Ranking Kendrick: DAMN.
While it’s definitely not Kendrick Lamar’s best album, DAMN. is easily my personal favorite in terms of consistency and replayability.
The way I approach music is by selecting approximately 30–40 songs, and listening to that specific selection for months, before I even think about adding and removing new songs. Out of these 30–40 songs, I choose to listen to 10–15 the most and about 2–3 at an obsessive level. To Pimp a Butterfly songs are seldom found in these selections, apart from the occasional reappreciation of “Alright”. good kid, m.A.A.d city appears a little more often, (mostly just “B****, Don’t Kill My Vibe”, “Swimming Pools”, and “m.A.A.d city”), but not nearly as enough as songs from DAMN.
Here are the rankings (from worst to best) of every song on DAMN.
14. GOD.
I don’t know many people who actually genuinely liked “GOD.”. To me, the song seemed like it was Kendrick’s attempt at cracking the pop music formula on making catchy hooks to dominate the mainstream pop music scene, but I love Kendrick specifically because he doesn’t do that, so “GOD.” deserves last exactly because of that.
13. YAH.
Statistically, this ranks roughly in the middle of the album in terms of total streams, but I wasn’t really a huge fan of the song. It seemed rather opaque and more of a confusing thought exercise than a song I listen to in a dark room and fully immerse myself into to enjoy.
12. LOYALTY. FEAT. RIHANNA.
I didn’t particularly love this song. I kept comparing this song to other Rihanna features on my favorite rappers albums, and although it hurts me to say, this might rank last on that list. There wasn’t anything too special about this song to me, and the chorus just seemed like a drag.
11. BLOOD.
“BLOOD.” was an underwhelming intro. Kendrick’s intro songs in his albums are historically amazing. “Wesley’s Theory” is undeniably a top 5 Kendrick song ever. “Sherane a.k.a Master Splinter’s Daughter” might not have been near the top 5 of it’s album, but it was definitely an elite song in my opinion. I don’t believe “F*ck Your Ethnicity” gets the respect it deserves, but I thought it was a stellar introduction. “BLOOD.” just didn’t have the same characteristics to make it an elite intro.
10. XXX. FEAT. U2.
Despite it’s low ranking in this list, I actually quite liked “XXX.” I thought that it’s lyrics were quite thought provoking and powerful. I feel like U2’s inclusion was a bit forced and wasn’t as smooth as I wanted it to be, but the overall message of frustration with the injustices towards the Black community was very well crafted.
9. FEAR.
I think that “FEAR.” was a good song, but nothing that really amazed me. The repetitive diction was something that stuck out to me a little, but I really had trouble connecting all of the dots in the song, so instead of conceding that my musical aptitude isn’t high enough, I’m going to blame the production.
8. FEEL.
Although simplicity is something that I’ll continue to appreciate in this list, I felt like it made this track seem a little too simple. It makes sense to have a simple production behind a track about feeling lost an in despair, but I personally think that Kendrick definitely could have done better. The vibe change when Kendrick screams “f*ck your feelings, I mean this for imposters” definitely saves the song from mediocrity in my opinion.
7. DUCKWORTH.
Overall, “DUCKWORTH.” wasn’t anything special to me but I absolutely loved the way the song was spun back at the end, followed by the rewinding of the entire album, and then with Kendrick saying “so I was taking a walk the other day”, ending the album how he started. I got chills the first time I played the album in reverse after not listening to it for a while, and heard Kid Capri shout “we gon’ put it in reverse!”.
6. LUST.
While the topic of giving into “evil” desires and temptations is certainly important enough to be the focus of this entire song, it was a little odd hearing Kendrick open the song with his thought process during infidelity. The futuristic jazz type instrumental definitely gave the poisonously sweet vibe to the song, but I personally felt that it didn’t accurately portray the uncomfortableness of the topic that really needs to be exposed to mainstream media.
5. HUMBLE.
Although the song was easily the most popular in the album, I feel like it was overhyped. If I really had to scrutinize the song and choose a fault, I would say that Kendrick’s voice could have been better, but I also understand that it was a complete stylistic choice, just maybe not one I personally enjoy. Truthfully, “HUMBLE.” isn’t any higher than fifth mostly because of how overplayed it was.
Favorite lyric:
A.m. to the p.m., p.m. to the a.m., funk
Piss out your per diem, you just gotta hate ’em, funk
If I quit your BM, I still ride Mercedes, funk
If I quit this season, I still be the greatest, funk
My left stroke just went viral
4. PRIDE.
“PRIDE.” was definitely an acquired taste for me. At first the Steve Lacy and Kendrick Lamar chorus gave me an irking feeling, but I grew to love it. It’s a sign of true musical talent and genius to see someone with the ability to perform the range of music that Kendrick showed in this song.
Favorite lyric:
I don’t trust people enough beyond they surface, world
I don’t love people enough to put my faith in man
I put my faith in these lyrics hoping I make a band
3. ELEMENT.
Contrarily, “ELEMENT.” was love at first sight. I vividly remember talking to one of my friends when I heard this song for the first time, and immediately falling silent when I heard the chorus. There’s something about Kendrick’s storytelling along with the production of the song that’s so painfully mesmerizing.
Favorite lyric:
If I gotta slap a p****-ass n****, I’ma make it look sexy
If I gotta go hard on a b****, I’ma make it look sexy
I pull up, hop out, air out, made it look sexy
2. DNA.
It amazes me how rich the message Kendrick Lamar puts in this song is. It feels like every time I really focus on the lyrics of the song, I understand another level of nuance that I hadn’t even grasped before. The flow, delivery, lyrics, beat, and voice were about as close to perfect as possible in this song.
Favorite lyric:
I’d rather die than to listen to you
My DNA not for imitation
Your DNA an abomination
This how it is when you’re in the Matrix
Dodgin’ bullets, reapin’ what you sow
1. LOVE. FEAT. ZACARI.
“LOVE.” being my favorite song on the album might be a little unpopular, but not only do I like this song more than any other on the album, I like “LOVE.” without a shadow of a doubt more than any other Kendrick Lamar song. Ever.
Yes, I know most of the production was Zacari just being a genius, and yes, I know that the best parts of this song isn’t really Kendrick, but if an ear orgasm is real, it’s because of the chorus of this song. I’m never not going to close my eyes and smile just a little when I hear Zacari sing “sippin’ bubbly, feelin’ lovely, livin’ lovely, just love me”.
I would literally do anything to hear this song for the first time again.
Also, in case anyone thinks I don’t 1,000% mean what I stated earlier:
Favorite lyric:
If I didn’t ride blade on curb, would you still (love me)?
If I made up my mind at work, would you still (love me)?
Keep it a hundred, I’d rather you trust me than to (love me)
Where do I personally rank the album rank overall?
- To Pimp a Butterfly
- good kid, m.A.A.d city
- DAMN.
- Section.80
