DAMN.
In the two years since *To Pimp a Butterfly*, we’ve hung on Kendrick Lamar\'s every word—whether he’s destroying rivals on a cameo, performing the #blacklivesmatter anthem *on top of a police car* at the BET Awards, or hanging out with Obama. So when *DAMN.* opens with a seemingly innocuous line—\"So I was taking a walk the other day…”—we\'re all ears. The gunshot that abruptly ends the track is a signal: *DAMN.* is a grab-you-by-the-throat declaration that’s as blunt, complex, and unflinching as the name suggests. If *Butterfly* was jazz-inflected, soul-funk vibrance, *DAMN.* is visceral, spare, and straight to the point, whether he’s boasting about \"royalty inside my DNA” on the trunk-rattling \"DNA.\" or lamenting an anonymous, violent death on the soul-infused “FEAR.” No topic is too big to tackle, and the songs are as bold as their all-caps names: “PRIDE.” “LOYALTY.” “LOVE.” \"LUST.” “GOD.” When he repeats the opening line to close the album, that simple walk has become a profound journey—further proof that no one commands the conversation like Kendrick Lamar.
DAMN. is a widescreen masterpiece of rap, full of expensive beats, furious rhymes, and peerless storytelling about Kendrick’s destiny in America.
Unlike some of his Compton rap forefathers, Kendrick Lamar has rarely had to struggle for respect. He’s reached a level of acceptance and prestige almost unimaginable for any rapper a generation ago. Music publications and fans alike herald him as one of the most significant artists of his generation. The Grammys have…
Damn is an album of bangers, but also an album of ever imperfect portraits told with supreme skill.
Kendrick Lamar’s album is a powerful, potent look inside the troubled mind of a genius. Read NME's verdict on 'DAMN.'
The era-defining rapper follows up his last masterpiece with another deep listen
DAMN. is Kendrick Lamar dead and Kendrick Lamar alive. It is Kendrick Lamar condemned and Kendrick Lamar redeemed.
Kendrick Lamar has already taken hip-hop to the outer galaxies of style, sound and resonance.
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Kendrick Lamar follows the free-sampling jazz of To Pimp A Butterfly with a deeply introspective and challenging fourth album.
At some point, every great artist hits a turbulent patch in their career. Call it the Kingdom Come moment, dubbed after Jay-Z's flaccid 2006...
On "PRIDE.," Kendrick Lamar declares: "I can't fake humble just because your ass is insecure."
What happens on Earth, stays on Earth, and our hero finds his home planet an almighty mess: sex, money and murder have wriggled their way into the DNA of
More than drugs, crime or gynaecology, greatness is arguably the meta-theme of all hip-hop, and Lamar both tells and shows his pre-eminence
As Kendrick Lamar gets back to rapping on new album DAMN. he secures a legacy that was already unshakable since 'To Pimp A Butterfly'.
The specter of violent death becomes a narrative device that wraps its arms around the whole album.
'DAMN.' by Kendrick Lamar, review by Owen Maxwell, the full-length is now available to stream. Kendrick Lamar plays this weekend at Coachella Festival.
Luscious harmonies and hints of psychedelic soul – plus guest support from Bono and Rihanna – couch brilliant, sharp-edged storytelling from an artist at the top of his game
Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. review: don't ask for your favourite rapper, he dead
Kendrick Lamar is the star hip hop has been waiting for, the most urgent, dextrous and purposeful rap lyricist of his generation and perhaps any.