The new Kendrick Lamar album is the talk of the music world, after a surprise drop on Friday.
“GNX” is a 44-minute masterpiece, with classic Kendrick vibes, mixed with some leftover heat from the year’s beef with Drake.
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On the the track titled “reincarnated,” Kendrick appears to be taking on the persona of some musical greats. In the song, he makes a reference to Michigan, specifically in 1947.
Why did Kendrick Lamar mention Michigan?
The best guess here, based on the 1947 reference and other points of reference in the verse, Kendrick is likely taking on the perspective of legendary R&B guitarist John Lee Hooker.
Reincarnated on this earth for a hundred plus
Body after body, lesson after lesson, let’s take it back to Michigan in 1947
My father kicked me out the house ‘cause I wouldn’t listen to him
I didn’t care about his influence, only loved what I was doing
Gifted as a musician, I played guitar on the grand level
The most talented where I’m from, but I had to rebel
Hooker left Mississippi to make music in Detroit, and released his first hit song, “Boogie Chillen” in 1948.
“Boogie Chillen” hit number one on the R&B charts in 1949. The popularity he had gained from his work in Detroit carried Hooker through the next decades, and he moved to California by 1970.
Hooker is widely considered to be one one of the greatest blues artists of all time.