Range is one of the most powerful weapons of Kendrick Lamar's arsenal. You can't rap-scat over jazz ("For Free?"), channel Ol' Dirty Bastard over soulful guitar licks ("i") and confront white supremacy head-on ("The Blacker The Berry") - all on the same album - like Kendrick did on To Pimp A Butterfly ("TPAB") if you don't have range. It may be selling this LP short, but one could say that DAMN. is Kendrick Lamar fitting his range and eccentricities into a more commercially accessible work. This is especially relevant in light of the divisive - albeit critically acclaimed - reception of his previous jazz and funk inspired masterpiece. The range of quality and approaches to song-craft on DAMN. are at times quite jarring. There are a good portion of tracks on this LP that are just flat-out brilliant - songs that will probably go down ranking among the best of his work. On the other hand, a couple of the more pop-rap tracks may leave some of his fanbase that embraced the relative experimentalism that characterized TPAB pondering whether Kendrick has just released some of the worst songs of his career.
It probably isn't - it's probably Kendrick wanting to continue putting out albums that are radically different than those preceding them more than anything - but if there was a way to reply to the often heard "there are no bangers" criticism of TPAB, it is "DNA". "DNA" is a bass heavy, high-octane romp. Kendrick, by way of a ridiculous display of lyrical talent, embraces the things that make him who he is, his past, upbringing, culture and present. The Compton MC throws shots at those who speak on these things without understanding - a ridiculously ignorant comment by FOX News' Geraldo Rivera ("This is why I say that hip hop has done more damage to young African Americans than racism in recent years"), appears in the middle of a startling beat change.
"DNA" is not the only track with a great beat change on DAMN. - it seems that "The Heart Part 4", and if one looks even further back, "M.A.A.D. City", were preparation for the abrupt and impressive switches in production here. "XXX" is a track that moves from sparse scratches, low key rapping and distorted keys to portions of frantic rapping over sirens. The album closer, "DUCKWORTH" - which is 9th Wonder at his best - goes through three beats that make great use of vocal samples, with the beat that sticks around for the back end of the track being especially beautiful. Both of "DUCKWORTH" and "XXX" are album highlights that take on two completely different topics. "DUCKWORTH" features some amazing storytelling about Kendrick's father and Top Dawg (Anthony Tiffith, CEO of TDE) and "XXX" - a surprisingly effective collaboration with U2 - focuses on the evils of America at large ("Hail Mary, Jesus and Joseph/The great American flag is wrapped and dragged with explosives") and the dangers of the environment that Kendrick is a product of ("I can't sugarcoat the answer for you, this is how I feel: If somebody kill my son, that mean somebody gettin' killed").
The environment that shaped him - Compton - is one of the most prevalent themes in Kendrick's lyricism and he puts his past life into perspective on "FEAR". "FEAR" is a dark and soulful track, which has Kendrick documenting through what he most feared, three stages of his life: childhood, adolescence and his newfound fame as an adult. While Kendrick is in Compton in the song and speaking from his perspective - the refrain before the first verse ("Why God, why God do I gotta suffer?/Pain in my heart carry burdens full of struggle") and the entirety of the second verse, his voice comes off as dark, downtrodden and defeated - perhaps a reflection of his reality at the time. Conversely, once he reaches fame in the last verse his perspective (the first verse is from the perspective of his mom) is presented without any vocal alterations. With his fame, his fears have shifted from those in the first two verses - getting beaten as a child and getting killed as a teenager - to paranoia about money and how the world views him. Even though he still has fears, be it about his close relationships, the world at large, or his ability to create, Kendrick recognizes how fortunate he is to have a successful career ("I practiced runnin' from fear, guess I had some good luck/At 27 years old, my biggest fear was bein' judged").
Although with tracks like "XXX", "FEAR" and "DUCKWORTH" Kendrick spends much time looking outward or story telling, "PRIDE", another stand-out song, is a great example of his introspective talent. "PRIDE", more than any other track on DAMN., is extremely psychedelic - one could argue that it is even mixed with that purpose. The listener is given a lighter preview of the psychedelia to come, on the laid-back, trippy, rap-sung, "YAH", but "PRIDE" takes that aesthetic to another level. On "PRIDE", the rapped vocals are noticeably mixed a bit lower than the mellow guitar work and hazy vocals - with great contribution by Steve Lacy - that fill the song, giving it a distinctly modern psychedelic vibe. In this dream-like atmosphere, Kendrick reflects, pondering things like "Happiness or flashiness? How do you serve the question?" and expressing his flaws and lack of trust ("See, in the perfect world, I would be perfect, world/I don't trust people enough beyond they surface, world/I don't love people enough to put my faith in men/I put my faith in these lyrics, hoping I make amend").
In the context of his career, it's easy to see how his fans may call DAMN., an odd album - especially on the first listen. It's an album on which Kendrick Lamar embraces commercial rap, by the numbers in the arguably too simplistic structure of "HUMBLE" and presents the most overtly pop tunes of his discography in "LOVE", "GOD" and "LOYALTY". On "GOD" the listener finds Kendrick doing what can only be summed up as a "Chance The Rapper" - and that's not just because god is the topic - everything from the chorus and his cadence throughout the verses could have fit in perfectly on Coloring Book. "LOVE" is also a bit awkward from Kendrick and may be the worst song of his discography, with simplistic verses and a pop-structure that may completely turn-off longtime fans. Although "LOVE" and "GOD" are easily the two worst songs here, "LOYALTY" is a solid west-coast pop-rap track, with Rihanna providing a good feature and the beat making a great use of Bruno Mars' "24K Magic" to provide a vocoder vocal effect in the background. Blatant pop-rap aside, another big difference here is despite the clear overall narrative of virtues, vices and religion, DAMN. is more loose conceptually than any of Kendrick's albums. You will not find a poem or a story weaving each track together here. DAMN. is less of a journey and more straight forward - with each track name, besides "YAH" and "XXX", revealing, more or less, what Kendrick will be rapping about.
The main strength of DAMN. is that, despite another sharp change in direction, it still features the fantastic lyricism and quirks of Kendrick's style that have propelled him to be praised by more commercial-leaning fans, critics and hip-hop heads alike. Though the immediate reaction to whatever Kendrick does - due to the west coast connection, gang references and critical acclaim - is to compare him to Tupac, the comparison often doesn't feel right. A hefty portion of the album's incredible moments come from tracks with a moody, hazy and dark atmosphere, with Kendrick manipulating the tone of his voice - be it through studio trickery or his actual tone. These elements, shown through the psychedelia and soul of "PRIDE", "LUST" and "FEAR" evoke, more than anything else in hip-hop, a direct OutKast influence. Although DAMN. has its missteps, and does not reach ridiculous highs as consistently as good kid m.A.A.d City or TPAB, it is still a great album that adds to the overwhelmingly strong argument that Kendrick Lamar is among the best - if not, the best - of his generation.
