PRIDE.

"PRIDE." is a deeply introspective and philosophical track from Kendrick Lamar's album DAMN. that explores the complex and often contradictory nature of pride. The song serves as a meditation on the internal battle between one's ego and the desire for humility and genuine connection. It dissects pride as one of the seven deadly sins, portraying it as a destructive force that can lead to isolation, emotional detachment, and spiritual death. Lamar presents a central paradox: while love can be dangerous ("Love's gonna get you killed"), pride is ultimately more fatal to the self and to relationships ("pride's gonna be the death of you and you and me").

Lyrically, the song is a confession of Lamar's own struggles with pride, stemming from his success and status. He admits to his imperfections, his difficulty in trusting others, and his emotional numbness. The concept of a "perfect world" is used ironically throughout the song to highlight his own flaws and the imperfections of the world at large. In this imagined perfect world, he would act with more sensitivity and faith, but he acknowledges that such a world is an illusion built on lies. The track starkly contrasts with its counterpart on the album, "HUMBLE.", which features a bombastic and assertive beat. "PRIDE." is sonically subdued and dreamlike, creating a space for vulnerability and self-examination. This juxtaposition highlights the duality of Kendrick's psyche—the struggle between the outward confidence required in his profession and the internal quest for humility. Ultimately, "PRIDE." is a call for self-awareness, urging listeners to confront their own internal conflicts and the ways in which pride can be a barrier to love, empathy, and personal growth.

The song opens with a haunting introduction from Bēkon, establishing the core conflict: love can lead to peril, but pride is a surefire path to the demise of oneself and relationships. This central theme of the destructive nature of pride versus the potential danger of love sets a contemplative tone for the entire track.

Kendrick Lamar, in his first verse, delves into a deeply personal and internal struggle. He grapples with the choice between material success and genuine happiness, questioning how one should approach the human heart—with love or with cold dissection. He admits to a lack of trust in people beyond a superficial level, placing his faith in his lyrics as a means of atonement for his personal shortcomings. He acknowledges his imperfections and emotional numbness, symbolized by a "cold thumb." He feels a disconnect from others' emotional needs, seeing their gatherings as mere "pity parties." There's a raw honesty in his admission that he can't feign humility just to soothe others' insecurities.

The chorus, featuring the soulful vocals of Steve Lacy, reflects a sense of longing for a different reality. The line, "Me, I wasn't taught to share, but care," suggests a learned emotional guardedness, a product of his environment. Yet, there's a glimmer of an alternate self in the line, "In another life, I surely was there," hinting at a capacity for connection that feels just out of reach in his current existence.

In the second verse, Kendrick imagines a "perfect world" where he wouldn't be so insensitive and emotionally cold. He reflects on his tendency to blame others for his own mistakes. He observes the subtle yet powerful social cues of "smiles and cold stares." A significant shift occurs as he broadens his scope from personal failings to societal ills. He describes pride as a "sick venom" infecting humanity, asserting that a perfect world is an illusion, a place "only filled with lies." He laments how broken promises breed resentment and how racial barriers create a false sense of inferiority. In this hypothetical perfect world, he would prioritize faith over wealth, work over fleeting pleasures, and transform prisons into schools. He imagines unifying all religions to collectively acknowledge humanity's imperfections before a perfect God, highlighting the hypocrisy and division he observes in the real world.

The song concludes by circling back to the central theme, with the recurring chorus reinforcing the internal conflict. It leaves the listener with the lingering sense of a man caught in a profound moral and emotional dilemma, wrestling with the immense weight of his own pride and the universal human struggle for genuine connection and humility.

"PRIDE." is the seventh track on Kendrick Lamar's fourth studio album, DAMN., which was released on April 14, 2017. The song was written by Kendrick Lamar, Steve Lacy, Anna Wise, and Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith. The production was handled by Steve Lacy and Anthony Tiffith, with additional production from Bēkon.

A notable aspect of the song's creation is the origin of its beat. Producer Steve Lacy, then 18 years old and a member of the band The Internet, created the entire instrumental on his iPhone 6 using the GarageBand application. Lacy has mentioned his preference for making music on his phone because it allows him to create wherever he is. The song was originally titled "Wasn't There" before being renamed. Lacy recalled being nervous when he first met Lamar but eventually played him the demo he had created on his phone, which Lamar then chose for the track.

The song also features background vocals from Steve Lacy and Anna Wise, a frequent collaborator of Lamar's who had previously worked with him on the Grammy-winning song "These Walls". Bēkon also provided additional vocals. In an interview with Zane Lowe, Kendrick Lamar explained that the songs on DAMN., including "PRIDE.", represent an examination of human emotions and the personal journey of self-improvement, stating, "I can't change the world until I change myself."

Shortly after the album's release, Top Dawg Entertainment co-president Punch shared a photo of a handwritten lost verse from "PRIDE." on his Instagram page, offering a glimpse into the song's lyrical development.

"PRIDE." is rich with symbolism and metaphors that deepen its introspective themes.

• Vocal Pitch Alteration: Kendrick's use of alternating high and low vocal pitches symbolizes the internal duality and conflict between his ideals and his actions. The fluctuating voice represents the wavering between pride and humility, confidence and self-doubt.
• "Cold Thumb": The line, "My feelings might go numb, you're dealin' with cold thumb," is a metaphor for emotional detachment and coldness. It paints a vivid picture of being unresponsive and numb to the feelings of others.
• "Sick Venom": Lamar describes pride as a "sick venom in men and women." This metaphor equates pride with a deadly poison that corrupts the spirit. It also evokes the biblical imagery of the serpent (a symbol of the devil), suggesting that pride is a satanic temptation that leads to a spiritual death.
• The Perfect World Motif: The recurring phrase "in a perfect world" is used as a powerful lyrical motif. It functions as a form of irony, a rhetorical device to contrast his own imperfections and the flaws of society with an unattainable ideal. It's not a genuine aspiration but a lens through which he examines his and the world's shortcomings.
• Beat as a Metaphor: The soft-spoken, almost humble beat of "PRIDE." stands in stark contrast to its lyrical theme. This is a deliberate choice that acts as a metaphor, paradoxically reflecting the humility Kendrick is grappling with, while the aggressive beat of "HUMBLE." contrasts with its own theme.

The predominant emotional tone of "PRIDE." is deeply contemplative, melancholic, and vulnerable. The song creates a dreamlike, hazy atmosphere through its psychedelic, lo-fi production, featuring soft guitar loops and reverb-laden vocals. This soundscape immediately places the listener in an introspective headspace, far from the aggressive energy often associated with hip-hop.

Lyrically and vocally, Kendrick Lamar conveys a profound sense of internal conflict and weary resignation. His delivery shifts, notably through the use of high and low vocal pitches, which sonically represents the duality of his emotions—the battle between his prideful ego and his yearning for humility. There's a palpable sadness and frustration in his voice as he dissects his own flaws, admitting to emotional numbness and an inability to trust others. This isn't the sound of anger or defiance, but of a quiet, internal struggle.

While the overall mood is somber, there are glimmers of longing and a faint hope for redemption, particularly in the chorus with the line "In another life, I surely was there." This introduces a bittersweet quality, a sense of regret for a path not taken or a self not realized. The song's emotional landscape is complex, mirroring the intricate and often contradictory feelings associated with self-examination. It's the sound of a man looking in the mirror and grappling with the difficult truths he finds there.

"PRIDE." has had a significant and enduring cultural impact, solidifying its place as a key track in Kendrick Lamar's critically acclaimed discography. While it was not released as a single, the song has become a fan favorite and a standout track from the Pulitzer Prize-winning album DAMN. Its understated and introspective nature provided a crucial thematic counterpoint to the album's more aggressive hits like "HUMBLE." and "DNA.".

The song's innovative production, with Steve Lacy famously creating the beat on his iPhone, has been widely discussed and celebrated, highlighting a shift in music production towards more accessible technology. This anecdote has become a part of modern music-making lore. The track's exploration of vulnerability and internal conflict resonated deeply with a wide audience, contributing to the album's universal acclaim and its reception as a profound work of self-examination.

In a testament to its lasting appeal, "PRIDE." officially surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify in June 2025, a massive achievement for a non-single. Its popularity demonstrates a listener appetite for complex, lyrical, and emotionally honest music that invites reflection rather than just passive consumption. The song has also been used in other media, notably at the end of the series finale of the FX crime drama Snowfall in April 2023, cementing its status as a poignant and culturally resonant piece of music.

Kendrick Lamar's approach to rhyme and rhythm in "PRIDE." is intricate and serves to enhance the song's contemplative and introspective mood.

Rhyme Scheme: The song doesn't follow a rigid, conventional rhyme scheme, instead opting for a more free-verse structure that allows for a natural, stream-of-consciousness flow. However, Lamar masterfully employs various types of rhymes to create sonic cohesion. He frequently uses internal rhymes within lines (e.g., "Flesh-making, spirit-breaking") and slant rhymes (e.g., world/men, amend/down). This complex rhyming adds to the lyrical density and rewards close listening.

Rhythm and Meter: The song has a tempo of approximately 139 BPM, but its feel is relaxed and ambling rather than driving. Lamar's rhythmic delivery is fluid and conversational, often weaving in and out of the beat's main pulse. His flow shifts throughout the verses, sometimes accelerating to cram more syllables into a bar and at other times slowing down for emphasis. This dynamic interplay between his vocal rhythm and the steady, psychedelic instrumental creates a sense of unease and internal debate. The lack of a hard-hitting, conventional hip-hop rhythm forces the listener to focus more intently on the lyrical content and the emotional nuances of his delivery.

The overall rhythmic structure contributes to the song's dreamlike and hazy atmosphere, pulling the listener into Kendrick's internal monologue rather than prompting a physical reaction. The rhythm is a vehicle for the lyrical narrative, prioritizing introspection over aggression.

"PRIDE." showcases Kendrick Lamar's sophisticated use of both literary and musical techniques to convey its complex themes.

Literary Techniques:

• Juxtaposition: The entire song is built on the juxtaposition of opposing concepts: pride vs. love, perfection vs. imperfection, flesh vs. spirit, and flashiness vs. happiness. This creates a constant tension that mirrors the internal conflict being described.
• Rhetorical Questions: Kendrick poses questions like, "Happiness or flashiness? How do you serve the question?" to provoke thought in the listener and to illustrate his own internal debate.
• Introspective Narrative Voice: The song is delivered from a deeply personal and self-analytical perspective. This confessional tone makes the exploration of pride feel honest and vulnerable.
• Biblical Allusions: The song is interwoven with religious themes, referencing pride as the most serious of the seven deadly sins and alluding to biblical concepts of humility and perfection. This adds a layer of moral and spiritual weight to the narrative.

Musical Techniques:

• Vocal Manipulation: The pitching of Kendrick's voice up and down is a key musical technique that emphasizes the theme of duality.
• Minimalist, Psychedelic Production: The beat, created by Steve Lacy on an iPhone, is characterized by a lo-fi, dreamlike quality with a simple drum loop, hazy guitar chords, and woozy reverb. This creates a contemplative and introspective atmosphere, contrasting sharply with more aggressive tracks on the album.
• Vocal Layering: The track features layered background vocals from Steve Lacy and Anna Wise, which contribute to its ethereal and haunting soundscape.
• Contrasting Dynamics: The soft, mellow instrumental serves as a deliberate contrast to the heavy subject matter and also to the loud, assertive beat of the following track, "HUMBLE.", highlighting the album's thematic dualities.

What is the main theme of Kendrick Lamar's song 'PRIDE.'?

'PRIDE.' is an introspective song about the internal conflict between pride and humility. It explores how pride can be a destructive force, leading to emotional isolation and hindering one's ability to love and connect with others, contrasting it with the album's larger themes of sin and redemption.

Who produced the beat for 'PRIDE.' and how was it made?

The beat for 'PRIDE.' was primarily produced by Steve Lacy, a member of the band The Internet. Famously, he created the entire instrumental on his iPhone 6 using the GarageBand app, a testament to his innovative and resourceful production style.

What is the meaning of the changing vocal pitches in 'PRIDE.'?

The alternating high and low vocal pitches in Kendrick Lamar's performance symbolize the song's central theme of duality. This vocal manipulation represents the internal struggle between his prideful ego and his more humble, ideal self, as well as the fluctuating moods that come with such a conflict.

How does 'PRIDE.' relate to the song 'HUMBLE.' on the same album?

The two songs are intentionally contrasted. 'PRIDE.' has a soft, subdued, and psychedelic beat, which paradoxically accompanies a song about ego. Conversely, 'HUMBLE.' has a loud, aggressive, and bombastic beat while commanding humility. This juxtaposition highlights the album's theme of internal contradiction.

What does the line 'Love's gonna get you killed, but pride's gonna be the death of you' mean?

This opening line, sung by Bēkon, establishes the song's core thesis. It suggests that while pursuing love and vulnerability can expose you to danger and hurt, it is pride—the inability to admit fault and an inflated sense of self—that is ultimately a more certain path to spiritual and relational destruction.

Who are the other vocalists featured on 'PRIDE.'?

Besides Kendrick Lamar, the song features background vocals from producer Steve Lacy and frequent collaborator Anna Wise. Additional vocals are provided by producer Bēkon, who delivers the song's memorable opening lines.

What is the significance of the 'perfect world' motif in the song?

The 'perfect world' motif is used ironically to explore themes of imperfection. Kendrick Lamar repeatedly describes what he would do in a perfect world—be more faithful, sensitive, and just—to highlight his own flaws and the inherent corruption and lies present in the real world.