Complex Reports Kendrick's "The Blacker the Berry" in Bass X Machina

By Miles Carter, November 11, 2026

Complex reports that a remixed version of Kendrick Lamar's "The Blacker the Berry" appears in Netflix's adult animated series Bass X Machina. Jose Martinez's Nov 9, 2026, article, published at 11:16 PM ET, says the cue is in the opening action scene and attributes a circulating clip to Netflix's Strong Black Lead X account.

A post on that account, opened at x.com/strongblacklead/status/2119127746345312288, is captioned "kendrick remix in bass x machina alert." The opened page does not print additional dialogue in its public caption. Complex reports that, in the video shared there, Bass Reeves, whom the outlet says is voiced by Brian Tyree Henry, asks, "Anybody wanna reconsider? You got until I finish reloading this gun," then says, "Time's up," leading into the remix. This report does not treat that dialogue as independently observed from the clip.

What the official Netflix page lists

Netflix's official title page for Bass X Machina lists the series as a 2026 show with six episodes and a TV-MA rating, under Adult Animation, Sci-Fi Shows, and Fantasy TV Shows. The official description reads: "In a steampunk West overrun by outlaws, machines and supernatural forces, a father is forced to become judge, jury and executioner to protect his family." The page lists Brian Tyree Henry among the starring names, dates the title as created Nov 3, 2026, and includes "Notable Soundtrack" among its descriptors. It does not name Kendrick Lamar or "The Blacker the Berry." A music-video listing on the same page is titled "Honor Killing," which is a separate item from the song Complex describes.

Apple Music lists "The Blacker the Berry" as a track on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly, with the album carrying the phonogram line ℗ 2015 Aftermath/Interscope (Top Dawg Entertainment). The song listing is dated Feb 9, 2015, and the album listing is dated March 15, 2015.

No official Netflix music-rights statement for the reported remix was opened, and this report does not describe the sound or picture of a clip beyond the caption and outlet language already cited.