From the Ringer podcast network, this is Dissect, long-form musical analysis broken into short

digestible episodes. This is episode 14 of our season-long analysis of Kendrick Lamar's

Mr. Morrell and The Big Stepers. I'm yourect, we examined Mr. Morrell's 13th track Savior, where Kendrick defiantly

proclaimed he is not our savior, then called out various expressions of moral acting,

be it disingenuous social media activists, judgmental anti-vaxed Christians,

or greedy capitalists posing as humanitarian. These modern-day archetypes portray themselves to be

savior types, morally righteous individuals, selflessly concerned with the welfare of others,

when really they're motivated by self-interest just like everyone else, condemning and judging others,

conveniently exalting themselves as superior in the process.

In the age of self-appointed experts, corporate-sponsored politicians, brand deal influencers,

and perfect life social media curation, the refrain, I am not your savior, is a blunt admission of defect.

It's an admission that Kendrick Lamar is an imperfect human like the rest of us,

unfit to save the world single-handedly, unfit to be the poster child for your personal political agenda.

And as if to prove just how unfit he is to be our savior,

the song is intentionally followed by Mr. Morale's most controversial track,

the subject of our episode today, Auntie Diaries.

Heart plays and ways the mind can't figure out.

Heart plays and ways the mind can't figure out.

This is how we conceptualize human beings.

Ondi Diaries begins with Kendrick repeating the phrase, Heart plays in ways the mind can't figure out.

This disconnection between the head and the heart,

what we think versus what we feel, is the central theme of the song.

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