You don’t have to dig far to work out the themes on this new
album by Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar - the track titles are a bit of a giveaway.
But that isn’t to say this is a surface-level listen. Kendrick? Surface-level?
Don’t be silly.
To Pimp A Butterfly
– the rapper’s last record if you ignore the untitled unmastered b-sides release – was a jazzy epic that tackled
external issues of race, sex and class. DAMN
in contrast focuses on internal issues of pressure to succeed and fear of
losing creativity. And it’s definitely not for jazzheads. ‘DNA’ swiftly
establishes that with its 808s and seismic beat shift, certain to even have gold-grilled
ganglords in their traphouses wincing.
We’ll return to the sonic side of DAMN in a moment. Lyrically, let’s discuss these internalised
lyrics first. Whilst previous albums have been told through characters and allegories, this record is all delivered from the perspective of Kendrick
himself (with the exception of ‘DUCKWORTH’ – the surprise story of how his dad was almost killed before his birth). And yet whilst the themes are signposted in
big bold capitalised lettering, the message behind these songs isn’t so clear this time around. It’s
as if he simply wants to vent his feelings and let us make sense of them this
time: ‘And I can’t take these feelings
with me so I hope they disperse/ within fourteen tracks, carried out over wax/
wondering if I’m living through fear or living through rap’.
Hearing Kendrick sounding so lost and vulnerable was
unexpected – you’d think a dude with Kendrick’s level of success would have no
concerns. But clearly fame isn’t everything. If anything, this vulnerability and
self-consciousness only adds to Kendrick’s relatability and likability.
Back to the sonic side of DAMN. It’s not all trap bangers like ‘DNA’. In fact, it’s a mixed
bag – the likes of ‘LOYALTY’, featuring vocals from Rihanna, show a more
poppy side, whilst the likes of ‘XXX’ meander experimentally all over the place
boasting police sirens, detuned pianos and guest vocals from Bono. Kendrick’s delivery
meanwhile constantly and creatively shifts to match each song, singing soulfully
on ‘YAH’ and then dropping mean bars on ‘XXX’.
There are points where, unusually, Kendrick does seem to be picking
up styles that don’t quite suit him. ‘LOVE’ ventures a little too far into
generic love balladry – not helped by the Bieber-like sung hook from Zacari. ‘GOD’ meanwhile sees Kendrick using a horrible
vocal tone that sounds like a bad Fetty Wap impression.
These dud tracks don’t ruin DAMN, but they do prevent it being
the masterpiece that its predecessor was. For its lyrical content, there’s no
faulting it. Kendrick’s more personal and introspective approach makes it
standout from other records in his discography, and proves his further knack
for conceptual albums.
★★★★☆
TRACK TASTER: