Listen to this when
i
Self-love isn't soft. Sometimes it's the loudest thing you'll ever say. 🖤 #KendrickLamar
Who it's for
Lamar has described the song as a message of self-affirmation that also addresses depression and incarceration, so its joy is presented as something chosen against real pressure rather than as naive positivity.
Feelings it meets
What it is
"i" is a song by Kendrick Lamar, produced by Rahki and released in September 2014 as the lead single from his 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly. It is built on re-recorded elements of the Isley Brothers' "That Lady" with Ronald Isley. Lamar has described it as a song about self-love that comes from a place of depression and insecurity, and connected it to young men who grow up without that love.
Where to find it
Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music (widely available). The single and the album version are listed separately; the album version is on To Pimp a Butterfly.
Before you start
Heads up: Explicit lyrics; violence and depression.
Age: Ages 16+
When I stand before thee at the day's end thou shalt see my scars and know that I had my wounds and also my healing.Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds, no. 290
