the story of the moving song “We Cry Together”

Kendrick Lamar made a triumphant return with Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. The track “We Cry Together” is particularly well received.

In between DAMN et Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, 1,855 days have passed. After years of stirring up the impatience of his fans, Kendrick Lamar crashed the servers of the Spotify and Deezer streaming platforms in minutes. Today, the album’s tracklist occupies a good portion of Spotify’s worldwide top 50 singles. Among the excerpts, one piece caught the public’s attention: “We Cry Together”, featuring Taylour Paige.

Produced by Bekon, J.LBS and The Alchemist, the title captures attention from the first seconds. Without any visuals, Kendrick and Taylour tell a poignant and terribly brutal story. The track begins with a sample of “June”, by Florence + the Machine. «This is what the world sounds like» listeners hear in the introduction. «Nah, f*ck you, n*gga (Fuck you, b*tch) / You got me f*cked up / F*ck you, f*ck you». For 6 long minutes, the two artists capture a violent couple’s argument in the style of Eminem on “Kim”. Slim Shady has also reacted to the song on social networks.

Read also: Kendrick Lamar collaborated with the creators of South Park for the music video for “The Heart Part 5”

Taylour Paige: ‘It’s Your Fault R. Kelly Doesn’t Assume He’s Violent’

The track tackles many politically oriented topics like patriarchy, feminism or gender. A few lines in particular had a big impact on their audience. “You’re the reason Harvey Weinstein must have met his end / You’re the reason R. Kelly can’t admit he’s violent / Man shut the fuck up, we all know you still listen to his music / I’m sick of these emotional and ungrateful s*lopes”. The title has gotten to revive a lively debate on social networks. “I wish you would stop saying that everyone listens to R. Kelly’s music in secret, because no, we don’t. I swear his music isn’t that good.” ignites a surfer on Twitter.

I wish y’all would stop saying everybody listens to R. kelly music secretly like no we don’t 😭😭😭 i promise you the music isn’t that good

– (@zayoIogy) May 13, 2022

Reactions were quick to pour in, with many defending R. Kelly’s discography and highlighting his many solo hits like “Ignition (Remix)”, “Bump n’ Grind” and “Step in the Name of Love”. Others have noted its role in the production of many artists such as Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, Usher, Chris Brown or even Justin Bieber. But despite his success, impossible to save the R&B singer. In September 2021, R. Kelly was convicted of sexual exploitation of a child, corruption, racketeering and sex trafficking. For more than a month, the artist has been tried by the Brooklyn court. He also faces a second federal trial for child pornography and obstruction of justice. All while juggling several other criminal charges, like underage prostitution, and the list goes on.

A great connection

Taylour Paige’s presence on “We Cry Together” pleasantly surprised listeners. Ballerina, turned actress, the young woman was one of the star dancers of “High School Musical 3”. In 2014, the public found her on the music video for “She Came To Give It To You” by Usher and Nicki Minaj. More recently, Taylour Paige starred in the critically acclaimed feature film Zola. For this film, the artist won the prize for best female lead role at the Film Independent Spirit Award 2022. On this occasion, she said: “It’s hard to be human. It’s really weird. Circumstances are impossible, yet we all try. So thank you for being alive”.

Less difficult to imagine his connection with Kendrick Lamar. Taylour Paige, dancer and actress, is now rising on the rap scene alongside one of the greatest MCs of her generation. By giving him the reply in a superb way, probably on one of the best tracks on the album. With a hoarse, moving voice that takes you by the guts until you are overwhelmed.

On social networks, the young woman did not fail to thank the author of DAMN and to recall the admiration she has for him. “We are so lucky to have Kendrick. I hope you are thinking today. That you think about every day. I hope you will learn and ask for help” says Taylour Paige. “I hope you will study the nuances. That you will absorb the good and find the light. I hope you like each other. That you are telling the truth. I hope you are recovering.”

Also: Kendrick Lamar discusses reconciliation between Kanye West and Drake

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