"These Walls" is a song by American rapper

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his Progressive rap, progressive musical styles and Social consciousness, socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most infl ...

. It was released on October 13, 2015, as the fifth and final single from his third album, ''

To Pimp a Butterfly ''To Pimp a Butterfly'' is the third studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on March 15, 2015, by Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album was recorded in studios throughout the Uni ...

'' (2015). The track was written by Kendrick Lamar,

Terrace Martin Terrace Jamahl Martin (born December 28, 1978) is an American musician, rapper, singer, and record producer. He is perhaps best known for producing records for several prominent artists in the music industry, including Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dog ...

, Larrance Dopson,

James Fauntleroy James Edward Fauntleroy II (born May 16, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Inglewood, California. He is best known for writing credits on tracks by high-profile artists such as Travis Scott, Frank Ocean, Kendrick ...

and Rose McKinney. It won

Best Rap/Sung Performance The Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance (awarded as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration until 2017, and Best Rap/Sung Performance from 2018 to 2020) is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and original ...

at the

58th Annual Grammy Awards The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 20 ...

on 15 February 2016. Lamar has stated that this song is his favourite from the album.

Lyrical interpretation

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' stated the song "teases the dark underbelly of sudden fame and offers a peek at the rapper's life when he hit his lowest points", while ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' editor Kris Ex wrote that Lamar is "pondering sex and existence in equal measure; it's a ''

yoni ''Yoni'' (; sometimes also ), sometimes called ''pindika'', is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu goddess Shakti. It is usually shown with ''linga'' – its masculine counterpart. Together, they symbolize the merging of microc ...

'' metaphor about the power of peace, with sugar walls being escape and real walls being obstacles."

Music video

The song's music video premiered on October 28, 2015, on Lamar's

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, di ...

account. It was directed by

Colin Tilley Colin Tilley (born June 27, 1988) is an American filmmaker, music video director, and television commercial director. Tilley is the CEO and owner of Boy in the Castle Productions. He has directed more than 300 music videos. Tilley directed, pro ...

and The Little Homies. Entitled "Behind the Walls: A Black Comedy", the clip opens in a jail cell with

Corey Holcomb Corey Lamont Holcomb (born June 23, 1969) is an American comedian, radio host and actor. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Holcomb got his start in comedy with the help of another Chicago-area comedian, Godfrey. He currently hosts his own i ...

and then flashes back to a wild night at an apartment complex – from strippers, to drugs, altercations, and skits. Lamar first appears in his room

grinding Grind is the cross-sectional shape of a blade. Grind, grinds, or grinding may also refer to: Grinding action * Grinding (abrasive cutting), a method of crafting * Grinding (dance), suggestive club dancing * Grinding (video gaming), repetitive and ...

with a girl while her girlfriends catch it all on camera. He then crashes the stage at a talent show and performs "

Hit the Quan "Hit the Quan" is the debut single by American rapper iLoveMemphis. This song is based around a dance that was first made popular by American rapper Rich Homie Quan. It peaked at number 15 on the '' Billboard'' Hot 100. Background and release Hi ...

" alongside

Terry Crews Terry Alan Crews (born July 30, 1968) is an American actor, television host, and former American footballer. He played Julius Rock in the UPN/ CW sitcom ''Everybody Hates Chris'', which aired from 2005 to 2009, and portrayed Terry Jeffords in ...

. Meanwhile,

Isaiah Rashad Isaiah Rashad Joel McClain (born May 16, 1991), is an American rapper. His first big break was performing on the 2012 Smoker's Club Tour with rappers Juicy J, Joey Badass and Smoke DZA among others. He is a founding member of the Chattanooga hip ...

gets tied up and seduced in his bedroom, and SZA finds Lamar crashing through her apartment wall. By the end of the night, the cops come calling and Holcomb's character gets arrested. The video ends with "To be continued". For ''

Rap-Up ''Rap-Up'' is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the ...

'', "the Compton rapper shows his comedic side (and dance moves) in the cinematic clip."

Live performances

On May 27, 2015, Lamar performed the song live on ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was prod ...

'', complete with a white-clad couple who danced around the stage as a nearby artist painted a portrait of them. "These Walls" was featured on the Kunta's Groove Sessions tour.

Charts

Certifications

References

External links

* {{Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance 2015 songs 2015 singles Bilal (American singer) songs Kendrick Lamar songs Songs about prison Songs written by Kendrick Lamar Songs written by James Fauntleroy Songs written by Terrace Martin Music videos directed by Colin Tilley Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration Songs written by Larrance Dopson