Kendrick Lamar is known for keeping his personal life out of the public eye, except when it comes to his music. On Friday (December 16th) he released his music video. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers A deep cut, “Count Me Out,” which depicts the Compton artist in a pianoside therapy session with Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren.
Directed by Lamar and pgLang co-founder Dave Free, the video begins with a skit depicting Lamar using a woman’s parking lot, and runs in three-split screen with the “HUMBLE” rapper on one side of him. A scene he describes unfolds, including a constant glance of empathy for Mirren for others, and, in the middle, a shot of Lamar’s partner Whitney Alford. You can
The video and lyrics touch on themes of frustration, growth, infidelity and ego, staying true to the color scheme (black, white and red) and life and death themes that surround Lamar’s Big Steppers tour. Mirren’s vocals were also used in moments of transition during Lamar’s tour set.
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers Released in May, it debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart and earned 295,500 worth of album units in the US in the week ending May 19, according to Luminate. Nominated for both Best Rap Album of the Year and “Die Hard” featuring Blxst and Amanda Leifer was nominated for Best Melodic Rap Performance. He also received a whopping four nominations in categories including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “The Heart Part 5.”