Video: Kendrick Lamar - 'ELEMENT.'
New Kung Fu Kenny!
After surprising fans alongside Future at the BET Awards, Kendrick Lamar unleashes the cinematic video for his latest DAMN. single, “ELEMENT.”
Directed by Jonas Lindstroem and the little homies, the clip is a stunning, explosive, fiery, and bloody visual to match King Kendrick’s evocative and passionate bars.
Symbolic imagery adorns the visual from the start, when a single hand emerges from ocean blue waters. Soon, the serenity of that scene is interrupted by a fight, a man drenched in blood, and a house on fire.
Similarly striking images are on display. One second, a child is peacefully playing with an insect on the ground. The next, two men are handcuffed to one another. In one scene, a father teaches his son how to fight. In another, a man is being knocked out.
The symbolism continues, with women dressed in white (likely inspired by Gordon Parks), a set of prisoners behind bars, a child playing with a toy gun, police officers conversing around their patrol car, and a man flying off a rooftop, straight towards the ground.
Kendrick appears in the video in various forms, as a silhouette, as an MC with his shirt bloody, and on a truck full of friends. Things also get violent, as he slaps one guy, chokes a man, and strikes another with a pool stick.
“ELEMENT.” is the latest single off DAMN. and follows videos for “DNA.” and “HUMBLE.” A clip for his Rihanna-assisted “LOYALTY.” smash is also expected to arrive soon.