Deepfakes Kendrick Lamar kickstarted the rollout for his much-anticipated album this weekend, dropping new single and music video “The Heart Part 5.” In the video, Lamar uses several deepfakes to shapeshift into prominent Black celebrities including OJ Simpson, Will Smith, Jussie Smollett, Kanye West, Kobe Bryant, and Nipsey Hussle. “As I get a little older, I realize life is perspective/And my perspective may differ from yours,” Lamar raps in the intro. “I wanna say thank you to everyone that’s been down with me/All my fans, all my beautiful fans/Anyone who’s ever gave me a listen, all my people.” Throughout the video, Lamar can be seen wearing a plain white T-shirt and black bandanna tied around his neck as his face morphs into various other people -- and his lyrics seem to reflect their biographies. Deepfake videos are fascinating technology, with troubling implications in this era of misinformation, but Lamar uses it to tell a compelling story. Watch here. |