Die Hard
by Kendrick Lamar (featuring Blxst)

Album: Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022)
Charted: 7 5
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Spelled as one word (like the movie franchise), "diehard" means extremely passionate, like a fan of a sports team whose loyalty is unwavering. As a two-word phrase like Kendrick Lamar uses it here, it's even more intense. In the song, he wants to know if his lover is "die hard" like he is, and willing to accept his flaws. He admits he has a hard time being vulnerable, and is worried that she'll judge him if he opens up about his demons.
  • Los Angeles rapper and singer-songwriter Blxst relays the chorus. He hopes his partner can stay patient with his failings and see the good in him. You might recognize Blxst from his 2021 hit single "Chosen," which features his fellow West coast artists Ty Dolla $ign and Tyga.
  • Barbados-born singer Amanda Reifer croons the post-chorus where she lets Lamar know that she understands how he feels. She encourages him to rest his wings on her and to trust her.

    Reifer is the former lead singer of the group Cover Drive, who clocked up three Top 10 singles in the UK in the early 2010s, including the #1 hit "Twilight."
  • Blxst closes the track with a shout-out to the late Nipsey Hussle's widow, Lauren London.

    On March 31, 2019, a gunman fatally shot Nipsey Hussle outside his Marathon Clothing store. Blxst's insecurities about losing his lover prompts him to pray for Lauren, as she's without the love of her life.

    Lamar rapped part of his 2022 standalone single "The Heart Part 5" from the perspective of Nipsey in Heaven.
  • "Die Hard" is as close to a R&B song that Kendrick Lamar has done. It gave him his first #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B songs chart.
  • FNZ, Baby Keem, J.LBS, DJ Dahi & Sounwave produced the cowbell-infused bop. They insert a sample of Kadhia Bonet's 2016 track "Remember The Rain."
  • "Die Hard" received its first live outing during Kendrick Lamar's July 19, 2022 show at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")Songwriter Interviews

Phil was a songwriter, producer and voice behind many Philadelphia soul classics. When disco hit, he got an interesting project: The Village People.

Weezer

WeezerFact or Fiction

Did Rivers Cuomo grow up on a commune? Why did they name their albums after colors? See how well you know your Weezer in this Fact or Fiction.

Bill Withers

Bill WithersSongwriter Interviews

Soul music legend Bill Withers on how life experience and the company you keep leads to classic songs like "Lean On Me."

Chris Frantz of Talking Heads

Chris Frantz of Talking HeadsSongwriter Interviews

Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz on where the term "new wave" originated, the story of "Naive Melody," and why they never recorded another cover song after "Take Me To The River."

Taylor Dayne

Taylor DayneSongwriter Interviews

Taylor talks about "The Machine" - the hits, the videos and Clive Davis.