Kendrick Lamar's most recent video has deepfakes of Kanye and Will Smith

Adele, Rihanna and Lamar have been without new music for years 1:50

(CNN) --

Rapper Kendrick Lamar is causing a stir with his new video for "The Heart Part 5," his first single in four years.

The new song premiered on Sunday, along with a five-minute music video in which the hip-hop star imitates some famous black men by "deepfaking" while criticizing modern notions of the culture.

Directed by Dave Free and Lamar himself, the video for "The Heart Part 5" starts off pretty straightforward.

The words: "I am. All of us", (I am all of us) attributed to "oklama" (apparently an alter ego of Lamar) are shown on a black background.

Kendrick Lamar's new video for his single "The Heart Part 5" is causing a stir.

The background changes to a cherry color and Lamar begins to rap, while looking slightly off camera: "As I get a little older, I realize life is perspective. And my perspective may differ from yours" ("As I get a little older, I realize life is perspective. And my perspective may differ from yours"). older, I realize that life is perspective. And my perspective may differ from yours").

The visuals take a more unsettling turn as Lamar appears to transform into former NFL star OJ Simpson, rapper Kanye West, controversial "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett, and Hollywood star Will Smith, as well as the late NBA Kobe Bryant and murdered rapper Nipsey Hussle.

The track, which appears to sample Marvin Gaye's 1976 classic "I Want You," rounds out the second half of the third verse with several lines from the perspective of the Grammy-nominated Hussle, who was murdered on March 31, 2019.

advertising

Lamar raps the lines: "As I bleed through the speakers, feel my presence. To my brother, to my kids, I'm in Heaven. To my mother, to my sis, I'm in Heaven. To my father, to my wife, I am serious, this is Heaven. To my friends, make sure you countin' them blessings. To my fans, make sure you make them investments. And to the killer that sped up my demise. I forgive you, just know your soul's in question.” (“As I bleed through the speakers, feel my presence. To my wife, I'm serious, this is Heaven. To my friends, be sure to count your blessings. To my fans, be sure to make your investments. And to the killer who hastened my death: I forgive you, but know that your soul is in question").

"South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone receive a "special thanks" in the video credits, along with their Deep Voodoo deepfake studio.

• What are deepfakes and why is it so difficult to detect them?

"The Heart Part 5" arrives ahead of the release of Lamar's long-awaited fifth album, "Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers," due out this Friday.

The album will be the follow-up to 2017's "Damn," which topped the US Billboard 200 on its debut and made history as the first rap album to win a Pulitzer Prize.

deepfake kendrick lamar