Kendrick Lamar’s “Reincarnated” Lyrics Explained

A Pivotal Moment in Hip Hop

When Kendrick Lamar surprise dropped his album GNX on November 22, 2024 with nothing more than an Instagram post, it became a defining moment in hip hop.

Arriving just over two years after Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, the project signals an evolution in Kendrick’s artistry.

While earlier work dealt with trauma, mental health, and generational cycles, GNX—named after the Buick Grand National Experimental car—embodies luxury, speed, and cultural impact.

The album’s sixth track, Reincarnated, opens with a confession that sets the tone for a spiritual odyssey: “I got this fire burnin’ in me from within / Concentrated thoughts on who I used to be, I’m sheddin’ skin.”

The Ritual Begins

When Deyra Barrera’s Spanish poetry first emerges on Reincarnated, it feels more like an invocation than an introduction.

Her lines—“Que reflejan tu mirada / La noche, tú y yo” (“That reflect your look / The night, you and me”)—frame an introspective journey.

Discovered by Kendrick at a Dodgers game, Barrera’s verse underscores how the sacred and the mundane move in lockstep within Kendrick’s universe.

The production team—Kendrick, Sounwave, Jack Antonoff, Noah Ehler, and M Tech—creates a soundscape that bridges earthly and spiritual realms.

Their sample of 2Pac’s Made N****z is more than a historical nod; it is a purposeful resurrection that contrasts with Drake’s controversial use of AI generated 2Pac vocals.

Rather than simulating, Kendrick summons spirits, subtly asserting authenticity over relentless innovation.

Three Souls, Three Journeys, Three Revelations

Act I: The Guitarist

The narrative unfolds like a religious triptych, each panel revealing a different incarnation of artistic struggle.

First, we land in 1947 Michigan, where Kendrick embodies John Lee Hooker—nicknamed “Boogeyman.”

Hooker’s formative years in Detroit and his reputation as a revolutionary blues guitarist resonate deeply within Kendrick’s narrative.

Lines like “My father kicked me out the house ‘cause I wouldn’t listen to him,”
highlight how rebellion and genius often arise from the same root.

Act II: The Vocalist

As the spirit moves, we find ourselves in the Chitlin’ Circuit era, where Kendrick adopts the voice of a pioneering Black female artist.

The line, “Another life had placed me as a black woman in a chitlin’ circuit,” delves into the struggles faced by such artists, highlighting how their environment shaped their artistry.

Kendrick vividly portrays the turmoil of addiction and industry exploitation, capturing the duality of an angelic voice overshadowed by personal demons.

The lyric, “Heroin needles had me in fetal position, restricted,” paints a harrowing picture of substance abuse.

While some speculate that this verse references Dinah Washington, known for her influence in the blues and jazz scenes and her untimely death from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs in 1963, the mention of heroin addiction aligns more closely with Billie Holiday’s well-documented struggles.

However, the specifics of who Kendrick is embodying are secondary to the message itself—how the weight of talent, addiction, and systemic exploitation has burdened generations of Black female artists.

Kendrick’s embodiment transcends mere artistic interpretation; it becomes a spiritual connection that underscores the enduring cost of artistry in an unforgiving world.

Reincarnated Kendrick isn’t just about past lives—it’s about how Lamar channels those histories to confront the present.

The Devil’s Symphony

Reincarnated reveals music as both divine gift and demonic temptation.

Grounded in Isaiah 14, the track frames artistic talent as a spiritual burden capable of both elevation and damnation.

Act III: Kendrick Lamar

This duality manifests most powerfully in Kendrick’s own verses, where he converses with both earthly father and divine presence about the weight of his gifts.

The connection to his earlier exploration in Squabble Up adds layers of meaning to lines like “Centuries you manipulated man with music / Embodied you as superstars to see how you moving.”

Here, Kendrick examines how pure expression can transform into exploitation, how divine gifts can become worldly curses.

By juxtaposing his story with John Lee Hooker’s and Dinah Washington’s experiences, Kendrick highlights issues of systemic exploitation and personal battles that Black artists face.

Sacred Echoes

Throughout Reincarnated, time dissolves into a spiritual continuum where past lives inform present struggles.

Unlike the social reflection of Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, this track delves into deeper questions of artistic purpose and divine responsibility.

The influences of 2Pac, Jay Z, Nas, and Eminem remain visible but transformed through spiritual alchemy into something wholly new.

Reincarnated by Kendrick: Breaking Karmic Cycles

The true power of Reincarnated lies in its attempt to break generational curses rather than simply document them.

When Kendrick declares “I rewrote the devil’s story just to take our power back,” he offers both testimony and prophecy.

In a culture fixated on novelty, he suggests that true spiritual evolution requires us to first understand our past lives.

This understanding transcends simple remembrance. Through each verse, Kendrick argues that artistic gifts carry both blessing and burden, requiring careful stewardship rather than mere expression.

By inhabiting these past lives, he shows how each generation of artists must navigate between divine inspiration and mortal temptation.

In the end, Reincarnated suggests that music’s true power lies not in innovation but in revelation—the moment when an artist realises their voice contains multitudes, their struggles echo through generations, and their gift demands not just expression but understanding.

In this light, every note becomes a prayer, every verse a testament to the eternal dialogue between divine gift and human frailty.

Kendrick Lamar reincarnated Lyrics

Intro: Deyra Barrera
Que reflejan tu mirada
La noche, tú y yo

Verse 1: Kendrick Lamar
I got this fire burnin’ in me from within
Concentrated thoughts on who I used to be, I’m sheddin’ skin
Every day, a new version of me, a third of me demented, cemented in pain
Juggling the pros and cons of fame
I don’t know how to make friends, I’m a lonely soul
I recollect this isolation, I was four years old
Truth be told, I’ve been battling my soul
Tryna navigate the real and fake
Cynical about the judgement day
I did past life regression last year and it fucked me up
Reincarnated on this earth for a hundred plus
Body after body, lesson after lesson, let’s take it back to Michigan in 1947
My father kicked me out the house ’cause I wouldn’t listen to him
I didn’t care about his influence, only loved what I was doing
Gifted as a musician, I played guitar on a grand level
The most talented where I’m from, but I had to rebel
And so I’m off in the sunset, searchin’ for my place in the world
With my guitar up on my hip, that’s the story unfurled
I found myself with a pocket full of money and a whole lot of respect
While the record business loved me
I was head of rhythm and blues
The women that fell to they feet, so many to choose
But I manipulated power as I lied to the masses
Died with my money, gluttony was too attractive, reincarnated

Verse 2: Kendrick Lamar
Another life had placed me as a Black woman in the Chitlin’ Circuit
Seductive vocalist as the promoter hit the curtains
My voice was angelic, straight from heaven, the crowd sobbed
A musical genius what the articles emphasized
Had everything I wanted, but I couldn’t escape addiction
Heroin needles had me in fetal position, restricted
Turned on my family, I went wherever cameras be
Cocaine, no private planes for my insanity
Self-indulged, discipline never been my sentiments
I needed drugs, to me, an 8-ball was like penicillin
Fuck love, my happiness was in that brown sugar
Sex and melodies gave me hope when nobody’s lookin’
My first assistant was a small town scholar
Never did a Quaalude ’til I got myself around her
My daddy looked the other way, he saw sin in me
I died with syringes pinched in me, reincarnated

Verse 3: Kendrick Lamar
My present life is Kendrick Lamar
A rapper looking at the lyrics to keep you in awe
The only factor I respected was raisin’ the bar
My instincts sent material straight to the charts, huh
My father kicked me out the house, I finally forgive him
I’m old enough to understand the way I was livin’
Ego and pride had me looking at him with resentment
I close my eyes, hoping that I don’t come off contentious
I’m yelling, “Father, did I finally get it right?” Everything I did was selfless
I spoke freely, when the people needed me, I helped them
I didn’t gloat, even told ’em, “No,” when the vultures came
Took control of my fleshly body when the money changed
Son, you do well, but your heart is closed
I can tell residue that linger from your past creates a cell
Father, I’m not perfect, I got urges, but I hold them down
“But your pride has to die,” okay, Father, show me how
Tell me every deed that you done and what you do it for
I kept one hundred institutions paid
Okay, tell me more
I put one hundred hoods on one stage
Okay, tell me more
I’m tryna push peace in L.A.
But you love war
No, I don’t
Oh, yes, you do
Okay, then tell me the truth
Every individual is only a version of you
How can they forgive when there’s no forgiveness in your heart?
I could tell you where I’m going
I could tell you who you are
You fell out of Heaven ’cause you was anxious
Didn’t like authority, only searched to be heinous
Isaiah fourteen was the only thing that was prevalent
My greatest music director was you
It was colors, it was pinks, it was reds, it was blues
It was harmony and motion
I sent you down to earth ’cause you was broken
Rehabilitation, not psychosis
But now we here now
Centuries you manipulated man with music
Embodied you as superstars to see how you moving
You came a long way from garnishing evilish views
And all I ever wanted from you was love and approval
I learned a lot, no more putting these people in fear
The more that word is diminished, the more it’s not real
The more light that I can capture, the more I can feel
I’m using words for inspiration as an idea
So can you promise that you won’t take your gifts for granted?
I promise that I’ll use my gifts to bring understanding
For every man, woman and child, how much can you vow?
I vow my life just to live one in harmony now
You crushed a lot of people keeping their thoughts in captivity
And I’m ashamed that I ever created that enemy
Then let’s rejoice where we at
I rewrote the devil’s story just to take our power back, ‘carnated