DAMN. analysis (not beta read)
Hello. this is an analysis of one, or the darkest album from Kendrick Lamar. it goes into many themes of religion, guilt from religion, love, trauma, death, etc.
it starts with "Is it wickedness" "It is weakness?" "You decide."
"Are we gonna live, or die?"
Wickedness - the quality of being morally evil or wrong
Weakness - a state or condition of lacking strength/a quality or feature seen as a disadvantage or fault
The back cover of DAMN. seems to represent wickedness. while the front, seems to represent weakness.
This actually, continues to be a theme throughout the album. each song stands for either wickedness or weakness. that last line, may not mean much, but it means so much after you fully understand it. you can interpret the song into whatever story you want, no matter what way it's played.
in BLOOD, it's a pretty short song, and it seems simple- but it bites you back In the ass when you relisten and understand the full album.
Kendrick helps an old blind woman who seems like shes lost something.
he decides to go over and help her, and says "Hello ma'am, can I be of any assistance? it seems to me like you have lost something. I would like to help you find it."
she replies, "Oh yes, you have lost something. you've lost, you're life."
and Kendrick gets shot and dies.
WOAH! right? You're like, what the hell is happening?
now, this may be some kind of metaphor, but, if it was a real encounter..
huh? kendrick is ALIVE? it seems super random, right? did the old woman shoot him, did a gang shoot him, did he shoot himself? whats going on?
To make sense, we have to go to the next song.
In this song, Kendrick states 23 things that are inside his DNA. a strand of DNA contains 23 chromosomes.
he seems very confident on this track. too confident. so, why is Kendrick being murdered on the first track??
these are the 23 things he states are in his DNA -
There are a lot of negative things in this, but there's a lot of good too.
this song seems to be more associated with wickedness, it even has evil in it, which is in the definition. the way he raps also seems aggressive, not weak.
in this, he seems tired, way more vulnerable, and weak.
this song visibly represents weakness.
Kendrick reflects on his fame. He's afraid he'll work himself to death, he's tired of the media saying shit. his radar is 'buzzing' and he becomes aware of how much his career affects him. he says he's tired of being gossiped about, on fox news, tv, interviews, etc.
when you see YAH, you'd think it's a abrv. for YEAH.
but, YAH is the name referring to the closest name to god. it fits, due to the religious themes.
another important line is -
"im not bout a' religion.
don't call me black no more"
He states he's not about 'a religion' although, this album contains themes about him BEING religious. seems confusing right? just like BLOOD.
He's not religious in any way, but he does call himself a Israelite.
in the bible, a Israelite are gods chosen people.
"these people with be cursed with confusion, frustration, and illness until they follow God's will."
so- what's this mean? we learn more In this album that, Israelites are all people of color.
his cousin carl, (theres a tape of a phone call in one track), that he believes that people of color are God's isrealites, and that they'll be cursed of all 'the bad shit happening'.
but, Kendrick, doesn't seem to care, he focuses more on his carreer.
in element, it starts with "KUNG FU KENNY, AINT NOBODY PRAYING FOR ME." "GOD KNOWS WHAT HAPPENS ON EARTH STAYS ON EARTH." (kid capri)
lets go more into that last line. its a bit like, 'what happens in vegas stays in vegas', a term to promote for gambling, etc, saying that no one will know that you've done stuff if you do go there.
so if you take that in context, Kendrick realizes that :
nobody is praying for him, and that no matter what he does he'll end up damned in hell anyway.
he states he doesn't give a fuck about whats happening to him, and he says he would die for his career. this represents WICKEDNESS. you can hear it in his tone. he insults other rappers, and says he's the best rapper. its a response to his weakness in YAH, that he doesn't give a fuck that he's cursed.
see a pattern? weakness, wickedness, weakness, wickedness...
but then, Kendrick realizes.
"aint nobody praying for me." x3
this features one of his prouducers, VP, a female, named chelsea bylthe saying the same. this is to show that even in music, in his team, no ones loyal, no one truly cares.
this one visibly shifts to WEAKNESS. kendrick realizes...wait. what if I AM cursed. i DO give a fuck.
in element, kendrick hides in his rap career, to escape the fact he's 'cursed' or that he's 'damned'.
FEEL. lets out those feelings.
Kendrick feels like hes lonely, like no one truly cares, and that he's truly ALL ALONE, and that every in the industry is an enemy. he feels weak, so he fights back in this song to seem anything but that.
he still speaks about how hes the best rapper, but how its full of toxic people, showing weakness.
he starts to come with the fact that he might actually be cursed. 2 songs back, he was kind of mocking that.
This ones a short anyalisis. its a song about Kendrick trying to get people to pray for him, by having loyalty people by him.
people who he trusts, he needs loyalty.
but, this one shows weakness. the pattern breaks.
this is considered the worst possible sin of the seven deadly sins.
pride makes you feel above everyone, even god.
this song is likely his post popular on the album, and its a very important song.
"Loves gonna get you killed. But Pride's gonna be the death of you and me..."
but, you can notice, that Love will simply get you KILLED. pride will be the DEATH of you.
Death seems almost like it would be the end of you. the end of your soul, while love would simply kill you.
In this album, we can see how pride infects him throughout the song.
he states he cares more about his lyrics than others. he says that in another life, a perfect world, he was there.
maybe in that perfect universe, there is a Kendrick who cares about others- but he doubts there's a universe where he doesn't have pride like this.
this track shows weakness.
this is THE turning point in the album.
kendrick talks about trying to overcome his sin. pride, but, the fact that he cant help himself from throwing shots at other people.
this track shows wickedness, but almost accidental wickedness.
he wants to be vulnerable and get rid of pride, but he cant seem to do that.
Hes taking shots at other rappers or people, telling them to sit down and be humble.
almost like, "ill be humble, but you better sit down and do the same."
this is another of the seven deadly sins. its considered as when sexual pleasure is isolated from the fact of making children.
its a very sexual song. infact, i never noticed how bad it is lol.
it tells the routine of a man/woman who only live for short kinds of pleasure, and wake up to do the same.
it also tells the story of how Kendrick has to change, but how he doesn't. he states he hasn't only been lusting over sex, but fame and money. he fears god now, because of his sins.
this song is the first time Kendrick talks about being afraid of being damned by god to hell.
he begins to be afraid of god in his healing process. he becomes more religious because he fears hell.
he drifts more toward weakness.
this is the oppisote of lust. he states his relationship with his wife.
but, he says he values loyalty more than love.
"ill rather you trust me than to love me."
in the music video, a Kendrick in white gets choked and killed by a Kendrick in black.
they sort of reappear in LOVE.
the one is black is happy, in love, and in a happy relationship in the LOVE music video.
and the one in white is unhappy, and in a toxic, unhealthy relationship.
in love, you can see that he overcame he lust with love.
so..why is there a Kendrick in the music video, doing the COMPLETE opposite? he chose love in the end, right?
he overcomes his pride with humbleness and overcomes his lust with love. he lets go of his wickedness. right?
it shows a poor understanding of America's problem. song talks about how young black kids in America will find a way to survive.
we get introduced to johnny, who doesnt want to go to school and wants to be a rapper like his uncle. (this may be keen, his younger cousin)
on a phone call, Kendrick says that if anyone touched his family he would kill that person and openly admit it- then, he quickly ends the call, saying he has to speak at a convection.
it talks about gun control, evil acts in America, etc, and how people turn a blind eye due to the American dream they're living.
kendrick talks about america like the complete opposite of a perfect world referred to in PRIDE.
XXX. could be the 'USA' X rated, but no ones exactly sure.
this starts with a voicemail from duckworth/carl, talking about how he knows that Kendrick feels like no one prays for him and he explains how they're cursed, and how it'll keep going until he follows gods wishes.
we get a verse from Kendrick sung backward.
random, right? but it actually means were going BACK in time.
he talks about when he was a kid, and his abusive mother. she threatened to beat him, and if he ran to his dad, she said she would hurt him more.
his father was the only one who could help him with his mother, and he really looked up to him.
the second verse takes place 10 years later. he was 17.
Kendrick mentions one fear: Death.
the lyrics speculate how he could die.
when he was 27, he has many more fears, saying that all the money and fame is a joke from god.
God is a DIRECT response to fear, especially to the voicemail.
kendrick didn't want to feel cursed, so he turned to god, which to him, turns to weakness. vulnerable, that's how it seems to make him feel.
he says to god, don't judge me for my past mistakes. he says he was beaten, he did bad things..etc. he feels fear of god. its his way of asking god to not send him to hell.
he says he lives through fear. fear of god.
wickedness, or weakness? Which one?
but, what if, he was never meant to choose?
duckworth is the last track on the album.
he realizes that his biggest enemy was him, this whole time.
"i always thought it was me versus the world"
"until i realized its me versus me"
This is a story. a story of two men, one named ducky, one named anthony.
anthonys life turned into a life of crime. at 15, he was drug dealing, and continued in tih business. he gets approached by cops, gets offered to be a confidential comforter. he says no, and goes back to KFC to get something to eat.
Ducky worked the window and had a young son. he wanted to make money to get his son to college, but, obviously, he's not the only one who needs money, anthony does too.
ducky was aware, and he knew Anthony would. so, he got on his good side, gave me extra biscuits or extra chicken.
Anthony became fond of ducky, that he never robbed the KFC.
Ducky, is Kendricks father. kendrick was signed to anthonys label, and they met together, they laughed together.
because they realized that if ducky wasn't so kind to Anthony, Kendrick would have NEVER become a rapper.
you can play this album anyway. it can end, or start anyway. and it will still make sense.
if you play it backward, kendrick goes into a loop of crime, and died in blood, being shot after going into a life of crime after his dad dies from Anthony.
or, he can get better, closer to god, and be successful.
overall, this album was played out perfectly. and my hands hurt. thank you, bye.
THAT WRAPS UP, DAMN. THE ANALYSIS.
