Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. Album Review | DEHH
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ส.ค. 2024
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Kendrick Lamar returns with his fourth studio album DAMN. the follow up his critically acclaimed album To Pimp A Butterfly. The album was released on April 14th, 2017 on Top Dawg Entertainment after many thought it was dropping April 7th, 2017. DAMN. has two features, U2 and Rihanna, and features production by Sounwave, DJ Dahl, Mike Will Made It, Ricci Riera, James Blake, Steve Lacy, BadBadNotGood, The Alchemist and 9th Wonder. The album debuted at number one with 603,000 album-equivalent units sold in its first week. The album was met with plenty of online conspiracy theories and thinkpieces. Now that all of that is away, here is our review of Kendrick Lamar's DAMN. album.
Other Kendrick Lamar videos:
Section.80 bit.ly/2pbiKko
Good Kidd Madd City bit.ly/2pbn1o7
Control Verse bit.ly/2pbd5ef
To Pimp A Butterfly bit.ly/2pbiphC
Black Friday Reaction bit.ly/2pbcPMk
Blacker Da Berry bit.ly/2p7AmLL
Thoughts On "I" bit.ly/2ojOvsp
Untitled 2 bit.ly/2ojInQN
Untilted.Unmastered bit.ly/2p7BqPN
The Heart Pt. 4 Reaction bit.ly/2pbleiF
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About Dead End Hip Hop:
No scripts. It's pure unfiltered hip hop conversations and album reviews. No politics. No BS. We Are The People.
Because if Myke killed Beezy
C-Town would be serving life
While Feefo never did reviews
and just bumps in the whip at night
4youreyezonly LMAO
4youreyezonly bruh😁😁😁😁
Solomon King Don't get it twisted, shoutout to Kinge! He just didn't fit the rhyme scheme bruh 😂
lMAO
holy fuck Lmao!!
I love this review.
theneedledrop Your review is turning the frogs gay.
kenanthony damntano
Alex Jones 😂
FOH
Better than yours (and not just because of the score). Still a fan doe ;)
Section.80 - A Novel
good kid M.A.A.D. City - A Motion Picture
To Pimp a Butterfly - A Social Commentary
DAMN. - A Self Reflection
Mr. Moral and The Big Steppers - A therapy session
Excellent way to put it!
🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯
Lame what do you think next album will be
TPAB is also a novel, it's the Great American Novel of music and of the 21st Century
Novels can have poems & songs in there, like Beloved by Toni Morrison and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
myke look like a retired pusha T
Mauricio Chacon lmfao
💀💀💀💀💀💀
Which looks like a retired Asap Rocky.
Booker T
Joey Badass?
10:00 this jump cut is definitely cutting out a Chris Brown/ Rihanna joke
😂
so i was bumping in the whip the other day...
SupposeImRight Today as well
SupposeImRight lmaooooo. this comment wins
SupposeImRight 😂😂😂
SupposeImRight 😁😁😁😁😁😁
SupposeImRight LOL!!!!!
Feefo should have ended the video saying : If I gotta bump it in the whip I'ma make it look sexy
Ron Onyonka Can't take him out his element, YAH. YAH.
Ron Onyonka If I know what to expect, ima make it look sexy
Ron Onyonka best comment ever
Im dead 😂😂😂😂😂
Ron Onyonka 😂😂😂😂
Drake said "I would have all of your fans if I stayed on some conscious shit"
So Kendrick took all his fans on some commercial shit with a message. Genius.
Ethan Simpson reaching
Juan Scott how can Drake diss Kendrick on a Game song? With the video in Compton?
TheLastBarbedWire that's the perfect setting to diss him? Lmao it's the most disrespectful that's why it works. I'm not even into Drake like that but that move was clever. Kendrick went on his conscious shit while being commercial and critically acclaimed, over 600k first week. In the ideals of Jay Z, Drake made it a hot line, Kendrick made it a hot album.
Ethan Simpson I definitely remember him saying that on The Game 100 song and Drake did the video in LA so disrespectful. That's what he gets lol!
Drake actually said that shit
IF IT DONT BUMP IN THE WHIP IMMA MAKE IT LOOK SEXI
IF I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT IMMA MAKE IT LOOK SEXIIIII
Feefo's talkin FEAR,
fear of a damaged aux
he's talkin FEAR
wyliebees FEAR of a dead battery
He's talking FEAR
fear of knowing what to expect
he's talking fear
wyliebees ahahhahahaha
FEAR of not bumping in the whip I’m talking FEAR
Lmao idk why this had me so dead
20:00 TPAB: he didnt help the homeless guy (god) and lose his spot in heaven... DAMN: he helps the blind lady(lucy aka lady lib bka satan) and dies... GENIUS!!!
AnTione Tha Don Prince of tha South blind woman is lady justice.
facelift thats also a good theory, considering how the news clip was played right after that part
AnTione Tha Don Prince of tha South STOP IT ! lol y'all making my head hurt with all theses good ass theories
I'm not fully sold on it being lady justice lol
AtomicBomberMan yeah the blind old woman discription almost is identical to the justice system lady. Showing how you try to reach out to help the justice system and unjustly killed for it. A lot of the album has sirens and what not in the beats. Google justice system woman and you'll get the picture I think
TheNeedleDrop, BigQuint and now DEHH: the cycle is finally complete.
SilverVeil what about Luke James not the singer?
SilverVeil The Holy Trinity
bdogdaprince fuck luck James he's not a good music critic
Jorge Orellana ohhh.. I fuck with him. 💯
SilverVeil Needledrop is out of the club
But did y'all chairs break???
Erik Giovani Kinge finna start going for lunch breaks too
Erik Giovani 😂😂😂
Ain't no RIP fool we out here
Erik Giovani LMAO
Quint's chair been through enough
not many people have been talking about the story on XXX. that story there gave me chills, about the killed son.
Amarna Mousa dog that second part of the song was just so relevant even more than when the album came out and so true it's scary
When that outburst suddenly cuts to Kendrick speaking to kids about gun control I get shivers
think about the contrast between the homeless man In How Much a Dollar Cost and the blind woman In BLOOD.
Bryant Fluker Goosebumps after I read this comment 💯
God is the scruffy, tweaked out, street bum, while the devil is an innocent confused old woman. For Sale also went into the same concept
Bismvth the blind woman could also represent lady justice and the justice system
That’s fucking crazy. Never even crossed my mind.
This concludes my rounds, I watched Bigquint, Luke James, Needledrop and now Dead End Hip-Hop.. see you guys in 2 years!
Nikcarl Luke James?
FearMuzic Not the singer!
Nikcarl Replace Luke James with Shawn Cee and that's me.
Nikcarl same af
The Golden four.
Prediction:
Feefo: Idk what except bumps
Ken: Man Im old this is black
Beezy: *lists every producer on the album*
Myke: THIS IS WHY WE SHOULD NOT REVIEW AN ALBUM THIS EARLY
Cripple Fight haha bezzy got me laughing
Cripple Fight exactly right 😭😂
the ken one got me dying
"Man I'm old" LMFAOOOOO
Cripple Fight I'm so weak😁😁😁😁
Kendrick hasn't delivered one average album yet, all of his albums are above 8 without a doubt!!
Dawg i ain't even @ my final form yet ya heard
Facts, incredible body of work.
Section 80
GKMC
TPAB
DAMN
Kendrick Lamar *KenFolk
Dat boi Kendrick something else
Kendrick = The Hood Shakespeare
Cant believe they didnt talk about FEEL, thats one of my favorite tracks on the album
Evan Samuel ikr my fav track now
Evan Samuel Yh feel is my fav by miles
Evan Samuel When I first listened to the album FEEL and LOVE caught my interests sooner than DNA tbh. Also originally I hated XXX but damn it's fire.
Roadman Onjob feel was my fav track then it went to duckworth then god and now yah....yah is like vintage Kendrick tbh he has hella shit in that realm
Evan Samuel Best track on the project to me
He created an album that was trendy, experimental, socially conscious, poppy, hard, soft, sweet, smooth, and somehow simple all at the same time. Truly a classic that has aged wonderfully
Damn.
I think he did ALL of that with more focus and better song writing on GKMC
@@chrilborn4138 yea but gkmc was thematic. That album could nearly be a mini screenplay. I think he showed his ability to create varied music without it being a movie
Kendricks worst album
@@Knucklejob reaching
It’s almost eerie how close Ken came to deciphering the ‘intention’ of the album.
I presume y’all didn’t watch the interview Kendrick did with Zane Low, wherein he said that TPAB represented the idea of trying to change the world. Whereas DAMN. was him addressing the fact that we won’t be able to affect that change, unless we start working on ourselves and start making better choices.
Shout out to Beezy en Myke for making me delve even deeper into this album, with that whole Lucy-thing. That flipped the whole album on its head for me. F- you guys. Forreal.
Great review. Thanks guys.
That was a great interview, Zane always gives good interviews.
Makavelicious ikr! It reminded me of the Zane Lowe interview also
You know they like an album when everyone is cutting into everyones point ... I felt the energy in this one.
Been waiting for this one. You guys are great, so many amazing perspectives. Appreciate Dead End so much
🔥🔥🔥
I love when Beezy talk a lot lol
miles johnson Word. Since the beginning of 2018 he has been noticeably talking more.
Sane. Hes like an excited kid
His own channel is dope
All serve a role. Great show jist watched 1st time yesterday
Back in the 2011 days he used to a lot lmao he was goofy af
What if the devil realized kendrick wasn't seduced or "tempted" by Lucy so he disguised himself as a blind helpless old lady so kendrick would be "tempted" to help her as the last time he didn't help out the needy, it ended up being god? (How much a dollar cost)
thedondon911911 very solid something
Luci=Lucifer lol
thedondon911911 bro you're woke af
Damn is a story I've figured out the start of it but I can't figure it out what happens after .
So the album is suppose to be listed backwards , duckworth we all know what is about , so if he really believes that story that means his whole career has been devoted to god through out this whole time . And GOD is the start of the story , it's him right after TPAB he feels like he done his job by making that album for god he feels like his free from all his sin , he feels untouchable and can do no wrong . Fear then comes in with his cousin leaving him that voicemail which leaves him questioning if his really saved . XXX is him realizing that u can't change the world unless he changes himself and through out the album his trying to figure himself out between love , lust , humble and pride , but I don't know how it ends or what happens inbetween
How I interpreted Duckworth. Kendrick's father dies. Never would've talked him out of getting revenge for his friend killed on GKMC. Died in gunfight.
Elijah Fontanez Or he would just be like any other kid in the hood without a father figure.
Elijah Fontanez healthy analysis
DAMN.
Yeezus fucking Christ man. I love the comments here.
Elijah Fontanez duckworth from my opinion seems like it's the timeline of KENDRICKS father and his new friend became cool and Kendrick pops respect the other guy so much he gave him 2extra biscuits for one love then they respected each other both. But If Kendrick pops didn't respect the guy he would've got killed and there wouldn't be any Kendrick Lamar
"If i gotta to hit the like button, i'ma make it look sexy"
Jean Franceschi y'all are overusing the line it's actually getting annoying now
Jean Franceschi bruh i was topless hitting the like button
Jean Franceschi at least make the syllables fit the rhythm of the original line smh
dap it does fit the syllables.
Adequate lol
One of the most depressing days I've had in a while and DEHH uploads. Thanks for brightening up my day guys.
PatrickWrennMusic same day was going to shit then boom a smile
Peace and love to you, stranger.
God bless you fam. Famous words of one of the greatest rappers to live "keep your head up"
Thank you all for the kind words, got some good news and the day is better. Bless you.
This album is amazing man. When you listen to it normally, 1 to 14 it's basically, for me anyway, Kendrick's life flashing before his eyes at the moment of death, you know that saying when you're about to die your life flashes before your eyes, you reminisce, and that's what it is, we are seeing his life from his personal point. BUT when you play that shit in reverse, and don't think I'm crazy, cause in a recent interview he basically says you gotta play that shit backwards too, if you play the album from 14 to 1, then it tells the story of Kendrick's creation and how he is the man he is, in Duckworth he talks about how his very existence could of been snuffed out with one bullet, then he moves onto God and talks about his influence in his life, then Fear, and the things he's feared from a young age up to adulthood, as the songs go on, he gets older and goes through different stages and what he thinks is important to him at the point of his life, Love, Lust, Loyalty, XXX (his country, his culture, his belonging in society), Pride, Humble, Feel, Element, Yah, DNA and finally Blood, it's basically telling us how he became who he was, the influences in his life, his relationship with different people and beings, his priorities at different ages, and then it comes to an end with Blood which is him basically saying everything is so irrelevant and minute when one decision could be your last, and how basically you should take life for what it is and enjoy every moment and feel all the emotions you can whilst you can. King Kendrick, I'm telling you, play that shit backwards and it's basically a different album/story, play it and try to blank out your brain, pretend like you haven't listened to it 1 to 14 already and it's amazing.
D S Where in the interview did he say listen to it backwards? Im not disagreeing with you i think you're on tp something, just don't remember him saying that
I totally agree and think you hit it right on the head.
There's one flaw in your theory is that in Fear. Kendrick's future self I think he's talking to his son. the reason I brought this up is because he mentioned Keisha's daughter and if you listen to Section 80. He talks about Keisha's in a track called Keisha's song. Keisha had a baby first before she died and that maybe the girl Kendrick is talking to his son about staying away from.
D S damn people put too much thought into it just enjoy the album
someguy ihate yeah that's the exact interview I was talking about, cheers
Top, Ali, Free, Soun, Sza, SiR, Q, Ab, IR, Rock, Skiiiwaller, Punch, Kendrick, Axlfolie, The Antydote., Chris Calor, King Blue, Ricci Riera, Tae Beast, THC & Willie B Thank y'all for what y'all do y'all are appreciated...
Best hip hop family!
Ken's starting to look like the uncle from The Last Airbender with that beard
imsteezy1 Iroh
SpeedBiltz32FLARE yes, I couldn't think of his name
imsteezy1 iroh
imsteezy1 R.I.P Mako 🙏
imsteezy1 💀💀💀
GIVE ME SOME GANJA!!!!
That Sample Is Heat
Sounded like something RTJ would kill
sample of d fucking year!
Don Cheadle probably did rap back in the day, do y'all remember how his character was when he was casted back then? For example on Fresh Prince, being Will's friend from the hood in Philly.
so nobody gonna talk about how LOVE is gonna be everybody's cookout couple song?!!
plamedi Matenda bruhhhhh I was thinking the exact same thing lmao
And the fact that Mike Will said Humble was originally for Gucci makes Myke's theory stand out even more
You would drop this while im in class lmfao
BlackCosmonaut for real
BlackCosmonaut on my kids
BlackCosmonaut these niggas said you got till April 24th to get your shit together.
On my day off this review drops, praise the lord
Yeah DEHH straight schemin against you. They definitely sat down and was like, "We gotta drop this while BlackCosmonaut is in class, fuck that dude."
Imagine K.Dot and 3K do a six track EP with a bitch don't kill my vibe sound. That's heaven right there.
Biggy Bwana Shiiiiiiiid fuck a EP just do a whole collab album 😥🔥🔥🔥
Biggy Bwana Andre on some other shit sonically, man man and stacks EP sound fye
My life is finally complete
Lol fr
the anticipation for this review was ridiculous.
GKMC, remember the voicemail his dad sends him tellin him not to go out looking for revenge for his homies brother. If Top killed k-dots dad that would never of happened and he would of lost his life doin that shit. tell me this ain't a link
Mini Monty cause if Anthony killed ducky and died in the same night kendrick would have grown up without a father and died in a gun fight. right
The butterfly effect
5 years later this album has aged VERY well!
Damn I ain't even think of that theory Myke said at the beginning lmao
The blind woman can also represent Lady Justice, which is fitting with the news excerpt that follows after the gunshot.
Don Sheadle played Ku Fu Kenny in Rush Hour that's why he was starring in the video , also that's what Kendrick is referring to throughout the album
Justin Alves Cheadle*
If I gotta bump this album in the whip imma make it look sexy
:( I tried.
Tabby aye its tabby everyone
Aye you ended up bein right tho
Lucy is blind because the devil doesn't judge based on color but by your actions which is something only a person who is blind can do.
God was dope af. And yes I saw him at Coachella and it was just like that. It's interesting song cuz in the first verse he's talking to god and in the second verse god is talking back to kendrick.
Call me
kendricks the best artist of our generation.
typical TDM As much as I admire him maybe I'll just say he's the best mainstream artist out now. Big Krit, Jcole are important as well. They really are the heart, soul and mind of this era. I got love for the underground indy artists they used to be as well. Cyhi da Prynce, Mick Jenkins, Isaiah Rashad deserve some shine too.
Kendrick Lamar and Frank Ocean are artists of the generation.
Nikhil Bhagat totally agree
Struggle Minded J Cole is nowhere near Kendrick but yeah Big K.R.I.T. is definitely close to Kdot along with Danny Brown
Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, Earl Sweatshirt, and Kid Cudi
Probly his most complex album, yet simple on the surface. Still waters run deep.
YES !
man that shit was all over the place, and the tracks were musically horrible
MC K bruh💀which tracks r u referring too cuz out of the album the only ehh tracks were maybe yah, god, and love and people loved those songs
Good User, M.a.a.d Internet all of them except dna, duckworth, and humble, the rest of the album is kendrick doing that annoying alien voice it's just not pleasing to listen to, which wasn't as present on his earlier albums, it felt like more life based on how all over the place it was, but was not enjoyable to listen to, that's why it was terrible for me, and I'd say it was terrible as a project musically
MC K dude I loved lust, pride, xxx, feel, a majority...idk man I'ma have to disagree, its a taste I guess and that's not true lmao he did that on gkmc on money trees the hook of sing about me, parts of tpab, the only thing dif was the lofi/trap production this time around
You Know kendrick watched this since he shouted them out on the tpabf review
I'm pretty sure Kendrick watches DEHH reviews since then.
I think even Anthony Fantano has pigeon holed Kendrick into that whole conceptual super deep black empowerment artist going by his review. Also he seemed to not be able to get off the whole Israelite idea presented in the album...and gave it a 7. I don't think it's a perfect 10/10, but it's definitely higher than a 7.
People tend to feel a way about the idea of a chosen group of people. It's not easily digestible
furthestfromthesun.
Section 80 (8.3)
GKMC (9.1)
TPAB (10)
Untitled (7.9)
DAMN. (8.8)
all so good and my opinions may change, especially on damn because it's still so fresh
Matt Traverso Why would he care about that and what people think of him? He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would to me
yeah, it's a solid 5 in my opinion
Matt Traverso yes i do, and do you realise he is a reviewer?? People are constantly going to be disagreeing with his opinion. He wouldn't do this for a living if it effected him so much that he had to give that album a lower rating cus' of what people are saying...
DAMN sold 600k first week..... that solidifies him as a legendary artist
Kristian Orella Sales don't necessarily correlate with being legendary, skills and substance do. ATCQ had relatively tepid sales and they are legendary. With that said Kendrick is legendary in my eyes for the aforementioned reasons and also because I believe he transcends generations. His skills and substance would've thrived 20 years ago as they do today and as they will when we're listening to his music 20 years from now.
interesting what myke was saying about how the beat kinda did whatever at one point on dna; kendrick actually just kept going after the beat was supposed to end so mike will had to add a second part to the beat. essentially, kendrick was rapping with no backing track and the beat for the second half was made after kendrick spit the lyrics. dope as hell.
Terox37 reminds me of that Dr Dre and Kendrick commercial where he said I hate feeling defeated by the beat. now the beat has to feed off his energy
Rihanna Got Bars Man....
@@mstefanidis1841 nah , she was better than kendrick there
She’s dope
Doing an essay that is due......and you drop this
kamakaze94 use it as background noise
Tell me what the essay is and I'll do it In the comments for fun
Good Idea
Sonically I gravitated to TPAB more but DAMN is definitely an album that I could use in my life right now
My analysis of DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar
Before we even get started, I wanna say that Kendrick very obviously used a more mainstream sound and it was 100% intentional. Partially as a dig @ Drake & Big Sean, to show he could do their style of music better than they could. Also one of them (idk which one, I don't listen to shit music) said "If I stayed on some conscious shit, I'd have all your fans" so Kendrick used THEIR style and stole their fans. Also because Kendrick wanted a very hip hop album. Kinda like how in a 'Pac or Cube album you can sit back, listen, give no thought to it, and enjoy it, but a smart listener could listen to it for years and still find new stuff in it.
The album begins with the track "BLOOD," which is more of a one minute intro. In it, Kendrick decides to help a blind old lady who then shoots him. I believe that this was a premonition Kendrick was having and the rest of the tape is him wondering why it'll happen, but I'll get to that in a minute. This track, and the next track have an excerpt from a FOX Newscast, and they were covering Kendrick's grammy performance, which he stood on top of a trashed cop car and performed his hit single "Alright." In it, they try to paint him and all rap as just awful and aggressive people who do nothing but promote violence, sex & drugs, which is why in this you see Kendrick take a much more aggressive tone. He's essentially saying "you want the monster, you got him."
Back to the original topic. So, Kendrick has a premonition of his death and the rest of the album is him wondering why it's gonna happen. The first track is "DNA," and I think in this one, it's Kendrick wondering if his death is inevitable. If his death is a result of something that is deeply imbedded in his genes, something he can't control.
The next track is titled "YAH," which introduces a lingering self doubt he constantly expresses in this album. In his past albums & mixtapes, even when he expressed sadness, there was always a hint of hope, but this is the first album where Kendrick genuinely seems hopeless. You see that he is questioning everything. His religion, his self, everything. He frequently repeats across the album "ain't nobody praying for me," which along with his constant self doubt, will come into play later.
The next track is called "ELEMENT." In this one, we see even more doubt, now in the world around him. He's looking down on everyone, expressing cynicism, and pride, which will come into play later. He expresses how no one is praying for him, and uses the lines "damned if i do, if i don't, goddamn us all if you won't."
"FEEL" expresses more self doubt. This seems to be something Kendrick is dealing with heavily on this album.
"LOYALTY" expresses Kendrick's desire for real relationships. He's sick of the fake. This could just be applied to romantic relationships. I, however, think it's applied to all relationships, romantic, platonic, familial. He just wants to trust someone.
"PRIDE" & "HUMBLE" are contradictory, but they go together. You'll notice that in PRIDE, it's mostly self doubt. Whereas in HUMBLE, he expresses pride. This is him grappling with the concept of pride. He hates himself, yet he loves himself too much. When he says "bitch, sit down, be humble," in a literal sense, he could easily be talking to other rappers. In a metaphorical sense, he's definitely talking to himself.
"LUST" is him wondering if his evil desires could be what leads to his death. Keep in mind, Kendrick is very Christian, which comes into play on this album. I think in this one, he can't control his desires but he wants to, and he's scared this will be what leads to his demise.
"LOVE" has Kendrick contradicting this last thought. You'll notice how many contradictions there are in this album, which go along with the theme of self doubt. But, in this song, Kendrick is wondering if love will lead to his demise, whilst also focusing on how much he loves this girl. Somewhere in the album, I can't remember where, he says "loves gonna destroy you," or something along those lines. He also says in here "don't got you, I got nothing," which goes along with the line said somewhere in the album that Kendrick is afraid God will do to him what he did to Job.
"XXX" details a conversation Kendrick had with his friend. In it, the friend calls Kendrick in tears, saying someone killed his son, and he needs Kendrick's help because he doesn't know what to do, and Kendrick is the most spiritual person he knows. And, Kendrick says, "I can't sugarcoat the answer for you, this is how I feel, if somebody killed my son, that means somebody's getting killed." Which is Kendrick in a way stepping away from the very spiritual persona he has set up for himself in the song & in real life. You could look at this like Kendrick wondering if this leads to his death. Like maybe God is punishing him for leaving His side, which comes into play later.
"FEAR" details three scenarios where Kendrick has felt fear. Once as a child when his parents had to discipline him, sometimes in very cruel ways, but it was to be sure he didn't turn out like the rest of the kids in Compton. The second one is him worried he will die young. He details multiple scenarios where he could be shot at any moment which goes along with the theme of him trying to decipher his premonition of death. The third is him as an adult once he got rich and he's worried he'll lose it all.
"GOD." is a continuation of the final verse on "FEAR." In this song, he comes to grips with his fear of losing all he's worked for, and says "This is what God feels like," pretty much saying he was blessed by God with all this stuff. This is the part of the album where Kendrick finally finds his inner peace. He accepts God into his life, and it seems like he has avoided his death.
"DUCKWORTH." tells the story of Kendrick's father, who was held at gunpoint by Top Dawg (guy who signed Kendrick and got him famous). In it, Kendrick details how crazy of a coincidence that is. He also kind of details how one single choice can effect an entire life, because of Top Dawg had shot Kendrick's dad, then Kendrick wouldn't have had a father, could've possibly grown up to be a gang banger, died in a gun fight, Top Dawg would be in prison & would've never started TDE, and there would be no "Kendrick Lamar, greatest rapper of our generation." This goes along with another theme of the album - choices & how they effect us. i
This song ends with Kendrick being shot. I think that the old blind lady who shot Kendrick was Lucy, who represented the devil in the last album. In this album, Kendrick is thinking that all these evil desires are leading to his death so he accepts God into his life to avoid dying. Lucy is angry about this so she kills him.
The one thing I cannot seem to figure out is why the old lady was blind. Has to stand for something I just don't know what.
President Prince people think the blind lady represents Justice. America depicts justice as a blind woman with a sword and scales, the symbolism being that Justice is blind and therefore fair. She judges you with the scales to find an accurate account then deals punishment with her sword. Replace sword with gun, similar picture being painted.
JUST A THEORY: When playing the album backwards Kendrick is wicked because all his Weakness is overcome by the Wickedness of the next track (Love then Lust, a sin. Humble then Pride, a sin. and etc.). This Wickedness is what leads Lady Justice to kill him?
Nyshyn that could explain it! throughout the album, he is going through all these things that could lead to his death, all revolving around human desires. which leads to what you said.
amityville
Here's an idea to add to your theory:
In an interview, he said that the gunshot and reversal at the end represented that "none of this ever happened."
It's the idea that "What happens on Earth stays on Earth." Once you die (represented by gunshot), nothing that happened on Earth really matters, when you ascend to the afterlife. It's as if all of Kendrick's actions never happened (the reversal represents them not happening). They don't matter, he's going to be forced to leave them behind.
@MrEYOS ... he showed this. he's more commercial than big sean. and DAMN beat more life in sales. even though more life is 8 tracks more and is a playlist. and a playlist is normally played more than an album. so hes showed us he can keep his artistic integrity while selling more. drake obviously can sing better and sounds more universal but he can't fuck with kendrick anymore. kendrick could barely sing a few years ago, now hes got much better, still a long way to go but there's no stopping him, he's just gunna improve. drake stays stale, normal albums, little development withjust more songs to up the streams. and what does big sean do that kendrick can't do lool.
The reason why Lucy is blind could be a deceptive tactic. Lucifer has a reputation of not looking as he seems, constantly lying, and could show that these evil desires which come from Lucy might not seem harmful, like a blind woman, but eventually will get you, like the gunshot.
Shoutout to Ken for that Wolverine shirt though 🙏🏽
I thought the blind woman was Lady Justice since Justice is supposed to be blind
So instead of Lucy influencing Kendricks evil desires and actions and then killing him, its Kendrick doing evil acts and Justice paying him back?
Myke summed it up so well when he said Kendrick is just doing other artists stuff better
Mercutio hello, me
Another great review!
I noticed on The Heart IV, Kendrick said that he's the greatest and he's also died metaphorically in order to claim that spot. This album is his life flashing before him and Kid Capri is welcoming him at the gates of heaven
kendrick kinda hints on the zane lowe interview that the listening to it backwards theory is actually a thing.
XXX. Best song from the album
Walk myself to the court like
Bitch, I did that
X rated
You guys are the review GOATS 🐐 DAMN is seriously going to go down as a classic! Kdot just announced his concert today and I'm waiting for tickets to go on sale because I'm going to be like "LIKE AHHHHHAHHHHH" 🔥🙌🏼💯❤️🙏🏼
m a r i n a ahhhhhhaaaaaa
I'm dying 😂 That Method Man reference was hilarious
The album isn't about kdot being jesus or resurrection. The final track says if Top Dawg had killed his dad then Kendrick himself might grow up to die in a gun fight and that is exactly what happens on the first track. The album is about what Kendrick's life would be like if he grew up without a father. Kung Fu Kenny is a different character than Cornrow Kenny.
Damn....
Yup.
Brian Steiner exactly even in fear the first verse he keeps mentioning his mother and never his father because in duckworth his father dies which is why ppl say listen to it backwards
Yeah also in Fear his mom says "I'll beat your ass if you tell Child protective services he lives here" or something to that like that, implying that his mom has a boyfriend.
Huey X the mom does mention a father. She says word for word "you better not run to your father"
Both Kendrick and Joey's albums took me a while to get into but I'm satisfied. Haters should give them both another chance
came looking back at this 3 yrs later
19:48 is one of the funniest moments i've ever seen on this show
that James Brown sample when the beat morphs in DNA is possibly the coldest, most emotion inducing part of the whole album haha so sick
It felt like forever waiting for this 😭
I really love these videos, the conversations are always interesting, to me sometimes moreso than traditional reviews
damn I watched this this morning and had 9k views now it has 78k views, the popularity of kendrick is crazy but dehh has the best reviews and delivered another great review
I think Tpab is still Kendrick's magnum opus but this album is a close second
Efraín Ram agreed
Connor Maruke it
Efraín Ram Section 80 is his best work IMO.
DAMN easily worse than TPAB and GKMC. Loyalty and Love are some of the worst tracks hes ever made.
TheGreatRoofini both of those are 🔥
This is why I love DEHH. I respect all reviewers but I always tend to gravitate towards you guys just because I love your perspectives and views on hip hop. Thank you for doing great work. I love this album, it'd not quite my favorite but it's dope
Love you guys dedication,
great idea about lucy but it's not the devil, if you listen to the first track he clearly says a blind woman, what do we say about justice in america, it's blind, and this also supported by the clip of fox news at the end of the track, ultimately Kendrick is saying that he is damned by the hands of america whether he's successful, or a young black teenager without a father or guidance. if you listen to element he says "fake my death go to Cuba that's my only option" he's relating tupac's experience to his experience of being a voice for revolutionary black thoughts and that the only way to survive is to leave america, in the same song he says "damned if i do or if i don't" further suporting his "damnation" (Damned Nation)
still love you guys review
andrew butler maybe the lady represents both?
it could be, America and lucy have alot in common(smh) and if that's the case, Kendrick is truly the greatest
andrew butler best analysis ever.. crazy
andrew butler makes sense because he says that the U.S. is luci
alec fredrickson When you understand that the White House sits on an image of the biblical demon MOLOCH , it will make sense. Look it up.
Funny how Myke said he’s not listening to it backwards then later that year KDot dropped the album backwards.....
kendrick lamar aka k dot aka kung fu kenny aka cornrow kenny aka king kendrick aka king kunta aka mr 1-5 aka man-man fucking did it again
IS IT WICKEDNESS?
IS WEAKNESS?
I was at his Coachella performance last week, and you guys are right about "GOD." being a concert song lol. Everyone said that part back and the album had just came out
There was a juvenile flow in element too. He really played with his flow this album which was refreshing. Love the kid Capri hosting on this
Although DAMN. has some trendy mainstream tracks people really forget how experimental the album is at times. Especially the the concept at whole.
They way Beezy delivers that Damn is special
The story of Top Dawg not killing Kendricks father and the possible ripple it would have caused in Kendricks life could be a perfect example of "The Butterfly Effect"........
Goddamn. Kendrick has transcended Hip Hop. I don't consider him just a rapper anymore. He's a true fucking artist. Beyond just Hip Hop. It's just music. Music that defines art.
He’s a rapper. Stop acting like rap isn’t art.
The song God starts off with "this what god feel like." The song comes after every feeling of Kendrick: humble, love, lust, fear etc. I'm assuming the line draws a connection between general human emotions and god.
what happens on earth stays on earth!
Black god we gonna put it in reverse!
I feel like Kendrick made this album to sound the way it does was to make it more accessible to the masses. but, he also kept the core messages and symbolism for his core fan base that like to decipher his lyrics and find meaning in them.
Beezy ready to pose for his album cover with that in the beginning lmao
"God" is dope. don't judge me!
agree not lyrically but the only good hook in the album
Actually the worst hook on the album. AAAAHAAAAAA HELL straight cringe but good beat
Don't *jjyyyyuuuudge* me
Second beat is fire
God is one of my fav songs... like after accomplishing something in the day feeling good in your life, throw that on, this what God feel like... euphoric...
If I gotta have the album on repeat Ima make it look sexyyy
I love these guys, they're very consistent which is missing from a lot of "Critics".
Man you guys honestly have the best conversations best reviews. I need to listen to it again I missed that Israelite bit. Shot guys!
Man breezy contributed the most healthy point in this whole episode. Always rooting for Beezy on the side man and congrats on the video feature
This! This is the best album review i've heard yet!
I watched Kendrick's interview with Lowe and he said it was about self reflection. It made me think that the reason this album seems so fractured is to bring people together to dwell on it and decipher. The reason being is that, once someone gets a revelation it will also spread to the others, thus we can become self aware in unity.
Lookin back at this review god went on to be one of the most popular songs ESPECIALLY at concerts lol
I have been waiting on this for forever
Every song on this album is on the level of Fuck Your Ethnicity & Poe Man's Dreams. That's says ALOT, if you been following Kendrick that long.
Zgamer7 not every one
Zgamer7 is that good or bad? lol
Zgamer7 that's not true at all
Zgamer7
I disagree with that so much. And those songs aren't even that old (2011)
I'm always happy when Ken gets an album that doesn't remind him of 808's and Heartbreak.Also, Pride is one of the best songs on DAMN.