The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar need no introduction at this point. Kendrick has in fact been quite active recently (as of current time of writing the blog at 2nd June 2024) with his quarrels with Drake which now seems to have died down at least for the moment.
Anyway, the point is these two are among the biggest stars in the music industry as of now. They produced a track called ‘Pray For Me’ which was the soundtrack of the movie ‘Black Panther’ from Marvel Studios. The song happens to be one of my favorite songs of all time.
It is incredibly smooth with its flows and the instrumentals are some of the best I have ever heard. The lyrics are even better and paint the picture in a very dramatic way.
Song Meaning, Review and Story
The song explores the mind of the hero Black Panther in this case, however it can be applied to any hero or honest individual who is fighting battles for the greater good.
It depicts how heroes mentality and life is radically different from normal people and how they battle their way through the various atrocities that life constantly throws at them.
Even though, the hero is mentally tough, he wonders if there is anyone who can look after him and his problems. There are times when even he faces difficulties being himself and dealing with challenges.
Superheroes often appear as invincible people but we forget how even they go through the same problems that normal people deal with in life.
The Weeknd’s verse explains the mental pain the hero is dealing with. Heroes often have to make peace with the fact that they could be all alone in life yet they have faith in themselves and work towards the greater good of humanity.
Kendrick goes into vivid detail with his lyrics explaining the fights that the hero is indulges in on regular basis. Its not that heroes are always full of confidence. There are times when they doubt themselves. There are times when they also break down with the burden that they carry.
Life of heroes is tough and they see bloodshed, terror and mishaps on a common basis. Yet they push forward at all times and never let setbacks stop them from doing the right thing.
Kendrick also mentions how everyone is actually a hero. When you look for someone to save you, you should look in the mirror because in certain situations only you can save yourself.
There are certain battles that only you have to fight. Because, in order to become tough you have to overcome those challenges yourself. Lamar’s verse also mentions the apocalypse that the world needs to be ready for.
When he mentions rapture and prophecy he is referencing his beliefs which are derived from the Book of Revelations. It talks about judgement and how Christ followers will be saved from the world while others shall deal with their fate.
The song talks about how the hero is selfless in his service and will do anything for the ones he loves be it dying or spilling blood of villains to save them.
The song video reminds me of Chadwick Aaron Boseman (who played Black Panther’s character in the movie) who passed away on 28th August 2020.
Overall, the song is amazing in all aspects be it the beats, the instrumentals, the lyrics, melody, rhythm, story or message. I would give it a 5 out of 5 in terms of rating. Let me know your opinion regarding the song.
