Why “DAMN” is Kendrick Lamar’s most important album.
Kendrick Lamar has become more than an artist.
Kendrick through his music has given a voice to many of the issues and forgotten struggles seen in the hood, as well as being an example for those stuck in the poorest of neighborhoods, that you can overcome and persevere to make it out. That selling hooks and verses could be just as effective as selling drugs on the corner. In “Good Kid M.A.A.D City”, Kendrick painted a near-flawless portrait of what the life he narrowly avoided really entails, the paranoia, the anger, the death and destruction, all were shown in detail and said in simple terms, making it a universal message that every person could relate to in some way. In “To Pimp a Butterfly” Kendrick provided us with a more generalized message of black empowerment, a rallying cry for equality which could not be ignored. After these two releases and six Grammy wins, Kendrick has become an almost otherworldly being, pontificating from some sort of higher authority and wisdom to the masses, delivering a message of positivity and resilience in the face of adversity.
Then there’s DAMN.
DAMN, Kendrick's latest release, is a bit more personal, he speaks less about us and more about himself, and the problems that plague him. But unlike his older albums, on DAMN he makes it very clear he is speaking about himself. professor has finished class, and we get to go out for coffee afterwards and watch him vent about his daily life.
DAMN as a project allows us as listeners to really get to know the man himself rather than what he stands for, he steps down from a place of perceived strength, this pedestal we as fans have put him on, to reveal a man who is not impervious to the struggles of man. Growing up in Compton, Kendrick has detailed his difficult past as a young kid growing up in a cold, unforgiving world. Kendrick detailed a lot of these past tribulations on GKMC as well as Section .80, and we as listeners were able to view his life from the standpoint of past experiences, trials which were overcome by Kendrick on his way to becoming Hip-Hop’s golden child. But on both of those prior projects, there was a sense of finality, a sense of victory that DAMN. lacks, on DAMN., Kendrick isn’t talking about the past, he’s talking about right now, what he is feeling at that present moment, which is something which hadn’t been thoroughly fleshed on a micro level until the release of his 4th studio album. TPAB brought us Kendrick’s thoughts on our world, DAMN, shows us what he thinks about his.
Throughout the years, many celebrities have lamented the pitfalls of being a high-profile figure, celebrity marriages last significantly less time than most, drug addictions, whether public or private, run rampant throughout the ranks of the rich and famous, and suicide has taken some of our favorite entertainers, such as Kurt Cobain and Robin Williams.
Kendrick has seemed to be spared from the majority of these issues, he has a successful marriage, and lacks any obvious substance abuse problems. It is the mental side which has always plagued Kendrick; on TPAB, he provided a glimpse into the paranoia of being anointed as one of the leaders of black America, DAMN continues this narrative through the lens of Kendrick’s family and inner circle, but in a way which feels more raw and spontaneous. DAMN. truly feels like Kendrick’s boiling point, like his emotions had built up to a point where he could not hold it anymore. The topics are scattered and hectic, from religion to family to gun control and the concept of hypocrisy itself, a critique of this album is it does not sound as polished or meticulously put together as some of his earlier releases, and while that may be true, I believe it adds to the lore of the project and works to its benefit in some ways. If you attempt to view DAMN. from the perspective of Kendrick himself, the manic nature begins to make more sense in that context, whether it was intentional or not, this album has a sort of cerebral quality to it, it mimics the thoughts of a person under duress, swapping frantically between topics which really have nothing to do with eachother.
It is a soundtrack to an anxiety attack, it sounds as if the tracks were all made within a day, as Kendrick’s mood-swings took him from the upbeat and raucous DNA, to the somber FEEL, and to the sweet sounding LOVE all within a handful of hours.
No this album isn’t a grandiose portrayal of the world as told by a masterful story teller, or a recount of childhood experiences made to teach the masses of the black community’s plight, but the beyond it’s messy exterior is a lesson about the struggles one has with their demons as well as their own beliefs, how you can change and begin to betray even the most basic principles you previously adhered to.
I understand if you don’t like this album, I don’t expect it to speak to everyone the way it spoke to me, and yes the music itself as a whole is much less inventive or interesting than some of his previous works, but nonetheless this album does have it’s place in the world, and I think it was more important for Kendrick to release his emotions through his medium than it was for him to try and get us to release ours. Bottom line is, this album is to satisfy the inner whirlwind that seems to rage inside Lamar on various occasions, and you may not like it, but at least make an attempt to understand some of the deeper meanings behind it before writing it off as a misstep.
Maybe to the general public, DAMN. is just a quality Hip-Hop album, but I believe to the artist it’s much more, and you don’t have to love it, but you do have to recognize what it means. Even if it’s not the fan base’s most important album, it very well could be Kendrick’s.
@russell_28_
