About “DNA.”

On “DNA.,” Kendrick Lamar adopts multiple viewpoints; celebrating, critiquing, and exploring his black heritage and culture. In the music video, Kendrick and actor Don Cheadle appear to trade bars, engaging in an argument using the song’s lyrics during an interrogation scene. We also learn that “DNA” stands for “Dead Nigger Association.”

Lamar is wearing a traditional Kung Fu uniform throughout the piece. In an interview with Pitchfork, Don Cheadle confirmed that he inadvertently inspired the ‘Kung Fu Kenny’ persona. Cheadle portrayed a Chinese-speaking martial artist named Kenny in the 2001 action-comedy sequel Rush Hour 2.

At the beginning of the video, the song “YAH.” can be heard echoing above—almost as if it is playing in Kendrick’s head as the camera pans down. “YAH.” comes directly after “DNA.” on DAMN.’s tracklist.

Following his initial encounter with Cheadle, who seems to be portraying a law enforcement figure, the ending of “BLOOD.” suddenly begins playing; when Cheadle turns on the lie-detector device, he begins convulsing, almost as if in a trance. This snippet comes from the video of Geraldo Rivera criticizing Kendrick’s lyrics on “Alright,” one of his most successful singles. The music video also contains snippets from “Hood Politics,” another song from Lamar’s March 2015 award-winning album, To Pimp A Butterfly.

Lastly, the song’s second verse samples a different segment of the same Fox News clip from “BLOOD.” and it’s worth noting that “BLOOD.” precedes “DNA.” on the album.