‘DAMN. is for the times when people wish to heal the world while wanting to burn it down’

2525 Aprppriil 226 Aprppril Humanity felt like it needed a new Kendrick Lamar album right now. It needed him to return and simultaneously unpack these conflicting feelings we’re having of wanting to mend the world and wanting to just let it burn. It needed him to remind us of the joy of wild and pure creativity and let us revel in his genius. It just needed a new musical tapestry to wrap up in and hide from the world (while trying to understand it).

That’s a crazy amount of pressure to bear, but Kendrick was ready, playfully re-christening himself Kung Fu Kenny and prepping a karate chop of a new album that came sooner than many expected. He actually added to the expectation, dropping hype track ‘The Heart Part 4’ — which literally promised to “slap the shit” out of his competition - shortly before it and following up with lead single ‘HUMBLE.’, which doubled down on his postur- TThe EEdiisoon Geneeneraleraal Elellectrictrric CompCompanmpanyan oorgganisenissedd. WorkWork begegineginsin oon thehhe Sueuezue CCanalna iin EgypEgypt.yptt. CopeCoppernicrnicusicus makakesakes hisis SSaturnturn.rn fififififififififififififififififififirsfifififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififrstrs obseobservservatrvatioationsions ing as the king of rap. When DAMN. was deployed, slightly embarrassingly a little later than it was threatened, a fair amount of the first-day conversation revolved around a theory that a second album was on the way, and I think this spoke volumes. Good Kid mAAd City didn’t feel like an incomplete story, To Pimp a Butterfly was so dense and complex the notion of a sequel would never even have occurred to us, but DAMN. lent itself to the idea of more - a fairly short, tonally uneven and less cohesive album than those before it.

Make no mistake: it bangs. ‘BLOOD.’ into ‘DNA.’ might be my favourite intro to a Kendrick album, hitting you back- to- back with a cautionary tale, a sample of Fox News trying and failing to call him out and an anthemic opening line: “I GOT LOYALTY GOT ROYALTY INSIDE MY DNA.” Kendrick is at his most fierce and defiant ever here and it’s the type of line to be shouted CChinain pproposoposesoses newew conoonstitstiitutioutionio thatthat wwill radadicadicalicallyally altllter thehe strtructructuuctureturre theth natinationtioonaal govoovernmernmennment.entt. ConsConnstanttantiuntiusiu visisitisitsit RomeRome foror thehhe fifififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififirsfifififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififrstrs ttime.me JoanJoan AArc leadleaads OrleOrlleans,ans, Frarancrance,nce, victvictorctoory oover Briritaritaintain.in Kendrick Lamar’s new album DAMN. from a rooftop while thumpissues in the same line. His ing your chest. voice is as rich and moreish

The album’s strong openand packed with emotion as ing continues with the more ever; if listening to Drake ofbuzzed and introspective fers the shallow indulgence ‘YAH.’ and ‘ELEMENT.’ and of making you feel like a is studded with other gems million dollars, listening to like ‘XXX.’ and ‘FEAR.’ that Kendrick more impressively see Kendrick outdo himself makes you feel like you’ve got in terms of flow and lyrical a handful of ones but DAMN dexterity, managing to deal are still you gonna conquer with several high and low the world. 28Apr28ppriil 29Apr29ppriil

And so now this is the never fully immersed. ‘Kenparagraph where I have to drick is at his darkest yet’? say ‘but’ or ‘unfortunately’, Nope, ‘ u’ was darker and loathe though I am to, as more affecting. ‘It’s staggerthere are also tracks here ingly dense’ - yes, but not in that don’t captivate me or, as effective a way as TPAB more specifically, don’t cap— an example being the Rat tivate me in relation to my Boy sample in ‘LUST.’ that vertiginous expectations of just feels parachuted in. Still, Kendrick. an ‘okay to good’ Kendrick

I’m going to quickly rifle album is a brilliant album by through other gripes with pretty much any other artist DAMN. now because I feel in the game’s standards and horrible about it when I’m still very happy to put it they’re coming from an artin my ears. This album isn’t ist I have so much respect for: a ‘Holy shit I need to text Why is Bono on this album? my friend imploring them He doesn’t add anything, to listen immediately’ mind Ash Riser from Section.80 blower, but it is a valuable etc. could have consumaddition to his oeuvre and mately sung the part and it’s a record I will have on for very possible K-Dot wanted weeks. It’s the type of album to include U2 just to conthat in decades’ time people found people. The album is regard as not his greatest but messy, and - before you say one which has its loyal fans it - not in a ‘ wow this is so who will bitterly defend it. fragmented and disorien“See, in a perfect world, I tating’, good way, but more would be perfect, world,” of an ‘okay, it’s this genre Kendrick tells us on ‘PRIDE.’ now?’ fashion. GKMC and and this is an anxiety he’s TPAB sucked you in, they shared on track time and were maelstrom-like mastime again; I guess I need to terpieces, but DAMN. has actually cut him some slack. you skimming the surface, THE INDEPENDENT Pr i n t e d a n d d i s t r i b u t e d by P r essReader P r e s s R e a d e r . c o m + 1 6 0 4 2 7 8 4 6 0 4 • ORIGINAL COPY • ORIGINAL COPY • ORIGINAL COPY • ORIGINAL COPY • ORIGINAL COPY • ORIGINAL COPY • COPYR I G H T A N D P R OT E C T E D B Y A P P L I C A B L E L AW