really complements this concept – such as the use of 80s-esque backmasked vocals throughout the album, rewinding back to the gunshot at the final track before replaying Kendrick’s seemingly-innocent first line: “So I was taking a walk the other day…”. ![]() That being said, I love the use of a gunshot to frame the album (fired once in opening track ‘BLOOD.’ and again to end closing track ‘DUCKWORTH.’), and the production on DAMN. It’s therefore easy to feel a little let down with DAMN. All of Kendrick’s major label albums have been conceptual so far – gkmc was subtitled ‘A Short Film’, while the tracks of Butterfly gradually constructed a poem as the album progressed. This might be due to the album’s noticeably thinner concept, which I was disappointed by. But on first listen, compared to g ood kid, m.A.A.d city or To Pimp a Butterfly, DAMN. Admittedly, it shouldn’t – it plumbs the depths of personal conscience it’s a record that goes right into Kendrick’s soul. feels like a less ambitious record than what we’re used to hearing from Kendrick. That development, however, comes at the cost of scope. Don't start with just a rally, don't start from looting - it starts from within.” But when we don't have respect for ourselves, how do we expect them to respect us? It starts from within. as a development of Kendrick’s thinking on Butterfly that political problems are also internal – as he controversially commented before that album’s release: “What happened to should've never happened. Nobody speaks on it because it’s almost in conflict with what’s going on in the world when you talk about politics and government and the system.” Lamar’s faith has always influenced his work, (see Butterfly’s ‘How Much a Dollar Cost?’ for the example nonpareil), however what is new here is the album’s inward focus, its nuance. Reviewers have emphasised the influence of Kendrick’s Christian faith on this record, based on his comments in that same NYT interview: “We’re in a time where we exclude one major component out of this whole thing called life: God. The new album is largely introspective, concerned with matters of religion, faith and conscience above political struggle (As Kendrick raps in ‘YAH.’, “I’m an Israelite, don’t call me Black no mo’ / That word is only a color, it ain’t facts no mo’.”) Kendrick’s ‘fourteen tracks, carried out over wax’ plot out what seems to be a flashback on his life after he is shot by a mysterious ‘blind woman’ in the opening track, ‘BLOOD.’ However, Kendrick (if he is the narrator – or if it’s accurate to even talk about a narrator in this album) also stands as an Everyman at times: ‘PRIDE.’, for instance, is an exploration of his own pride, as well as the deadly sin in general. The new album is largely introspective, concerned with matters of religion, faith and conscience above political struggle. becoming a political anthem like To Pimp a Butterfly’s ‘Alright’ became for the Black Lives Matter movement in 2015. And it’s true – you can’t imagine any track on DAMN. I’m in a space now where I’m not addressing the problem any more”. In an interview with the New York Times before DAMN.’s release, he teased that “ To Pimp a Butterfly was addressing the problem. But in light of the build-up, what are we to make of DAMN.? Does it live up to the hype?įor a start, it’s noticeably different from the Kendrick you might be used to (especially if you know him mainly for the jazz-infused hip-hop of To Pimp a Butterfly). ![]() And we should be happy with it – it’s a great album. wasn’t one album but two, and that this second LP (rumoured to be dropping on Easter Sunday) would herald a resurrection to rival Christ’s own. As April 7th passed with nothing but a new release date to show for itself, Reddit slowly filled with increasingly far-fetched and excited fan theories. A week later, the ‘HUMBLE.’ video dropped unannounced on Kendrick’s YouTube channel. When Kendrick Lamar hinted, “Y’all got till April 7th to get y’all shit together” in his surprise single, ‘The Heart Part IV’ (apparently written a mere two days before its release), the internet exploded. You couldn’t say this album’s release wasn’t hyped.
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