In a world of Lil Yachty and Migos, it can be hard to come across legitimately good music nowadays. Of course, that doesn’t mean I have anything against “iSpy,” “Bad and Boujee” or any other hip hop track that’s topped the charts; I enjoy these songs just as much as the frat house next door that blasts them over their speakers. But sometimes, you want music that means something, something that’s more than just another one-hit wonder.

The solution? Listen to Kendrick Lamar. Since 2010, Lamar has been killing the game with his socially conscious music that appeals to fans and critics alike. He catapulted into commercial success with his hit “Swimming Pools” in 2012, and solidified his spot at the top of the totem pole with To Pimp A Butterfly. With all of the critical acclaim he’s received from his last albums, it was hard not to be at least slightly nervous about his upcoming works. So often, rappers lose their power and voice out of a desire to try something new or a fear of becoming overrated.

The pre-album release of “The Heart Part 4” seemed to squash any doubts that fans had about Lamar. Widely seen to be a diss track, many were left wondering who was meant to be at the receiving end of Lamar’s verses, with mentions of Drake and Big Sean thrown into speculation. What Lamar does more than anything, however, is reintroduce himself to his fans and the world, a hint of what was to come with the release of his new album. If it’s a diss track, then it’s the equivalent of kicking someone when they’re down—he didn’t have to do it, he just had to let everybody know that he’s superior.

If that track didn’t do the job, then the release of DAMN. did. Featuring 14 songs, it’s the shortest of all of his albums (excluding untitled unmastered.), but it’s arguably the best. Throughout all 14 tracks, Lamar does what he does best—he raps, offering a poignant soliloquy to start off the album and returning to its story to signal the end of it. He shouts out his critics, including Geraldo Rivera, who criticized Lamar’s 2015 BET Awards performance for promoting police brutality.

He proclaims his ambition in “DNA.,” releasing a music video for the song just yesterday, and juxtaposes his song “PRIDE.” with “HUMBLE.,” using a record scratch at the beginning of the second track to signify the conflict between the two polarizing ideologies.

Throughout every song, Lamar rhymes about truths over addictive beats. In “PRIDE.,” he raps, “Race barriers make inferior you and I,” and he denounces Photoshop on “HUMBLE.,” a verse that has received positive reactions on social media. Even the song “LOYALTY.” featuring Rihanna offers food for thought, asking listeners, “Tell me who you’re loyal to/Is it money? Is it fame? Is it weed? Is it drink?” In every song, Lamar proves that he’s able to make socially aware and culturally relevant music that is still commercially successful.

Lamar is one of the only mainstream rappers to be able to seamlessly mesh the commercial success of rap without sacrificing the integrity of his work. He uses his voice and music to speak out about the injustices of the world and his own internal conflict, but he doesn’t make you feel like an overzealous preacher is yelling at you.

Lamar is proving that seven years in the game doesn’t make him any less of an icon, and shows that he’s one of the only rappers who has been able to make socially conscious yet still commercially marketable music. Proclaimed “rap gods” like Jay Z and Eminem have relatively fizzled out in popularity, resting on their laurels from past successful albums. Kanye West’s music is both socially and commercially successful, but his controversial rants and conflicts with the media tend to overshadow the work he releases. Drake peaked with “If You’re Reading This, You’re Too Late,” and has never really offered much in the form of social commentary, anyway.

J. Cole has also proven to run the same road as Lamar, and yet nobody seems to be quite on the same level as him. Only Lamar, whose every released album takes his style and music to the next level, has succeeded on all platforms.

People might have thought that it was impossible to ever top To Pimp A Butterfly, but Lamar just did. Lamar himself proclaimed to be the “greatest rapper alive” on “The Heart Part 4,” and after listening to DAMN., it’s pretty hard to disagree with Kung-Fu Kenny.