“Y’all got ‘til April the 7 the get your shit together,” Kendrick Lamar warned on “The Heart Part 4.” After another week of waiting, the TDE phenom has returned with DAMN., a follow-up to 2015’s To Pimp a Butterfly and its 2016 companion piece untitled unmastered. As is the Kendrick blueprint, the release is religious, political, topical, reflective, and heady all at once, and there are several layers of meaning to sift through with repeat listening. In just under 55 minutes, he wages war with a right-wing news network, blasts killer cops, provides origin stories, and threads an interwoven narrative of damnation and redemption. And he does it all with a rotating cast of musicians—some longtime associates, some upstart first-timers, some megastars. With the ensemble at his back and oversight from his label boss (and Dre), Lamar pieces together another opus that is as carefully crafted as it is adventurous. Here are some early takeaways from an album with lots to unpack.
Kendrick Lamar vs. Fox News
After Kendrick Lamar’s rousing performance of “Alright” at the BET Awards in 2015, Fox News blasted the Compton rapper for a perceived attack on law enforcement, calling his actions “wrong” and “counterproductive.” Kendrick initially responded to the comments in an interview with TMZ. “How can you take a song that’s about hope and turn it into hatred?” he asked. “This is our music. This is us expressing ourselves. Rather [than] going out here and doing the murders myself, I want to express myself in a positive light the same way other artists are doing.”
But the Fox clip still has Kendrick’s attention. Snippets of the pundits chastising his performance and lyrics—including one particularly incendiary quote from blowhard Geraldo Rivera (“hip-hop has done more damage to young African-Americans than racism in recent years”)—are sampled on “BLOOD.” and “DNA.” On “YAH.,” he takes aim, rapping, “Fox News wanna use my name for percentage... Somebody tell Geraldo this nigga got ambition.” Later on the album, on “XXX,” he explains how these characterizations impact public perception: “It’s nasty when you set us up/Then roll the dice then bet us up/You overnight the big rifles then tell Fox to be scared of us/Gang members or terrorists, et cetera, et cetera/America’s reflections of me/That's what a mirror does.”
Some Familiar Faces + A Few New Ones
Like To Pimp a Butterfly, DAMN. doesn’t have a single feature from the TDE crew, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t without familiar faces and frequent collaborators. Top Dawg CEO Anthony Tiffith is listed as a co-writer and -producer on half of the tracks. Longtime producer Soundwave returns for his eighth consecutive Kendrick project, with production on eight songs. Fellow Digi+Phonics member Tae Beast also appears. Standout TPAB contributor Terrace Martin returns for “LOYALTY.,” and “Money Trees” producer DJ Dahi co-produced a handful of songs. In addition to back up vocals, recurring guest Anna Wise landed a songwriting credit on “PRIDE.,” tweeting, “went from singing what kendrick wrote to him singing what i wrote.” Cardo, who produced two untitled unmastered cuts, also provided production. Following Kendrick guest spots for Mike WiLL Made-It and 9th Wonder, they each return the favor. Then, of course, the entire project was mixed by TDE’s in-house engineer, Ali.
The album also has its fair share of firsts. Kendrick finally got to work with Rihanna. Then there’s that U2 appearance that made the rap world collectively hold its breath last week. He also links up with soul-sampling rap guru the Alchemist for the first time, and provides looks to talented up-and-comers like the Internet’s Steve Lacy and BadBadNotGood. Kaytranada even chipped in autotuned vocals on “LUST.” The surprises come when you pore over the credits more carefully: James Blake co-produces the out-of-character “ELEMENT.” and Adele producer Greg Kurstin shows up, too. The album’s least familiar guest is (TDE-managed) singer Zacari, who was a late addition to the official tracklisting, but delivers a memorable performance on standout cut “LOVE.” There’s also a mysterious producer credited as Bekon on eight of the 12 tracks.
“The Heart Part 4” and “HUMBLE.” Take on New Life
Kendrick Lamar’s grand re-entry, “The Heart Part 4,” may not have made its way onto the DAMN. tracklisting, but it found a way to sneak into the proceedings. The song actually serves as a preview of sorts: its second beat shift, heard only for a few bars, is actually the Alchemist’s contribution to “FEAR.”
More notably, lead single “HUMBLE.” takes on new meaning within the album. As a standalone cut, it seems like an admonishment of lessers from the rightful king. But here there is a clear yin-yang relationship between the song and the track that precedes it, “PRIDE.” The latter is standoffish and holier than thou, weighing a hypothetical perfect world against the one we’ve got. “I can’t fake humble just ‘cause your ass is insecure,” he raps. “HUMBLE.,” in turn, is almost a response to that arrogance. Both serve a greater purpose in tandem: examining Kendrick’s internal struggle over humility.
Kendrick Tips His Cap
There are a few subtle rap homages on DAMN. that don’t go unnoticed. Legend Kid Capri does DJ drops on several of the album’s songs, most notably adding the cryptic final call, “Just remember what happens on earth stays on earth!/We gon’ put it in reverse.” On “ELEMENT.,” Kendrick recycles Juvenile’s signature flow from the 1998 song “Ha,” a nod to one of his biggest influences. Lamar has admitted to being a Hot Boys fanboy in the past, even calling Lil Wayne “the greatest.” “We always hold Lil Wayne in high regards,” he said. “Juvenile as well.” The use of the flow is no accident. And after defending Jay Z’s all-timer status on “The Heart Part 4” (“Jay Z Hall of Fame, sit yo punk-ass down”), he quotes the mogul’s 2000 Dynasty: Roc La Familia cut “Get Your Mind Right” on “LOYALTY.”: “It’s a secret society/All we ask is trust.”
Top Dawg Origin Story
DAMN. builds to the final moment on its closer, “DUCKWORTH.,” which seems to tell the tale of a chance encounter between Kendrick’s father and Top Dawg’s Anthony Tiffith years ago. Before that, though, it provides an origin story for the indie label’s founder, the hood-hardened eldest of seven kids. Dire circumstances led to a drug-dealing life on the streets, and eventually a dropped murder case. Having started robbing fast food spots, Tiffith planned to rob the KFC where Kendrick’s father worked, but Kenneth Duckworth won the gunman over by giving him free chicken. Fate would give Tiffith the chance to do right by another Kenny Duckworth. The story sheds a bit of light on the TDE executive, who is mostly a mystery to fans, pulling the strings from behind the scenes, often only popping his head out to provide release info or get into public scuffles with his artists. It’s also a fascinating full-circle moment. The album’s final lyric considers an alternate history: “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.” Instead Top Dawg Entertainment is at the center of the rap world, and Kendrick is its star.