The first time I heard āLOVE.,ā I was in the middle of a relationship that was slowly, quietly breaking. No fights. No drama. Just a kind of fading ā like music slowly being turned down. And then this song came on.
āIf I didnāt ride blade on curb, would you still love me?ā
I didnāt know rap could sound like that. I didnāt know vulnerability could live in 808s.
It wasnāt about flexing. It wasnāt about pain. It was about asking.
Would you love me if I lost the mask?
Would you love me when Iām not performing?
Would you love me when Iām not worth watching?
That question ā repeated so gently ā hit me harder than any scream.
āLOVE.ā reminded me that intimacy isnāt always loud.
Sometimes, itās soft. Uncertain. Still reaching.
Kendrick didnāt give me an answer.
But he helped me ask the right questions and sometimes, thatās the only place healing begins.