DIE HARD & DIE HARD
- Welch Concannon
- May 9
- 15 min read
Updated: May 10
The song “Die Hard” on Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers is overlooked lyrically but not musically. It’s very catchy and you bounce your shoulders and dance as the syrupy voice of Amanda Reifer sweetly sings the chorus, Blxst, as a matter of factly, simply blazes through the bridges – both singers, in essence, balance of masculine and feminine – and duality. Then Kendrick, who doesn’t hide the emotions of what he is singing about, channels and connects to the masculine and feminine so effortlessly, as the song is serious, playful, sad, reflective, confident and… coded. Rarely anyone converses about the lyrics because it seems surface level. However, NOTHING on MM&TBS is surface level. It’s intensely layered, quite possibly the most layered album Kendrick ever released.
So, I am going to peel back, to some extent, a layer on the song “Die Hard”.
(WARNING! SPOILER ALERTS AHEAD!)
It Hit Me:
I was watching the friggin’ movie… “Die Hard” as I was working. The first movie from the installment came out in 1988. I needed a distraction.
Let me tell you a story: (SPOILER ALERT!!!!!)
In 1988, John McClane, a humble, insanely observant and smart mouth NYC cop, a man who effortlessly attracts women by doing absolutely…well…nothing, and a man of few words, decided to visit his estranged wife, Holly and family for the holidays. Holly and their children live in LA. After a rather entertaining limo ride with his young, cool and somewhat astute limo driver, Argyle, who offered him a lil’ “flavor” to his usual holiday music to chill John out a bit since he seemed tensed and was low-key pre-judging Argyle’s green and youthfulness.
Anyways, they arrive at Nakatomi Plaza in Downtown LA, where Holly is working and her co-workers are celebrating a Christmas Eve party. John arrives there and meets with her boss, Joseph Takagi, and a pricky, coked up co-worker who’s vying for her position named Harry Ellis in her office. John and Holly saw each for the first time in a while and it was super, friggin’ sweet. They greeted each other, lovingly, but it’s stiff. The boss and coworker leave to head back to the party and soon after John mentions, while freshening up, that wifey is going by her maiden name, Gennaro, and not McClane. Before this realization there’s a mild flirtation while he freshens up after a long trip from NYC to LA and she wants him to stay at the house with her and the children, clearly wanting some of that “thang thang” with him because she missed her man, albeit it in the spare bedroom. He missed his lady. But that gets shot to shite…thanks to John.
John wants her to be a married woman for everyone there at Nakatomi… and in day-to-day life. Holly thought more of her position at the company considering the company she worked for was Japanese and if you’re married you may have “one foot out the door” philosophy and she took the opportunity. John is like “so you know what this decision could do to our marriage, right?” to which Holly responds back with “It didn’t do dick to the marriage other than change wtf you think our marriage supposed to be!!”
Now John says, “You don’t know what my idea of our marriage should be!” and Holly claps back, “I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU THINK OUR MARRIAGE SHOULD BE!!”
Holly’s pregnant assistant interrupts their argument to let her know Mr. Takagi needs her to make a speech and backs the fuck out of that tension-filled ass room. Holly said she would be back in a few minutes and leaves John, banging his head against the side of the wall a few times, annoyed – at himself – for starting an argument with Holly.
RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!!!!
Hans Gruber and his goons wreck shop and then some to get into the building. Hans said he was there for a “cause”, when his greedy ass only wanted $640 million in bearer bonds. So now it’s up to John McClane to save his wife, the hostages, the money, the building and whatever else these whackos had up their sleeves.
And he did. His marriage was saved. Until the next time…
And the next time…
And the next time…
Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers…
Die Hard…
Lyrics
I pop the pain away, I slide the pain away
I pop the pain away, I slide the pain away
Okay, before I get into the lyrics you’re probably wondering where this is going and I will explain. Mr. Duckworth, like many of us, is influenced by pop culture. In this instance, he has incorporated it in full view, and no one has clocked it until now (unless I’m wrong, of course) . It's one of my theories.
Die Hard is one of my fave movie franchises of all time. Especially “Die Hard with A Vengeance”. I was watching it for the umpteenth time just like I was listening to MM&TBS for the umpteenth time, and it clicked hard (pun intended) that Dot drew parallels of the John McClane character to himself.
So, with that being said…
The lyrics above…
Our dear Kenny was going through it, wasn’t he? And like many with the weight of many worlds, burdens, tasks, goals and obligations, it’s heavy. Numbing can sometimes be the only way to deal when you have no choice but you have to keep going because… who else is going to do it? He may not have been “literally popping” anything, but there was unresolved pain. I think this was another entendre… for Drake. Kenny is the master of entendres.
In Die Hard with a Vengeance in the beginning of the movie, after the big explosion in Midtown Manhattan, in the next scene you see all of John McClane’s co-workers looking down at him. Why?
He looks “like shit” pretty much what Inspector Cobb said to him. John is sitting on the ground of a police van as they all make their way to Harlem and his hair is disheveled – HE’S disheveled – and needs aspirin – more than one, btw, cigarettes, and coffee. The man has a hangover. Inspector Cobb is asking about the kids. John says, “I hear they’re ok…” and Cobb presses on by asking John if has spoken to Holly, and he said he didn’t speak to her.
Well, once John understands the request of the bad guy, “Simon” wants them to do (and be) in Harlem, John makes a remark saying something like, “It’s nice to be needed” and Cobb jumps in saying, “Frankly, you haven’t been much-”
John cuts him off and barks, “Mind your fuckin’ business about Holly!”
(This is all going somewhere. Trust me.)
Throughout the movie, John is running around all over the city with a goddamn headache and hangover with Zeus Carver a.k.a the G.O.A.T. Samuel L. Jackson (ironic, huh? Cough *Superbowl* cough), and needing aspirin from supervillain Simon, who turns out to be Hans Gruber’s brother from the 1st movie. But John can’t be too emotional when dealing with this shit, with saving the world. Too dangerous. Especially in this movie here. “Popping” the pain away.
Moving on.
Lyrics
I hope I'm not too late
To set my demons straight
I know I made you wait
But how much can you take?
I hope you see the God in me
I hope you can see
And if it's up, stay down for me
Yeah
In Die Hard with a Vengeance again, near the end of the movie, John and Zeus are tied to a huge ass bomb. John looks to Simon and asks him one last question after calling him “Fuckhead”. “You got any aspirins? I’ve had a bad fuckin’ headache all day long”.
Simon laughs, tells him it must be his lucky day, throws the bottle at him and tells him to keep it (that part always makes me laugh) and runs away.
John and Zeus get to talking while tied to this bomb. While Zeus is trying to get the cuffs off he asks McClane if he has a wife and he said they were sort of separated and explained she lives in LA, he lives in NY, they had a fight on the phone, she hung up and he didn’t call her back and it’s been… a year since they spoke. Ridiculous. Zeus laughs and John says his wife’s “a stubborn woman”.
John and Zeus managed to escape. John goes to call Holly via collect call (IYKYK) at the phone booth. He takes the aspirin from the bottle Simon gave him. While waiting for Holly to get on the phone, John realizes the location on the bottom of the aspirin bottle given to him by Simon, at this point knowing where the bad guys are at and runs away, dropping the phone and now needing to complete the fucking mission, the day.
(Btw, I find it interesting that John, an NYC cop, needed to find Simon in... Nova Scotia, Canada. Interesting, eh?)
Anyways, poor Holly comes to the phone yelling John’s name and once again she's not the priority.
Yes, we know for the most part – HUGE part – Kenny is very private about himself, his life and family as he should. I will tread lightly. What I take from these lyrics and how they connect into some of the characteristics of John McClane are the possible vices and linear focus Whitney probably had to deal with with Kenny from time to time. Patience wasn’t a practice; she may have mastered the art and the evils that were chasing and plaguing Kenny. He had to get them aligned, face them and out of the way to unburden his loved ones.
Lyrics
Do you love me? Do you trust me?
Can I trust you? Don't judge me
I'ma die hard, it gets ugly
Too passionate, it gets ugly
First, I must point out that Kendrick makes fun of Drake by using his own melody/how he sings from the song “In My Feelings” from the album “Scorpion”. Such a whiny guy, my goodness. Anyways, Kendrick may have been conveying to Whitney and/or loved ones, that what he was about to embark on will have some rough waters – very rough waters – and it will be bad before it gets better and implores his loved one(s) to understand him, and that what he’s going to do is going to be pretty nasty… albeit it will be roughly 4 years later.
Lyrics:
I got some regrets
I-I-I-I-I-I-I
But my past won't keep me from my best
I-I-I-I-I-I-I
Subtle mistakes felt like life or death
I-I-I-I-I-I-I
John, like Kenny, with all the regrets they had, big or small, no matter what, they will always be the best at their work.
John, for one, was in dangerous situations where one wrong move and/or a small mistake damn near could have killed him. Kenny may have gone through the same situations but possibly not as literal as John.
Lyrics:
The world be reminding me it's danger
I'll still risk it all for a stranger
Kenny has seen and knows things, and I won’t say what I think they are. Some of it has already been said in his music, some information is out there already (DarkKenny, for example). And like John McClane, Kenny had a mission to carry out in 2024 and was one of the only ones, next to Pusha T, that was ready to take down Drake. The difference is, Kenny made sure to plan everything to a T so that Drake couldn’t get away with what he got away with when it came to his beef with Pusha T. John risks his life for strangers all day and night. We all know the “stranger(s)” Kenny is talking about.
Observations and Parallels (other than what I initially pointed out):
Die Hard (1st Movie)
So, one that isn’t planned, of course, is that McClane has 2 children: Lucy and Jack (John McClane Jr.) Lucy is the oldest. Dot has 2 children and Uzi is the oldest. I wonder if Dot thought about this in terms of incorporating Die Hard themes in the song. You never know.
The Cowboy…
John McClane was first called a “cowboy” by Hans (in the first movie), and it seems to be somewhat a moniker for McClane and/or people like him. Rogue, tough, independent, innovative with a whole lot of heart and almost fearless. Cowboys also have a code of being loyal, honest, with emphasis on working hard and hospitality.
And speaking of cowboys, let’s not forget some of the original cowboys who were African American such as Nat Love. Nat (Nate is the pronunciation) Love was one of the 1st known black cowboys (and a Gemini) who, at the time, taught himself how to read and write when he was a kid, although it was prohibited. His father helped him. Nat started off working at a farm and since he was good at horse training, he hustled and then left his hometown at 16 years old. Once he arrived in Kansas, he found work as a cowboy and fought cattle rustlers. He trained himself to be a marksman and, of course, a cowboy which garnered him the nickname “Red River Dick” (he had other interesting monikers like Deadwood Dick). Love, not his last name, is what caused his retirement from being a cowboy.
Kendrick was inspired by the Compton Cowboys, who have their own line of clothing. I wouldn’t be surprised history also played a part. Is there any other reason why Kendrick calls himself, “Compton Cowboy”?
Dot adopted another alias which is “The Compton Cowboy” and he and Baby Keem have called themselves, “The Hillbillies”. Look at them fits!!! Dot is very much a cowboy. Of course, not in the literal sense like vaccinating animals and tending cattle… unless there is something we don’t know about yet hahahahaa!
Another observation from the OG Die Hard movie I noticed was when Hans fell from Nakatomi Tower at the end of the movie. I remember when I was younger this scene was super cool to me, the cinematics of it; drama and reaction. Well, the Compton Cowboy utilized this in the music video, “Swimming Pools (Drank)”. Of course, Dot isn’t always super literal with what inspires him and, in this instance, he may have thought that scene was cool in Die Hard and was inspired to capture the dramatics of that scene and match it to the theme of the song in a different way.
John has a sister. I'm not sure if the sister is younger or older. Kendrick has a little sister who he has spoken about and referenced in his songs.
The other thing that is on some fandom wiki’s, John McClane was born on May 23rd, 1955, making him a Gemini. I saw some birthdates online that said March 13th and March 19th, 1955.
When I rewatched “Live Free and Die Hard”, Thomas Gabriel, one of the bad guys, dug into John McClane’s background, I saw John’s I.D. and it does indeed say May 23rd, as the date of birth, although the year is a bit difficult to see.
And yes, Dot is a Gem, himself.
Die Hard 2
In the 2nd installment of the series, we learn more that John is not a fan of technology. In the OG movie he looked for Holly’s name in what appeared to be a touchscreen, and you can see the slight grimace on his face, and of course his further displeasure of seeing his wife’s maiden and not married name logged into the system of Nakatomi Towers.
In the 2nd movie, Holly mentions to the older lady next to her on the plane that was heading to Washington, D.C., that John wasn’t a fan of technology and when she gets on the phone with him on the plane, he mentions that technology stopped when they created microwave dinners. Even Al Powell, the twinkie-eating cop that was a huge help to John in the 1st movie, chuckled at John for using a fax machine to fax some fingerprints from a bad guy who was killed by John.
In the 3rd Die Hard movie, John becomes angry at a cell phone in the car that he was using to contact Inspector Cobb that goes out when he drives through a tunnel. He screamed, “Goddamn cellular fucking phones!!!”
Kendrick, I think, likes certain aspects of technology. However, he may dislike the way it’s been used. Tech connects to social media and many other things. So, for example you have Drake who has used social media to troll or to be petty, etc. Many people are guilty of this plus talking too much and showing too much of themselves and life.
The other thing to note is how Kendrick communicates online and how he takes pictures, with some saying he’s like an old man who hasn’t or doesn’t know how to use a phone to take pictures ever in his life (which I love that he does this). On the social media accounts we know of, he rarely posts anything.
Moving on. John had to deal with a jealous cop, Captain Carmine Lorenzo, who refused to listen to him when it came to John’s concerns about the nefarious shit going on at the airport. Carmine mentions that he knew who John was, called him a “hot shot L.A. cop” – all this hater-aid because John saved hostages, which included his wife, from Nakatomi Tower and he was labeled a hero. Reminds me of all the people that have been jealous of Kendrick, up until now. Especially when it comes to the Great Rap Battle of 2024, the way Dot demolished Drake has made some of these rappers feel a certain way about themselves. Some of them wanted to be the ones to oust Drake from the music scene themselves and some were enamored by the skills and strategy of Dot in the battle. Very few applauded Kendrick for what he did, and many showed their envy by downplaying the battle/beef.
Die Hard with a Vengeance
Samuel L. Jackson. Yes, one of the most obvious connections to Kendrick is Uncle Sam… the Uncle Sam who opened the Super Bowl 2025 Half Time Show. As I said before, Samuel L. Jackson’s character’s name is Zeus Carver and he is largely the reason John McClane is alive because he would’ve either been severely injured or dead had Zeus not thought fast enough to have John act as a mental patient (and snatching the gun taped on McClane’s back) in front of the group of guys not at all liking the sign he wore (IYKYK).
Yippee-Ki-Yay, Motherf**ker!
Oh yes, the famous line John says at the end after he kills the villain or right before doing so. The one word he uses is “motherfucker”.
Well, Dot has been using “Motherfucker” as of late; he uses this word at the end of “Man at the Garden” and on the Clipse’s stellar album, “Let God Sort ‘Em Out” on “Chains and Whips”. I still feel Dot will drop an East Coast type album (I mention this on my video, “Kendrick Lamar may be dropping an…East Coast album”. Go check that out that video or read it on the blog to see why I think he might do so. I appreciate it and the support!) because of the little signs he’s left since the rap beef (Mr. Morale and possibly before that) and now the “Die Hard” series makes it a little more potent. John McClane is a NYC lieutenant, but I think he was born in New Jersey. On the Grand National tour in 2025, Dot and company made a stop in NJ (I went to the 1st show) and Dot not only brought out Baby Keem on the 2nd night, but the red GNX was revealed (Also check out my theory of the red GNX which is on my blog and YouTube which is called “Was Kendrick Lamar inspired by Knight Rider and… Transformers for GNX album?”). This, of course, didn’t happen in any other city or country they visited.
Totality of it all…
K-Dot probably didn’t want to be the one who upended Drake in a battle where he’s pointing out the many disgusting flaws of Drake and things he may have done. No one else was stepping up to the plate. Instead, they continue to exchange subliminals to each other and that becomes tedious and…boring. However, Kendrick stepping up to knock that bitch down is what saved hip-hop, contrary to what some naysayers are saying from the beginning of the battle and as of recently.
John McClane was not on a mission to save everyone from these horrible thieves and terrorists. He was always at the wrong place at the wrong time… although I would say not really, as his ex-wife Holly was twice saved by John (I will come back to these movies for an in-depth analysis).
John, in his mind, had no choice. “Serve and Protect”. This is what he swore to once he became a cop. In “Live Free and Die Hard”, Matt Farrell, the young guy John had to save from the tech terrorists, said that he couldn’t handle anymore people trying to kill him and John said, “You get used to it” as he walked away from Matt.
I wonder if Dot had similar thoughts, possibly being questioned about the plethora of subliminals from Drake and other rap artists.
There was also Matt and John referencing each other as “that guy”. Let’s see, Kendrick called himself, “That ni**a” and Tyler the Creator called himself “That Guy” in the song titled as the same over Kendrick’s “Hey Now” production from GNX.
Btw, the bad guys are a bunch of greedy, stealing bastards who pretend that what they are doing is for the greater good when it’s absolutely not. Everything is for them at the end of the day and if people must die for it, so be it. It’s all about their bottom line.
Drake is a seriously greedy person who only cares about himself and has tried to pretend that some of his actions, like the recent court case he has against UMG, are for independent artists and artists alike. Him passing out money, mimicking XXXTentacion in 2017 with “God’s Plan” music video when he knew full and well, he was making a killing off of the song and the album, “Scorpion” and nothing he did came from the heart. Putting artists “on” but then they end up in the OVO sweatshop. Dude taking songs from independent artists like from SoundCloud and other places, purportedly, and using that music for his own albums and Eps/LPs and mixtapes. There’s more. Selfishness to the core.
In the end, Kendrick, like John McClane, takes his career very, very seriously. As Kenny said before he would die for this shit. It’s his love, the love of his life and even in the song “Gloria” he speaks of the ups and downs of the love for his “pen”. Just like John McClane was a born police officer and defender of innocent people, Kenny was born a musician.
“McClane is a man who does not like himself much but is doing the best he can in a bad situation”. Bruce Willis also said, “Even though he's a hero, he is just a regular guy. He's an ordinary guy who's been thrown into extraordinary circumstances.” He didn’t want to be a hero, just like Dot isn’t anyone’s “savior”. John’s a man who needed desperately to work through his issues. Unfortunately, whatever happened caused Holly and him to divorce.
Dot did the work and has been doing the work to be a better and healthier person for himself and his family. Dot doesn’t want to end up like John McClane in his faux personal life. However, Dot has his heart and that’s what makes him… that guy.
THE END!!!!!!!!
Thanks for all of the support! I appreciate you all!
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