"Untitled 03 , 05.28.2013.", titled "Untitled 1" before its official release, is a song by the American rapper
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...
, featured on his compilation album, ''
Untitled Unmastered''. The song was produced by Mathieu "Astronote" Rakotozafy, and features additional vocals by
Bilal and Mani Strings.
Content
The song tells a story of four people that give Lamar advice: an Asian, Indian, black and white man,
the latter of whom attempts to financially exploit him.
prompts the section for each person.
The song also explores the concepts of
Afrofuturism
Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic, philosophy of science, and history that explores the intersection of the African diaspora culture with science and technology. It addresses themes and concerns of the African diaspora through technoculture ...
and freedom. The original repeated ending line "Tell 'em we don't die, we multiply" has been viewed as a reference to the movie ''
Bebe's Kids
''Bebe's Kids'' ( ; also marketed as ''Robin Harris' Bebe's Kids'') is a 1992 American Adult animation, adult animated comedy film produced by Hyperion Pictures, Hyperion Studio for Paramount Pictures. Directed by Bruce W. Smith in his List of ...
'' (1992)
and the
N.W.A
N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip-hop group formed in Compton, California in 1987. Among the earliest and most significant figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, the group is widely considered one of the great ...
song "
Real Niggaz Don't Die" (1991). This line was removed on the official release, with ''
Consequence'' reasoning that this was to make the "solution remain vague".
Critical reception
Justin Davis of ''
Complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' wrote that Lamar's fast rapping near the end of "Untitled 03 , 05.28.2013." showcased "his outrageous technical skill". He described the song as impactful and reckoned that fans who did not like the single "
I" would be "very relieved" by Lamar's return to more jazz-style music. In 2022, ''Consequence'' listed "Untitled 03" as Lamar's ninth-best song, complimenting its exploration of the topic of maintaining personal integrity when confronted with tempting rewards from manipulative
record executives. Graham Corrigan of ''Complex'' listed it as one of his ten favorite songs of 2016.
Live performances
The song was performed publicly for the first time on December 16, 2014, on ''
The Colbert Report
''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late night television, late-night Late-night talk show, talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December ...
'', during promotion for Lamar's third studio album, ''
To Pimp a Butterfly.'' This made it the first ''Untitled Unmastered'' song ever publicly revealed.
According to
Terrace Martin, the lyrics were composed the day before the show because of Lamar's reluctance to perform "I".
Charts
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Untitled 03 - 05.28.2013.
2013 songs
Kendrick Lamar songs
Songs written by Kendrick Lamar
Songs written by Bilal (American singer)
Songs written by Thundercat (musician)
Songs written by Terrace Martin