United In Grief

"United In Grief" is a profound exploration of Kendrick Lamar's personal struggles with grief, fame, and mental health. The song serves as the introductory track to the album "Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers," setting the stage for a deeply introspective and confessional journey. The title itself suggests a universal human experience of sorrow, even if the ways in which individuals cope are vastly different.

A central theme is the multifaceted nature of grief and the various, often unhealthy, coping mechanisms people employ. Lamar candidly reveals his own methods: using sex to numb emotional pain and engaging in compulsive, extravagant spending as a distraction from his inner turmoil. He details purchasing luxury items he never uses, illustrating the hollowness of materialism as a solution to deep-seated pain. This act of grieving 'different' is a defense mechanism and a commentary on how success and wealth do not insulate one from suffering.

The song also delves into the therapeutic process. Lamar mentions seeing a therapist, and the lyrical structure, particularly the opening barrage of questions, mirrors a therapy session where one confronts difficult truths. It's an admission of his vulnerabilities and a critique of a culture that often values material wealth over mental well-being. Ultimately, "United In Grief" is a raw and honest acknowledgment of personal flaws and the universal, yet individually experienced, process of grieving.

The song opens with a choral introduction expressing a hope for the listener to find peace, immediately followed by Kendrick Lamar stating he has been going through something for 1,855 days, the exact time since his last album, 'DAMN.'. He then launches into a series of rhetorical questions, deconstructing societal norms and personal observations about relationships, reputation, and wealth. This section feels like a therapy session, where he questions the motives and realities behind appearances.

He transitions into a more narrative verse, recounting a sexual encounter with a model in Chicago during a tour. This encounter is framed as a shared experience of trauma, a way to 'sex the pain away'. He contrasts this personal coping mechanism with a more public one: extravagant spending. Lamar details his lavish purchases of cars, mansions, and jewelry, admitting that these were often for show and a way to deal with his grief, a stark difference from how others might express it.

The recurring phrase, 'I grieve different', acts as a central thesis. He confesses to buying a Rolex he only wore once and infinity pools he never swam in, highlighting the emptiness of these materialistic pursuits. He acknowledges that this spending is a reaction to his past poverty and a flawed way of processing his emotions. The song concludes with the acknowledgment that 'everybody grieves different', broadening the personal confession into a universal statement about the varied and complex nature of human suffering and coping mechanisms.

"United In Grief" is the opening track on Kendrick Lamar's fifth studio album, "Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers," released on May 13, 2022. The song's creation was part of a long and arduous process for the album, which Lamar and his producer Sounwave described as one of the toughest creative endeavors they've undertaken. The album was recorded between 2019 and 2022 in various studios. The introductory line, "I've been goin' through somethin' / One-thousand eight-hundred and fifty-five days," directly references the period since the release of his previous album, "DAMN.".

The song features production from a team including Oklama (Lamar's pseudonym), Sounwave, J.LBS, Duval Timothy, Beach Noise, and Tim Maxey. It also includes spoken word vocals from Lamar's fiancée, Whitney Alford, and sung vocals from Sam Dew. The creation of the album was marked by personal insecurities, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the deaths of public figures like Nipsey Hussle and Kobe Bryant, all of which contributed to the album's introspective and therapeutic tone. Lamar intentionally kept the album's content private from most of his family during its creation to preserve his own unfiltered expression.

The rhyme and rhythm of "United In Grief" are as complex and dynamic as its production. The song largely employs a free verse structure, eschewing a consistent, predictable rhyme scheme in favor of a more spontaneous, stream-of-consciousness feel. However, Lamar masterfully weaves intricate patterns of internal and slant rhymes throughout his verses, creating a sense of controlled chaos.

Rhythmically, the track is a masterclass in complexity. It opens with a shifting meter before locking into a frenetic 4/4 time signature characterized by a dizzying, samba-like drum loop that lacks traditional backbeats. Lamar's flow is virtuosic, sometimes reinforcing the 16th-note groove with a rapid-fire delivery and at other times deliberately syncopating against it, creating a compelling tension between his vocals and the instrumental. This rhythmic interplay creates a sense of disorientation and urgency that perfectly complements the lyrical themes of anxiety and emotional turmoil.

"United In Grief" showcases a complex blend of literary and musical techniques that create its intense and theatrical feel.

• Musical Arrangement: The song's structure is unconventional, described as a suite in three parts rather than a standard verse-chorus form. It begins with a serene choral arrangement, then abruptly shifts to a frenetic, compressed breakbeat loop with jarring piano chords, and later incorporates elements of a jazz trio. This musical schizophrenia mirrors the chaotic state of mind being described.
• Vocal Delivery: Lamar's vocal performance is incredibly dynamic. He moves from a measured, questioning tone to a rapid-fire, breathless flow, reinforcing the sense of urgency and anxiety. His delivery often plays with the rhythmic grid, creating a feeling of fluidity and syncopation against the complex beat.
• Rhetorical Questions: The song opens with a series of probing rhetorical questions ("What is a bitch in a miniskirt? / A man in his feelings with bitter nerve?") that function as a form of self-interrogation, immediately drawing the listener into his therapeutic self-examination.
• Narrative Voice: The song shifts between a confessional first-person narrative, detailing personal experiences with materialism and lust, and a more philosophical, observational voice that questions societal values. This creates a multi-layered perspective on his grief.

As the opening track to the highly anticipated album "Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers," "United In Grief" played a significant role in shaping the public and critical reception of the entire project. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, and this song set the stage for its complex, therapeutic themes. The track was immediately noted for its musical complexity and lyrical vulnerability, signaling a departure from the more outward-facing political commentary of his previous work towards a deeply personal excavation of his own psyche. Its raw honesty about therapy, generational trauma, and unhealthy coping mechanisms contributed to ongoing cultural conversations about mental health, particularly within the Black community and the hip-hop world. The song, and the album it introduces, solidified Lamar's reputation as one of his generation's most artistically ambitious and thematically challenging artists, willing to sacrifice commercial accessibility for profound self-expression.

"United In Grief" is rich with symbolism and metaphors that deepen its themes of trauma and coping.

• Material Possessions: The luxury items Lamar lists—a new Mercedes G-Wagon, mansions, jewelry, a Rolex, and infinity pools—symbolize his attempts to use wealth as a shield against his emotional pain. These are not just signs of success but are presented as hollow coping mechanisms that fail to bring true peace or happiness.
• Tap Dancing: Throughout the album, and introduced musically in this song, the sound of tap dancing is a recurring motif. It symbolizes the act of 'dancing around' or avoiding difficult conversations and personal issues. In "United in Grief," the frantic beat has been described as an instrumental representation of this tap dancing, mirroring the anxiety and evasion at the heart of the lyrics.
• The Number 1855: The specific number of days mentioned at the start of the song is a direct and literal symbol of the time between his albums, grounding the abstract emotional turmoil in a concrete timeframe and highlighting the long period of his personal struggle.

Several recurring phrases and motifs are central to the structure and meaning of "United In Grief."

• "I've been goin' through somethin'": This phrase, repeated at the beginning of the song along with the specific timeframe of "one-thousand eight-hundred and fifty-five days," immediately establishes the album's theme of a long-term personal struggle. It acts as a direct address to the listener, explaining his public absence and setting a tone of raw honesty.
• "I grieve different": This is the song's most significant recurring phrase, acting as a thesis statement for both the track and much of the album. It's a declaration of his unconventional and often unhealthy ways of coping with pain, particularly through materialism and sex. The repetition emphasizes his feeling of isolation in his struggle, even while the song's title suggests a universal connection in the experience of grief itself.
• Tap Dancing Beat: While not a lyrical phrase, the frantic, tap-dance-like rhythm that drives parts of the song is a crucial musical motif that recurs throughout the album, symbolizing the act of avoiding or "dancing around" difficult emotional truths.