Months after the release of his latest album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar has debuted the official music video for “Count Me Out.”
Starring Helen Mirren as his therapist, the Compton rapper shows off his acting chops in the video, co-directed by him and Dave Free.
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The music video opens with a black-and-white filter, revealing Lamar sitting at a piano while in a room with the 77-year-old actress. Known for her roles in Red and The Queen, Mirren laughs with the “Poetic Justice” artist about taking someone else’s parking spot.
Shifting to a serious note, Mirren then says, “You texted me at 2 o’clock in the morning: ‘I feel like I’m fallen.’ Why’d you feel that way?” Following a brief pause, Lamar simply answered back, “Life.”
Throughout the remainder of the three-minute video, Lamar flaunted a number of eye-catching visuals. Splicing different scenes along with the therapy session, the Grammy-winning star showed himself rapping in a studio, laying in a field, standing in a desert, and more.
Released this past May, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers features 18 tracks and marks the rapper’s first project since 2016’s DAMN.
Last month, the Grammys released their nominations for 2023, with Lamar’s latest album up for both Album Of The Year and Best Rap Album.
In a recent sit-down with W Magazine, he shared the vulnerable process behind the album, revealing that some of his family didn’t know about the subject matter until its debut.
“I could have cut corners and got flashy with it and worded my words a certain way—nah, I had to be in the rawest, truest form I could possibly be in order for it to be freeing for me, in order for me to have a different outlook and the perspective on people I’m talking to,” Lamar shared. “I had to reap whatever consequences came behind that, and also be compassionate and show empathy if they were hurt by it.”
Check out the music video for “Count Me Out” below. Sound off in the comments afterward with your thoughts on the new visual.
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