“I see the love in her eyes, I see the feeling, the freedom is granted…”

It was Donald Glover – aka Childish Gambino – who introduced me to the sound of Kendrick Lamar earlier this year. This was just in a live context, so I was just taken away by the superficial elements – the speed, the flow, etc – without thinking too much more about it. Looking further into this Lamar character has lead me to believe he’s going to be one of the biggest names in hip-hop within five years. There’s so much going on here, not to mention the overwhelming support of people like Dr. Dre on his side – when his major-label debut drops in October, it’s going to pretty much be game over.

This video marks the second clip from his upcoming album, and it’s a very bold and engaging work delving into a dizzying spiral of  alcohol and women. And not in a “look how fucking cool this is” kind of way, either. Rather, Lamar directs the clip to show the darker, uglier side of what can come with this addictive lifestyle. It’s a surprisingly honest portrayal, that slips in and out of hallucination to further create a very bizarre but thoroughly engaged take on what can be a very, very harsh reality. Get amongst it before he blows up – and it’s not a matter of “if” in this case, but “when.”