Kendrick Lamar has arguably the greatest career in all of hip hop, despite having less number one hits than Drake and less albums than Jay Z the quality and raw substance of Kendrick’s work outshines any of rapper to ever pick up a mic. While To Pimp a Butterfly is regarded as one of if not the greatest albums of all time; Mr Morale and the Big Steppers and Good Kid Maad City are regarded as classics of the genre earning Album of the Year nominations and other awards galore. The black sheep of the K. Dot mythos is undoubtedly his fourth studio album, ‘DAMN.’. Even just the album title alone is unprofessional and messy, loud yet concise. DAMN. is not popularly regarded as a concept album in the same way that, for example, TPAB is which is rather odd to me. DAMN. is centered around a choice. One choice that would go on to define Kendirck Lamar’s life and music in a way not clear in any other album. This is not a choice made by Kendrick however, this is a choice made by the listener to play out Kendricks life either on the path of weakness and wickedness. The choice to walk towards or run away from God.

Two songs in particular define the album, being the first and last tracks on the album being BLOOD and DUCKWORTH. Starting with BLOOD. “So I was taking a walk the other day” opens the album. Blood is not a very traditional song especially compared to the average Kendrick Lamar song. BLOOD is a story spoken softly and informally by Kendrick himself, the story involves Kendrick going on a walk before spotting an old woman struggling with herself. Kendrick attempts to help her asking if she had lost something, the woman responds “Oh, yes, you have something… you’ve lost, your life” before a gunshot rings and the song abruptly seems to end. After some short time a snippet from a FOX news segment plays with Eric Bolling and Kimberly Guifoyle speaking on Kendrick Lamar’s song Alright off of his last album, saying  that they “didn’t like it all” and attributing the song to an anti-police propaganda speech. These news snippets are used repeatedly throughout the album during songs like YAH and DNA being integrated into each songs plot with Kendirck responding to the anchors. The final piece of BLOOD’s puzzle is the question posed by Bēkon, a producer featured on the album. Bēkon remarks “Is it wickedness? is it weakness? You decide! Are we gonna live or die?” and later repeats “Is it wickedness” before the FOX news snippet plays. 

DUCKWORTH is the final song off of DAMN and has a clear story to tell, the story of Ducky and Anthony. Anthony, or top dawg, is a young adult fresh off of a marriage and some children. Despite his good heart and light demeanor he continues the cycle of vengeance and begins  involving himself in gang warfare and drug dealing narrowly avoiding the law. One day when visiting a local KFC just like any day he would meet a man that would change his life. A curly haired, light skin teenager that just moved to LA from a slum in Chicago. Ducky. Anthony had a reputation at this point being known on the streets for many things but especially a messy robbery that ended with a dead customer and hospitalized manager, Ducky knows knows this so he treats Anthony and his friends well. He gives them extra food for free whenever he’s posted in line. This is the choice that saved Kendrick’s life. When Anthony robbed the KFC again he let Ducky live, whether this is fate at work or pure luck is up to you. Three years later Ducky would father Kendrick Lamar Duckworth who would sign to Top Dawg Entertainment in 2005. 

“Who ever thought the greatest rapper would come from coincidence?

Because if Anthony killed Ducky Top Dawg would be serving life 

While I grew up without a father and died in a gun fight” a gun shot rings signaling the end of the music but not the end of the song. Some sped up reversed music plays, speeding up and speeding up until the fog clears. “So I was taking a walk the other day”. The beginning of the album, the first lines you hear when you spin this record, the start is the end. This is indicative of the twist on damn, the choice. 

BLOOD and DUCKWORTH both end on an ambiguous stinger and a gunshot, Kendrick could not make the parallels any more obvious, and DUCKWORTH ends on some reversed music, what does he say. PLaying the ending backwards has Kendrick rap the ending of DUCKWORTH again and then part of PRIDE and the opening to DNA before he repeats the album’s opener. Kendrick plays the album in reverse ending with BLOOD. The general story of DAMN is one of redemption, Kendrick overcoming weakness and wickedness slowly through religion, he claims God in YAH and users plentiful religious imagery including songs about the seven deadly sins and asking the listener to pray for him FEEL. FEEL is interesting because Kendrick lines some of his ailments feeling like half a man, a man troubled. He lines the problems of the world predicting an apocalypse, he blames deceit, the internet, false prophets, even the church. He speaks on “the phoenix” and “loch ness monster” watching this happen symbolizing the reborn son of God and biblical leviathan that signals the return of the antichrist. Despite the end of the good world as we know it Kendrick still takes a prideful and ultimately sympathetic stance. The media hate his messages and the people are jealous of his success. Even after releasing To P*mp a Butterfly he becomes a legend of the rap game and sees himself as the greatest ever, despite helping and blessing so many people with his music and being one of the most famous people in the world, he feels alone. He has nobody to pray for him, he repeats this on end during the songs chorus.

When listening to DAMN from BLOOD to GOD, Kendrick finds himself struggling and fist deep in a life of hurting and hurting others. He at first rejects the word of GOD but comes to accept that the only way he can be saved is through the lords will. He accepts this on FEAR and GOD and lives happily and joyously. When played in reverse order he loves God from the start and lives in his light. After seeing the pain and injustice in the world he doubts God and grows resentful and evil. Even after realizing God is the way in YAH he turns to temptations like woman and money.

“Deuteronomy say that we all been cursed

I know He walks the Earth

But it's money to get, b****es to hit, yah

Zeroes to flip, temptation is, yah

First on my list, I can't resist, yah

Everyone together now, know that we forever—”. Now when he attempts to help the blind woman in the street, its too late for him. He meets God face to face and is too far gone. The gunshot is Kendirck’s damnation, he strayed too far from God and embraced too many evils and is shot down by God, down to hell.  This is the choice that defines Kendirck Lamar, the choice to either live through good or evil. You decide if Kendrick lives through weakness and wickedness, if he lives or dies by God’s hands. 

“Is it wickedness?

Is it weakness?

You decide

Are we gonna live or die?”