U (track)
by Kendrick Lamar
U appears on the following album(s) by Kendrick Lamar:
- To Pimp A Butterfly (track #6) (this album) (2015)
Upcoming concerts
Listen to U on YouTube
U ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Track ratings | Avg. track rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 21 hours ago | daCritic | 34,726 | 76/100 |
| ! | 01/17/2026 15:58 | Robert_fripp | 823 | 86/100 |
| ! | 01/14/2026 11:51 | Exist-en-ciel | 77,959 | 70/100 |
| ! | 12/21/2025 03:23 | vindivast | 73 | 88/100 |
| ! | 12/15/2025 10:59 |  DommeDamian | 73,177 | 51/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some tracks can have several thousand ratings)
This track is rated in the top 1% of all tracks on BestEverAlbums.com. This track has a Bayesian average rating of 89.3/100, a mean average of 88.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.5/100. The standard deviation for this track is 14.8.
U favourites
Showing latest 20 members who have added this track as a favourite | Show all 37 members
U comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 13 comments |
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pjohnsongolf 12/17/2020 07:30 | #262793
This is the most raw and intimate Kendrick has ever been. He is fully uncovering his thoughts and feelings about himself. Listening to this makes me tear up because I can relate to a lot of his thoughts. The next song Alright gives reassurance that everything will turn out okay and later on the track i, it goes over how we should be thinking about ourselves. Pure genius on this album.
second part hurts, it's art
corenfro 05/09/2017 00:27 | #190526
This is among the greatest songs I've ever heard. Instrumentally it's so immersive and unlike anything I've ever heard. I suppose it's Jazz, but it's so unique and thick and sprawling that I don't even know what to call it. There is the saxophone, piano, and synths, that are throughout the first part, over this pounding thud of a bass drum mixed in with a bass line that just creeps up and down as Kendrick yells at this other version of himself. Background singer kills it.
The mid section with the housekeeper of this is a great and important part of the story telling. Background vocals here too are great. "everything is complicated, what do I got to do to get to you"
Then Kendrick and the third section comes in and the sax is back, the pan flute esque background vocals continue to ghost in and out reminiscent of Kid A. I love how the bass line seems to stumble around, there's some guitar/sitar sound that is probably a synth of some sort. The sax of course kills it again, as does Kendrick with his drunk vocal delivery.
Probably my favorite track on the album, but damn it takes so much out of you after a listen.
His ragged voice singing about depression over the saddest saxophone instrumental I've ever heard... I need to take a Prozac.
FlorianJones 09/13/2015 07:24 | #149678
The power Kendrick displays on here is breathtaking. And strangely, it's balanced by some of Kendrick's most self critical lyrics ever, which works to great effect.
KingNoCrown 07/10/2015 08:29 | #145443
Never have I heard a Kendrick song as raw and powerful since the opener to his O.verly D.edicated tape "The Heart Pt. 2". One hell of a song. The reference to his track "Keisha's Song (her Pain)" on here gets me every time.
This song is an emotional powerhouse and maybe one of the best songs on the album.
The second part is fucking raw!
Sean 03/19/2015 21:54 | #137336
What a risk this track was for Kendrick, complete dissonance, great in the same way a Velvet Underground track is great
Pegasus 03/17/2015 20:08 | #137143
This is as real as it gets. You can hear the pain in his voice, it's chilling. The words he spit pumped from his heart. The emotion in this is overwhelming. Wow.
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