By Giacomo Kuzma, Hip-Hop/Rap Columnist
“I was born like this, since one like this; immaculate conception/I transform like this, perform like this, was Yeshua’s new weapon … ”
– Kendrick Lamar, “DNA.”
Since Kendrick Lamar Duckworth’s beginnings as a local Compton rapper known as K-Dot, he has pushed the boundaries of the rap genre.
After releasing his first mixtape, “Y.H.N.I.C. (Hub City Threat: Minor of the Year)” (2003) at age 16, Lamar gained attention locally and signed to LA-based label Top Dawg Entertainment. This prompted the release of the mixtapes “Training Day” (2005) and “No Sleep til’ NYC” (2007).
After releasing his fourth mixtape, “C4” (2009), Lamar set aside the peer-dubbed pseudonym “K-Dot” and pulled inspiration from his birthname, a refinement reflected in his release at the end of 2009, “The Kendrick Lamar EP.”
“[Expletive], my name is Kendrick … Lamar/I said my name is Kendrick … Lamar/I changed the name ‘cause I was tired of being like y’all/Now finally I’m ready to tell the world who I are …”
– Kendrick Lamar, “Kendrick Lamar”
As a redefined artist, Lamar released his “O(verly) D(edicated)” mixtape in 2010, followed by his debut studio album “Section.80” in 2011, earning him more and more attention. Next released were the albums, “good kid, m.A.A.d city” (2012), “To Pimp a Butterfly” (2015) and “untitled unmastered.” (2016), earning him impressive ratings and praise.
On April 14, 2017, Kendrick Lamar released his fourth studio album to the world: “DAMN.” The album’s lead single, “HUMBLE.,” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. All 14 tracks of “DAMN.” charted on the Billboard Hot 100, and the album itself peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Metacritic, which gives a rating (metascore) out of 100 to albums based on user and critic reviews, assigned “DAMN.” a 95 — giving Lamar the two highest scoring hip-hop/rap albums on Metacritic to date (“To Pimp a Butterfly” with 96). “DAMN.” was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in its third week.
Lamar is in the top five emcees — past and most certainly present — as far as rapping ability, no doubt, but where Lamar stands unrivaled is in his profound artistry. The conceptual beauty of “To Pimp a Butterfly” was proof, and “DAMN.” further cemented my belief.
The album is a new chapter in his career, showing the evolution of Lamar’s character.
“Kung Fu Kenny now/My resume is real enough for two millenniums . . . ”
– Kendrick Lamar, “LOYALTY.”
The protagonist of “good kid, m.A.A.d city” is a young, impressionable Lamar being subjected to the trials and tribulations of growing up in his hometown of Compton, California.
“To Pimp a Butterfly” delves into the challenges of escaping Compton’s perils, the wider struggles of the American black man, and Lamar’s personal struggle in American black society.
“DAMN.” is the most focused on Lamar’s inner-self — his core emotions. His fears, his feelings, his values — and his “DNA.” — are unveiled on this record, as seen in the track titles “FEAR.,” “FEEL.” and “LOYALTY.”
This is Lamar’s most raw and personal work, conveyed in a humble, but prideful, subdued, but rebellious, manner. After the declarative, hard-hitting “DNA.” comes a dimmed, pensive “YAH.,” followed by the self-empowering “ELEMENT.,” and then the contrastingly somber and vulnerable “FEEL.” The juxtapositions are deliberate and effective.
“I feel like a chip on my shoulders/I feel like I’m losin’ my focus/I feel like I’m losin’ my patience/I feel like my thoughts in the basement …”
– Kendrick Lamar, “FEEL.”
“‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ would be the idea of the thought of changing the world,” Lamar, in an interview with Zane Lowe of Apple Music, said. “‘DAMN.’ would be the idea, ‘I can’t change the world ‘til I change myself.’”
In “DAMN.” we hear Lamar’s explicit take on what he sees in the mirror. At the root of this project is his struggle for humility, rendered masterfully in high-level lyricism. “DAMN.” gives the listener an expanded, human sense of Lamar, something not extensively explored in his previous works. Kendrick this season blesses the world with another creative masterpiece.
Drake? Big Sean? In the words of the man himself, “get out the goddamn way.”