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.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.false2021-06-07 16:11:19DAMN.1020172017-04-142017-04-144Hip Hop1143572446045503c4a0f-97b9-4d6b-9a27-52a7f6b21cc9381086ea-f511-4aba-bdf9-71c753dc5077b88655ba-7469-48b8-a296-b9011ab73ef3/media/data/media4/Music/Kendrick Lamar feat. Rihanna/Loyalty/folder.jpgKendrick Lamar feat. RihannaKendrick LamarKendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He is often cited as one of the most influential rappers of his generation. Aside from his solo career, he is also a member of the hip hop supergroup Black Hippy alongside his former Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) labelmates Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, and Schoolboy Q.
Raised in Compton, California, Lamar embarked on his musical career as a teenager under the stage name K.Dot, releasing a mixtape titled Y.H.N.I.C. (Hub City Threat Minor of the Year) that garnered local attention and led to his signing with indie record label TDE. He began to gain recognition in 2010 after his first retail release, Overly Dedicated. The following year, he independently released his first studio album, Section.80, which included his debut single "HiiiPoWeR". By that time, he had amassed a large online following and collaborated with several prominent rappers. He subsequently secured a record deal with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, under the aegis of Interscope Records.
Lamar's major-label debut album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, was released in 2012, garnering him widespread critical recognition and mainstream success. His third album To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), which incorporated elements of funk, soul, jazz, and spoken word, predominantly centred around the Black-American experience. It became his first number-one album on the US Billboard 200 and was an enormous critical success. His fourth album, Damn (2017), saw continued acclaim, becoming the first non-classical and non-jazz album to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music. It also yielded his first number-one single, "Humble", on the US Billboard Hot 100. Lamar curated the soundtrack to the superhero film Black Panther (2018) and in 2022, released his fifth and last album with TDE, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, which received critical acclaim.Lamar has certified sales of over 70 million records in the United States alone, and all of his albums have been certified platinum or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He has received several accolades in his career, including 14 Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, six Billboard Music Awards, 11 MTV Video Music Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, a Brit Award, and an Academy Award nomination. In 2012, MTV named him the Hottest MC in the Game on their annual list. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016. In 2015, he received the California State Senate's Generational Icon Award. Three of his studio albums were included on Rolling Stone's 2020 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.