DAMN. (Review)
Hi. Hey. Hello. ItzSonny and...Kendrick Lamar, again cause he's the goat. I've covered his classic album, To Pimp a Buterfly, and because he's the goat, guess what, no surprise, this man got more than 1 classic-worthy album and because I'm in the mood for some more life-altering truth nuke music, why not tackle another one of his albums, something I've discovered, a project with iconic cover art and a title that I've seen floating around for years now, now after his godlike LP of TPAB, it's time to finally listen to this, is this album fantastic? Better? On par? Or not as great as TPAB, yet still that Lamar genius all over it? Let's dive into this album review of Kendrick KDOT Mr. Morale Lamar's album of "DAMN."
BACKGROUND
Kendrick Lamar is a very, let's say "built different" kind of music artist, a perfectionist if you will, he puts his all into his music, even when a track seems done, the work is done, nah, he'll continue to perfect the perfected that had already perfected which also perfected the perfect track into being truly perfect, going upon layers and layers to make his music truly the best in sound, meaning, and emotion, with everyone knowing this, especially producer, DJ Dahi. With so many contributions, the pressure of TPAB's success, Kendrick had to do right by this project.
“If you missed a day, you missed a whole idea.”
With many inspirations, it was a trip to New York where Lamar checked out fellow artist, Frank Ocean's "Blonde", alongside a jam session and discussing song ideas with fellow artist, Bono. Lamar and his producers worked HARD on perfecting every song, spending even years on certain tracks, sharing it with friends and family for opinions and constantly evolving the tracks to be the best, so much as adding elements that changed the entire tone. One of the contributors, Zacari, was astonished at Kendrick's passion, exchanging ideas and a certain song catching Kendrick's attention, "Love", and thus when sharing it, weeks would pass and Kendrick came back with a whole new version of the track, the original being intact with a whole new slew of additions by Kendrick that shocked Zacari in amazement. Another instance is with fellow artist, Anna Wise, who worked previously with Kendrick on TPAB, adding a vocal part to "Pride", the iconic "Maybe I wasn't there" lyric, not knowing how it added to the mix until hearing it when the album dropped and even crying when listening to it, which made her note how on this project, Kendrick was being way more vulnerable and emotional, which I hope just makes us imagine what we're getting into with this album.
REVIEW
"BLOOD."
Very outstanding opener, not really a song, a nice tone to it, yet it's really a track that has to say something, Kendrick seeing a woman and going out of his way to help her, asking her if she lost something, her revealing it's he who has lost his life, and then you heard presumably a news reporter at disdain with Kendrick's prior music of being against the police due to their nature to eliminate people, HIS people, and just how straightforward and simple, yet deeply rich that all is and how serious of a tone this album is already setting in tells you...oh shit...here we go again.
"DNA."
OH MY GOD, KENDRICK CAN COOK MY GUY, THIS MAN IS THE GUY, holy shit, this track works perfectly as a direct continuation off the prior with this being half him expressing himself and his DNA coming off his views and personality, and then the other half being a direct straight "fuck you to the top" response to people with the kind of mentality as the news reporter in the prior track, people like racists, hateful, and just downright ignorant savages in culture, expressing it all through DNA and it's just OOH, OOH, THIS SHIT IS HEAT.
"YAH."
I love the very Saturday morning feel to this track especially with that fantastic mix and range of dynamics that feel ripped out of a cartoon, with Kendrick being straight and just talking about following his own path, accepting his culture, his religious ties, talking about his family and cousin, a very walking down the street on a dimly bright Saturday morning and kids watching on the TV aesthetic, with a fantastic reverb effect, love this kind of tone from KDOT.
"ELEMENT."
KDOT saying his shit, the toughness coming through, a full blown rap track, him just talking about his rawness and exterior/interior dilemma, telling people not to mess with him, a very great flow and beat to accompany him, straight words, harsh words, real words, and a very fascinating mindset, being aggressive whilst looking good at doing it, and such a range of different tones going across the song, not just contributing to the track's title via Kendrick talking about his element, yet the song itself having different elements in sound as well, peak.
"FEEL."
Contender for best track on the album, it's all in the title, "Feel", Kendrick is letting out everything he feels, his frustration at the world, his anger towards fellow people, his personal doubts and thoughts that nobody cares for him, it's a very depressive, brutal, and honest track that is beautiful in its word layout, a feeling of both rage and sorrow in it all, with a creative choice to have the fantastic calm funky repetitious warp beat to support it that is the complete opposite of Kendrick's layout, yet works beautifully in showcasing the core feel, not the range of emotions, that Kendrick wants you to pay attention and really focus in on what he has to say and it's just...damn man, I feel you. (Pun not intended)
"LOYALTY.FEAT.RIHANNA." (Ft. Rihanna)
Such a different song compared to the prior tracks and yet it works, it's still continuing the nature of being truthful, with Kendrick being the most bare-bones (yet still great) in his delivery, just wanting loyalty, testing it, talking it, trying to feel it, it's a very 2010s party-esc song that feels like something I'd hear on the radio in the car driving across the city streets at night, only unlike most songs in that era, I'd blast this shit up, helped by the very great addition of Rihanna who doesn't play a huge part in this song yet works effectively with what she has in backup and front vocals, adding to the flow than taking away from it, banger.
"PRIDE."
Might be the track I re-visit the most, it's the most compelling and thought-provoking song, it's a song talking about pride and how it can be positive and negative, destroying someone from the inside, Kendrick himself being himself, flaws and all, being a little too brutally honest about his antics and way of being raised, not knowing to share, yet knowing to care, if he can, talking about the antics of the world and it's just a really good head-scratching track that makes you want to pay attention and listen closely into it's very incredible warped mindset of a soundscape to make it a masterpiece.
"HUMBLE."
Probably the most fun track thus far, I love the keys in this, sounds like a crazy rap mafia movie gangster slasher villain music, I love it, helps when the song is just Kendrick trying to be humble, staying true to his roots, and also kind of talking to us to be grounded, to sit down, for all of us to be humble, it's very simplistic and effective, I love it, pure hip hop fun at its finest.
"LUST."
This song could mean a lot of things from our desire for romance, the repetition of life, and probably some religious undertones with the lyric "I need some water, something came over me", kind of like holy water, he probably needs water to just wash him away from the stress, the existential realization of how mundane life can be, going on to describe day-to-day things, the desire to want someone to desire him back, perhaps he's in love with the fame, the very repetitive mellow tone helps to this adding to this existential atmosphere, this song has so many layers in its meaning or meanings, one new meaning found in every verse of word, not my favorite, yet the most thought-provoking, and probably the best song on the LP.
"LOVE.FEAT.ZACARI." (Ft. Zacari)
NAH THIS THE BEST SONG OFF THE LP ION CARE, THIS MY FAVORITE, also when listening to this for this review...I realized that this is my first Kendrick song as this was playing all over the radio as a kid back in the era of me hating modern rap considering it all trash...and I fucking loved this song as a kid, I didn't even know it was Kendrick, I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHO HE WAS, AND BOY DO I KNOW NOW, and I love his music now even before I realized he made this absolute beautiful romantic song about questioning his lover with splendid vocals from Zaccari and an overall incredible production that truly makes this feel like a vast ocean I'm flying through as the feeling of flying through my hopeless heart, what a banger.
"XXX.FEAT.U2." (Ft. U2)
We got ourselves another "AMERICA YOU PISS ME OFF" track from Mr. Morale, I love it when Kendrick does this, saying all the things we all be saying in musical form, creating a banger of a song and always putting a middle finger to America, in love with the different tone shifts across the track, going on a crazy ass trip and it all works, and also U2? They just pull up and feel so random, yet add to the track gracefully and It's just...LIKE WOAH, Kendrick just be going wild ass fuck on his music, love the energy.
"FEAR."
Just when I think this album can't get any better, it does, on some real shit, fuck all this review shit...this track is DEEP, it's legit saying something, Kendrick is scared, the titles of all these tracks says it all, the one section, the chorus if you will, you notice he utilizes the terms that are the titles of the prior tracks, you realize every track in this album is a puzzle piece to the puzzle that is this album, talking about how fear has followed him his whole life, fear of everything, losing fame, his money, debt, everything, we all fear and fear is all us, the final section of the religious reading adds to this, falling into drugs to hide the fear, and if we should follow in God's teachings.
"GOD."
This one is very fascinating, you'd believe the track is about God, when really it's Kendrick's godlike status, his triumphs and downfalls, the duality of it, it has a very fun lightful blissful beat and circling mix to it to add to that visual imagination, the lyrics are really complex, something that makes you want to analyze it all further, Kendrick knows how to school us in making his art something to truly appreciate in further examination, not the best track, yet a standout for sure, having one lyric that says it all and many countless verses that add to the context.
"DUCKWORTH."
What a fascinating closer to an album, it feels like a track that doesn't have anything to do with the rest of the LP, except it does, just purely recounting the real story of chance encounter, how Kendrick's father (Ducky) and the founder of his record label (Anthony) met when Ducky was working at KFC and Anthony was going around robbing chicken shops, only when robbing the KFC, Ducky gave him some extra biscuits, leading to the two becoming friends, with had things been different, all their lives would not be the same, and this all relates to the album's ideas of well existentialism and is a fascinatingly weird and excellent way to close the LP.
CONCLUSION
Out of the way, I don't think this is as great as TPAB, yet...I still love this album a lot, and unlike TPAB where I was like BEST ALBUM EVER, I came away from this as...one of the most fascinating albums I've ever experienced which makes this as on par with that album as the more you dive into this LP, it's some of the most thought-provoking music I've ever endured in my life and that shows Kendrick's true musical genius and power, he is for real a godlike figure in the world of music, as aside the incredible shifts in tone, the incredibly compelling production across every track, his writing is the best here, how every track ties together into one bow. BLOOD. detailing Kendrick losing his life and dying, DNA. in the difference of people, YAH. in acceptance of one's culture, ELEMENT. being quite the same in embracing your true nature, FEEL. detailing his views, LOYALTY. wanting someone's loyalty, the antics of the world and its PRIDE., learning to be HUMBLE., the urge of LUST., the desire for LOVE., the rage from XXX., the struggles and dealing with FEAR., being one with a GOD., and DUCKWORTH. revealing the entire point of the album for me personally in my analysis...DAMN. is about Kendrick himself, a fellow human being, his world views, how he sees himself, his desires, his fears, who he is, and everything in-between, the "DAMN" in DAMN. is in Kendrick saying "DAMN" to himself, to the world, and everything and everybody in it, like how "FUCK" is to me, and this album is truly a personal passion project that has now latched itself onto me in the best ways. It's been Sonny, and so long, farewell, and goodbye.
“It was always me versus the world
Until I found it’s me versus me”
