From Spotify and The Ringer, this is Dissect, long-form musical analysis broken into short digestible episodes.

This is episode two of our season-long analysis on Kendrick Lamar's Mr. Morale and The Big Stepers.

I'm your host, Kolkushna. Last time I dissect, we examined Mr. Morrell's opening expository track United in Grief.

It was there that Kendrick established the album's overarching goal, to find peace of mind,

and the barriers preventing him from that goal,

sex addiction and materialism, both of which are manifestations of unresolved trauma and grief.

Having established Kendrick's personal interior world, Mr. Morrell and the Big Steppers,

continues by shifting its focus to the outer exterior world and the album's next track,

the subject of our episode today, N95.

Hello, New World, all the boys and girls, I got some true stories to tell.

You back outside, but they still light, whoa, yeah. Take off the foo-fool, take off the cloud chaseful take off the cloud chase take off the Wi-Fi take off the

n95 was produced by boy Wanda baby Keem jaheen sweet and soundwave the song begins with

Kendrick singing acapella hello new world all the boys and girls i got some true stories to tell

you're back outside, but they still

lied. After the expository United in Grief, this opening a cappella functions like a narrative

reset. Kendrick addresses the audience directly with a sing-song satirical tone, almost as if he's

speaking to sitting children during story time. This is reinforced by N95's video. During this introduction,

we see an adolescent boy sitting on the beach looking up to Kendrick, who floats above

the ocean's tide posing like Jesus on the cross, as if Kendrick was his savior. The true

stories Kendrick is going to tell on the album will expose Kendrick as a flawed human, a dismantling

of his public image or role as rap savior.

The opening lyric, Hello New World, paired with your back outside, appears to be referring to the post-pandemic world,

...