On July 28th, Kendrick Lamar unveiled the music video for "LOYALTY." featuring Rihanna, the fourth single off of his double-platinam album DAMN.
The music video finds Kung Fu Kenny and Bad Gal RiRi going through some dangerous situations. Fans got excited to see the visual treatment for one of the most popular cuts off of K-Dot's latest project and now it's safe to say that the video, directed by Dave Meyers and The Little Homies (a.k.a. Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free), is easily a Video of the Year contender. Even if you are not a die-hard Kendrick fan, you may well end up clicking (or tapping) the play button repeatedly. Here are seven reasons why you find yourself watching the "LOYALTY." video more than once.
1. It Sheds Light on the Other Side of L.A.
Born and raised in the city of Compton, Kendrick paid tribute to his hometown in his "King Kunta" music video, much like his OG Dr. Dre did in "Nuthin' But a G Thang." This time, however, the TDE rapper picked Downtown L.A. as a place for him and Rihanna to rendezvous, which constructs a sophisticated atmosphere for the vid. One watch is never enough to fully enjoy it.
2. A**, *s*, **s...
At the beginning of the video, Kendrick is sitting laid-back on a chair, surrounded by plenty of almost-naked dancers. With so many seductive women in the screen of your MacBook, how could you look away from them? They definitely tempt you into the world of "LOYALTY." again and again. But it seems like King Kendrick knew the best way to dodge the temptation - blindfolding himself.
3. Bad Gal RiRi Is Bad As F***
Even if you successfully slip through the enticement of the aforementioned dancers, there's no way you can when a bad (really bad) girl like Rihanna confronts you. Okay, the "Work" songstress is, again, killing it. She puts Kendrick's loyalty to the test in several different ways. Even when the 5'6" boy from Compton is fighting against much a bigger guy for her, all she does is put a smile on her face. That side glance, though.
4. That Wallet Chain
If you're around 30, you must've had a moment as a teenager when you mistakenly hooked your wallet chain on something and messed things up. They have long disappered from the market since then, but Kendrick made them alive again in his new music video. It's quite reminiscent of your old school days and that's another reason you feel comfortable seeing the short film.
5. Street Sharks
If you used to see Street Sharks as a kid, you'll have some fun watching the sharks featured in the video. Unfortunately, however, as I was born and raised in Japan, I didin't go through the stuff. So don't look for further explanation from me.
6. Wickedness or Weakness
Around 2:35 mark, you recognize two different versions of Kendrick Lamars, one in a black suit and the other in a white one. The former, smoking a cigar in quite a mafia-ish way, interrogates the latter, but he never gives in and keeps screaming back at the evil Kenny until he passes out in a plastic bag. This scene shows how loyal the "HUMBLE." rhymer is, but at the same time, it reminds you of the "wickedness or weakness" theme, which underlies DAMN. Grasping the concept requires multiple watchings.
7. LOYALTY. LOYALTY. LOYALTY.
No matter what kind of scenario Kendrick and Rihanna get caught up in, they stay loyal to each other. One of the highlights of their trip must be the scene where they are on the edge of the rooftop of a building, with the Barbadian singer hanging onto Man-Man's right hand. "Trust me," he asks her and they smile at each other. Simple as that. If you have trouble understanding the definition of "LOYATY.," just watch them laugh off a car accident after doing some donuts. It doesn't feel so bad to see somebody that loyal to somebody else, so it's no wonder they attract you into their journey over and over again.