This album starts off with “BLOOD.”. There are some heavy use of soul samples which go wonderfully against this almost ghostly production. Just by hearing this intro you get the feeling that something is about to happen that probably isn’t too good. “BLOOD.” is just so dreary sounding, but it’s also right up Kendrick’s alley as far as sampling goes. Now to be honest, I never really know what to expect from Kendrick. We’ve heard everything from G-Funk to Experimental Hip Hop from Kendrick, so he certainly can hit us from all sorts of different areas of Hip Hop. But “BLOOD.” is totally left field of everything I was expecting to hear from Kendrick. It’s very dark, and it focuses mostly around this very dark beat and Kendrick telling us this story over it. I think what makes this track works so much is just the pacing behind it. The way Kendrick keeps pausing as he’s talking to the woman in his story, you can tell SOMETHING is about to happen. But at this point in his career, Kendrick even though he’s just telling us a story has such a way with it, and it ends up being absolutely mesmerizing. It’s a powerful, quick intro, and the somber tone and sad sounding beat is just heart wrenching. And of course, something does happen eventually, Kendrick gets shot. The album obviously though is just getting started as Kendrick rips into “DNA.”. Let me just say, Kendrick has always been so damn smart. He always seems to take something negative in his life, like in this case a negative interview with Geraldo Rivera, and turns that into something larger. Kendrick, whose not one to be held down by anyone, took that interview and sampled it, making a statement that I’m sure Geraldo could not have expected. The beat that follows in the opening moments is a little more of a banger and is heavier than the material on “To Pimp A Butterfly” (Not to say that there certainly wasn’t bangers on there). But at its core, this really just goes straight back to the mentality that made “Good Kid M.A.A.D. City” so damn good. Kendrick in his delivery sounds absolutely vicious and just as smooth as ever. That somber, sort of dark tone continues on in these beats, and lyrically Kendrick continues to blast whoever he’s had his sights on in his last few singles. However the real story on “DNA.” continues to be the use of this Geraldo Rivera interview, Kendrick continues to use it HUGELY. Not only that, but he’s putting it completely at the forefront of everything to make it even a bigger statement. Not only is Kendrick gifted lyrically, but as an artist he’s simply put BRILLIANT. Not to mention, the beat switch up to that much heavier beat is absolutely ridiculous. Moving On! Up next is one of my favorite tracks here by far, “YAH.”. First, let me just say that these beats are near perfection, and they don’t lighten up at all. They’re sort of jazzy and sort of reminiscent of some of the early 2000’s underground hip hop movement to an extent. Now, since Kendrick Lamar started recording only a few short years ago, the world has seriously changed a lot. It’s a whole lot more hectic, and more times than not it’s often dangerous, and here we’re seeing just how much it’s getting to him. I mean just take a look at this album cover, Kendrick looks exhausted and burned out, it even comes through in his delivery sometimes. Lyrically here, Kendrick is bringing up everything that the world and himself are feeling on a daily basis, and very quickly it’s becoming pretty obvious why Kendrick feels the way he does. Geraldo Rivera and Fox News continue to be a serious boiling point for Kendrick, and probably have forced him into feeling the way he’s been feeling on this album and in general. But Kendrick has always been so good at letting us into his life. Here he goes into things like his niece seeing him on Fox News, and you seriously end up feeling for the guy. Also, Kendrick since his debut has also been known to be very religious, and there’s plenty of references to that on here as well. Now if you listen to the beats, they continue to be very hazy and almost psychedelic, and that’s not going to go anywhere either. You can take it however you want, you can say that Kendrick is having a near death experience from getting shot, or something else entirely. But whatever it is, it’s pretty damn stunning. Up next is “ELEMENT.”, and I guess it’s about time to bring up these ad-libs that show up on practically every track. Now usually, I feel like this would be a major negative aspect for me, but even the ad-libs on Kendrick Lamar albums come off tastefully. Plus, they do exactly what they’re supposed to do, and that’s hype up the listener. Between talking about his enemies once again and bringing up family and religion, this is more of what’s to be expected from Kendrick. But it’s just presented so damn good. The beats here continue to be so haunting and dreary, but when you take into consideration that James Blake produced this one, it’s really not that shocking. I love just how dark and dreary this all comes off, and since this is all coming after Kendrick gets “shot”, it speaks volumes. And seriously, I don’t know WHAT happened to Kendrick in the last few years, but he sounds so betrayed, not only by whoever it is he’s been referencing but the entire human race I feel like. It’s powerful stuff. “FEEL.” continues this album on, and by this point it’s pretty damn obvious that “Ain’t Nobody Praying For Me” continues to be a serious theme on this album. So many of these tracks as this album goes on, continue with this very dreary, laid back sound. But honestly, it really works for Kendrick. Kendrick here literally goes down a list of things that he's been feeling lately, and let me tell you this young man has been feeling quite a bit(Betrayal and loneliness however, continue to be huge). Kendrick says "I feel like it ain't no tomorrow, fuck the world, The world is endin', I'm done pretendin'. And fuck you if you get offended. I feel like friends been overrated, I feel like the family been fakin', I feel like the feelings are changin’.”, powerful stuff. Kendrick has never been afraid to say what he’s feeling, but this is next level. Kendrick isn’t holding back a single lick of anything. And while Kendrick in his delivery still sounds a little worn down, he’s still the most fierce and focused MC out there.
Up next is “LOYALTY.” featuring Rihanna, and as far as a real “Banger” goes, this is probably the closest you’re going to heat to one on this album. HOWEVER, it’s a brilliant one. This one while it’s much heavier and bass-centered, it still seems os beaten down and heartbroken. I love Kendrick’s flow here, it’s still just as focused and piercing, but it’s a little more chilled out as well. Now, while I’ve never been exactly a big fan of Rihanna’s solo work, she’s always seemed to win me over when it comes to features and hooks. Her chemistry with Kendrick here is surprisingly, really spot on. But once again, we see betrayal being seriously a HUGE element to this album, and of course this track as this one is allllll about loyalty. And let me just say now, the production of this album is absolutely stellar: While it’s very cleanly produced and very hip, it has tons of old school flare that really sets this apart. “PRIDE.” is up next, and I continue to can’t get enough of these very ghostly, other worldly sounding samples that make everything so damn dreary sounding. The beat here is so melancholy and the gloomy sounding guitars compliment the samples so well. In a weird way, as far as the tone and atmosphere goes this kinda reminds me of Earl Sweatshirt’s “I Don’t Like Shit I Don’t Go Outside”. Obviously though, as much as I love Earl, this is much more masterfully done. So much so, that you end up seriously feeling for Kendrick. Now to be honest though, if I had to choose a track here that I wasn’t completely vining on, it would probably be this one. I feel like here, Kendrick is lyrically just as sharp as ever. But here his delivery is just a little too laid back and a little TOO dreary for my liking. Kendrick’s verse certainly wakes me up and all, but the rest of this is just a little too relaxing. But even when Kendrick is at his sleepiest, he’s still on point with his lyrics, especially that one line about bringing all the world’s religions to the same service. “HUMBLE” is up next, and “Nobody Pray For Me” continues to be another HUGE theme of this album. After the sleepy eyes “PRIDE.”, this is the sort of fiery banger I really needed. In a way, this doesn’t really fit the sound of the album, but lyrically, hell yea it does. And like I said, while the tone of this one doesn’t really fit with the album, it certainly mixes up the feel of the album. Whether he knows it or not, Kendrick with “PRIDE.” just casually came out with one of the best Anti-Hater track’s you’re going to hear all year. Kendrick on this album seriously has proven something that we sort of already knew, and that’s that every time you feel like Kendrick Lamar has run out of things to say, he still has PLENTY to say. “PRIDE.” is exciting, intense, brilliant, and a fantastic banger. Next up is “LUST.”, which returns to a whole lot of the feels we got earlier from this. It’s very hazy in sound, almost a little psychedelic, but with Jazz virtuosos BadBadNotGood on production, I can’t say I’m too shocked. I love the very glitchy production on this one, as well as Kendrick’s sort of soulful performance. Instrumentally, there’s just so much going on in this one, between the very lazy synthesizers throughout the back and the guitar licks floating throughout as well. “LUST.” is probably the most experimental and abstract track we’ve heard here so far. But it’s wild moments like this that make Kendrick so exciting. Here, Kendrick takes us deep into vices, namely drugs and sex. Overall, this album is so well done, as Kendrick once again has reinvented himself to an astonishing level. But while I’m seriously crazy about so much of this album, “LOVE.” featuring Zacari kinda doesn’t hit me as hard as I know it’s hitting most people. Now, it’s certainly good and all, but there are so many other tracks here that I would so much rather listen to. Zacari’s vocals are really nice and compliment Kendrick very nicely, not to mention that hook is fantastic. But I dunno, the whole vibe to this track just really doesn’t vibe with the rest of the album. I think this is still a solid tune, and for a slow jam coming from Kendrick Lamar, I can’t really expect much more.
Up next we seriously have to address the elephant in the room, meaning U2. Can I just ask, did anyone really think Kendrick was serious when he said U2 were going to be featured on a track? Cause I didn’t. Anyway! “XXX.” featuring U2 is up next, and I’m gonna be honest this was the track here that I worried about the most. However, it certainly turned out pretty damn decent. This is one of the more old school sounding tracks here and certainly is more straightforward as far as the beat goes. It’s certainly nice to hear Kendrick on a beat that’s a little more up front and explosive and not as hazy. Not only is the beat explosive here, but Kendrick himself is absolutely explosive and gigantic. Kendrick after mellowing out just a little, is right back to being pissed off. Of course he’s been for most of the album, but this is the angriest we’ve heard in a while. As far as lyrical themes go, we’re dealing with A LOT of what we’ve been accustomed to if you’ve listened to the past few Kendrick albums. He brings up life int he areas that he’s lived in, as well as gun control, and as many times I’ve heard Kendrick on these topics, it never fails to blow my mind. Then, we have U2’s contribution, which is honestly done really tastefully (if you know how much I despise U2, you’ll know just how much that sentence killed me to write). “XXX.” is Jazzy, it’s conscious, and adds plenty to this absolute masterpiece int he making of Kendrick’s. “FEAR.” is next, and I continue to love the seriously jazzy feel to a lot of these tracks. I love the funky licks here that remind me of some of the beats on “The Heart Part 4”. Kendrick continues to bring in a whole lot of religious themes and imagery, but at this point it’s become so engraved in Kendrick’s music that is comes off so well. Then we have the bizarre backwards vocals that come off so wild and give me just enough of the experimental, edgy vibe that came up on “To Pimp A Butterfly”. Lyrically, this one dives into Kendrick’s home life, at least it seems that way. We learn about how he grew to fear who he lived with (And turned to smoking pot), and of course how overtime his fame has brought him to fear much greater things. Overall, this continues to be so beyond powerful. Kendrick is this generations great Rap storyteller, and the funky licks and jazzy vibes that back him up here make this brilliant. We’re almost to the end of this bad boy, but Kendrick isn’t done with us yet. Up nest is “GOD.”, with its synth heavy beat and shimmering atmosphere. Kendrick’s verses here show him going into his upper register, with him almost coming off as singing. But to be honest, it’s actually really stunning and amazing, and seriously really refreshing. In a way, this album I didn’t really think was possible. BUT, I think this may just be the most important album Kendrick has made for himself. In the long run, “Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City” and “To Pimp A Butterfly” seemed to be for others. But “DAMN.” is 100% for kendrick, and man is it ever well done. It’s fierce when it needs to be, it’s beautiful occasionally, and once again Kendrick has seriously taken the way people listen to rap and has turned it around completely. This album finishes off with “DUCKWORTH.”. Kendrick more often than not, does what so many artists have a real issue with. And that my friends, it starting an idea, putting in plenty of details to prove a point, and most importantly finishing his thoughts. On “DUCKWORTH.”, Kendrick brings us right back to the sounds of this album’s introduction, literally bringing us full circle. And honestly, it makes “DAMN.” feel very complete. “DUCKWORTH.” is smooth, it’s soulful, it’s a little jazzy, and most importantly it’s just as conscious and smart as other tracks here. Even as far as song topics go, Kendrick brings us full circle by summarizing this entire album’s vast array of emotions. The multiple beat changes come off absolutely stunning, each coming off nicer than the last. Not to mention, we’re getting even MORE of an outlook into Kendrick’s teen years, just when we thought we literally know so much about him. Not only that, it all comes off brilliantly. And of course, Kendrick you clever son of a gun, this track ends with the same gun shot that started this album off. Everything has come full circle, and to be quite honest, hell yes it’s moving. Kendrick Lamar, may I just say, you’ve outdone yourself.
Rating: 9.2/10
Give A Listen To: "YAH", "ELEMENT", "LOYALTY", "HUMBLE."
Overall Thoughts: Going into this album, I honestly had my doubts, slight doubts, but doubts nonetheless. I thought to myself, "In the past few years, Kendrick Lamar has given us so much, yet seemingly constantly kept things fresh and exciting. So what the hell is he going to do after releasing two of the most critically acclaimed hip hop albums ever". WELL self, the answer is, go fiercer than ever, hit harder than ever, and lay absolutely everything on the table. Kendrick on "DAMN." has outdone himself. Once again, he proves that lyrically he's head and shoulders he's above and beyond everyone else in Rap right now, and conceptually, Kendrick may as well be a damn God of rap. After releasing two of Hip Hop's most cherish album's, Kendrick believe it or not, has just released his best album yet.
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