It’s a good day to be a Kendrick Lamar and SZA fan. ICYMI, the duo dropped the music video for their song “luther,” and fans are losing it. And while the music video is totally dope, the meaning behind it is so good. I mean, what else do we expect? It’s SZA and Kendrick — of course it’s going to be absolutely genius.
On April 11, Kendrick and SZA surprise-dropped the music video for “uther,” which was featured on Kendrick’s latest album GNX. A personal favorite of mine, “luther” is named after the artist behind the song’s sample, the one and only luther Vandross. Blending old with the new, Lamar took the iconic duet between Vandross and Cheryl Lynn and added his and SZA’s vocals and lyrics to the track.
The old and new are blended somewhat literally in the music video, blending black and white shots with shots in color — often featuring red and blue, a nod to the West Coast as much as the red, white, and blue of the U.S.
Not much happens regarding a plot in the video, but that’s the beauty of it — a minimalist video with only four people: Lamar, SZA, and models to serve as their respective love interests in the song. The simple video does exactly what a music video should do — enhances the music without distracting from the song.
Eagle-eyed fans have taken note that the choice in the video’s director, Canadian-born Karena Evans, may be yet another subtle dig at Drake (who you hopefully know by now had a little spat with Lamar last year). It’s important to note, however, that while Evans has directed four music videos for Drake, including “God’s Plan” and “In My Feelings,” she also worked with SZA directing the music video for “Garden (Say It Like Dat)” off of her 2017 album Ctrl, so SZA and Evans have worked together before.
The biggest changes to the music itself as featured in the music video, aside from some silent pauses between song sections, is the inclusion of more of the 80s recording of “If This World Was Mine,” especially at the end of the video, when the artists and their partners sit or dance together. It evokes a kind of old school Black love that Luther Vandross is a symbol of, and pays tribute to one of the most influential R&B artists of all time.
Now all that’s left to do is rewatch the video a couple more times while knowing that Kendrick Lamar is probably laughing at all the people beginning to grow more and more fearful of those two words: “Kendrick dropped.” Also, maybe try and see if there are any Grand National Tour tickets left that I can afford.