Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
“So I was taking a walk the other day”, begins Kendrick Lamar’s long awaited follow up to 2015’s To Pimp A Butterfly, DAMN., embarking on a 55 minute autobiographical journey through Kendrick’s past, demons, temptations, and success.
Kendrick has been teasing fans for a while with DAMN., releasing singles “The Heart Pt. 4”, and “HUMBLE.”, weeks prior to the release. Although “The Heart Pt. 4”, didn’t make the cut for DAMN., it seemed to act as more of a sneak peak of what was to come.
The fascinating thing about Kendrick Lamar, besides the unbelievable hype behind his releases, is the mystery he embodies. Kendrick often resembles a larger than life figure, and acts as a spokesperson for the modern African-American, giving a major voice to a race starving for civil rights.
However, unlike most hyped-up artists who take years to release their critically acclaimed records and avoid getting too political or irreverent, Kendrick has delivered three steady sociopolitical releases in the past three years. Beginning with To Pimp A Butterfly in 2015, the B-sides to TPAB, untitled unmastered. in 2016, and now the long awaited DAMN.
DAMN. begins with “BLOOD.”, a quick intro song that’s anti-rap in the sense that there is no actual rapping on it, but rather Kendrick thinking out loud. The track ends with a sample of Fox News reporters quoting his lyric, “And we hate the popo, wanna kill us in the street fosho”, followed by a woman’s voice who says “Oh please, ugh, I don’t like it”. The obvious anti-conservative theme begins within the first two minutes, and continues steadily through out the album.
The second track, “DNA.”, is a heavy hitting song channeling Kendrick’s anger and frustration, creating what seems to be a rap battlefield. It’s a hectic affair with explosive one-liners and non stop hammering flows. It’s definitely one of the hardest tracks off of DAMN., but a cocky one as well. Lines such as “I was born like this/ Since one like this/ immaculate conception”, prove Kendrick’s confidence, and his attempt to start what some consider as the “Rap Cold War”.
The third track, “YAH”, is one of the most mellow songs off of DAMN., but a standout track nonetheless. It seems that YAH might refer to Yahweh, one of the Hebrew words for “God”, quickly introducing one of the many religious themes of the album. The song continues with dream-like production, courtesy of DJ Dahi, and introspective lyrics like “I’m not a politician/ I’m not about a religion/ I’m an Israelite/ Don’t call me black no more/ That word is only a color/ It’s not facts no more.”
On the fourth track, “ELEMENT.”, Kid Capri shouting “New kung fu king!”, acts as a nod of acknowledgement to classic hip-hop production. Kendrick dives into the track with a fast paced flow, calling out everybody in the rap game, declaring his throne as the most vindictive rapper in the game. He makes it clear that he’s already come this far, and will do whatever it takes to stay at the top, especially with lyrics like “If I gotta go hard on a bitch, imma make it look sexy.”
On the fifth track, “FEEL.”, the Sounwave produced track is as relaxed as it is intimate. In some ways, the track acts as an endless confession, with a repetitive “I feel like” flow. He paints a picture of no matter who surrounds him, he will always be on his own in a dog-eat-dog world. He states “Who the fuck praying for me?”, as if everybody expects so much out of him, but he himself is only one man, and can do only so much to please everybody else. Lyrics such as “I feel like I’m losin’ my focus/ I feel like I’m losing my patience/ I feel like my thoughts in the basement” highlight his many insecurities and negativity trapped in his head.
On “LOYALTY.”, featuring Rhianna, the song begins as an obnoxious college tailgate rap anthem, but busts into a promiscuous back and forth flow between the two. The beat incorporates the likes of Jay Z’s “Get Your Mind Right Miami”, but quickly separates itself from Jay’s classic as a soon to be radio smash-hit.
On the following track, “PRIDE.”, the Steve Lacy produced banger is a smooth ride covering some of the original deadly sins. It’s the perfect song to follow “LOYALTY.”, as it maintains the continuous stream of consciousness Kendrick displays in the prior tracks, with introspective lyrics such as “I know the walls/ They Can listen/ I wish they could talk back/ The hurt becomes repetition/ The love almost lost that/ Sick venom in men and women overcome with pride.”
Then we get to “HUMBLE.”, the only single released prior to the album that ended up on it. “HUMBLE.” is the most gangster track, and a definite radio hit. It explores his legend, as he seemingly spits over a simple, dumbed down beat. The dumbed down factor shines as he embraces the mindless rapping of modern rappers. In more ways than one, the song is a consistent act of mockery. One of the standout lines, “My left stroke just went viral”, can only be explained if you watch the music video. Kendrick is standing atop a car, swinging a golf club. What Kendrick is stating from this otherwise simple line, is that the second he releases this video, that lyric and clip of him swinging the club will go viral. And, well, it did. He is well aware that the media follows his every move, and is capable of grabbing hold of the psychology of the media and the people that follow it. He’s always one step ahead, as he accurately predicted this dumbed down mega hit would appeal to brain washed Top 40 enthusiasts. (Have you seen the Billboard Top 40 list?) Psychic abilities aside, Kendrick also confesses his frustration with the ever growing community of photo shop models, and the expected portrayal of women. His lyric “show me something natural like ass with some stretch marks” clearly highlights that inner frustration and desire to see women for who they really are, not who society wants them to be.
One of the many beauties of Kendrick is he can make his money by pumping out radio hits with artists such as Maroon 5 and Taylor Swift, but is still capable of maintaining the throne of the indie hip hop king.
On the BADBADNOTGOOD produced “LUST.”, Kendrick spews a relaxing flow exploring the every day routines of rappers in his scene. He goes in depth about the money and ridiculous habits of those artists, and how they never seem to do anything productive but “Wake up in the morning thinking bout money/ Kick your feet up/ Take a shit then roll some weed up”. It’s a well known fact that Kendrick is not a man of substances, but is clearly aware of the lifestyles of most modern emcees. The political aspect of the album is also relevant in this song, as he states from his own point of view after the 2016 presidential election, that he was “praying it isn’t true.”
The following track, “LOVE.”, featuring frequent collaborator Zacari, is, in my opinion the worst song of the album, but even Kendrick’s worst is marginally superior than most rapper’s best. The song is dedicated to his partner, Whitney Alford, in which he states “I wanna be with you, ayy”, in a world full of gold diggers and fake people.
On one of, if not the best track of the album, “XXX.”, Kendrick dives deep into the politics and religion previously mentioned in the album. The track begins as a loud and frantic song, gloating about his accomplishments, but right after discusses how his friend reached out to him after his son was killed, and the usual pacifism of Kendrick escapes him as he tells his friend to react with violence. The song slows down, as he whispers “Alright kids, were going to talk about gun control”, contradicting his previous statements. As the song eases, the U2 collaboration comes to the forefront as Bono’s soothing vocals flow with Layne Staley-like groans, over simple bass lines, drum kicks, and piano keys. Kendrick busts into lines like “Tell Fox News to be scared of us”, the third time he mentions the neo-conservative “news” source. Following lines like “Hail Mary, Jesus and Joseph/ The great American flag/ It’s wrapped and dragged with explosives.” Kendrick illustrates a rather disturbing encounter of the current state of America.
On “FEAR.”, the best and lengthiest song of the album, Kendrick goes into gruesome details about three encounters of sheer terror in his life time. The first, at the age of seven, explores his upbringing in Compton, and the domestic and child abuse he went through as a young boy. The second, at the age of 17, explores his fear of dying at a young age with all of the gang violence and police brutality in his community. The third and final, at the age of 27, Kendrick revisits his anxieties prior to the release of TPAB, and the fear of losing his image and the life he has built for himself. The Alchemist produced this remarkable beat, filled with familiar guitar licks similar to “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe.” By the end of the track, Kendrick sings “If I could smoke fear away/ I’d roll that motherfucker up, and take two puffs.” As he seeks some relief from the madness in his life and his own head.
The following track, “GOD.”, Kendrick compares his success to that of God’s, but remains humble as can be, stating this must be “What God feel like” following his major success.
The closing track, “DUCKWORTH.”, is an ode to his real last name, Duckworth. Kendrick samples the doo-wop classic “Be Ever Wonderful”, by Ted Taylor, and aggressively recounts the time before he got signed to TDE, when he was 15, and his boss Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, nearly murdered Kendrick’s father right before he was signed to the label. The song ends with the spine chilling lyrics, “So I was takin’ a walk the other day”, as if within that 55 minutes of DAMN., Kendrick had explored every corner of darkness, lust, horror, and fame that lie within his head.
DAMN. is without a doubt the best hip hop release of the 2000’s, and is absolutely the album of the year. I state this with extreme confidence, as many will agree with me. This album is one of the most important pieces of art in the era of a fear mongering president, and a rather violent United States of America. I’ve listened to DAMN. eight times all the way through, and still discover differences after each listen.
This is an autobiographical account of the one of the most legendary hip hop artists to date. Long live King Kendrick, as he continues to objectify the current state of rap and music altogether. This is one for the books.
