“The Mantra” by Pharrell Williams & Kendrick Lamar
“The Mantra” is a 2018 collaboration between Americans rappers Pharrell Williams and Kendrick Lamar. The mantra Pharrell and Lamar are referring to in this song is a philosophy of chasing big money and a high level of success. Simultaneously they are to push aside unprofitable associates and competitors.
The song goes on to mention the kind of activities and thought processes some people engage in which the artists conclude get “in the way” of success. Thus in the name of not being distracted from achieving his goals, Pharrell shuns associating with such individuals.
Kendrick Lamar’s verse is a bit more scatterbrained but centers around the theme of achieving success despite obstacles standing in his way.
Facts about “The Mantra”
- In total, four songwriters (including Lamar and Pharrell) penned this track. The other two are: music producers Mike WiLL Made-It and Myles Harris.
- Mike WiLL Made-It co-produced “The Mantra” with Myles Harris.
- The release date for “The Mantra” was November 14, 2018. It is the eight track on the Creed II: The Album, which is the official soundtrack album of the 2018 film Creed II. That film stars the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Michael B. Jordan and Dolph Lundgren.
- The song is made up of an intro solely handled by Pharrell, three choruses and two verses. In addition to handling the intro, Pharrell also solely handles all three choruses and the first verse. Lamar handles the second verse.
- Despite being the title of the song, the phrase “The Mantra” doesn’t appear anywhere in the lyrics.
Is this the first collab between Kendrick and Pharrell?
No. Both men have collaborated on multiple songs in the past.
Was “The Mantra” released as a single Creed II: The Album?
Yes. It was the second of the two singles released from that particular album. The first single from that album was “Kill ‘Em with Success”. Mike Will Made It produced all the tracks on that album.
