N95

“N95” is the second track from American rapper and songwriter Kendrick Lamar and his fifth studio album “Mr.Morale & The Hotsteppers”. Released on the 13th May 2022, “NP95” sees Lamar critique the government and perhaps its response to the pandemic, from which the title may stem from. A “N95” is a type of face covering/surgical mask.

The bridge and the first half of the third verse on “N95” was originally intended to be on rapper Baby Keem’s “vent” album (he also makes an appearance on this album on the track “Saviour”), but ended up on this track.

“N95” sees Lamar discuss society’s obsession with image, an unnecessary obedience of higher powers such as government and large corporate companies, and ultimately the real importance of life – love, connection and experiences.

The music video for the song was uploaded to Lamar’s YouTube channel on the 14th May 2022 and was directed by Dave Free and Kendrick Lamar. The video features multiple clips of Kendrick in various situations, running from people, hovering over the sea in a religious pose, reading a newspaper on the beach while a car crashes, and in in bed with a woman that is surrounded by crosses on all the walls. In only 5 days, the video had a total of 13.6 million views, 810 thousand likes and was #5 on YouTube’s Trending page in the music category.

Read the lyrics to “N95” here.

*All information accurate at the time of publishing.