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"N95" has been described as "a seething cultural critique where Lamar spits bile in multiple directions over a bleakly catchy, bass-driven instrumental". Lyrically, Lamar raps about masks that go with expensive clothing rather than the N95 respirator mask that was used during the outbreak of COVID-19, as he raps: "Take all that designer bullshit off and what do you have? Bitch you ugly as fuck". During the bridge, Lamar uses a verse that was originally intended for the song "Vent" from his cousin Baby Keem's album The Melodic Blue (2021), yet did not make the cut.
Critical reception
The song received generally positive reviews from critics. Chase McMullen of Beats Per Minute drew a comparison between "N95" and "the blistering raps of" Lamar's fourth studio album, Damn (2017). The Guardian music critic Alexis Petridis noted that "the tone of his delivery changes so dramatically and so often that it sounds less like the work of one man than a series of guest appearances". NME music critic Kyann-Sian Williams saw the song as "the most high-octane track" from Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, which includes "a plethora of zippy one-liners and humour, which you might not expect sandwiched between piercing commentary on materialism and society".
Music video
Lamar was seen filming a music video in September 2020, which would later be confirmed as scenes of "N95" (said scenes were Lamar floating above the ocean and using a phone booth). The official music video for "N95", directed by Lamar himself and Dave Free, was released on May 14, 2022. Similar to his music video for "Element", the video features heavy imagery in the form of a wide range of scenes. At the beginning of the video, a sign reads "This Shit Hard" in big red capital letters and appears a few more times throughout the video. Scenes include Lamar in a Jesus-like crucified pose floating over ocean waves, Lamar doing workouts on the roof of a dilapidated apartment, Lamar running from a horde of black men (which serves as a reference to Childish Gambino's music video for "This Is America"), an example of the 20th century doll experiments, Lamar and Baby Keem walking through a hallway (the latter suddenly kissing the former on the cheek, causing both of them to stop in their tracks), Lamar using a phone booth, and more.
"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 20. týden 2022 in the date selector. Retrieved May 23, 2022.