Kendrick Lamar. If you haven't heard his name in the last 5 years, you might be living under a rock.
Over the years, he's become one of the world's most respected rappers and artists in general.
I was first introduced to Kendrick through his Bad Blood guest appearance (don't judge me), but the first time I actually started listening to his stuff was when HUMBLE. was released. I liked the song a bit at first, but after hearing the lyrics, I WAS HOOKED.
I started listening to his other projects (Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, To Pimp A Butterfly) and after a week of listening he became one of my favorite artists. So yes, I was hyped up to hear this album.
Kendrick is back with his fourth studio album: DAMN. Sadly, I got it about a week after its release.
Now, after two months of listening to the album over and over, trying to process every lyric, here is the review of Kendrick Lamar's latest effort.
First off, the version of the album I got is different than most people got, it's missing the message on FEAR. and some NEW KUNG FU KENNY! shouts.
So let's go track by track.
1: BLOOD.
Is it wickedness? Is it weakness?
This track is a great opener for the album. Kendrick slowly tells a story about helping a blind woman (probably representing the people not understanding his music or the police).
At the end of the song, he gets shot by the blind woman and after that we're given a sample of FOX News basically misusing the meaning of his To Pimp A Butterfly song “Alright”. This is not the only time Kendrick calls out FOX on this album. This isn't really a song, so I won't rate it. But it's a great opener.
2: DNA.
This track is a clear banger. And oh yes, the second half of the song; THAT BASSSSSSSS.
Kendrick just doesn't stop dropping hard bars on this one. He shows us his aggressive side, something we don't see often from him. He calls out FOX again (nice touch). Also, am I the only one that really got the vibes from The Heart Part IV on this song?
Nonetheless, great track, massive banger. 8.5/10
3: YAH.
After DNA, we were given a smooth and chill track. I liked it. Kendrick calls out FOX again here.
The production is good. Can't say a lot about this song, it's pretty short and the message is obvious. 7/10
4: ELEMENT.
Imma make it look sexy. I gotta say, this got me laughing the first time I heard it. But now, I understand it. K.Dot is aware of his spot in the rap game. This is definitely one of the more braggodocious tracks on this record. Every verse is different. Personally, I prefer the second verse, but all of them are great. I love the production on this song. 8 .5/10
5: FEEL.
One of my favorite songs on the album. Kendrick keeps dropping hard lyrics as he does on DNA, but here, he sounds much more depressed and simply sad. I love when strings appear in the second half of the song. The production is nice, very easy to get lost in. And, honestly, being a music-enthusiast myself, I found myself a lot in the lyrics. Great song. 9/10
6: LOYALTY.
This song features Rihanna. What? I really wasn't expecting this. I like it, but don't love it. Rihanna actually made the song better than it would be if Kendrick were alone on it. I like the production, it's original. Good song, nothing great. 6/10
7: PRIDE.
This is easily one of my favorite Kendrick Lamar songs, and it also shares my number one spot on this album with another song I'll talk about later. I absolutely love this song. I loved it from the first time I heard it. I love the slow, drunk production. When I first heard the “In another life, I surely was there...” I was amazed. The track flows so well and is very easy to get lost in. Kendrick talks about the problems he has with this world, and you know what, I get it. I agree. The lyrics are great. I love the vocal switches in the first verse, nice touch. Love every part of this song, I wish there was more stuff like this on this album. 10/10
8: HUMBLE.
SIT DOWN. BE HUMBLE. This is an obvious lead single, a great banger. I liked this song just a little when I first heard it, but now I love it. As I said, it introduced me to Kendrick. What can I say that hasn't already been said about this song? Great lyrics, good production. Respect. 8/10
9: LUST.
I'm going to be honest and say that I absolutely hated this song when I first heard. Now I like it a lot. I like that it's weird and makes me feel like I'm being drugged. I don't know. Very interesting track and easy to get lost in. The production is probably the weirdest part about this song. I like the reversed percussion and the repetitive feel of the first verse, which was intended, even Kendrick said so. Nice track, quite groovy. 7/10
10: LOVE.
This song features Zacari. Never heard of him before. Honestly, although I usually hate RnB singers like this, Zacari has a nice voice and set the mood for this song. Kendrick sang, that's new. I liked the chorus and the first verse, but the second one is really bad. Without that second verse, this would've definitely been one of my favorite tracks on here. I really like the production, reminds me of Drake, but better. 7/10
11: XXX.
The moment I saw that U2 was going to be on this album, this was definitely the track I was hyped up the most. I didn't like it at first, but after a couple of listenings, after I actually paid attention to the lyrics and the production, this became my favorite song on the album, on par with PRIDE.
I love the intro. The first verse has Kendrick rapping slow and with a deep voice, quite creepy. But nothing prepared me for the breakdown. The production is very loud and heavy, with sirens and people yelling, for some reason reminding me of western movies. Don't ask. My favorite part for sure. After that, we have a chill and jazzy part sang by none other but Bono himself. I love his voice here, very atmospheric. Some may find the second verse intriguing, when Kendrick talks about how sh*tty America has become. Definitely the highlight of the album, for me, at least. 10/10
12: FEAR.
This is a song that was obviously supposed to be the highlight of the album. In my opinion, placing it after XXX. made it less memorable. Don't get me wrong, this is a great song and I don't think the order of tracks could've been any better. I like the production here, it was also a sample on The Heart Part IV. It is very chill and compliments the lyrics. I LOVE when the strings appear, very atmospheric. Nice touch. 8/10
13: GOD.
I'm going to be honest and say this is my least favorite Kendrick song ever. Some people say that it is a f*ck you to all the mumble rappers, but even if it was, why is it on this album, why is it not a single? Although the lyrics are connected to the rest of the album, the overall feel about this track makes me wonder why Kenny put it on this record. The production is good, at least. If this were a Drake track, it would work. But it doesn't belong here, IMHO. 3/10
- DUCKWORTH.
This is one of the album's highlights, probably the most interesting track on here. It showcases Kendrick's talent for telling stories through rap. It kind of reminds me of “How Much A Dollar Cost” from TBAP. Kendrick talks about his father almost getting killed by the head of his (Kendrick's) label, TDE. But Anthony didn't kill Ducky, and Kendrick grew up with a father. If Anthony killed Ducky, we wouldn't be listening to this song. 9/10
If you pay attention to the beginning, someone yells “WE GON PUT IT IN REVERSE!”, so I did.
When you listen to the album from BLOOD to DUCKWORTH, you see the story of Kendrick's father being alive, Kendrick staying alive and “happy”. If you put it in reverse, you have the story of his father getting killed, getting Kendrick killed at the end as well. This turn on the album is more depressing, starting with some sort of happy vibe, ending sad and well, with death. It is the choice of the listener if they want to hear the alive, but depressed Kendrick, or the sad Kendrick getting killed at the end.
It is obvious that this is Kendrick Lamar's most commercial album yet, but it still is very personal.
We never got to hear Kendrick sounding so aggressive and depressed at the same time.
Kendrick sounds sad, unsure of his feelings, especially on songs like FEEL. and PRIDE.
I like this album a lot. I like the story it tells us. I like the way Kendrick completely changes himself every album he drops and I hope he continues doing that.
So yeah, with the exception of GOD, I like all of the songs here. I still wish the album was more conceptual like GKMC or TPAB.
Overall a very good album. 8/10
Favorite tracks: PRIDE, XXX, DUCKWORTH, FEEL, ELEMENT, DNA, HUMBLE
Least favorite track: GOD.