Damn. (studio album)
by Kendrick Lamar

While DAMN. is certainly a great album, it remains as one of the most overrated albums of all time, rap or otherwise. Many critics cite DAMN. as one of modern music’s best offerings, when in reality it is nothing more than a great rap album. I would argue that other records from 2017, such as Lorde’s Melodrama, Tyler’s Flower Boy, and Vince Staple’s Big Fish Theory are more consistent and enjoyable. The melodic tracks on DAMN. (such as LOVE., GOD., and YAH.) are awful. l also think that certain themes on the album are very surface level. The album as a whole is also not cohesive, as the album overwhelms individuals with a variety of unconnected themes. I also dislike the narrative that this album changes meaning when played in reverse, as this started as a Reddit conspiracy that Kendrick has denied in interviews. However, DAMN. features some of Kendrick’s greatest songs to date (PRIDE., DNA., FEAR., DUCKWORTH.) and is largely a very enjoyable record. While its melodic songs and overall structure are lacking, DAMN. is still a very high quality album with great lyricism, rapping performances, and production throughout the majority of its tracklist. It also establishes a formula that his 2024 record GNX would go on to sharpen and improve.

Shortlisted for album of the year at the 2018 Grammys. the winner was 24K Magic by Bruno Mars

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Not even close to GKMC and TPAB

Favorites: PRIDE., DUCKWORTH., ELEMENT., and LOVE.

Damn. It's good, but not quite up to level with TPAB/GKMC but his 3. best just ahead of MMBS. Pride, Humble, DNA are the high points, love and God the weak. Duckworth is a good story. It feels as though he doesn't quite push through the same way as in TPAB, with his messages. He struggles with himself it seems like, and its interesting to see.

Highs: Pride, Humble, DNa

Lows: Love, God

I mean it’s pretty obvious he was vying for commercial success here but it’s still so damn good.

From teague 01/06/2022 15:15

This is Kendrick's Let's Dance. It marks the first time he started chasing trends instead of setting them. But like David Bowie, Kendrick Lamar knows how to write a great album.

I’ll be one of the rare comments that calls this record better than Butterfly, which felt too ambitious…to the point of being cluttered and unfocused. The storytelling on this album (Duckworth is a masterpiece) and the backwards album concept are both brilliant.

Upon first listen, this was super disappointing considering everything that came before it. We'll see if it grows on me more. The song "FEAR." was the only song that I truly adored from this album, but there are other good songs.