I don't need to be in flesh just to hug y'all

May 9, 2022 8:35 AM

Contender for top video of the year: Kendrick Lamar The Heart Part 5 – the fifth track in his “Heart” series that he started in 2010.

Via a music blog: stereogum

posted by zenon (18 comments total)

Technology really has moved on. Impressive stuff.
posted by Fezzer at 9:21 AM on May 9, 2022

Not into it.
posted by Czjewel at 9:33 AM on May 9, 2022

Into it.
posted by Roommate at 9:59 AM on May 9, 2022 [7 favorites]

Technology really has moved on. Impressive stuff.

I don't understand. This is a video of a person rapping against a red background. I feel like I'm missing something here. Is there some kind of innovative sampling I'm not catching?
posted by Acari at 10:06 AM on May 9, 2022

From the third link
Over the course of the clip, his face morphs into other Black celebrities including O.J. Simpson, Kanye West, Jussie Smollett, Will Smith, and the late Kobe Bryant and Nipsey Hussle.

Ok. I watched it in the inline player while writing some emails.
Watching again and knowing what to look for really helped!
posted by Acari at 10:12 AM on May 9, 2022 [2 favorites]

That was wild. That part at the end as Nipsey didn't seem to work as well as the others though, his mouth had more of a "video game character's mouth trying and failing to keep up with recorded dialog" look to it.
posted by saladin at 10:24 AM on May 9, 2022

his mouth had more of a "video game character's mouth trying and failing to keep up with recorded dialog" look to it.

I figured he was rapping alternate lines that someone who is far better at lip-reading than I am would eventually figure out and post on Reddit.
posted by mykescipark at 12:08 PM on May 9, 2022

Oh shit I hope you're right
posted by saladin at 12:21 PM on May 9, 2022

Glad some of them are slightly uncanny, but man, soon we'll never be able to trust video again.
posted by subdee at 12:42 PM on May 9, 2022 [1 favorite]

Also, I like seeing this technology used for art by a major pop star, if for no other reason than to clue the average person in to the fact that this level of deep fake is now possible.
posted by subdee at 12:47 PM on May 9, 2022 [3 favorites]

Historical face-morphing videos to see the technology:

10CC - Cry 1985
Michael Jackson - Black or White in 1991
INXS The Gift in 1993
Backstreet Boys - As Long as You Love Me in 1997
Bjork - Hunter 1997
Elbow - Gentle Storm in 2017
posted by The_Vegetables at 1:34 PM on May 9, 2022 [2 favorites]

Steven Wilson - Self
posted by vverse23 at 2:17 PM on May 9, 2022 [2 favorites]

Impressive. The video is compelling (and accordingly scary for its use of deepfaking) but the song... wow.

Weird thought in my head: I felt a Dan Bejar influence in this.
posted by hijinx at 2:38 PM on May 9, 2022

I am SO SO into it. I adore him.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 4:33 PM on May 9, 2022 [2 favorites]

3 more days to the new album I am stoked
posted by lazaruslong at 1:04 AM on May 10, 2022

finally had the time to watch this closely. I guess my first impression is that kendrick doesn't look like a kid anymore. The face morphing is cool, but what broke the spell was the hairline, especially kanye / kobe who had shaved heads that seemed to morph above the hairline. Cool regardless, though.
posted by lkc at 7:16 PM on May 12, 2022

Kendrick Lamar - Mother I Sober ft. Beth Gibbons of Portishead (Official Audio)
posted by kliuless at 1:26 AM on May 13, 2022 [1 favorite]

yt playlist :P
posted by kliuless at 10:40 PM on May 15, 2022