Great call on the symbolism of Kendrick standing with his back to the world, facing his family instead. The fact that there’s chipped paint and everything in the surroundings doesn’t phase him. He’s steadfast as the man of the house no matter how much the backdrop might have cracks in its foundation

can’t tell if these are reaches and the cover is just a nice pic or if there’s some credibility to this s***

can’t wait to hear the album and find out tho

He prevented the leak

Pt 5 is definitely the best out of all of em

Oh s*** like the Small Talk cover good catch

Im not calling u that because of ur age idc how old u are lmao

Ahh well you're right, but I make the assumption that it would follow the traditional release pattern unless specified otherwise. To get max tracking he would drop at midnight EST on Friday, when all other albums drop. I think if it was something random like 2PM that would've been said

Facts.. you said it better than me.

How do you interpret the fact that he lives in very poor conditions but is wearing a diamond encrusted crown of thorns which is obviously worth a lot of money?

There’s a lot of meaning there.

Really is a gorgeous place, I'd love to spend more time exploring but they've got me working 60 hours with an hour commute each way

"If I told you I killed a ddddd at sixteen, would you believe me?"

-oklama

Imo the fact that a given artwork can elicit responses and interpretations like this is validation enough of its quality

Very much a subjective thing in aesthetic philosophy, but I’m a big believer in “the perception is the art” and a big part of that is creating art that communicates what the artist wants to, whether abstract or literal

All this discussion and I still can't get that damn Marvin Gaye sample out of my head. The past three days has just been my brain periodically going IIIIIIWANTTTIIIIIWAAANNTTTIIIIIIWWWAAANT

Need .

To be fair, I think majority of people are only coming up with these complex a***ysis and readings on this image because it’s Kendrick. If this was like a Brent Faiyaz album or something people would just say it’s a dope picture and keep it moving

2 still the best for me, but 5 is close.

Holy s*** man. At least the drive is beautiful. Yeah we climbed out on the Napali coast. So beautiful

to be fair, kendrick's an artist that would put this much thought into it

I didn’t think about the back against the world symbolism - thats a good one.

I see the dichotomy between his daughter looking in the eyes of the camera and kendrick looking out the window in despair as existing in the same vein as the point tupac made at the end of mortal man, that a black man has until he’s 30 before his radicalism starts to dissolve.

This is his first album in his 30’s so you may be right that his back to the camera is a commentary about his apathy towards the culture, sociopolitical stuff etc. Interested in hearing some of the non-softball takes about what his daughter’s dead stare into the camera is meant to imply

I like how with the encrusted crown and gun print, the subject of Kendrick feels like a force field for his family. He exudes such a powerful artistic aura.

I get you.. Kendrick and his music tends to be overanalysed but this cover obviously was to meant to get people talking and come with their own interpretations. It’s not reaching to say there is symbolism here and deeper meaning here.

The diamond encrusted crown of thorns is a huge symbol for example.

Thanks fam

My immediate reaction is that it shows his defiance of the celebrity lifestyle, particularly in that his kids and wife would ever be thrust into the spotlight. He is the king, but has no need for a throne or a castle. His homestead is wherever those he loves are, and that’s more valuable than any big beautiful house. But the diamond encrusted crown is a reminder that he still does own that title and its burden. It’s a really interesting duality that feels particularly reflective of what we know of Kendrick as a person - which, despite his stature, is relatively little.

What are your thoughts?

It’s “I WANT THE HOOD” for me

you should be

Promise that you will sing about me

You’re right but that doesn’t mean every move he makes should be picked apart and overanalyzed.

It’s like when people had these major symbolism theories for the girl in Get Out separating her milk and her cereal, and then Jordan Peele publicly addressed it and basically said nah she’s just f***ing weird

bully