**Official Kendrick Lamar Thread 4th Studio Album ''DAMN.''Out Now**

[flatbushfiyah23]

Very personal album from kendrick.

Spoiler

we all know he was going through some personal emotional problems.

The self hate is expressed on "u" or influence of Lucy throughout the album, especially on "Alright" (Lucy is actually Lucifer) until he breaks out of his cocoon on "How much a dollar costs" when he meets God.

This is how I'm getting it so far while I'm listening to a couple songs. when you hear how kendrick wanted it and not how you wanted it.

Your analysis is spot on man. Very personal album.....and I love what he and Cole have produced with their last albums.

 

[Benny Hinn]

He better release that Colbert track in CDQ somewhere

 

[braj mahal]

I've been saying this Section.80, Kendrick has rapping down to a T.  And as expected, the singles sound much better within the context of the album.   

 

[victor page]

 

Call it a reach if you want. 

Kendrick is alot like Jay in that he's not just throwing lines out for the sake of it. That **** was MEANT for somebody. We can agree to disagree on who he was talking about.

 

[shotsrangout]

I gotta listen to this with genius.com in front of me

 

[brendasdeadbaby]

Love this album man. It's refreshing. Good to see taz on the boards again.

 

[mgrand15]

I gotta listen to this with genius.com in front of me

definitely helps. Kendrick's flow and delivery makes smaller stuff harder to catch at times.

 

[miamib30514]

So this is good?

All you west coast posters are here justifying it as opposed to really praising it.

Just asking im only 2 songs in.

 

[Deleted member 37467]

So this is good?

Yup.

 

[SoleByThePound]

tpab is booboo

The only thing that's booboo is your taste in music.

 

[delete1234]

First time hearing blacker the berry. My god :x

 

[mjhead23]

WE GONE BE ALRIGHT!!!

 

[broncos19dm]

I'm feeling it!

It's def personal.

Last song gave me chills 

. 

 

[kb8 3qwick]

I skimmed through the album last night and I was not impressed, but after the first full listen today I ended up giving it 2 more spins. Kendrick is on another level.

 

[shotsrangout]

Album is brilliant but it just gets boring at times. I respect the message and what he is saying but there are parts of this that are mindnumbingly boring.

 

[airjordan jb23]

holding out until the 23rd... its gonna be a tough wait

 

[the 7th mile]

Literally fell asleep many times by track 11...i'll spark up and try to give it another spin later

 

[Nawzlew]

Not going to lie, a little disappointed .. still a good album though.

These Walls, Alright, and How Much a Dollar Costs are probably my favorite tracks.

This guy on reddit had a interesting analysis.

The entire album is explained in Kendrick's story to Pac.

In the end of Mortal Man, Kendrick reads a story to Pac about his life from the perspective of a caterpillar:

“The caterpillar is a prisoner to the streets that conceived it. It's only job is to eat or consume everything around it, in order to protect itself from this mad city. While consuming its environment the caterpillar begins to notice ways to survive. One thing it noticed is how much the world shuns him, but praises the butterfly. The butterfly represents the talent, the thoughtfulness, and the beauty within the caterpillar. But having a harsh outlook on life the caterpillar sees the butterfly as weak and figures out a way to pimp it to his own benefits Already surrounded by this mad city the caterpillar goes to work on the cocoon which institutionalizes him. He can no longer see past his own thoughts. He’s trapped When trapped inside these walls certain ideas start to take roots, such as going home, and bringing back new concepts to this mad city. The result? Wings begin to emerge, breaking the cycle of feeling stagnant. Finally free, the butterfly sheds light on situations that the caterpillar never considered, ending the eternal struggle. Although the butterfly and caterpillar are completely different, they are one and the same."

Looking at this, it recaps each song in chronological order.

“The caterpillar is a prisoner to the streets that conceived it Its only job is to eat or consume everything around it, in order to protect itself from this mad city. While consuming its environment the caterpillar begins to notice ways to survive" this part of how story recaps 'Wesley's Theory'. The song basically describes Kendrick's life pre-fame. The first line says "When I get signed, homie I'mma act a fool Hit the dance floor, strobe lights in the room Snatch your little secretary ***** for the homies" The caterpillar (Kendrick) is gaining fame by "eating everything around him" and hustling, and notices ways to survive.

-"One thing it noticed is how much the world shuns him, but praises the butterfly" this line recaps 'For Free (Interlude)'. The song starts with a chick yelling at Kendrick saying "**** you, ************, you a ho-*** ***** I don't know why you trying to go big, ***** you ain't **** Walking around like you God's gift to Earth, ***** you ain't ****" showing how the "caterpillar" is being shunned. She then ends her rant with "You won't know, you gonna lose on a good ***** My other ***** is on, you off" showing how she praises the butterfly.

-"The butterfly represents the talent, the thoughtfulness, and the beauty within the caterpillar But having a harsh outlook on life the caterpillar sees the butterfly as weak and figures out a way to pimp it to his own benefits" this part embodies the same message as 'King Kunta'. In the song Kendrick expresses how he has grown to become a big influence and a king, much like a caterpillar grows into a butterfly.

-"Already surrounded by this mad city the caterpillar goes to work on the cocoon which institutionalizes him He can no longer see past his own thoughts" this one is more apparent, it clearly recaps the song 'Institutionalized'. He says in the intro "I'm trapped inside the ghetto and I ain't proud to admit it Institutionalized, I keep runnin' back for a visit" so he is saying that he is institutionalized into the ghetto.

-"He’s trapped When trapped inside these walls certain ideas start to take roots, such as going home, and bringing back new concepts to this mad city" this line is also clear, it represents 'These Walls'. The walls in the story represent the caterpillars cocoon, but in the song they could represent Kendrick's past experiences, perhaps of something that happened in the hotel room that he continuously refers to, because when people use the phrase "if these walls could talk" they are usually reminiscing about past experiences that occurred in that very room. I also think 'u' and 'Alright' are from the perspective of the caterpillar inside the cocoon. 'These Walls' and 'u' are both very dark, while 'Alright' gets more uplifting and explains how he and his homies will be alright.

-"The result? Wings begin to emerge, breaking the cycle of feeling stagnant" this line could represent 'For Sale' as well as 'Momma'. 'For Sale' talks about Kendrick's troubles with Lucy (Lucifer), which could represent the butterfly emerging from the cocoon and dealing with troubles outside of its walls. 'Momma' explains how Kendrick returns to Compton and feels guilty for abandoning his city, which the butterfly could feel as he returns to the real world after spending so much time in the cocoon.

-"Finally free, the butterfly sheds light on situations that the caterpillar never considered, ending the eternal struggle" this line encapsulates the next three songs, 'Hood Politics', 'How Much a Dollar Cost', and 'Complexion'. Kendrick is shedding light on these important issues such as the problems in the hood, poverty, and racial issues.

-"Although the butterfly and caterpillar are completely different, they are one and the same." This last line of the story raps up the last two songs (prior to Mortal Man), 'You Ain't Gotta Lie' and 'i'. You Ain't Gotta Lie and 'i' contrast in sound, as YAGL is more chill while i is really upbeat. This could represent the differences between the caterpillar and the butterfly. This contrast helps them stand out though, much like the caterpillar and butterfly rely on each other to exist.

In the beginning, Kendrick (the caterpillar) is alone and small. In the end, Kendrick (the butterfly) has completely changed and become something large and full of life with new ideas and outlooks. To Pimp a Butterfly.

 

[dat dude chris]

This is a GREAT album. This year in music is already better than last years

 

[s0lefunk]

Alright TBTB, i, Wesley's Theory, Mortal Man, How Much a Dollar Cost are my favorites. Good album.

The Pac convo reminds me of Rhymefest's Man in the Mirror where he was inteviewing MJ. Those were hilarious

 

[ciscokid]

Yall get me hyped, waiting to listen to anything until I get a physical copy

 

[southernhospita]

Where can I find the poem at the end of "I" my bro behind bars will appreciate it

 

[flacobey]

Album is brilliant but it just gets boring at times. I respect the message and what he is saying but there are parts of this that are mindnumbingly boring.

What exactly makes an album boring?

Even if you can't get down with the jazz/funk vibes, seems like the denseness of the lyrics and the message he's trying to convey should be enough to keep you interested.

Really think people call album's boring because they can't think of a critical way to analyze the music.

 

[shotsrangout]

What exactly makes an album boring?

Even if you can't get down with the jazz/funk vibes, seems like the denseness of the lyrics and the message he's trying to convey should be enough to keep you interested.

Really think people call album's boring because they can't think of a critical way to analyze the music.

why y'all always do this? The album is boring at times. Everyone is different. What is boring to me isn't boring to you and vice versa. Just cause the lyrics and message captivate you, it might not captivate me. How hard is that to understand?

Don't even feel like sitting here and typing out a long *** response as to why the album is boring at times.

 

[htg designs]

I wonder how white people feel listening to this.....