Since the release of Kendrick Lamar’s fourth studio album, DAMN., this past Friday, the world has been left with a plethora of lyrics and music to digest. After listening to DAMN. enough times to at least grasp some of the overarching messages embedded in the album, I can confidently say that Lamar has contributed an important piece of art to this world.
Continuing the Conversation of Police Brutality
Lamar confronts a clip of FOX News reporters misquoting (the reporters left out the word “dead” in their recitation) lyrics as they criticize Lamar’s “Alright” performance at the 2015 BET Awards, sampling the clip towards the end of the first song in DAMN. The recitation of the clip includes the lines “Lamar stated his views on police brutality with that line in the song, quote ‘And we hate the popo, wanna kill us in the street fo’ sho’.” Though Lamar has responded to the criticism surrounding the song “Alright” in his 2015 album To Pimp A Butterfly in the past, in DAMN. he provides an unapologetic comeback. Lamar has never censored himself in his political views, and the songs “BLOOD.” and “DNA.” showcase not only confidence in himself but the views he stands for.
Addressing Donald Trump
In the song “LUST.” Lamar addresses the 2016 election in which Donald Trump was elected president. He expresses the same anxiety that many people faced the morning of the election in the lines, “We all woke up, tryna tune to the daily news/ Lookin’ for confirmation, hopin’ election wasn’t true.” Following those lines, he provides a bleak view into a possible future, “Bet they agree, parade the streets with your voice proudly/ Time passin’, things change/ Revertin’ back to our daily programs, stuck in our ways,” predicting that as time goes on, the large protests that have occurred all over the world since Trump’s inauguration will diminish as people continue to live their lives and accept America’s political fate. As distressing as it sounds, Lamar gives a realistic view of what has reoccurred in past social movements and protests in America. Despite this, “LUST.” can and should serve as a reminder to keep fighting for causes that we believe in.
Exploring Human Emotion
Perhaps the most obvious theme in DAMN. is the portrayal of Lamar’s innermost intimate thoughts and emotion. Lamar has proven he’s an adept storyteller and DAMN. is no exception. In DAMN., Lamar has somehow articulated the inner, unspoken details of raw, uncensored human emotion in a gloriously merciless compilation that is only 14 songs. Lamar’s storytelling on DAMN. is undeniably better than his past projects and his rapping is effortless, delivered in sharp jabs and fluid rhymes. In the final song, “DUCKWORTH.” Lamar speaks of his troubled beginnings and the gang affiliations that his friends and family members were involved in, he tells a story of his father and Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, the founder of TDE, Lamar’s label, in such a rich and seamless meld of intensity, filled with dense rhythms and swanky jazz moments up until the effortless loop back to track one. Throughout DAMN., Lamar is multifaceted, contradicting, impassioned, thoughtful, complex, strange and unexpected but most of all, he is human.