As if headlining Coachella this Sunday wasn’t show-stopping enough, Kendrick Lamar dropped an electrifying new music video for “DNA,” a track off his latest studio album, DAMN., on Tuesday.
Directed by Nabil Elderkin and the Little Homies, the music video opens with actor Don Cheadle interrogating Kendrick, who’s handcuffed to a table, dressed as his alter ego, Kung Fu Kenny. Cheadle then powers up a lie detector test that malfunctions in tandem with an audio clip of a Fox News segment criticizing Lamar’s lyrics about police brutality. The lie detector’s breakdown electrocutes Cheadle, who then perfectly raps the lyrics of “DNA” back to Kendrick and instigates a mini rap battle before unlocking the rapper’s handcuffs.
Once Kendrick is free, he meets up with his friends (including fellow TDE rapper ScHoolboy Q), and they play dice in the street and watch a group of beautiful women go for a joyride in the neighborhood.
Watch the full video below.
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Write to Cady Lang at cady.lang@timemagazine.com