick Lamar is on a generational run. Just days after he was announced as the headliner for the Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans, the Compton released a track out of nowhere where he claims that it’s, “Time to watch the party die.”
While the track was posted with no title on Kendrick’s Instagram late Wednesday night, many fans are running with “Watch the Party Die” as a title based on the lyrics and the cover art...and the sentiment that Lamar seems tired of everyone in the music industry.
Listen below:
Before we analyze the lyrics, the timing of this drop is eerie considering he released it during the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards and the 23rd anniversary of Sept. 11.
Standout lyrics
While it doesn’t appear to be a diss track toward one person, Kendrick seems to reference his recent beef with Drake and address everything he feels is wrong with the current state of music.
The track begins : “I think it’s time to watch the party die/This shit done got too wicked to apologize/It’s different, get him whacked and disqualified/We even kill the killers cause they like taking innocent lives/Burn a whole village we start over it’s really that time.”
He later raps, “Influencers talk down cause I’m not with the basic shit/But they don’t hate me they hate the man that I represent/The type of man that never d**kride cause I want a favor.”
It’s not clear exactly who he’s talking about, but Lamar seemingly references how he wants to burn down the music industry and start over. He also addresses the “influencers” who may have been against them in the past and claims that it’s not about who he is specifically, but more about the message he spreads in his music.
On the chorus, Lamar raps, “God give me life, dear god please give me peace/Dear god please keep these lame n****s away from me/Dear god please keep me shinin’ the f**k do they really think?/Pocket-watching you must be the police.”
He continues, “God bless these words dear god bless how I think/Dear god draw the line and they tryna confuse ‘em with me/Dear god please forgive me you knowin’ how hard I tried/I think it’s time for me to watch the party die.”
What’s clear in this song is that Lamar is over his beef with Drake and is back to analyzing and criticizing the flawed world around him...something he’s done on all of his studio albums in different and creative ways.
References to other artists
While he’s critical of the industry, Lamar also references several artists he respects.
At one point he raps, “How many b*****s harder n****s?/Would trade all of y’all for Nip I can’t be proud of you n****s.”
This is an homage to the late rapper Nipsey Hussle, something he has done multiple times over the years in his music and during his live appearances.
Lamar later says, “Sometimes I wonder what Lecrae would do/F**k these n****s up or show ‘em just what prayer do?”
This mention of Christian rapper Lecrae is interesting considering just days before this track was released, he made an interesting comment about Drake and Lamar during an interview on the Mr Jay Hill Network.
“Ghostwriters aside, he’s a great rapper…but Drake is a fan of the culture,” Lecrae said. “Kendrick is a product of the culture. It’s a difference.”
The rapper took notice of his name being referenced in the song and wrote on X, “Love you Dot….Always here.”
After the release of this track, Lamar is likely to go back into silent mode, and not make his next move known until he feels the industry is ready. Until then, we’ll enjoy this new track and the other music he’s released this year.