Song · Kendrick Lamar
“N95” by Kendrick Lamar
From the album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022)
“N95” by Kendrick Lamar appears on 3 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 2022 and 2025. It was first released in 2022 on the album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. Its best result is #23 on The Current Top 89 Songs of 2022. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #268 alternative song of 2022.
Watch
Video from YouTube (KendrickLamarVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"N95" arrived on May 20, 2022, as the lead single from Kendrick Lamar's fifth studio album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, and it's a sneering, bass-heavy takedown. The title nods to the mask that defined the COVID-19 pandemic, but the masks Lamar goes after are the ones people hide behind: designer labels and expensive clothes.
Boi-1da, Sounwave and Jahaan Sweet produced it, with extra production from Lamar's cousin Baby Keem, and Manny Marroquin mixed it. The bridge recycles a verse Lamar originally cut for "Vent", a song on Keem's 2021 album The Melodic Blue, where it didn't make the final version. The critics mostly liked what they heard, and the track came out through pgLang, Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath and Interscope.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 23 | The Current Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN | The Current Top 89 Songs of 2022 | 89 |
| 2022 | 41 | Triple J Australia (national) | Triple J Hottest 100 of 2022 | 100 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 682 | The Current | 893 Essential Songs of The Current: 2005 to Now | 893 |
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "N95" by Kendrick Lamar.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.