Kendrick's short film 'God is Gangsta' is so brilliant that it hurts

Kendrick is one of those inimitable visionaries — the industry equivalent of a total solar eclipse — and his latest short film, God is Gangsta, is a reminder of why his star overshadows so many of his industry peers.

In the seven-minute video released Thursday, Kendrick expertly blends u and For Sale? from his Grammy-nominated album, To Pimp A Butterfly, for an arresting cinematic experience that's not NSFW (but too powerful to look away).

In the u section, Kendrick skulks around a cellar beneath the pallid glow of ceiling lights. He guzzles a bottle of brown liquor and raps hysterically into the camera, sweat and self-loathing plastering his face. The video later switches to the For Sale? section, intercutting images of a baptism, trippy shots of naked women in a Paris nightclub, and black screens with haunting captions such as "Clearance sale 100% off."

We’re not sure if Kendrick's gunning for a Grammy or an Academy Award, but the good kid deserves all of the trophies for this one.