Watch: Kendrick Lamar Celebrates His Birthday With A Love Letter To Ghana
The American rapper teamed up with Spotify to document his recent and first trip to the West African country.
American rapper and producer Kendrick Lamarvisited Ghana for the first time with Spotify last month. And to ring in his 35th birthday this Friday, June 17, the musician released a mini-documentary illustrating the precious moments. The four-minute clip sees Lamar discuss his latest album, mental health, and the choice to finally seek therapy.
"I couldn't even tell you what day it is", Lamar remarks as the mini-doc begins, "I'm just being in the moment." The rapper spent a number of days in Ghana's capital city, Accra, visiting townships and mingling with the locals. Chatting with a member of his team as he ventured through the city, Lamar's short clip features a soundtrack made up of passages from 'Crown' and 'We Cry Together' off of his Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. When the idea of this album being his most personal one to date comes up in conversation, Lamar agrees, adding, "This is my most present album."
"Everybody on Twitter is talking about his album, getting think pieces ready -- and you're on the beach chilling" one of Lamar's crew members mentions.
And the rapper seemed to be engaged in every activity and interaction with the Ghanaian locals flocking to the star. Whether it be a game of foosball, soccer, and a number of board games we grew up watching our elders gather and play. Lamar also made sure to spend time at the Freedom Skate Park late designer and DJ Virgil Abloh created for the Ghanaian skate community. "What he means to them," Lamar comments, " as far as letting them have this creative space for them to enjoy themselves. That's special."
The tranquil energy of the Atlantic ocean and not having any immediate obligations inspired a conversation around mental health and therapy. Hanging out with members of Surf Ghana, the group discussed how the generations before us dealt with their mental struggles by not dealing with them at all. "And I'm still stuck. My pops asks me, "What the fuck do you need therapy for?".
Lamar continued, "To challenge myself to go to therapy, that's like a whole new step and a whole new generation. That's growth."