# Kendrick Lamar - DAMN (new album) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 14, 2017, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kendrick-lamar-damn-new-album/784444 "2017-04-14T14:15:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kendrick-lamar-damn-new-album/784444/1 "2017-04-14T14:15:41Z")
I know this isn’t exactly a hip hop community but I regretted not starting a thread about his album To Pimp a Butterfly when it came out, and so I’m starting one to talk about DAMN. For my money, Kendrick is the most important musical artist (any genre) making music today. I listen to his albums and wonder if this is what people who were listening to Bob Dylan in the 60s felt like. His last two albums rocked me and changed how I feel about music in general, and hip hop in particular (though I have long been a hip hop fan.) I was woken up early this morning so I have had a chance to listen to the album twice through so far. And so far, I really like it. It feels like an extremely worthy successor even though it is very different in a lot of ways. Anyone else stoked about the new album? Any thoughts? Links: [Humble (first single and music video)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvTRZJ-4EyI) [Stream the new album legally on NPR](http://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2017/04/14/522912245/stream-kendrick-lamars-new-album-damn) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kendrick-lamar-damn-new-album/784444/2 "2017-04-14T14:19:12Z")
I was about to start a thread on this, but got pulled into a work conference call. Nice to see another Doper music-head start it. Yeah, no clue, but folks are going nuts over it and I love To Pimp a Butterfly, so I look forward to digging in later today. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kendrick-lamar-damn-new-album/784444/3 "2017-04-14T17:27:08Z")
Huh, I thought this would get some more traction. Well never fear, I’ll be back to post track by track thoughts later. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kendrick-lamar-damn-new-album/784444/4 "2017-04-14T17:57:14Z")
I like hip hop and I’ve got a couple Kendrick songs on my playlists but I wasn’t bowled over by Butterfly on first hearing. I was so ready for it to blow my mind that I may have disappointed myself. I’ll try it again tho, and try this one for sure. I recently “discovered” Vince Staples’ Summertime '06 and it hit me right away. So it can happen! ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kendrick-lamar-damn-new-album/784444/5 "2017-04-14T18:22:35Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I like hip hop and I’ve got a couple Kendrick songs on my playlists but I wasn’t bowled over by Butterfly on first hearing. I was so ready for it to blow my mind that I may have disappointed myself. > > I’ll try it again tho, and try this one for sure. > > I recently “discovered” Vince Staples’ Summertime '06 and it hit me right away. So it can happen! \*\*Anderson Paak’s \*\*NPR Tiny Desk Concert. He works a lot with Kendrick. This is so damn good: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ferZnZ0\_rSM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ferZnZ0_rSM) ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kendrick-lamar-damn-new-album/784444/6 "2017-04-14T18:29:50Z")
Good stuff! I was looking for a noname performance to share with you and I found a brand new Tiny Desk concert from her! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/K58JYXhb4YA/maxresdefault.jpg "Noname: Tiny Desk Concert") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K58JYXhb4YA) ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kendrick-lamar-damn-new-album/784444/7 "2017-04-14T18:32:51Z")
I love Kendrick. MAAD city is my fav. ETA: Ya bitch. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kendrick-lamar-damn-new-album/784444/8 "2017-04-14T18:35:38Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I like hip hop and I’ve got a couple Kendrick songs on my playlists but I wasn’t bowled over by Butterfly on first hearing. I was so ready for it to blow my mind that I may have disappointed myself. > > I’ll try it again tho, and try this one for sure. > > I recently “discovered” Vince Staples’ Summertime '06 and it hit me right away. So it can happen! That’s a great album. I also didn’t he Jay Rock 90058 album and Joey Bada$$ album B4 da $$. Joey just dropped a new album too, but I haven’t listened to it yet. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kendrick-lamar-damn-new-album/784444/9 "2017-04-14T18:40:03Z")
Joey was recently on Colbert and I really liked his set, will have to check out his album. Speaking of people I discovered via Colbert, check out [Lizzo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDVD-PX__uc)! (sorry, hijacking your thread. But I am pretty sure you’re ok with general hip hop chit chat!) ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kendrick-lamar-damn-new-album/784444/10 "2017-04-14T18:44:36Z")
My [favorite](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwik7LfrzKTTAhVFMGMKHdDEBQIQ3ywIJDAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DNtxmnBQmfZs&usg=AFQjCNGjst6qaLQuoOHqkS3Hci0f1vV97A&bvm=bv.152479541,d.amc) Kenrick song. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kendrick-lamar-damn-new-album/784444/11 "2017-04-14T19:03:08Z")
Checked out the video for “Humble.” Really liked that one! I wasn’t so down with the one you linked to Ambivalid. But I can tell that one can fit a certain mood or feeling. Great rhymes tho, of course. My favorite Kendrick is [“I”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aShfolR6w8). … typical? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kendrick-lamar-damn-new-album/784444/12 "2017-04-14T19:11:42Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I wasn’t so down with the one you linked to Ambivalid. But I can tell that one can fit a certain mood or feeling. Great rhymes tho, of course. Hmmmpph. Well if I had a ball, I’d take it and go home. :mad: 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kendrick-lamar-damn-new-album/784444/13 "2017-04-14T20:06:28Z")
Who remembers [this crazy fucker](https://youtu.be/buelxCTS9X0)? Oh I used to love this back in another life. 😉 ETA: a bit of a hijack but I didn’t think it deserved it’s own thread. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kendrick-lamar-damn-new-album/784444/14 "2017-04-14T20:34:22Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Hmmmpph. Well if I had a ball, I’d take it and go home. Hey I like Money Trees. It’s my second favorite off Good Kid. My favorite is [backseat freestyle](https://youtu.be/EZW7et3tPuQ) which took a while for me to warm up to, but now I find myself singing it to myself at random intervals. My favorite Kendrick track of all time though is [King Kunta](https://youtu.be/hRK7PVJFbS8). When the second pop hits it legit won, the funk WAS within me. There are a few on DAMN that are hot as heck though. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kendrick-lamar-damn-new-album/784444/15 "2017-04-14T20:44:31Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > My favorite Kendrick is [“I”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aShfolR6w8). … typical? I is a great song. It’s interesting though because people were really disappointed by it as the first single off the album prior to the album release. Out of context it is different than in the context of the album. As the mirror of [u](https://youtu.be/PquoQiAjgfI) (which is a dark and difficult song) I think it is perfect. Humble is the same. In context as the opposite of Pride it’s a totally different thing than it is as a solo single where it sounds kinda like he’s calling out everyone else in the rap game. That’s one of the things I like about Kendrick though, there are layers to what he does and he’s almost always technically right on point. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kendrick-lamar-damn-new-album/784444/16 "2017-04-14T20:58:05Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Joey was recently on Colbert and I really liked his set, will have to check out his album. > > Speaking of people I discovered via Colbert, check out [Lizzo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDVD-PX__uc)! > > (sorry, hijacking your thread. But I am pretty sure you’re ok with general hip hop chit chat!) I’ll add a hijack of my own too. If you have not listened to the last Tribe Called Quest album, you are missing out. Samples: [Space Program](https://youtu.be/i6nPcGCO0ow) [We the people](https://youtu.be/vO2Su3erRIA) ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kendrick-lamar-damn-new-album/784444/17 "2017-04-14T21:44:25Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > Hey I like Money Trees. It’s my second favorite off Good Kid. My favorite is [backseat freestyle](https://youtu.be/EZW7et3tPuQ) which took a while for me to warm up to, but now I find myself singing it to myself at random intervals. > > My favorite Kendrick track of all time though is [King Kunta](https://youtu.be/hRK7PVJFbS8). When the second pop hits it legit won, the funk WAS within me. There are a few on DAMN that are hot as heck though. Backseat freestyle is great too. Its a toss up for me btwn the two songs. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kendrick-lamar-damn-new-album/784444/18 "2017-04-17T13:21:19Z")
So, having spent a weekend with this I have thoughts. 1. this is probably, in some ways his poppiest and most accessible albums 2. on the flip side, I can’t remember the last time I listened to an album and had my opinion on what the album was even about change so dramatically as I listened more. I am currently of the opinion that it’s an alternate universe version of good kid but from the perspective that Kendrick was raised without a father because his dad was killed in a robbery. 3. it’s very much an album. It’s clearly intended to be played front to back in order… Twice. 4. my favorite song on the album keeps changing. I think it’s xxx ft. U2, but it might be pride, or DNA or element. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kendrick-lamar-damn-new-album/784444/19 "2017-04-17T15:21:39Z")
Well, this is what happens when it’s Holy Week, you missed a damned Kendrick Lamar album drop. Oh well, will have to get caught up this week. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kendrick-lamar-damn-new-album/784444/20 "2017-04-17T17:47:33Z")
That’s Hedley! 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kendrick-lamar-damn-new-album/784444.md?page=2)