After sending the internet into a collective frenzy with the release of "The Heart Part 4," a single in which he hinted at an upcoming new album to be released in April, Kendrick Lamar dropped his highly anticipated fourth studio album DAMN. last Friday. The follow-up to 2015's critically acclaimed To Pimp A Butterfly consists of fourteen news tracks, which include a prominent guest spot from Rihanna and an unlikely (yet pleasantly surprising) collaboration with U2. DAMN. shows a more versatile side of Kendrick, as it relies on mellow, soulful instrumentals much more than his past releases. Make no mistake, however, the passion, intensity, and even anger that Lamar is known for are still present, even if they may not be as overt as on his past records. Listeners may just have to have to pay a little more attention.
Much of DAMN.'s intensity shines through in Kendrick's storytelling and lyricism, which are unsurprisingly as strong as ever, given his reputation as one of the better lyricists in modern rap. He shifts between personally important subjects (see the album's closing song, "DUCKWORTH."), thoughtful introspection (highlighted in two of the album's strongest moments, "LUST." and "LOVE."), and the unapologetic social commentary that he has never been known to shy away from. Lamar wastes no time taking a few well deserved jabs at Fox News in the albums opening numbers "BLOOD." and "DNA.", seeing as they're an organization which has, in turn, been vocally critical of his music, particularly his anti-police brutality messages and performances. Kendrick takes full advantage of this as well, using clips directly from broadcasts in which they've criticized him, including an almost laughably absurd snippet that states "this is why I say that hip-hop has done more damage to young African Americans than racism in recent years."
Fox News and police brutality are not the only subjects of Kendrick's biting social criticism; he also takes several opportunities to express his displeasure with Donald Trump and the United States' current administration. Given his history of Twitter outbursts following criticism, it may only be a matter of time before a new series of Trump tweets start circulating, most likely labeling Lamar as an overrated rapper that needs to apologize.
DAMN. as a whole proves quite the opposite though. Kendrick is not overrated, irrelevant, or any of the other criticisms that rappers held to his standard often suffer, he may in fact be at the top of his game. With rumors already circulating about a possible next album that Kendrick has kept secret thus far, there is no doubt that fans will be on the edge of their seats to see what he does next.
