On “The Blacker the Berry” from his jazz-funk magnum opus To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick repeatedly dubs himself “the biggest hypocrite of 2015.” This feeling, of being a pretender or a fraud, is something that many can identify with, whether you’re religious or not.Ī Kendrick record can very often be a raw, intimate portrait of his anguished soul, but he can also expand his scope to survey the broken world around him. It’s difficult to imagine that kind of pressure, particularly when your past haunts you. This is why it’s fascinating to see him so openly and honestly thrash against his sinful nature as he strives to be the messiah that the culture makes him out to be. city.” Coming from his background, Kendrick continually makes it clear in his lyrics that he never should’ve made it out - much less as a positive role model. He admits on “The Art of Peer Pressure” that he’s “N ever been violent / Until I’m with the homies.” He struggles against the temptation to lose himself in alcohol on “Swimming Pools (Drank).” He calls himself “Compton’s Human Sacrifice” on the menacing track “m.A.A.d. The autobiographical G ood Kid reports on Kendrick’s hellish experience in the streets. Growing up in Compton, there was no shortage of vices available to derail Kendrick before he became one of the all-time great MCs. It made me sit up and pay attention to what he was actually saying on the album. It seemed like a straightforward and vulnerable admission of human weakness. On “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe,” I was immediately struck with the line, “ I am a sinner who’s probably gonna sin again…” Within the context of the song, it didn’t seem like a flippant line about reveling in sin. Like most, I was first introduced to Kendrick when G ood Kid, m.A.A.d. His rhymes can often be tortured, conflicted, and angst-ridden it’s part of what makes his music so relatable and rewarding. The pictures Kendrick and Chance paint with their words tend to contrast in fascinating ways. Kendrick repeatedly wrestles with sin and brokenness - in himself, his community, and the entire world. “I am a sinner who’s probably gonna sin again…” In the manner they evoke religious themes and their own personal faith, two of the most popular and important rappers in the game are showing us two sides of the same coin. There’s more than one way to portray faith in your art. Similarly, hip-hop’s fastest rising star, Chance the Rapper, also speaks frequently about God on his 2016 album Coloring Book, albeit in quite a different way. The production and lyrical style of Chance’s music will not often be confused with Kendrick’s, but there can be no doubting that both love to explore the spiritual side of life. The current King of Hip-Hop has always incorporated his faith in approachable and compelling ways, and that certainly doesn’t change on DAMN.
Curiously, part of what captivates Kendrick’s fans is the heavy spiritual element in his music since at least his debut studio album Section.80. The 29-year-old from Compton is firmly in his prime and still on top of the rap world. With DAMN., Kendrick Lamar has produced yet another dense and brilliant album.
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