DAMN.

Background/Theme

DAMN is Kendrick’s fourth album released in 2017, but it is important to note that it is technically his fifth because of the release of “Untitled Unmastered” in 2016. Untitled Unmastered is made up of extra songs from when Kendrick was working on To Pimp A Butterfly, that were scrapped for whatever reason. None of the songs have names, only a number and a date, for example, “untitled 01 | 08.19.2014”. Untitled Unmastered is definitely worth a listen. Anyways, DAMN is very different from his last album, yet similar at the same time. It takes many of the same themes such as racism and personal struggles from previous albums, but with a drastically different sound. He shifted the production to be much more mainstream, hoping the message he conveys throughout his songs can be heard by more and more people. If you listen to the album top to bottom and really pay attention to the lyrics, Kendrick is actually telling a story track by track. The story tells of Kendrick’s struggle with good and evil. The opening track “BLOOD” is a sort of vignette about Kendrick helping a blind woman who looks like she has lost something. He approaches her, only for her to say “Oh yes you have lost something. You’ve lost your life” And ends with a gunshot, indicating she shot Kendrick. This sparks a new mentality inside of Kendrick that’s telling him “Why should I help others if this is how they will repay me?” This starts his journey where he confronts his own good and evil, love and lust, humbleness and pride.

Commercial/Critical Success

DAMN is by far Kendrick's most commercially successfull album to date. As of writing this, it has amassed 5,388,627,486 total streams on spotify, with two songs over 1 billion streams, "LOVE. FEAT. ZACARI." and Kendricks most popular song he's ever released, "HUMBLE." sitting at 1,873,209,579 plays on spotify. Apart from commercial success, it was recieved very positivley by critics alike. His awards and across all ceremonies include: Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album from the Amereican Music Awards, BET Hip Hop Awards Album of the Year, Danish Music Awards International Album of the Year, 2018 Fonogram Awards Best Foreign Rap or Hip-Hop Album of the Year, iHeartRadio Music Awards Hip-Hop Album of the Year, and a few more. He won rap album of the year at the 2018 Grammy's, but failed to take home album of the year. However, the most prestigious award he recieved was winning the "Pulitzer Prize For Music" become the first and only rapper to ever win it.

Overview

Overall, "DAMN." is a significant contribtion to the hip hop landscape, and a testament to Kendrick's impact as an artist. The album showcases Kendrick's ability to deliver compelling storytelling, lyricism and social commentary. The critical acclaim and commercial success further elevate Kendrick Lamar's status as one of the most influential and innovative voices in contemporary music.