If you’ve spent any time with Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, you know it isn’t exactly a "party" record. It’s heavy. It’s loud. It’s the sound of a man dismantling his own pedestal with a sledgehammer. But right in the middle of all that chaos sits Count Me Out, a track that basically serves as the emotional backbone of the entire project.
Honestly, when it first dropped in 2022, a lot of people were looking for another Humble or Alright. They wanted the savior Kendrick. Instead, they got a guy sitting in a therapy chair with Helen Mirren.
Why Kendrick Lamar: Count Me Out Hits Different
There’s a specific kind of energy in Count Me Out that you don't find in typical "motivational" rap. Usually, when a rapper says they love being counted out, it’s a boast. It’s about proving the haters wrong. Kendrick flips that. For him, being counted out is a relief. It’s a way to escape the crushing weight of being "the voice of a generation."
The song opens with those haunting vocals from Sam Dew—an intro that mirrors the album's opener, United In Grief. It’s a "dark road," as the lyrics say. You’ve got this hypnotic, clicking beat produced by Sounwave and DJ Dahi that feels like a clock ticking or a heart racing. It’s unsettling but weirdly beautiful.
The Secret History of the Beat
Did you know this song almost didn't belong to Kendrick? DJ Dahi originally had this instrumental tucked away for his own solo album. He’d been working on it for years—some versions date back to 2019. He had a choir come in, he had Danny McKinney laying down guitar tracks, and he thought, "This is the one."
Then he played it for Kendrick.
Lamar didn't just like it; he needed it. Dahi has mentioned in interviews that there are probably 20 or 30 different versions of this song floating around in a vault somewhere. They spent forever molding it to fit the "today" of the album. That's the level of perfectionism we’re dealing with here.
The Therapy Session with Helen Mirren
We have to talk about the music video. It’s iconic.
Seeing Kendrick Lamar sit across from Dame Helen Mirren—who plays his therapist—is a trip. The video starts with a weirdly relatable story about a parking spot dispute. It’s humanizing. He’s not a Pulitzer-winning God in that moment; he’s just a guy who got frustrated at a grocery store.
When the music finally kicks in, the visuals go surreal. You see Kendrick hunched over, literally "trippin' and fallin'," while arrows are lodged in his back. It’s a literal representation of the "Savior Complex" he’s trying to kill. He’s been carrying the world, and he’s finally admitting he can’t do it anymore.
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Key Lyrics That Reveal the Soul
- "I fought like a pit bull terrier, blood I shed could fill up aquariums."
- "If I didn't learn to love myself, forgive myself a hundred times, dawg."
- "Anytime I couldn't find God, I still could find myself through a song."
That last line is the kicker. It’s a confession that music has been his real religion. It's how he heals. While the world was looking for him to provide answers to social justice or politics, he was just trying to find a way to look in the mirror without flinching.
The Eckhart Tolle Connection
If you hear a voice at the start of the track saying "Mr. Duckworth?", that’s not just a random sample. That’s Eckhart Tolle, the spiritual teacher behind The Power of Now.
Kendrick’s fiancée, Whitney Alford, is the one who reportedly pushed him toward Tolle’s teachings. The album is littered with these references to the "pain-body"—a concept Tolle uses to describe the collection of old emotional pain we carry around. Count Me Out is the moment Kendrick stops running from that pain-body and starts looking it in the eyes.
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Tolle actually met with Kendrick in person before agreeing to be on the album. He said he found Kendrick to be "soft-spoken" and "quite present." In a world of ego-driven rap, that’s a massive compliment.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Meaning
A lot of fans see this as a song about resilience. And it is. But it’s also a song about failure.
Kendrick admits to infidelity ("I ain't had affairs with sleep"). He admits to being a "complex soul" that got broken down. The triumph isn't that he won; the triumph is that he’s okay with being a wreck. There’s a line where he repeatedly shouts, "This is me and I'm blessed!" It sounds like he’s trying to convince himself as much as the listener.
The Global Impact of the Track
Even though it’s a deeply personal song, it moved numbers.
- It debuted at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- It’s certified Platinum in Australia and Gold in New Zealand.
- As of early 2026, it remains one of his most-streamed deep cuts, proving that vulnerability actually sells better than bravado in the long run.
Actionable Takeaways from the Song
If you're vibing with the track, there's more to do than just listen. Here’s how to actually apply the "Count Me Out" philosophy:
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- Stop Avoiding the Mirror: The song is a call to look at your own "Amityville"—the scary parts of your personality you usually hide.
- Accept the "Villain" Role: Sometimes, people need to count you out so you can grow in peace. Stop trying to be everyone’s hero.
- Practice Presence: Look into Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now. It’s the literal textbook for the themes Kendrick is rapping about.
- Forgive Yourself (Daily): Lamar mentions forgiving himself "a hundred times." Healing isn't a one-and-done thing; it’s a repetitive, boring, daily chore.
If you really want to understand the evolution of Kendrick, go back and watch the live performance from The Big Steppers Tour. The way he uses shadows and those arrows in his back tells a story that words can't quite capture. It’s not just rap; it’s performance art about the survival of the soul.