Kendrick Lamar is the biggest lucky individual in modern rap: he’s “covered” by Dr. Dre; he has respect both among the elite of show business and on the streets; his albums become the most anticipated in the genre, subsequently having good commercial success. I don’t want to give in to the mass hysteria and call Lamar one of the greatest MCs in history (it’s still too early), but there’s no doubt that he has already secured a favorable place in hip-hop history. Among rappers who have emerged in this decade, there will clearly not be many like him. Well, if you’re not at all familiar with Kendrick’s work, it only means one thing: you stopped caring about what’s happening in hip-hop more than five years ago.

After “To Pimp a Butterfly”, there was the opinion that Kendrick Lamar would remain trapped in the image of a young rebel dissatisfied with US politics. Yes, musically “TPAB”, personally for me, surpasses his first two albums. Choosing a funk/jazz musical component was a very unconventional decision, as it seemed long dead for the mainstream. But the rapper already had quite an authority, so it worked. Conceptually, it’s an album for African Americans from a successful, yet caring African American. Kendrick expressed great respect for his people’s culture, for which he received praise from all over the world. But it was necessary to move further.

Lamar found a different solution for his fourth solo effort “DAMN.”. In addition to almost completely abandoning the sound of its predecessor, the whole concept underwent changes. The rapper opened up his soul and told stories that, for some reason, he had avoided earlier. “DAMN.” seems to transport us to the mid-90s when even mainstream artists competed, not with chart positions, but with the quality and innovation of their albums. In other words: who would more intricately turn their lives inside out.

Kendrick is known for his artistry, his ability to rhyme any story, etc. But here he shows exactly what most call rap: rhymes, flow, fury. In an era of mumble rappers (Young Thug, Future, Migos), Lamar reminds the masses what rap is. Even the monotonous beatmaker Mike Will Made It (responsible for the success of Rae Sremmurd duo) outdid himself, making “HUMBLE.” one of his best creations.

A pleasant surprise was the participation of legendary Kid Capri, whose name is not even mentioned in the tracklist. His voice can be heard in songs “ELEMENT.”, “XXX.”, “DUCKWORTH.” and “LOVE.”. Once again, a connection between generations. You can also include the participation of 9th Wonder, who worked on the last track. According to Kid Capri himself, the renowned beatmaker and Kendrick made several tracks together, so something else awaits us in the future. And yes: “DUCKWORTH.” is exactly that 9th Wonder we’ve all loved for many years. And The Alchemist on “FEAR.”? This beat feels like it could have been on one of Prodigy’s solo projects from Mobb Deep.

The content of the track “DUCKWORTH.” is worth stopping on. Not only does Lamar get killed at the end, but an interesting story is also told. The rapper reveals that even before signing a contract with TDE, there was an incident between the label’s boss, Top Dawg, and Lamar’s father, Ducky. Top Dawg was planning to rob a KFC where Ducky worked. But because he sometimes fed TD for free, Kendrick’s father stayed alive. Lamar talks about how if his father had died, Top Dawg would’ve gone to jail and Kendrick would’ve grown up fatherless. He would’ve been stuck on the streets forever, and who knows what would’ve come of it.

Fortunately, everything turned out fine. Kendrick became part of TDE, and all disputes were resolved peacefully. It’s strange that usually such extreme stories are poured out by rappers on their very first albums. Kendrick held onto it for 6 years, until the release of “DAMN.”.

Previously, Kendrick Lamar tried to appear as a mature man capable of keeping everything under control. However, in “DAMN.”, his confidence seems to have vanished. Lamar appears as a paranoid young guy heavily burdened with doubts about finances, creative inspiration, and spiritual integrity. Almost a teenager searching for his place in life. One might conclude that fame only gave the rapper more uncertainty about the future. This is the complete opposite feeling from what he showed us during “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City” times. Kendrick dug through his childhood memories to once again fit into this image.

Kendrick’s fans were skeptical (to say the least) when they saw U2 in the tracklist. Talks immediately started that this was done for the approval of the “white” audience. Especially after the completely “black” “TPAB”. Of course, Kendrick undoubtedly flirts with different generations and audiences, but let’s be honest: U2’s participation in “XXX.” is hardly noticeable, and fans of the legendary band missed this track altogether.

This record can make the artist very vulnerable. If “To Pimp a Butterfly” was described as an experimental album (who understands, understands), then here is just a regular rap album, claiming the title of genius and a future genre classic. After such releases, there usually comes a decline for artists, but let’s not predict. About a day after the release of “DAMN.”, the press began speculating about a second part of the album, which would be called “NATION.”. Allegedly, because Lamar dies at the end of the album, he should resurrect on Easter (like Jesus). The theory is as interesting as it is silly. If a continuation is released, especially after such a short period of time, Kendrick risks “overfeeding” listeners and distracting from the essence itself. Comparisons would inevitably arise, and one part might significantly overshadow the other. The head of Top Dawg Entertainment has already stated that the rapper is preparing something else for this year, but no mention of a continuation was made.

Is “DAMN.” good? Absolutely — yes! Will it become an important milestone in Kendrick’s career? Certainly. Will it suit any audience? Definitely… no. Despite playing with modern trends, this music is far from what today’s golden youth is partying to in clubs (too much text). And there’s nothing new here for sophisticated rap listeners either. We still remember audio films from Prince Paul, which astounded in the 90s but never gained popularity. Lamar now has all the aces to attract young people to study the history not only of the genre but of contemporary music as a whole. Fortunately, there are more than enough resources.

As for commercial success: three weeks after the release, “DAMN.” achieved platinum status and over half a billion streams on streaming services. How many albums without annoying radio singles achieve a similar result in 2017? And in terms of the quality of solo projects, no mainstream rapper can match Kendrick now. “DAMN.” definitely deserves close attention, but should it be called a classic? We advise not to rush.