Released: 2017

Genres: West Coast Hip-Hop, Conscious Hip-Hop, Political Hip-Hop, R&B, Trap, Pop Rap

The Musiquarium’s DAMN. Review Score: 10 out of 10

Coming off two legendary albums (and an excellent companion piece to the latter), Kendrick Lamar had become one of, if not the biggest players in rap. The expectations were riding high with DAMN. and while some may see it as inferior to its two predecessors, it’s still one of the best hip-hop albums of the decade so far — no, of all time.

Compared to the genre-bending To Pimp a Butterfly, which played like a greatest hits of 50 years of African American music, DAMN. is a more straightforward and accessible album than its predecessor. There are smooth R&B tracks like LOYALTY. and LOVE., and club-ready bangers, like HUMBLE., but DAMN. is still chock-full of poetic, hard-hitting lyricism and themes, diverse samples, fantastic production and crossover appeal (see the U2 feature, XXX.)

DNA. is built around exotic synths and utilizes a clever Rick James voice sample. YAH. is as suave as it is cool — the perfect song for driving around at night to. ELEMENT. has a sensual kind of ominous vibe to it. FEEL. and PRIDE. are both soulful, melting like butter in the ears. LUST. is a bedroom jam for the ages. FEAR. and GOD. add thematic weight towards the end of the album.

On the final track, DUCKWORTH., Kendrick recounts a story where his father survived a robbery at the chicken shop he was working at, by getting in the good graces of a local robber, by always giving him free biscuits. That robber went on to create Top Dog Entertainment, which was the label that Kendrick Lamar helped make famous. That fateful interaction was the moment that could have prevented Kendrick’s career from ever even getting off the ground in the first place and just goes to show how one decision can greatly affect the future (the butterfly effect).

After the enormous heights of good kid m.A.A.d city and To Pimp a Butterfly, DAMN. was destined to fall short in one way or another, but I think it’s the exact album it needed to be.

Trivia: Kendrick Lamar went on to win a Pulitzer Prize for this album, which made DAMN. the first non jazz or classical album to ever do so. DAMN. also won Best Rap Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view Kendrick Lamar on Discogs.

Back to the 2017 Album Guide or the Kendrick Lamar Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard