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Kendrick Lamar delivered another visually stunning music video full of references to the West Coast's rap scene and clues about his future.
On Monday, November 25, the Compton native shared the official visuals for his hit "squabble up" off his GNX album. The Calmatic-directed video begins with Lamar standing in the middle of a jungle green room while wearing an all-blue outfit. A woman dances next to him while a kid hangs on to a highway sign from his hometown on the wall behind him. His outfit, along with a woman facing the wall with a long firearm, is an homage to the cover of Ice-T's 1988 album Power.
The music video's background appears to be a nod to The Roots' video for their 1999 song "The Next Movement." There's also the child who rides a toy tricycle while Kendrick raps “don’t hit him, he got kids with him, my apologies." The young boy is an homage to the infamous drive-by scene in Menace II Society. As it continues, fans can see other familiar references like the massive spinning CD of Nate Dogg's G Funk Classics Vol. 1 & 2 and the man dressed like Isaac Hayes on the cover of his Black Moses LP — both of which are double albums. It's the latest hint that fans believe point to a second album coming soon.
As if those nods aren't enough, Kendrick Lamar embraces numerous elements of West Coast culture from the dance styles, street names, gang life, lowriders, Black and Latin fashion, two flags that resemble David Hammons' “Untitled (African-American Flag)" plus more. There's also a cameo from L.A.'s female rap group CUZZOS and a reference to the iconic Soul Train scramble board, which has a message that every fan is still trying to figure out.
Watch the music video for Kendrick Lamar's "squabble up" and see how many references you can find.