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Draft:Wesley's Theory

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  • Comment: The song ranked somewhat low on the UK Charts, it also fails WP:GNG considering most of the sources are routine coverage and about the album. TheNuggeteer (talk) 13:48, 12 June 2024 (UTC)

"Wesley's Theory"
Song by Kendrick Lamar featuring George Clinton and Thundercat
from the album To Pimp a Butterfly
ReleasedMarch 15, 2015 (2015-03-15)
Recorded2015
Genre
Length4:47
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

Wesley's Theory is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar as the opening track from his 2015 album To Pimp A Butterfly. The song features vocals from musician Thundercat and singer-songwriter George Clinton, as well as additional vocals from Dr. Dre.[1] The song's production was handled by Flying Lotus and Flippa, with additional production from Sounwave and Thundercat. The song's first verse is from the view of an eager person who wants fame, money and power, and the second verse is from the view of a powerful American person, in this case Uncle Sam, manipulating Kendrick.[2] Sonically, the song is very funk and g-funk inspired, with several guitars and synths layering the track.

The album spent one week on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at #75.[3] Upon release, the song received universal acclaim from music critics, who praised the message, beat, and Kendrick's performance.[4][5][6]

Music and lyrics

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Wesley's Theory contains one sample, Boris Gardiner's 1973 song "Every ****** Is A Star" in the intro. It features a funk-inspired bassline and a chaotic drum beat and synth beat. It starts off with an intro containing the sample shown as well as James Brown's famous catchphrase "Hit me!". [7] It features an interlude performed by Josef Leimberg, introducing the themes of To Pimp A Butterfly. This goes into the chorus, which features Kendrick comparing love and lust to his relationship to fame.[8] A verse starts after this depicting a pre-fame Kendrick saying what he will do when he becomes famous. This goes into a refrain sang by Thundercat and George Clinton about staying true to yourself. After the chorus, a voicemail message by Dr. Dre is played, with him saying to Kendrick that keeping fame is the hardest part. The second verse is from the perspective of Uncle Sam convincing Kendrick to pay money to the government. It goes into a bridge by George Clinton and then the refrain followed by an outro and a saxophone start that segues into For Free? (Interlude).

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Kendrick Lamar (Ft. George Clinton & Thundercat) – Wesley's Theory, retrieved 2024-05-26
  2. ^ jwmcasey (2015-03-26). "Track Breakdown: "Wesley's Theory" by Kendrick Lamar". Cup O' Joe Music. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
  3. ^ "WESLEY'S THEORY". Official Charts. 2015-03-28. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
  4. ^ "To Pimp a Butterfly: A Track by Track Review Part 1". Dilson. 2015-08-06. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
  5. ^ Jenkins, Craig. "Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
  6. ^ Empire, Kitty (2015-03-22). "Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly review – fearless in its scope". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
  7. ^ Kendrick Lamar (Ft. George Clinton & Thundercat) – Wesley's Theory, retrieved 2024-05-26
  8. ^ jb (2019-07-17). "To Pimp a Butterfly – #1: Wesley's Theory". Original Positions. Retrieved 2024-05-26.