"The Heart Part 5" was met with widespread critical acclaim, with Lamar's tribute to Hussle, a lifelong friend, receiving universal praise amongst critics and his peers. Hussle's longtime partner, actress
Lauren London, described the music video as "powerful art."
Pitchfork crowned the song with its "Best New Track" honor, with Dylan Green writing, "The convincingness of the deepfakes is mixed, to say the least, but they amplify Lamar's words and serve to visualize a complicated lineage through Blackness and the pressures of celebrity. [...] Perspective constantly changes the playing field of life and Lamar is preparing us for what feels like his biggest shift yet." In a five-star review, Ben Beaumont-Thomas of
The Guardian called the song "a heartstopping call for uplifted humanity", adding that Lamar's "flow is as charged and acute as ever as he lays out a manifesto of radical empathy." Highlighting Lamar's "own love for his community", Beaumont-Thomas praised how he "divines"
Marvin Gaye's "innate
social conscience, changing the title line from one of lust to one of hope, using the urgent
disco rhythm to perfectly impart the seriousness of his feeling." Kyann-Sian Williams of
NME writes that "In the final version of his form (he's said this will be his last album on the Top Dawg Entertainment label), Lamar – or Oklama – is taking ownership of his elder role in the rap world. He sees his influence and now wants to be a voice of reason and morality, not just a coveted rap star." == Awards and nominations ==