We had “till April the 7th to get our shit together, “according to Kendrick Lamar on his surprise drop of, “The Heart Part 4” on March 23. It was on that date that we all found out that the release to his fourth studio album would be on April 14 instead.

 

Kendrick Lamar is undoubtedly the best rapper of our generation, and ever since his 2015 release, “To Pimp a Butterfly” (“TPAB”), he has been in talks as one of the best of all time. “TPAB” beautifully explored themes of race, fame, self-hate and self-love, gang violence, religion, as well as others, in one of the most cohesive albums of all time. While focusing on non-trendy, jazzy, funkadelic beats, “TPAB” was an audacious concept for an album, and it solidified Kendrick’s position in hip-hop’s elite.  

 

Even before that with 2012’s “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City” (“GKMC”), Kendrick proved himself to be one of the most conscious rappers in recent years. “GKMC” was more of a story of his life, in another extremely cohesive album. He still upped the ante in 2015 with “TPAB,” no matter how good “GKMC” was.

 

He even proved that his B-side songs are better than most artists today, with 2016’s “Untitled Unmastered.”

 

Because of the critical success of all of Kendrick’s previous albums, especially “GKMC” and “TPAB,” and the fact that he has never released a bad project (including 2009’s “Kendrick Lamar EP,” 2010’s “Overly Dedicated,” and 2011’s “Section 80”), there was a lot of pressure resting on this next album.

 

After listening to “DAMN.” multiple times (as you should with any Kendrick Lamar album), I can safely say that Kendrick Lamar is one of the best to ever hold a mic.

 

“DAMN.” explores various topics, and is extremely dense in themes and hidden meanings. Before I try to decipher each track, I know I will not get everything correct. There may be multiple meanings, as there are with almost everything that the Compton MC does.

 

The opening track, “BLOOD.” is Kendrick telling a story about a blind woman who he tried to help, but in return, was shot and killed. This blind woman represents Lady Justice, therefore Kendrick is referring to the unjust justice system, and how he, as a black man, tried to be a good citizen yet was still killed unfairly. Kendrick adds a snippet of FOX News expressing their discontent with Kendrick’s 2015 BET performance of “Alright” on a vandalized cop car.

 

“DNA.” is Kendrick at one of his angriest moments on the record. He is angry about people who have preconceived notions about hip hop, and black culture in general. He mentions all the greatness inside his DNA as a black man, stating “I got loyalty, got royalty inside my DNA.” He adds another snippet of Geraldo Rivera of FOX News saying, “this is why I say that hip hop has done more damage to young African Americans than racism in recent years.”

 

“YAH.” is a calmer, laid back approach than the previous banger. He discusses family, and disses Rivera once again. The title of the track could be a reference to “Yahweh,” a Hebrew word for “God.”

 

“ELEMENT.” shows Kendrick being more braggadocious, saying that he is the best in the game, and that nobody can knock him down from that pedestal. With a very funny hook, this song is extremely catchy.

 

“FEEL.” is Kendrick at a very personal level on this album. He says that he feels like nobody is praying for him, as in nobody has his back. He has so much fame now, and so many people expect so much from his god-like status in the game, that they don’t think about how he feels. So many people surround him, but he feels alone still.

 

“LOYALTY.” is all about Kendrick being skeptical of who is loyal to him, as well as preaching to be loyal to who you are with.

 

“PRIDE.” deals more with fame, yet has religious undertones. It is all about how pride can affect a person, and how it can be one of the worst of the Seven Deadly Sins. This song is a calm song compared to the next track.

 

“HUMBLE.” was released early with a music video, and got a lot of praise for its message. This is a way more upbeat, hype song than its predecessor, which it perfectly juxtaposes. The message is simple “be humble,” yet there is more below the surface. Kendrick is obviously being hypocritical on this track, abusing his pride while giving that message. This track is a parody of other rappers who are very braggadocious, and Kendrick is using the verses to mimic them, but giving his own message in the chorus.

 

“LUST.” explores the boring lifestyle of someone who is overly lustful. Whether it’s for material things or sex, Kendrick repeats the same bars over and over, showing what having a lustful life does to a person.

 

“LOVE.” is a song seemingly dedicated to Kendrick’s fiancé. It obviously juxtaposes

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“LUST.” by showing what real love is like in this beautiful, sexy track. Zacari’s vocals on this are phenomenal.

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“XXX.” features U2, and is the peak of Kendrick’s anger on this project. He expresses violence on the streets, and explains how if anyone touches anyone he cares for, he will not hesitate to end them, yet he then turns and talks to a convention about gun control, which purposely exposes how hypocritical he can be.

 

“FEAR.” explores fear in three different stages in Kendrick’s life: at ages seven, 17, and 27. At age seven, he fears his abusive mother. At 17, he fears dying early. At 27, he fears losing his fame and success that he worked so hard for. He then uses the previous track titles in his last verse and says that he fears some form of everything that he previously rapped about in each song. He then wraps up the song by saying, “wondering if I'm living through fear or living through rap.”

 

“GOD.” has Kendrick seeing himself as, again, this god-like figure in hip hop by saying “this what God feel like.” He takes the perspective of God in the last verse and humbles himself. This song is a shot at other rappers who see themselves on this pedestal.

 

“DUCKWORTH.” is the final track of the album. Kendrick tells a story of the founder of TDE (Kendrick’s record label) and how he almost killed Kendrick’s father at a KFC. The song ends with some of the best bars on the project, where he states that if his father would have been killed, then Kendrick would have, “grown up without a father and die in a gunfight.” The track then starts playing in reverse and goes all the way back to the beginning, starting the cycle of the album – the cycle of life and death.

This project is not as good as “TPAB,” yet it is still a classic already. The production is incredible. Bar for bar, it’s pristine. Kendrick has yet to upset, and has proven himself as one of the best ever. DAMN.