Is It Wickedness? Is It Weakness? DAMN. By Kendrick Lamar
Insight into the rapper’s fourth studio album
It’s been 4 years since Kendrick Lamar released DAMN. His fourth studio album and as of right now, his most recent body of work. Part of me still can’t fathom that it’s been this long since we last heard from the Compton MC. Aside from his work on the Black Panther soundtrack, and save for a guest feature once in a blue moon, Lamar has remained radio silent ever since. In wake of the album passing its 4 year anniversary and speculation that a new project will be coming soon, I decided to re-visit the Pulitzer prize-winning album to analyze and dissect the major themes it portrays.
His previous album, 2015’s To Pimp a Butterfly was characterized by its funk/jazz-influenced production, as well as its concept of self-love and what it means to be a black man in America. DAMN. tells a different story, instead, it focuses on morality, faith, and the consequences of disobeying god. The production is more in line with contemporary rap with bass rattling bangers (DNA, XXX), radio-friendly anthems (HUMBLE, LOYALTY, LOVE), and boom-bap streams of consciousness (FEAR, DUCKWORTH). In his previous album, Kendrick was shaping to become a voice of reason, whereas here he turns into a prophet, asking his listeners to decide his fate. Upon its release, DAMN. was subject to a variety of fan theories. The most common one (and the one confirmed by Kendrick) was that the album could be played in reverse, telling two different stories. With this concept in mind, let’s dissect DAMN.
The first track “BLOOD” is a spoken-word interlude by Kendrick. Over the somber beat, he describes helping a blind woman that has dropped something, only to then get shot and killed by the woman, ending the track abruptly. Before Kendrick’s death, however, we’re greeted with vocals by producer Bēkon as he introduces the first line of the album:
“Is it wickedness? Is it weakness? You decide. Are we gonna live? Or die?”
It’s through this quote that we get a glimpse of the two major themes of DAMN, wickedness, and weakness. To be wicked means to be selfish, prideful, and arrogant. Weakness could mean being humble, admitting to your wrongs, or showing genuine compassion to those around you. Within the context of the album, the first track is essentially asking us which album would you like to hear, the wicked? Or the weak? The Yin? Or The Yang? It’s the equivalent of Morpheus asking you to take the red or blue pill, the choice is yours.
Is It Weakness?
Starting from track 1 to track 14 (the correct order of DAMN.), we hear the story of Kendrick the Weak. A man who slowly becomes humbled through his own life experiences God has put him through to test his faith. This is most likely the Kendrick Lamar that we know of today. As the album progresses, the songs become more contemplative and the production goes from abrasive to soft. I won’t describe every song on the album, but in lieu, I’ll briefly describe some that showcase the themes of weakness.
The songs that best illustrate Kendrick the Weak are “YAH”, “FEEL”, “LOYALTY”, “PRIDE”, “HUMBLE”, and “GOD”. Within these songs, Kendrick looks inward as he attempts to resist sinful temptations such as groupies or lashing out at critics (“YAH”). He battles his own depression and problems with success (“FEEL”). Learns the importance of trust and love for one person (“LOYALTY”, “LOVE”). He challenges his ego to strip down his pride and regain humility (“PRIDE”, “HUMBLE”). He challenges America for the hypocritical way it portrays black people (“XXX”) before reminding himself of his journey to get to this point of success in life (“GOD”).
The story the album tells from this playthrough feels triumphant. It’s as if Kendrick goes through an awakening of sorts with every song.
The remaining songs “FEAR”, and “DUCKWORTH” go into more depth about Kendrick’s upbringing, these two songs I argue, are the catalysts that make Kendrick either weak or wicked but we’ll get to that later on.
Is It Wickedness?
Play the album in reverse, however, starting with “DUCKWORTH” and ending with “BLOOD”, we get the story of Kendrick the Wicked. The polar opposite gave in to the temptations of greed, lust, and self-arrogance that would eventually kill him, his punishment for disobeying god. The blind woman that kills Kendrick at the end of “BLOOD” could be a personification of God, killing him for giving into his wickedness. Or a metaphor of himself, killing his ego as punishment for going down this path of sin.
Sonically speaking it does feel “wicked” in a sense, as now you’re playing the album starting off with the softer contemplating songs and ending with the heavier/abrasive ones. Moreover, a lot of songs on this reverse playthrough take on a different meaning. “LUST” taps into Kendrick’s ideals of the subject, both sexually and financially. The Wicked side of him revels in the repetitive nature of waking up, sleeping with a random woman, and skipping work to go rob somebody. “DNA” takes a whole new meaning as now we’re hearing the song from his ego’s point of view, no longer is it Kendrick standing up for his heritage, rather he uses it as a mask to truly rap about his arrogance. The album’s softer moments like “FEEL” suddenly feel different, it’s not Kendrick being wholly honest about his depressions. Rather, it’s his paranoia caused by his wickedness that makes him think everybody is out to get him.
Even “XXX” gets changed. Whereas on the Weak story, the first verse can be seen as satire, the violent reaction that America expects Kendrick to have when faced with opposition. In the Wicked story, it now acts like his manifesto, when Kendrick says he’ll “chip a nigga then throw the blower in his lap”, he really means it this time. The song’s second verse in which Kendrick puts America on blast for the way it depicts his people is no longer a critique of the country, rather the Wicked Kendrick sounds grateful, he still puts blame on America but he’d rather keep enforcing the message through his wicked ways.
It’s because of all this, that Kendrick the Wicked meets his demise on “BLOOD” (now considered the final song). God sees through the fact that he could not be humbled, he gave in to temptations and sin. This is not the Kendrick Lamar we know of. Yet, it’s not like K.Dot wasn’t given a few turning points to maybe change his direction. The remaining songs not discussed (“FEAR”, “DUCKWORTH”) help to guide us between the journey of wickedness/weakness.
Am I Living Through Fear Or Living Through Rap?
The above quote is taken from “FEAR” and I think it sums up the difference between the weak and the wicked accurately. To live through fear (in a spiritual sense) would mean to live under the fear of God, to be at his mercy, and remain faithful. To live through rap would essentially be to follow in the stereotypical aspects of drugs, gun violence, etc that we could consider to be wicked.
Kendrick’s consciousness gets tested throughout the aforementioned songs. It’s these tracks that pivot his journey to either wickedness or weakness, they mainly focus on the external/internal influences throughout Kendrick’s life that shape him. Depending on whether the album is played in reverse or not, these songs take on a different meaning.
“FEAR” is the album’s magnum opus. Clocking in at 7 minutes & 40 seconds, the song is a drawn-out stream of consciousness where Kendrick details his own fears at the age of 7, 17, and 27. Each form of fear that Kendrick endures grows as he gets older, the things he becomes afraid of becoming more intense and impactful. It first starts with the fear of his mother as a child, dealing with her strict ways. Fast forward ten years later and it becomes the fear of dying (from police, gangs, shootings, etc.) because as Kendrick puts it “that’s what you do when you’re 17”.
At 27, Kendrick’s fear is accustomed to success. Fear of going broke, the way the world will perceive him, and losing everything that shaped him into the man he is today. He breaks it all down on the song’s final verse:
I’m talkin’ fear, fear of losin’ creativity
I’m talkin’ fear, fear of missin’ out on you and me
I’m talkin’ fear, fear of losin’ loyalty from pride
’Cause my DNA won’t let me involve in the light of God
I’m talkin’ fear, fear that my humbleness is gone
I’m talkin’ fear, fear that love ain’t livin’ here no more
I’m talkin’ fear, fear that it’s wickedness or weakness
Fear, whatever it is, both is distinctive
This is a great example of his wickedness/weakness being challenged. The Weak Kendrick fears losing all the things that made him who he is (creativity, loyalty, love). It’s because of this fear, that Kendrick pushes to work hard to not lose these aspects of his life. It ties into the levels of fear he faced throughout his life, it molded him and kept him alive for this long.
The Wicked Kendrick however, doesn’t seem afraid. Sure he’s acknowledged his fears and is aware of how they’ve molded him throughout his life, but instead of pushing him towards weakness and humility, they drove him towards wickedness and evil. These life experiences didn’t humble him.
The final song of DAMN. not only showcases Kendrick’s impeccable storytelling but acts as the prime moment in his life that could shift him from wickedness or weakness. “DUCKWORTH” details the earlier life of his manager Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, a gang-banging hustler during the 80’s who would frequent a nearby KFC. Working the drive-through window was a talkative Chicago native named Ducky, Kendrick’s father. Ducky was aware of Tiffith, and in order to prevent him from robbing the store, Ducky would get on his good side and hook him up with free food.
Both men were simply strangers at this point in time, but towards the song's end, the revelation is revealed when they reunite many years later when a young Kendrick got signed by Tiffith to Top Dawg Entertainment.
Twenty years later, them same strangers, you make ’em meet again
Inside recording studios where they reapin’ their benefits
Then you start remindin’ them about that chicken incident
Whoever thought the greatest rapper would be from coincidence?
Because if Anthony killed Ducky, Top Dawg could be servin’ life
While I grew up without a father and die in a gunfight
It’s insane to believe that Tiffith and Ducky would meet each other after so many years, just by coincidence, it’s even crazier to think they knew each other decades prior to the day Kendrick stepped into TDE’s studio. However “DUCKWORTH” illustrates something that ties into the album’s main themes.
“Because if Anthony killed Ducky, Top Dawg could be serving life, while I grew up without a father and die in a gunfight.” Is an imperative line that drives Kendrick’s journey through wickedness or weakness. It’s a choice that ultimately determines Kendrick’s faith throughout DAMN.
Think about it, if Kendrick’s father didn’t try to please Tiffith, Kendrick would follow down the path of wickedness that would ultimately get him killed. Without a father figure/mentor, Kendrick would have given in to his sins which would ultimately kill him. Whether it be from the blind woman from “BLOOD” or otherwise, it showcases that a choice his father made could’ve determined the path he would take in life. Clearly, Ducky made the right choice that would protect his family and his life by pleasing Tiffith. Whether both men would know that they would meet again years later thanks to Kendrick is unknown, but it’s is clear that humbleness, fear, and gratitude brought these three people together, and the result has resulted in one of the most acclaimed rappers this decade has seen, a Kendrick Lamar who is weak to the powers of God and understands the importance of faith around him.
It’s evident that DAMN. tells the dual story of Kendrick’s journey between a path of wickedness of weakness. Ultimately determined by key points in his life, DAMN. gives listeners two distinct stories that are both true to Kendrick’s uprising in life, and are a cautionary tale to what could’ve been his fate if he didn’t make the right choices. I still consider DAMN. to be severely underrated in comparison to Kendrick’s other albums, primarily for the duality it portrays. Making the right choices in life and obeying some form of spirituality (religious or otherwise) is imperative. To have faith in even the toughest of times is crucial because, in the end, the end result will be spectacular. Forego temptation to take the easy route, or to give up easily, for you will be damned with that choice forever.
