Dissect - S5E10 - PRIDE. by Kendrick Lamar

Episode Date: November 26, 2019

Kung Fu Kenny takes a big step forward by admitting his imperfections and humbling himself. As track 7 of 14, we hypothesize about PRIDE. being a micro-resolution to DAMN’s first half. Say hi @dissectpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. Purchase Dissect merch at https://shop.dissectpodcast.com/. Listen to original Dissect themes on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2k8BsZM. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Spotify Studios, this is Dissect, long-form musical analysis broken into short digestible episodes. I'm your host, Cole Kushner. Today, we continue our serialized analysis of Dam by Kendrick Lamar. On our last episode, we dissected loyalty, a song that found our protagonist, Kung Fu Kenney, examining the concept of loyalty from a number of different perspectives. The track began with Kenny selfishly demanding the loyalty of others, going so far as imagining a secret society wherein members show absolute devotion. Ultimately, though, Kenny's scrutiny of loyalty leads him to a revelation about who he knows

he should be most loyal to, God. This revelation is followed by the song's outro, which acknowledges Kenny's struggles to remain loyal to God and his commandments. This struggle to humble oneself in order to remain loyal to God will itself be expounded upon as Damn continues into its next track. Indeed, Kenny will now confront and examine the biggest obstacle in the process of humility, the relinquishing of one's pride. Pride is written by Kendrick Amar, Anna Wise, and the song's main producer, Steve Lacey. At the time of his collaboration with Kendrick,

Steve Lacey was a 19-year-old up-and-coming guitar player and songwriter who was and still is a member of the band The Internet. He was introduced to Kendrick through DJ Dah He, who produced several tracks on Dam. In an interview with Matt Wilkinson, Lacey told the backstory behind Pride. Yeah, so we were jamming out.

It gets quiet in the studio, that moment where everyone's just on their phones. And then I'm like, yo let me play you some stuff I just said it shoot my shot Lacey played a number of tracks for Kendrick most of them unfinished

one of the tracks he played was a collaboration with Kendrick's friend Anna Wise who laid vocals over some acoustic chords Lacey had recorded Lacey then recomposed a beat around these vocals and was now playing the track for Kendrick this new version of this NOWI's track I played for him

and this was the track that he was like he gave me his phone and was like, yo, put your number in my phone, like, I need this. And then I was like, cool, cool. And then I hit him up again to see if we're about to go work because I get back from somewhere, I forget.

And then he says, he's just finishing up the album. So I go track list with the eyeball emojis, I mean, emojis. And then he goes, LOL, it was called Wasn't There at the Time, is track 7. Wow. But it's called PRISA.

Pride now. Like much of his music, Pride was composed on Lacey's iPhone. It features a very simple drum loop. On top of this, Lacey places a sequence of jazz-inspired chords. Later in the track, a ride symbol and bass guitar is added. And thus, we have the basic foundation of Pride's production. But before we hear this beat, Pride, like the album Opener Blood, begins with an ominous dichotomy, performed once again by Beacon. Let's compare this with the introduction of Blood. heard at the beginning of Dam. In both the intros to blood and pride, we hear the voice of Beacon presenting us with an unusual dichotomy. In the case of blood, the dichotomy is a choice between wickedness and weakness, which of course results in us living or dying. We found the choice surprising,

because most of us would prefer to avoid both wickedness and weakness. But as you'll remember, we interpreted these lines to refer to the two opposing ways of life that Jesus described in its teachings about the kingdom of God. Those who follow the way of wickedness use their power to fight any enemy who threatens their livelihood. On the other hand, those who choose weakness follow God's commandment to forgive their enemies even when such forgiveness requires them to suffer. In the introduction of pride, the dichotomous choice is between love and pride. Again, just like wickedness and weakness, this is a somewhat surprising choice, as most of us would like to have both love and pride. Specifically in American culture, we want others to be proud of us and are encouraged

to be proud of ourselves. The same can be said about love. It's hard for us to see how pride and love can be opposed to each other. However, just like blood, the teachings of the Bible shed light on this otherwise confusing choice. As we previously discussed, the kind of love that Jesus spoke about was an unconditional love that extends not just to one's blood relations and friends, but also to one's enemies. Such love is not partial to one's own nationality, class, race, or sexual identity. Rather, unconditional love seeks the best even for those who pose a threat to you. If you are fully to live out Jesus' teachings about unconditional love, you'd likely suffer the same deadly fate Jesus suffered on the cross on Good Friday.

Hence the line, love will get you killed. On the other hand, pride will be the death of you and me, seems to be inspired by the famous biblical proverb, pride goes before destruction. The biblical prophets generally tend to speak negatively about pride. They describe kings and nations as prideful when they feel that they should be valued above others. When someone begins to feel this kind of pride, it becomes very easy to devalue or dehumanize other groups of people. Those who are proud can justify violence and oppression against others to maintain their status and privilege. We actually heard this concept. in practice by Kenny himself on the song Element. The problematic aspects of pride grow exponentially

when entire groups of people develop pride in their national or ethnic identity. From the Babylonian Empire to Nazi Germany to the Atlantic slave trade, history offers plenty of examples of societies that have sought to preserve themselves at the expense of others. On the flip side, we can also find numerous historical examples in which the oppressed parties take pride in their collective identity in order to overthrow their oppressors. One example would be Nat Turner's rebellion that Tupac mentioned on mortal man. Such acts of resistance, however justified they may appear, will invariably be met with increased resistance from the former oppressors,

furthering a vicious cycle of murder until it culminates in total war. This pattern is exactly what Kendrick is alluding to by stating, Pride will be the death of you and you and me. And so we can see how the line, love's going to get you killed, but pride's going to be the death of you and me, is another way to confirm Dam's core theme that we must choose between wickedness or weakness. Like we heard in the parable of blood, unconditional love will invariably lead to the way of weakness and self-sacrifice, while pride will invariably lead to ways of wickedness and cycles of violence between opposing

groups. The question that remains now is whether the awareness of this new dichotomy will inspire Kenny to relinquish his own pride. Given that the previous track ended with Rihanna singing, it's so hard to be humble, we should probably expect that Kung Fu Kenny will continue to wrestle with God's high standard of human virtue. Pride begins with the song's chorus, where Kenny and producer Steve Lacey sing, Me, I wasn't taught to share, but care. In another life, I was surely there. Me, I wasn't taught to share but care, I care. I care. Back on the song, Yeah, Kenny said that getting money is a primary reason why he follows his own intuition and ignores God's presence on earth. At the time, we assumed this focus on money meant that

Kenny is selfish and uncompassionate. However, here on pride, Kenny reveals that he was never taught how to share his possessions. As someone who grew up in poverty, perhaps Kenny subconsciously learned that he should hoard whatever he possessed in order to survive. Those who grew up in better financial situations may more easily accept the adage that sharing is caring. As we'll find in later tracks, Kenny is a great example of someone who deeply cares about people, yet finds it hard to share due to his background. At the heart of this idea is that our world is full of people with good intentions and good hearts, but nonetheless are unable to live up to the ideals of society because they are born into a harsh environment, inheriting circumstances beyond their control.

The hook continues, in another life, I was surely there. Here Kenny suggests that in some alternative existence, he could have been brought up somewhere much different than his experience in Compton, USA. However, Kenny is vague about the exact place he's referring to when he says, I was surely there. But as we'll see, this mysterious place will come into focus over the course of the song. The hook ends with three repetitions of the phrase, I care. It's almost as if Kenny is pleading with us to empathize.

with the shortcomings, a notion that continues into the first verse. The first verse begins with Kenny rapping, hell raising, wheel chasing, new worldly possessions. Raising hell is an idiom in heart you live them or dissect them. Happiness or fleshiness. How do you serve the question? The first verse begins with Kenny rapping, hell raising, wheel chasing, new worldly possessions. Raising hell is an idiom that means to cause trouble through unrestrict. in a destructive behavior. Meanwhile, wheel chasing likely refers to a dog's natural instinct to chase after cars. And so with this line, Kenny seems to be comparing such dogs to humans whose intuition causes them to chase money, fast cars, and other worldly possessions. Kenny continues, Fleshmaking, spirit-breaking, which one would you lessen? Here we get a dichotomy using two

aspects of the human psyche. Throughout the New Testament, the word flesh refers to our animalistic nature, the instinctive part of the human psyche that's driven to pursue bodily pleasures such as food and sex. In contrast, the word spirit refers to the part of the human psyche that's able to perceive God and transcend the temporary pleasures of the world. By presenting these aspects side by side, we can see how they operate as a seesaw or double pan balance scale. When one is lessened, the other is raised. Next, Kenny wraps, the better part, the human heart, you love him, or dissect them. It's yet another dichotomous choice, this time between either loving or dissecting the human heart. Outside of its use in this podcast, the word dissect usually refers to the process

of extracting and studying bodily organs. However, in this context, Kenny is using the word heart to describe the metaphorical center of a person's feelings and character. Dissecting this kind of heart is much more complicated than the dry objective analysis of physical anatomy, and thus, shouldn't be analyzed in the same way. Kenny's alternative to dissection is to love unconditionally and accept the entirety of the person, the entirety of their heart. We therefore trade rigid, scientific knowledge of a cadaver for fluid rational knowledge of a person. Kenny continues with the third dichotomy in a row, saying, happiness or flashiness, how do you serve the question? It's likely that this question was inspired by Jesus' teachings about the kingdom of God.

There, Jesus specifically warned his followers to give quietly when he said, quote, Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. Thus, whenever you do a charitable giving, do not blow a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do so that people will praise them, unquote. It's interesting to note that the word hypocrite originally referred to theater actors wearing masks. Kenny seems to realize that trying to impress others with his acts of service may increase his fame and popularity, but it'll only serve to mass the deep unhappiness within.

As Pride continues, Kenny moves away from a string of dichotomies and talks about a perfect world. How do you serve the question? See, in the perfect world, I would be perfect world. I don't trust people enough beyond their surface world. I don't love people enough to put my faith in man. I put my faith in these lyrics, hoping I make a band to understand I'm perfect. I probably won't come around. Let's time I ain't give a fuck

I still feel the same now My feelings might go numb You're dealing with cold though I'm willing to give up a leg and arm and show empathy from 80 parties and functions are you and yours A perfect world you probably live Another 24

I can't fake humble just cause your ass is insecure I can't fake humble just because your ass is insecure Kenny states See in a perfect world I would be perfect world I don't trust people enough beyond a surface world. I don't love people enough to put my faith in man. Like many visionaries, Kenny dreams of what it would be like to live in a perfect world. However, after the three

previous dichotomies helped to reveal just how challenging it is to live by the standards of God's kingdom, Kenny must admit that he is far from perfect, and hence isn't able to live in a perfect world. Kenny specifically admits that he doesn't trust or love people on a deeper level. This lack of reliance on others is likely a central reason why Kenny is unable to share and why he works so hard to be independent. This idea of self-reliance leads to a statement that the only thing he still has faith in are his lyrics. He says, I put my faith in these lyrics, hoping I make a band to understand I ain't perfect. Here, Kenny seems to be playing up the double meaning of the word band. On one hand, band refers to the rubber band around stacks of money. The implication here would be that

Kenny hopes to make music that accrues wealth, and then he could rely on money, not people. On the other hand, band also refers to a musical group. In this rendering, Kenny hopes that his lyrics and music will be honest and clear enough for listeners to realize that he's not perfect. In his interview with Sane Lowe, Kenny describes why he addresses his imperfections so much in his music. I can't sugarcoat the reality of my imperfections, period. So when you hear certain things and certain things you may not like, you may have discomfort from. It's out of my hands. These words, you know, they're not just made up words.

You know, when I say I sit and I live with them, you know, and I really zone into them, these are ideas that's coming way beyond me. And that's just how I feel about it since day one. Kendrick believes that his lyrics come from a higher power, namely God. Furthermore, Kendrick believes that God uses him in order to show his imperfections, and by proxy, the imperfections of mankind. This leads us into the next lines. I ain't perfect, I probably won't come around. This time, I might put you down. Last time, I ain't give a fuck. I still feel the same now. My feelings might go numb. You're dealing with cold thumb. I'm willing to give up a leg and arm,

then show empathy from pity parties and functions of you and yours. Kendrick acknowledges that he's far from perfect and admits that he often feels cold and insensitive regarding others. Kenny's numbness is especially targeted towards the type of self-pitying, attention-seeking behavior that, according to him, does not warrant empathy. In the context of the whole verse, Kendrick's annoyance displayed here could function as justification for his lack of care. Kenny continues by saying, a perfect world, you probably live another 24. This is likely a reference to a survey from the 1980s that infamously claimed that most black males in America's inner cities will be dead or in jail by the age of 25. This harsh reality is more evidence that

Kenny doesn't live in a perfect world. Still, this grim fact doesn't seem enough for Kenny to show empathy, as he then ends the first verse by repeating the line, I can't fake humble just because your ass is insecure. This line mirrors the outro of the previous track loyalty, in which Rihanna is saying it's so hard to be humble, but God knows I'm trying, God knows I'm dying. We interpreted this outro as exemplifying God's recognition of our impending mortality. The resulting insecurity and fear we experienced from this realization causes us to choose wickedness and pride to preserve our own lives. Throughout the first verse of pride, Kenny has shown that struggle as he's now cognizant of a better, more perfect way of life, but is unable to achieve this way of life because of the imperfect world he grew up in.

This idea is also expressed in the song's production, specifically the modulating pitch of Kenny's voice throughout the first verse. Let's take another listen, focusing specifically on Kenny's modulating voice. You serve the question. You know Kendrick is very considerate to detail such as this, so we might wonder what exactly these vocal modulations are meant to communicate. One possibility draws on the fact that a high-pitched voice is normally associated with childhood, while low-pitched voice is normally associated with manhood. Thus, the modulations might depict Kenny as someone whose mindset is wavering between the relative innocence of childhood and the more hardened mindset of a man who's been compromised by the

imperfect world he grew up in. This actually wouldn't be the first time Kendrick has modulated the pitch of his voice to invoke memories of childhood. On the track Mad City, Kendrick used an even more pronounced vocal modulation as he rapped about the self-destructive and demonic influences that children are exposed to in Compton. In addition to the vocal similarities between the verses of Mad City and Pride, there's a tremendous amount of thematic overlap as well. In Mad City, Kendrick explores how his imperfect environment in Compton helped to shape the imperfect person he became.

This, of course, mirrors Kenny's realization in pride that in a perfect world, he would be perfect. The idea of childhood evoking innocence is also a fundamental principle in the teachings of Jesus. After being asked, who's the greatest in the kingdom of God? Jesus calls over a small child and says, Most certainly I will tell you, unless you turn and become as little children, you will in no way enter the kingdom of God. Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of God, unquote.

This idea of the humility of the child could be the reason why Kenny chose to modulate his voice to sound more childlike on pride. He's implicitly trying to embrace the humility of his childhood as a good kid in a mad city, or in this case, an imperfect world. This, plus the string of dichotomous choices he presents throughout the verse, all implied that our protagonist Kung Fu Kenny is still wrestling with God's idea of perfection. The idea of the idea of the idea of the idea of human imperfection versus God's perfection continues in Pride's second verse. A verse will dissect right after the break. Welcome back to dissect. Before the break, we discussed Pride's opening hook in first verse. There we found Kenny wondering if he would have learned to share or act less

selfishly in an alternative existence. We also heard Kenny conclude that he does not live in a perfect world because its own character is far from perfect. After the first verse, we get a repetition of the song's hook. While its contents remain the same, the first verse helps us contextualize its message, specifically the mysterious line, surely in another life I was there. Given all the talk about being perfect and how an environment affects a person's character, it's likely that the there and I was there is referring to a quote unquote perfect world. With this in mind, let's listen to Pride's second hook. This second iteration of the chorus extends into a brief post-chorus in which Kenny and Anna Wise repeat the phrase, maybe I wasn't there. It seems that after considering what it would take for a

perfect world to exist, Kenny is no longer sure that he's ever lived in a perfect world, even in another life. This additional line cast doubt on the very existence of a perfect world. These doubts continue to grow as the second verse reveals just how far individuals and institutions are from perfection. Perfect world I probably won't be insensitive Cold as to symbol but never remember what winter did I wouldn't blame you for mistakes I made Or the bed I laid Seems like I point the finger just to make a point now day

smiles and cold stairs the temperature goes there Indigenous disposition feel like we belong here I know the walls they can listen I wish they can talk back The hurt becomes repetition The love almost lost that Kenny begins the second verse Now in a perfect world, I probably won't be insensitive.

Cold as December, but never remember what winter did. I wouldn't blame you for the mistakes I made or the bed I laid. Seems like I point the finger just to make a point nowadays. Picking up where verse one left off, Kenny continues his exploration of coldness to show the connection between the physical environment around him and the emotional environment inside of him. He introduced this motif in the first verse when he said,

last time I ain't give a fuck, I still feel the same now. My feelings might go numb. You're dealing with cold thumb. In both verses, Kenny's coldness finds him desensitized to the feelings of those around him. In the first, Kenny's cold thumb suggests that he's lost his grip on controlling his own emotions. Meanwhile, the second verse focuses on Kenny's finger, which is frozen in a perpetual pointing gesture, indicating the blame he places on others for problems that he himself caused. Next, Kenny says, smiles in cold stares, the temperature goes there. Indigenous disposition feel like we belong here. Kenny juxtaposes the warmth of a smile and the coldness of a stare.

He suggests that we are often inconsistent in our feelings towards people and can easily move from friendliness to indifference just like a temperature drop. This seasonality in our emotions also connects back to the earlier line, cold as December. the way fluctuations of human emotion match the fluctuations of the weather also indicates that humans are simply a product of their environment. Hence, humans must be indigenous to this imperfect world. This idea gives way to the line, indigenous disposition, feel like we belong here. Any hope of finding a perfect world would have to willfully ignore that humans are imperfect and thus belong in an imperfect world. Next, Kenny says, I know the walls they can listen. I wish they can

talk back. The hurt becomes repetition. The love almost lost that. Continuing the theme of how his environment influences him, Kenny considers how the walls of his room absorb everything that goes on inside. Since they don't talk back or provide insight to what occurs inside, Kenny finds himself repeating a cycle of hurt in the same way as sound echoes from wall to wall. At the same time, we also realize these lines reference the track these walls from Tipa Butterfly. In season one of Dysect, we discussed at length how these walls tells a story of Kendrick having sex with his enemy's girlfriend as payback for the fact that he killed one of Kendrick's homies. Since Kendrick used his status as famous rapper to seduce the woman, Kendrick boasts about how he's been abusing his power so that the man can hurt. This vengeful cycle of hurt.

on these walls, gives insight into why Kenny would reference the song's subject here on Pride. The cold and heartless use of sex as a weapon for Kendrick to hurt those who have hurt him is a perfect illustration of how, quote, the hurt becomes repetition, the love almost lost that. As Pride continues, Kenny ties this idea into the notion of pride itself. Kenny says sick venom and men and women overcome with pride of her. Kenny says sick venom and men and women overcome with pride. Along with a virtuosic internal rhyme scheme,

this is the only line of the song that actually contains the word pride. Kenny compares pride to venom, a poisonous substance that can cause irregular heart functioning, numbness, and eventual death. In the popular imagination, venom is most associated with snakes. During our discussion of the second verse of DNA, we talked about how the image of a snake is often used to depict the devil, who in the Bible is the malevolent spiritual force who convinces the prototypical man and woman to join him in imposing God. If the devil is a snake, Kenny seems to be claiming that the devil's main form of attack will be to inject humans with pride, just like a snake injects humans with venom. Like venom, pride can cause a person to go numb and prevent the metaphoric heart

from functioning as it should. Like venom, pride will eventually lead to death unless the person receives an antidote. Given that this track opened with a dichotomous choice between pride and love, it seems likely that love, particularly love for one's enemies, is the antidote for venomous pride. And so just to reiterate the point, the line sick venom and men and women overcome with pride suggests that pride is a deadly character trait by which the forces of evil overcome men and women. In contrast, unconditional love is the way by which men and women can overcome evil. However, if love is going to get you killed, as the intro suggests, it seems unlikely that most people will be able to overcome evil.

As we'll see in the track XXXX, this inherent struggle to overcome evil or wickedness through love or weakness is at the core of what Kendrick is trying to communicate throughout Dam. As Pride continues, Kenny elaborates more on the impossibility of a perfect world. Kenny wraps a perfect world is never perfect only filled with lies. Promises are broken and more resentment come alive. Race barriers making fear. Kenny wraps, A perfect world is never perfect, only filled with lies.

Promises are broken and more resentment come alive. Race barriers make inferior you and I. After considering the extent to which humanity has been overcome by evil, Kenny has finally concluded that a perfect world does not exist. Remember that when we first heard the hook, hook, Kenny seems sure that he's experienced a perfect world in another life. When we heard the hook a second time, Kenny started to feel that maybe he never experienced a perfect world. Now it seems Kenny believes that any individual or institution that promises to create a perfect world is simply lying.

It's interesting to point out that Jesus referred to the devil as the father of lies. Likewise, the term devil itself most literally means one who speaks falsely. Thus, those who lie about creating a perfect world, or helping the venomous snake seduce humans by making false promises that will eventually lead to resentment, hence the line, promises are broken and more resentment come alive. This is followed by the line, race barriers make inferior to you and I. Given that the previous line is about false promises and resentment, it would appear that Kendrick is referring to the United States as an institution that falsely promised perfection. We need to look no further than the U.S. for evidence, as the opening line state, we the people, in order to form a more perfect union.

This opening statement then goes on to make other promises to form this perfect union, such as establishing justice, promoting the general welfare, and supporting the blessings of liberty. However, the great irony of America is that from the very beginning, the promise of a perfect unity was not intended for all humans. Largely due to white European pride, the founding fathers of America felt that their own race was above all people groups. By depicting people of color as inferiors, white Americans were able to use racial divisions to justify the existence of slavery within their quote-unquote more perfect union. America fought a war of independence against Great Britain in the name of this

more perfect union. The tragic irony for black Americans is that Great Britain managed to peacefully emancipate all slaves in 1833. Meanwhile, America didn't emancipate slaves for another 30 years, Even then, it took a bloody civil war, which at its end only exasperated racial hatred for generations in the American South. Even after slavery was abolished, segregation, mass incarceration, and other forms of systemic racism continue to prevent African Americans from enjoying the blessings of liberty that were often afforded to white Americans. Thus, the history of racial inequality gives way to the line, race barriers, make inferiors, you and I. As Pride continues, He continues himself in a perfect world and the choices he'd make in such a place.

Ferry of you and not see in a perfect world I choose faith over riches I'll choose work over bitches I'll make schools out of prison I'll take all the religions and put them all in one service just to tell him we ain't shit but he's been perfect world Kenny wraps see in a perfect world I choose faith over riches I choose work over bitches I'd make schools out of prison Here Kenny considers his current pattern of amassing riches women and associates are now in prison. This pattern of behavior has been on display since Yah, when Kenny declared,

Today is the day I follow my intuition, keep the family close, get money, fuck bitches. However, Kenny is now able to recognize that for him to live in a perfect world, he would need to prioritize work instead of sex, faith instead of money, and education in his community rather than problem solving via murder. Kenny then ends the verse saying, I'll take all the religions and put them all in one service, just to tell him we ain't shit, but he's been perfect, world. Given how much Kenny has spoken from a religious perspective throughout Dam, it might be surprising to hear him express such universal contempt for religious people.

However, we should understand that his self-deprecating statement as another case of Kenny showing how all individuals and institutions, regardless of creed and color, are imperfect, and thus contribute to the injustice in the world. Moreover, as we mentioned in our discussion of the happiness-flashiness dichotomy, Jesus routinely criticized the religious leaders of his day. His main criticism was that too often, the religious leaders perform their acts of devotion to be seen and exalted above others. For them, religion became a source of pride.

In contrast, Jesus believed that those who were truly religious humble themselves enough to consider the poor and marginalized above themselves, those who recognize that their status ain't shit if they're unable to love those that society has disregarded. In addition to declaring we ain't shit, Kenny closes pride expressing the one thing that is perfect. Let's have another listen. Kenny says, He been perfect world. Kenny says, He been perfect world. Here the pronoun he almost surely refers to God.

This final line is a culminating moment the entire track was building towards. After illustrating how all individuals and institutions are imperfect, Kenney addresses the whole world and declares that God is the only one who has been perfect. Considering all of pride's subject matter, it would seem this statement was directly influenced by Jesus' explanation of why his followers should love their enemies. Quote, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

so that you may be children of your father in heaven, for he makes the sunrise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect, unquote. According to Jesus, God is perfect because he loves his enemies. He also claimed that God unconditionally loves all people and seeks the best even for those who hate, disregard, or reject him. If people were to do the same, we would begin to begin to be.

embody God's perfection, just like a child embodies the traits of his father. However, as we've seen throughout Dam, loving our enemies puts us, our friends, and our family at risk. And so the main takeaway of the track Pride seems to be that the world will remain imperfect as long as we're incapable of loving our enemies. It will be incapable of loving our enemies until we truly believe that being killed in the name of love is preferable to the cyclical killings in the name of pride. As track 7 of 14, Pride marks the midway point of Dan. There are several indications that the song serves as a kind of micro-conclusion, dividing the album into two equal and related parts or cycles. The first indication of this cyclical division was the new dichotomy presented in Pride's introduction,

which was voiced the same exact way as the wickedness-weakness dichotomy that the album begins with. We also heard at Pride's conclusion the recognition of God is perfect, which seems to be a to Kenny's initial refusal to answer God's call back on the song, Yah. With Pride being the album's seventh track, it's interesting to note the numerical significance of the number seven. Specifically within the Bible, the number seven is frequently used to represent a complete cycle. This usage is established in the very first chapter of the Bible, where Yahweh, the God of Israel, creates the heavens, the earth, and all the living things in six days. On the seventh day, God rest from his work and allows all of creation to rest with him. This pattern of a seven-part process that

concludes with finding rest alongside God suggests that after seven tracks, Kenny can now enjoy a period of rest for his soul. Along with this possible strategic use of the number seven, we also recognize in the micro-conclusion of Dam's first half, a mirroring of the first half of the story of Jonah, the conflicted prophet we've been referring to throughout the season. As you remember, Jonah, like Kenny, refused to answer God's call to prophecy and ran away on a boat. Karma caught up to Jonah in a form of a deadly storm sent by God. After Jonah realized that his actions caused the storm, Jonah was faced with a choice, sacrifice his own life to preserve the lives of those around him, or self-preserve, and be the cause of a shipwreck that would kill him and everyone else on the boat. Likewise, Pride's love or pride

dichotomy presents a similar decision to choose between self-sacrificial love that will get Kenny killed, or self-preservational pride that will lead to the deaths of everyone along with himself. Jonah ultimately chose to sacrifice his own life and soon found himself trapped inside the stomach walls of a carnivorous fish after being thrown overboard. At this point, Jonah finally recognized that he could do nothing to change his situation. He declared that only God could rescue him from the certainty of death. In response, God preserved Jonah's life and caused the fish to spit Jonah out onto dry land. Similarly, on pride, Kenny asserts that he really does care for others, but nonetheless finds himself trapped inside these walls of hurt and resentment. At this point, Kenny finally

recognizes that he can do nothing to change his own imperfections or the imperfections of the world around him. Thus, pride ends with Kenny declaring that only God can bring perfection into the world. In this way, the parallels between the first half of Dam and the first half of the book of Jonah become quite clear. Both stories end on a positive note, wherein the prophet reconciles with the very God he's been running away from. Both have been humbled enough to do so, or so it seems. The second half of Jonah's story begins much like the first. God again calls upon Jonah to go to Nineveh and condemn Assyrian violence. This time around, Jonah follows God's command. However, when he reaches Nineveh, the message Jonah ends up delivering reveals his deep feelings

of resentment and hatred for the people there, the very enemies and oppressors of his homeland, Israel. Jonah neglects to mention any possibility of receiving forgiveness from God, even though God wanted Jonah to show compassion towards this city that killed his people. If Kenny's narrative continues to mirror Jonah's narrative, we should expect to hear Kenny confronting his enemies with his own abrasive, perverse version of God's message. Kenny's embittered version of God's message of humility is the subject of Dam's next track, Humble. A song will examine note by note, line by line. Next time on Dissect.

Dysect is produced by me for Spotify Studios. Today's episode was written by Femi Olutade and me. Song Recreations by Andrew Atwood. Audio editing by Eric Bass and me. Original theme music by Birocratic. You can now stream all the original Dysect themes composed by Birocratic on Spotify. Just click the link in the show notes. If you enjoy Dysect, please tell a friend about the show, and be sure to say hi on Twitter and Instagram at Dysect Podcast. You can also purchase Dyscmerch merchandise at Dysectpodcast.com. Okay, thanks for listening, everyone. I'll talk to you next episode.