Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.

DAMN. dropped to an unsuspecting audience on Good Friday. The significance of this date was not lost on the denizens of the wider Internet community. Some conspirators may be disappointed that he did not follow up with a second album on Easter Sunday, which has largely dominated discussions of DAMN. (read the whole, rather convincing but now defunct, theory here - https://www.inverse.com/article/30382-kendrick-lamar-easter-sunday-nation). But what shouldn't be forgotten is that this is the new album from the heir apparent of modern rap music. For Kendrick Lamar has unleashed a new collection of brilliantly produced and written songs that beg to be dissected, analysed and cherished. Following up the brilliant state of nation address To Pimp A Butterfly (an album that has already gone down as one of the greatest of all time) was always going to be difficult. The album has seeped into the pop culture conscious, with track Alright becoming a de-facto anthem for the Black Lives Matter movement; a modern We Shall Overcome. However, Lamar manages to step out of this shadow effortlessly with his most accessible sounding album yet but one that reveals new layers of complexity and challenge with each listen.

Mid-album highlight LUST. works as effectively the skeleton key to understanding this album and its thematic concerns. Over a dreamy, psychedelic production, Lamar's lyrics perfectly balance day-to-day malaise backed against wider political and social concerns. Lamar directly references the day after Trump's presidential victory, focusing on the confusion and anger the nation was experiencing that ill-fated morning. However, these concerns are ultimately fleeting as protests and rage revert back to the same sedate routine. "We all woke up ... / lookin' for confimation, hopin' election wasn't true/All of us worried, all of us buried and the feeling's deep ... / Stealed and sad, distraught and mad, tell the neighbour 'bout it / Think they agree, parade the streets with your voice profit / Time passin', things change / Revertin' back to our daily programs / Stuck in our ways, drones". With DAMN., Lamer has moved away from directly dealing with the social commentary (and subsequent shadow) of To Pimp A Butterfly and is instead part of a wider tapestry of lyrics exploring the position he now finds himself, reflecting on life, society and existential issues. This makes for a very personal and varied album.

Lamar returns with brilliantly sensitive DAMN. that deals directly with a vast swathe of thematic concerns

The album has a more stripped back production, which has led to critics declaring it as more "laid back". Indeed, the jazzy and dense production of Butterfly has been replaced by echoey instrumentation, sparse rhythm section and ghost like samples. Kendrick's voice more than ever is at the centre of the mix. But the lyrical content is just as dense as ever. ELEMENT., FEEL. and GOD. both deal with Lamar's current position in rap music and the wider pop culture stage, perfectly highlighting this production mantra. LUST., as well as  Lamar coping with election day, deals with the repetitive nature of his day-to-day life. This introspective voice gives a more emotional feel to the album - this is the musical equivalent of a sit down with a psychiatrist. 

A blind old woman beckons to Lamar on album opener BLOOD. The woman looks like she has lost something and Lamar tries to help her. But it is really Lamar who has lost something - life. The opening perfectly sets up the existential tone of the album, which permeates the whole album. The electrifying follow up, DNA., sees Lamar grappling with different aspects of his identity as a black American man. Through a torrent of world play, Lamar celebrates and critiques his cultural heritage. It also includes a sample from infamous commentator Geraldo Rivera, who ridiculously stated on FOX News that rap music has done more damage than racism for young African Americans. As an added layer of meta commentary, Rivera was discussing this in regards to Alright being used as a protest anthem. DNA. is a complex mediation on what makes up a human, how much of our past and culture influences us and wider misconceptions that are birthed from this. 

Where can this modern master go next?

The album is replete of guest vocals and used to complement songs where appropriate. Rihanna's vocal interplay with Lamar on hit potential LOYALTY., in which that word is dissected and explored, is electrifying. U2 turn up on XXX., an epic meditation on modern America, with Bono's soulful voice filling up the chorus. The song is littered with religious iconography, which also turn up on the rest of the album. This is followed up by the truly epic FEAR., a three-part symphony of word play which I've heard described as the musical version of Moonlight. Like that film, Lamar picks three stories from ages 7, 17 and 27 where he experienced true fear and terror. He recounts stories of domestic abuse, gang violence and anxiety. The album does have some moments of lyric levity though - Zacari guests on one of the more mellow songs, LOVE., which sees Lamar exploring one of life's most powerful emotions, backed by beautiful synthesizer lines. 

The mysteries, fate and coincidences of life fascinate Lamar, these themes being sewn throughout the album and is tied together with final track DUCKWORTH. Here he recites a street tale from before he was born in a which record producer almost killed a KFC worker at a drive-thru. Ultimately, the producer let the KFC worker live. The end of the song reveals that the producer was none other than Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffin, who would end up signing a 15 year old Kendrick Lamar to his label, and the KFC worker was Lamar's father, Ducky. If things had gone the wrong way, Lamar posits that he would have lost his entry way into the music industry (as Anthony would likely have been arrested) and a strong father figure in the process, respectively. He feels he would have ended up descending further into the cycle of crime and death in a Compton gang. How much of this story is true is uncertain but this succeeds in stirring the listener as the story unfolds. And that's the real miracle of life - how many of us are here through coincidence or even, possibly, fate? Earth itself exists on an impossibility - one off factor would mean life could not be sustained. This is equally true for humans. Do random occurrences dictate our life or is there something wider at work? Lamar directly grapples with these issues across DAMN.

There is something exciting about seeing a modern master brilliantly building his legacy before an adoring audience. While its hard to say where DAMN. will fit into his wider discography, this feels like a massively important step for Lamar as an artist. Stepping out of Butterfly's shadow was always going to be tricky but the way he balances personal and political lyrics is to be awed at. The album takes in a massive swath of themes that demand to be dissected and discussed. While not as directly confrontational as Butterfly, DAMN. sees Lamar as a rap wizard at the top of his game. Come to think of it ... yeah I will have that mysterious Easter Sunday album please.

Rating: 10/10