Review: Kendrick Lamar’s ‘DAMN.’

As with all other great artists before him, Kendrick Lamar and his musical output must be appreciated with respect to his life circumstances. From the good kid stuck in a m.A.A.d city to the “realest Negus alive,” Compton’s finest has always managed to provide social commentary befitting the times and his own position in society. This time around, Lamar steps down from his moral podium and dives headfirst into his unrestrained passions. Forgoing musical sophistication and clear answers for raw minimalism and scathing self-doubt, DAMN. gives Lamar room to go berserk. “I can’t sugarcoat the answer for you,” Lamar raps on “XXX.” “If somebody kill my son, that mean somebody gettin’ killed.” The greatest rapper alive is human after all.

Stream track previews from DAMN. below.