A Deep Dive into DAMN. - Kendrick Lamar's Darkest Opus

on the 23rd of March 2017 Kendrick Lamar dropped the Heart part 4 the fourth installment in a series of singles that Kendrick now uses to tease upcoming projects on the way in this song Kendrick teases this new project by talking about his influence on the music industry and how he still the greatest rapper alive basically nothing you wouldn't expect from Kendrick right however nobody knew that what Kendrick had for us was his darkest project to date filled with religious ideals and mysterious structures hidden within the tracklist Dam tells of the Twisted journey of a man who cursed Without Really knowing why has he retrospects on his past his rap career and his many sins he realizes all of this ties back to one terrifying thought being damned to hell if there's a rap album that keeps intriguing me to this day even if it's been out for a couple of years now it's got to be down believe it or not this is the album that got me into hip-hop before that I didn't listen to rap and this album did the trick for me not only because of the great music on there but because there was clearly something special about this album that I didn't fully understand right from the bat you're met with the pretty odd track list with all songs titled after only one word followed by a DOT like the title damn you'll notice some of these songs have religious connotations some of them even being related to the seven deadly sins the lyrics are pretty cryptic too for the most part with a ton of repeating lines throughout the album like a line reminding us constantly that what happens on Earth stays on earth and the craziest part is as a listener by making certain choices you can basically impact how the story plays out on this record but I'm getting ahead of myself let's start at the beginning a rather strange beginning because the story on Dam starts with the death of Kendrick Lamar the first song on the album blood tells a rather simple story so I was taking a walk the other day Kendrick is walking down a street somewhere and stumbles upon a blind woman now who is this blind woman it's not very clear as of now however Kendrick notices that she seems kind of frustrated it's like she had dropped something on the sidewalk and was trying to find it but you know she's blind so it's a little harder Kendrick still decides to help her though he just offers to help look for that thing she might have lost but then the woman replies with something very strange she replied oh yes you have lost something you've lost your life and Kendrick dies suddenly from a gunshot so now you're like what the [ __ ] is happening right is Kendrick dead for the rest of the album who killed him was it the lady or was it like a setup some gang planted this lady there just to Kill Kendrick when he passed well considering we're just entering the album and that this story is definitely one of the most interesting pieces of the puzzle on this album I'm going to come back to it in a bit but for now let's turn our Focus to actually the very first lines on this album the song Blood starts with probably the most important lines of the old album without which it wouldn't really make sense as a whole first of all here Kendrick introduces the two main themes in D wickedness and weakness and these two themes will constantly oppose themselves to each other in this album while weakness means the state or condition of lacking strength or quality or feature regarded as a disadvantage or fault wickedness means the quality of being evil or morally wrong this also makes sense with the front and back cover on this record the front cover cover represents weakness as Kendrick is in a submissive position this sounds wrong I mean look at him we barely see his face like he's almost bowing or something but the back cover is more about wickedness because Kendrick is surrounded by darkness and opposed to light right in Christianity light represents the good and darkness is evil he seems also pretty much ready to beat up someone with that face so this cover weakness and this cover wickedness and on blood Kendrick presents these themes as kind of a choice to make are we weak or are we evil and this choice will result in an outcome you decide are we going to live or die so we already know what's related to these themes if you choose either one of them you're gonna either live or die there is clearly some sort of of secret meaning or mystery behind this song and Kendrick even confirmed it um starting with blood blood it is the one of the most interesting pieces on the record is it the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning I can't tell you that that's the whole thing come on I got I got I got I got DNA is the second song on damn and it acts as a proper introduction to the character of Kendrick on this album so to put him in context he's a wellestablished rapper on the top of his game winning Awards after another it's almost too perfect and it's no surprise right because he had just released a pimpa butterfly which is already considered one of the best albums of all time but on this song he's almost too perfect he's so [ __ ] confident on here and this makes you question the timeline of events here why is Kendrick being killed on the first track right considering Kendrick is talking about himself in the past when he says I was taken a walk the other day it could be like Kendrick is telling a story he made up because he didn't die for real or maybe a theory that's a little more out there could be that it's a life flashback he sees his life pass in front of his eyes before he dies right maybe but it's way too early to tell in the first verse Kendrick tells us 23 things that are in its DNA the same number as the number of chromosome pairs in the human DNA there's a quite some negative stuff here poison pain kill [ __ ] and Evil but Kendrick still has some good in him he's loyal he's joyous he's also peaceful so uh yeah a lot of things in his DNA but let's take a step back and look at these songs as a whole rather than focus on specific lines because it's really easy to get lost when you're analyzing a Kendrick Lamar record you can draw meaning from every [ __ ] word of the song which I'm trying not to do too much remember the most important line in this album is it wickedness is it weakness what if we took both of these themes and applied them to the songs directly in other words if you had to choose would a song like DNA be more associated with weakness or wickedness wickedness right you can just look at the list of things Kendrick has in his DNA most most of them could be associated with wickedness in general evil War Kill [ __ ] money murder I think these are good examples of wicked things or just how Kendrick raps on this song He seems angry on hedge like he's ready to throw a punch at anybody so DNA has got to be about wickedness but that's where it gets interesting what do you think blood is about well weakness obviously he [ __ ] dies on the song and if you had to guess which one of those two would be the next song about yah is the third track on Dam and right off the bat you'll notice this song is way less energetic than DNA you'll see this song is way more pessimistic and vulnerable so it seems that every song on damn alternates between wickedness and weakness and keep in mind you decide are we going to live or die H there's clearly something here this song is basically a moment where Kendrick is reflecting on his massive Fame even though he's one of the best rappers worldwide he's worried he's going to burn out he's tired of interviews and news talking about him in the hook Kendrick [Music] says Rad Kendrick's Radars are buzzing meaning he's starting to be aware of that and to realize what negative effects this has on him if we look at the title you'd think yah is just an abbreviation of the expression yeah and that's what I thought until I searched it up yah is actually referring to Yahweh the closest estimation to God's actual name in Hebrew which you know is kind of fitting because there's so many religious themes in this album ReliOn I'm Israelite call no wait what did he just say he wasn't religious in an album that's literally packed with religious themes this is actually where we learn a crucial thing about Kendrick on this album Kendrick isn't religious in anyway but he does identify as an Israelite so what's an Israelite according to the Bible Israelites are God's chosen people descendants of Israel and they're often linked to the book of Deuteronomy where a verse from this book states that these people the Israelites will be cursed with confusion frustration and illnesses until they follow God's will now what does this mean in this context well we learn a bit later in this album that Israelites are basically all people of color according to Kendrick's Cousin Carl the soal blacks Hispanic and Native American Indians we are the Israelites according to the Bible Carl says that all the [ __ ] up [ __ ] that's been happening around the world and especially in America with all the racism he provides a reason for that why this is all happening it's because to him people of color are God 's chosen people Israelites and until all those people follow God's true Commandments they're going to be cursed with all the bad [ __ ] that's been happening right so according to Carl Kendrick is also cursed as an Israelite but Kendrick doesn't give a [ __ ] like Kendrick is like oh yeah God is cursing me right me the biggest rapper ever right good joke and even if Kendrick is feeling a little down on himself in yah Kendrick just decides to focus even more on his career staying in his element new K Fu Kenny ain't nobody praying for me element starts with Kid Capri shouting these lines which will reoccur throughout the album he says ain't nobody praying for me which fits within the religious theme of The Last Song but then he says y know what happens on days on Earth which seems like a pretty important piece of the puzzle to me I mean not only this phrase is stamped in the jewel case for the CD edition of dam but it apparently was the original name of the album before it was changed to Dam so what does it mean well when you hear it it's kind of reminiscent of an expression everyone knows what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas and it means like if you go to Vegas and gamble your life savings on drugs and hookers uh nobody has to know and they won't so if you take it in the context of this album Kendrick realizes well nobody's praying for me and no matter what I do on this Earth uh I'm going to end up damned anyway so why does it matter I don't give a [ __ ] I don't give a [ __ ] I don't give a I don't give a fu I don't give a [ __ ] element is a song about Kendrick asserting himself as the best rapper in the game even more than on DNA and this is a direct response to what happened on yah with Kendrick learning he's apparently cursed he doesn't give a [ __ ] he's a successful rapper what's going to happen right anyway Kendrick is shouting out loud that nobody is praying for him as kind of a flex right a rapper Flex [ __ ] y my grandma's dead so ain't nobody me I'm on but strangely Kendrick comes to the realization that wait is there really nobody praying for me no the transition from element to feel is a very important one because in element Kendrick mentioned nobody prayed for him but he didn't give a [ __ ] however the first few seconds going into feel show us that yes Kendrick gave a [ __ ] one thing very interesting about those very first seconds in the song you'll notice a female voice is saying the same phrase as Kendrick alongside him no nobody this is the voice of Chelsea ble who works anr for Columbia Records and is a part of Kendrick's team of managers and producers and this is to show that even in the music industry nobody prays for him nobody's really loyal to him not even in his team nobody praying for me this is crucial because in element Kendrick takes refuge in his rap career to escape the fact that he's apparently cursed but when he realizes that he can't hide there anymore that's when Kendrick opens up about what he really feels the song is pretty straightforward it's almost all written in the template of I feel like blank so what does Kendrick feel like Focus Kendrick feels like nobody's looking out for him obviously but he also feels like isolating himself from everyone he also talks about his place in the music industry how when he's on that stage he feels like the best out there but he's all alone in that world and everybody in the industry are just enemies to him the villain ISX I feel likeing demons monsters FAL indry promis but see how every song compliments each other using the wickedness or weakness theory on element wickedness Kendrick addresses his place in the music industry as he's the best one in the game and [ __ ] on everyone else however on F Kendrick still talks about the music industry and how he's the best but also how this industry he dominates is full of toxicity therefore showing weakness again but the most crucial thing we can take away from this song is that Kendrick might be cursed for real like Deuteronomy says he's confused he's frustrated he can't sleep he can't breathe so before in yah and element it was like ooh I'm not religious enough so God's going to curse me oo spooky but on this song Kendrick realizes wait what if it's [Music] real loyalty is a direct response to feel in a way nobody prays for him so he wants loyal people close to him who are going to pray for him basically there's also a video for loyalty which honestly adds so much to the song and the album so I can't talk about this song without mentioning the music video first of all the video is filled with imagery that we could take as anything really we got this dog barking at the beginning with red eyes a portion of a street with red making a form of cross then we have Kendrick literally being murdered by Rihanna while blindfolded maybe has a test of loyalty But Then Kendrick and Rihanna fall in love after he beats up a dude and we get this playing we also get a scene with a Kendrick dressed in black kidnapping another Kendrick dressed in white that Kendrick is then choked to death with a bag maybe because he wasn't loyal keep in mind we had two Kendricks on the covers too maybe something to think about but the thing the video illustrates the best is how only the most loyal people get into Kendrick's inner circle with all these people trying to approach Kendrick but then sinking into the ground all in all loyalty is a song about Kendrick trying to fix his problem of nobody praying for him by only having the most loyal people beside him get Pride starts with another interesting song phrase and when you first hear it it's kind of hard to decipher the real meaning here he says Love's going to get you killed but Pride also like what but there's clearly a distinction Kendrick makes here between killed and death body and spirit basically he says Love's going to put you in the ground but Pride will infect your mind and damage the ones around you that's why he says pride is going to be the death of you and me this here is extremely significant especially for the story because it brings a whole new meaning to the song Blood where if you remember Kendrick is killed by a gunshot after trying to help an elderly blind woman maybe Kendrick didn't literally die from being shot maybe it's his spirit that was shot or wounded after all the lady says he's lost is Life by being too focused or blinded by the success of his career pride is considered as a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements hence Kendrick's pride is his rap career obviously with the past few songs and everything you can tell that pride is slowly infecting his mind with the fact he's the greatest rapper of all time I mean he can't stop talking about it DNA yah and element were just about his rap career pride is also considered like the worst possible sin in the Bible because Pride makes you feel like you're more worthy and above everyone else even God and in Christianity nobody's supposed to feel Superior to God right in the song Kendrick talks about struggling with pride in his rap career I don't love people enough to put my faith in man I put my faith in lyrics he's literally living through his rap career he just said he cares more about his lyrics than other [Music] people in the hook Kendrick mentions he wasn't taught to share and care but in another life in that perfect world maybe he was there in another life I maybe in that perfect alternate universe there's a Kendrick that cares about people and shares what he's gained but then in the hook Kendrick starts doubting there's even one Universe in which he doesn't have pride maybe [Music] I nobody for me it been a day for me humble is the eth track on Dam and is a braggadocious rap song where Kendrick takes shots at other people but also at himself by the way fun fact the instrumental for this song was actually this close to being given to Gucci man which would have been a [ __ ] disaster but anyway the first verse is organized like a classic braggadocious rap he's not really taking shots at anyone else he's just talking about himself and how great he is how he's the best rapper of all time who would have [Music] guessed but then the chorus comes and Kendrick is basically reflect reflecting on what he just said thinking to himself I got to be humble about that humble is the turning point in the album and it's where we enter what I like to call the healing phase of this album it's really where it becomes evident how the transitions between the tracks of the album are crucial to understanding what's happening the only way kendri can overcome his biggest sin pride is with humbleness and this is hard for Kendrick so hard that he can't help himself to not throw shots at other people too in the second verse it's like [ __ ] I got to be humble but uh you two I mean it's not for nothing that we hear Rihanna say this in loyalty still Kendrick manages to get rid of one of his biggest sins but what about the others [Music] lust is the ninth ninth water water I need some water that's [ __ ] funny lust is the ninth song on Dam and another one of the seven deadly sins lust is considered as a very strong sexual desire but as a sin it's considered more as when sexual pleasure is sought for itself isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes anyway this song Fits its title pretty well because it's a really sexual song just looking at the hook as blood rushed my favorite vein gee I wonder where that is let me put the head in I respect the cat I promise just a touch dude I don't know what's wrong with me okay I've listened to this album probably more times than I've jerked talk off in my life no that's not true no but I've listened to this album so many times and I've never picked up on that like what the [ __ ] is wrong with me anyway the first verse of the song is telling the routine of a man and a woman who just live for short types of pleasure wake up in the kick your up watch a comedy take and just go to sleep to do it all over again the second verse though tells us the routine of Kendrick a rapper Who's stuck in his ways he's telling himself he needs to change but at the end of the day he doesn't call 11: this is another example of Kendrick exposing his weaknesses he also States he's not only been lusting over sexual pleasures but now Fame and money one more interesting thing is that Kendrick now seems to fear God because of his lust turn [Music] fears this is actually the first time in this album Kendrick talks about a fear of being damned by God and I can't help to think that this is so [ __ ] interesting because like Kendrick is supposedly cursed by God In Field track five but nowhere in that song he mentions he's scared of God right it's only when he starts his healing process that he starts fearing God it's like he's slowly becoming more religious just because he fears what God could do to him which is just crazy to me you'll see this sentiment of fear will only grow stronger if the next tracks he's slowly starting to drift more towards [Music] weakness right from the start we can tell that there's a strong connection between love and the last track lust love is the literal opposite of lust and on this song Love is the main subject Kendrick mainly talking about his relationship with this wife Witney Alfred although Kendrick still emphasizes he values one thing more than love loyalty this makes a whole lot of sense especially if we look at the music video for loyalty where it's basically a love story between Kendrick and Rihanna also remember the two Kendricks from the Loyalty video where one chokes another one to death well they kind of reappear in the video for love with the one wearing black being happy and in love and the one wearing white being unhappy and in a sort of toxic relationship note that in the beginning Kendrick presents a choice again like in blood love or lust wickedness or weakness Kendrick goes from lust to love on this album obviously with the transition from the track lust to the track love also the Kendrick and black represents what's happening right now in the story he overcomed his lust with love so why is there another Kendrick doing the complete opposite he obviously chose Love In the End why why do you need to mention it well dude I love doing this me knowing something you don't know yet there's a big reveal coming soon trust me so seems that Kendrick overcomes his pride with humbleness and overcomes his lust with love he's letting go of his wickedness this evil side of him by getting rid of all his sins new Kung Fu Kenny ah there he is kung fu Kenny XXX is all about painting a very poor picture of America in general it's not for nothing that the first verse is cut off in the intro showing a poor understanding of America's problems the first verse talks about the mindset of young black men growing up in poverty and crime infested areas basically saying that in arsh situations they're going to find a way to survive but if you take the Gratitude from them they'll become ruthless and willing to kill the BL in kung fu Kenny am I right then we get introduced to a character by the name of Johnny Johnny don't don't want to go to school no more no more but instead wants to be a rapper like his big cousin looking back on it from today it's very likely the character Johnny is actually baby Keem Kendrick Lamar is baby keem's older cousin so Johnny wants to be rapper that's baby king anyway in the second verse Kendrick gets a call from a friend who says his son has been killed because he had some kind of money problems and asks Kendrick for advice on the same phone call Kendrick says that if anybody touched his family it would result in him killing that person and openly admitting [ __ ] I did that this also ties into Kendrick's loyalty right towards his family I'd rather you trust me than to love me but then Kendrick abruptly ends the call by saying he has to speak at a [Music] vention all right kids we going to talk about gun control for me then we get the chorus by YouTu which says a lot on its own this first line is probably referring to the US in general which is not only Associated to a place but also an idea the American dream however he then follows with the [Music] phrase even with this American Dream people are still turning a blind eye to corruption gun violence and just evil acts in the country which are huge issues especially in America the greatan flag ised and Dr with in the final verse Kendrick addresses these issues in the form of a convention speech this also ties in with that verse from Pride where Kendrick talks about a perfect world right the way Kendrick talks about his country is the complete opposite of a perfect world but now if we go back to the title of the song the first thing that would come to mind is that this title is like censored right or inappropriate like xrated and there's a line in the song that supports that but since this song is mainly about America this title could also be USA just censored or x-rated and by realizing all of this Kendrick can help but be afraid of the future fear is the 12th song on Dam and my personal favorite fear starts with a voice voicemail from Carl Duckworth Kendrick's cousin who calls him because he's heard that Kendrick has been struggling with the fact that nobody prays for him I but you have understand are Cur people Carl explains that the reason Kendrick feels this way is because they're cursed and this confirms what Kendrick thought on yah remember Deuteronomy 2828 says the Lord shall smack be with Madness and Carl quotes Deuteronomy 28 it's a common passage used by Hebrew Israelites to explain why African-Americans and other minorities experience so many atrocities From Slavery disease and poverty to lack of civil rights Hebrew Israelites believe that Africans Latinos and Native Americans need to embrace their true identity as God's people in order for their punishment to subside so until Kendrick follows follows these Commandments he's going to feel cursed but then we get a verse from Kendrick sung [Music] backwards this is actually the verse that was just sung normally before that this is there for a reason guys that means we're going back in time [Music] in 1994 Kendrick was 7 years old living with his father and mother in a rather abusive setting I beat your ass talking back I beat your ass Kendrick's worst fear as a kid was his mother violently punishing him for his actions whether it was for crying in public or him jumping on the couch his mother would tell him well do that and I'll beat your ass as Kendrick mother becomes more and more aggressive with time she says I beat your ass you better run to your father I beat your ass as Kendrick's father is the only one who could protect him from his mother in fact Kendrick's father was really around during his Youth and he looked up to him a lot [ __ ] you going fear me if you don't fear no one else this concludes the first verse out of three on the song fear each verse representing the worst fear of Kendrick at a certain age the second verse however takes place 10 years later in 2004 Kendrick was 17 years old still living in Compton and taking part in gangs and legal activity like in the first verse Kendrick only mentions one fear death [Music] I Kendrick is terrified of dying from really anything with each Cent speculating on a way he could die at that age maybe it's going to be from being shot at by police officers or maybe just because he's Young and Living in a high crime rate neighborhood I probably die cuz that's what you do when 1 this concludes the second verse on fear and now we get to the last verse once more 10 years [Music] later in 2014 Kendrick was 27 years old and was working on his album tab with this newfound Fame Kendrick not only had one fear but many many more when I was 27 I grew accustom to more fear among others his biggest fear was losing it all as a famous rapper remember Kendrick thinks he's curse so he doubts why God would lend him all this Fame and money thinking it's just a joke all money is goding a joke on me and he finally says this wondering if from living through fear living through rap damn this is literally referring to the first line of the album Kendrick Wonders on this album if he's still alive because of fear and weakness or because of his rap career and is wickedness keep that in mind until you come back to these Commandments we going to feel this way we're going to be under this all in all fear is an eye openening track for Kendrick where he reflects on previous events in his life and decides to finally change his ways I love you s and I praise in you God bless you Shalom God is a direct response to fear and especially that voicemail in order to not feel cursed anymore Kendrick chose to follow God and His Commandments in other words he chose weakness and now I'm not personally saying that uh being religious or anything is a sign of weakness this is just what Kendrick implies on this song for many reasons following the weakness SL wickedness structure God is a weakness song also it's interesting that when you read the last two tracks together it forms the phrase fear God and that's not for nothing cuz there's a sense of weakness and fear coming from Kendrick on this song judge Kendrick is repeatedly saying don't judge me before mentioning a bad thing he's done in his [Music] life this contrasts so much with for example a song like haah where he's like get money get [ __ ] you know and now this is his way of saying uh God I know I've been bad but please don't send me to hell so going back back to that line in fear wondering if I'm living through fear or living through rap Kendrick is finally telling us he lives through fear fear of God is it over did we just answer that question wickedness or weakness you're like oh well it's weakness we've we've done it we've solved it I guess that's that's what Kendrick chose in the end he chose salvation you decide right he chose salvation but what if and that's where this album becomes [ __ ] mindblowing what if he was never meant to choose and instead you were meant to choose for [Music] him on Duckworth the last track of this album Kendrick realizes that even though he always thought his biggest obstacles in life came from other people like being cursed from example he now realizes his biggest obstacle was him this whole time we going to put it in reverse but anyway let's get to the core of the song which unlike what you would think is not Kendrick just healing or tying up loose ends in a nice bow to end this album it's actually just a story a story of two men one named Anthony and the other named ducky Anthony was the oldest of a family of seven a well-respected and calm guy but his life quickly turned into a life of crime at the age of 15 he was already drug dealing and he quickly climbed in the business and got assigned to larger and larger amounts of drug drugs to sell and that's when he was approached by cops the cops were suspecting he was part of some illegal activity and told him you know you seem like a good kid maybe you could help us out as a confidential Informer go in Deep Cover figure out what's the whole operation however Anthony was loyal so he said no and just went back to KFC to get something to eat with his Omi at this KFC there was a guy that worked the window there that guy was ducky a rather nice and social guy he also came from the streets but now had a young son he was actually working pretty hard cuz he had a goal send his son to college obviously as it's pretty expensive especially in the US but he's not the only one who needs money Anthony does too but he didn't plan to work for it he just planned to rob it Rob the KFC however ducky was aware of that not only he came from the streets but Anthony had robbed the place a few years ago and even knew he shot a random customer there of course he doesn't want Anthony to rob it again and maybe risk his life for that job he's got a son he needs to go to college right but at the same time he's just a drive-thru worker what is he going to do about it that's when ducky thought I'm going to try and get on their good side see Anthony came often to that particular KFC and every time he went to the drive-thru ducky thought about it and said I got to do something about this so he just thought well um have some free chicken extra biscuits on the house every time he went through and believe it or not that worked Anthony became so fun of Ducky that in the end Anthony didn't even Rob the place that man ducky was actually Kendrick's father and 20 years later when Kendrick was signed to Anthony's label Top Dog entertainment and entered a recording studio with his son Kendrick just to see Anthony sitting there again they couldn't help but burst out laughing cuz they realized something if Kendrick's father didn't do what he did and Anthony had robbed the KFC killing everyone inside including ducky Anthony may have been arrested for murder and never could have started his label Top Dog entertainment so Kendrick would have never been a rapper and would have gone further into the cycle of gang crime and death that he barely avoided even though it's a [ __ ] insane story uh why include it as the final track on Dam well when you think about it this story breaks the curse the curse of Deuteronomy it breaks the curse of Deuteronomy that Kendrick is so affected by these two guys Anthony and ducky found a way to navigate a situation without conflict without acts of wickedness ducky and Anthony's Good Karma made Kendrick's success Kendrick became Kendrick Lamar The Rapper because this curse of violence was broken for once and honestly it could end there right and Kendrick has decided to live in the light of God even if it means living in weakness because he realizes that Wicked Act could have forbidden him from being who he is today it could end there but it doesn't without and then we hear a gunshot followed by the song Duckworth just reversed but it doesn't end there so I was taking a walk the other day what the [ __ ] is happening we know reversed a on fear was used to rewind back in time right so maybe it's a way to illustrate Kendrick's uh life passing him by after he's killed but why would he be killed the whole album is maybe like a flashback after he died uh but still it doesn't make sense let's hear what Soundwave Kendrick's closest producer has to say about this album the album is half the battle the the real battle is making everything cohesive that's the most challenging part but the funnest part for me and kendri will sit there for hours eliminating songs that are so amazing because they don't fit it has to make sense it has to be a perfect circle it has to connect about a week after the release of dam fans started to pick up on some Clues left on the last track of the album Duckworth especially about the concept of reverse things we going to put it in reverse so what if we played the album in Reverse like the audio for example okay never mind there's no way it's that it just sounds unintelligible okay but what if we took all the tracks and just went through them in the reverse order at first that sounds so stupid like that would be like watching a movie uh backwards or just reading a story from the end to the start it wouldn't make sense right right well damn is not just a story it's two themes two concepts two stories we've heard one story by now Kendrick's path to Salvation the one where Kendrick is cursed then finds God and decides to live in weakness but what about wickedness at the end of Duckworth we're left with a chilling possibility what if Kendrick's father died that gunshot at the end of the song is not Kendrick dying to show how the album is cyclical or something it's Kendrick's father being murdered by Anthony it's not for nothing that a few months later Kendrick released a collector's addition for Dam with the same songs but just in the reverse order is it wickedness is it weakness you decide are we going to live or die by playing the album in either direction you get an entirely different story in the reverse one it's an alternate timeline where Kendrick's father is killed in the first track Duckworth and the rest of the album is answering that very question if Kendrick's father had died what would have Kendrick [Applause] [Music] become on the reverse track list if ducky dies on the first track the next track would be God this order changes everything because right from the start Kendrick is religious unlike the normal checklist where in yah for example Kendrick says he a about no religion we can assume this is a younger Kendrick as his father just died Kendrick is also getting introduced to the world of crime on the streets I'm in Street see how these songs are so carefully crafted it's the same [ __ ] song but just in what order you play it it takes an entire new meaning in the normal track list Kendrick has just implemented Godly ways in his life so it's a way of saying I used to be more in the streets but now I can't afford to do that anymore while on the reverse track list it's a way for young Kendrick who just had his dad killed to say I'm starting to be on the streets and I need money but it's not just in the lyrics that this makes sense it's also in the transition between songs [Music] [Applause] with the death of his father fear takes on an entirely new meaning the voice call from Carl where he says nobody has prayed for him I know you've been having a lot on your mind that could refer directly to the death of his dad if you remember the verses on this song are separated into Three Ages Kendrick at 7 at 17 and at 27 and it's interesting that Kendrick's father is only mentioned in the first verse where Kendrick is 7 years old you better not run to your father because at 17 or 27 in this theoretical timeline he's dead this is also an example of how transitions are crucial in this album in the normal track list Kendrick goes from Fear to God as in he fears God he lives in weakness but in this one he doesn't fear God he fear fears what's happening to his country [Music] America xxx is the first appearance of kung fu Kenny in this new track list but it's also the first time we see a glimpse of what Kendrick is becoming as a result of not having a father if you remember this song has a friend of Kendrick calling him to say his son has been murdered and Kendrick's response was I a [ __ ] didn't throw the blow in his lap without having a father figure Kendrick is having more and more violent thoughts Wicked thoughts and thinking about getting into a life of crime he's slowly becoming Kung Fu Kenny and now we get to love a relatively nice song talking about what Kendrick would do for his significant other and how he loves them remember the beginning of the song Love or [Music] lust love or lust and the normal trackless Kendrick is on the path to Salvation he goes from lust a purely sexual desire to love a heartfelt connection but on this STK list it's the opposite in this St list instead of getting rid of sins he's committing sins hence why this is Kendrick's path to wickedness I need some water Kendrick needs to be cleansed of his sins he needs water holy water but an interesting thing to notice as we get further into the tracks we get further away from God literally the track God it's like kendri leaves his Godly ways behind and weaknesses behind like love for example because love gets you killed and slips further into wickedness this is Kendrick's path to [Music] wickedness as humble in the original tracklist was about Kendrick being humble this time it's about others being humble to Kendrick remember how this song felt a bit like of a disc right and even in the video you can see that that's because here it's not about being humble yourself it's about others being humble to Kendrick and that shows even more when you get to [Music] Pride if you remember Pride was a song about being too satisfied with your own achievements and that's the biggest sin you could do because you're feeling Superior to everyone even God when pride comes then comes disgrace but with the humble is wisdom in this instance Kendrick doesn't go from Pride to humbleness he goes from humbleness to Pride he just gains Pride remember that video for loyalty a lot of things now make sense with this new checklist for example the fact we hear pride in the video since it's the previous song that was played it makes more sense in this instance but also remember that scene with the two Kendricks one wearing black and one wearing white this could be the two different possible versions of Kendrick meeting face to face the one who's lost his father slowly getting into a life of crime and the one who still has a father and is a successful rapper but why would the one in black kill the one in white well this Kendrick is on on a path of weakness submitting himself to God and this one is on a path of wickedness so it's no surprised that the weakness Kendrick gets murdered he's weak this is really the part of the album where we see this new Kendrick is getting deep into a life of crime here loyalty takes an entire new meaning cuz in the normal tracklist it's about people around Kendrick to be loyal to him because nobody prays for him if you remember but on this tracklist nowhere in those previous songs he's mentioned that nobody prays for him that's kind of significant so when he says he needs loyalty he needs loyalty as in he needs for example loyal henchmen then we get to the part of the album where Kendrick starts to feel different the song Feel of course talked about how Kendrick felt like nobody prayed for him and how he felt cursed this is also a song where Kendrick starts to isolate himself from friends and family but it's really weird when you listen to the album in that way because it just seems like it pops out of nowhere there was this kind of pessimistic view of the world on the song Pride but that was directed at the world everyone except Kendrick Kendrick is starting to maybe feel cursed by God I don't give a [ __ ] I don't give a [ __ ] but on element he clearly states I don't give a [ __ ] even though what he experiences on F is probably a sign of God telling him change or you'll just continue feeling like that but Kendrick is as wicked as ever on element y notice Kung Fu Kenny is much more present in this leg of the album cuz that's what he's become now this figure you shouldn't [ __ ] with yah is also starting with the classic Kung Fu Kenny adlib and is another low point for Kendrick who talks about his insecurities being a bit paranoid and again strongly implying he's not about no religion DNA is the second to last track on this reverse trackless because it really wraps up this album in an interesting way everything is stripped off Kendrick until All That Remains is his DNA and what's in it which is mostly negative like a big ball of anger it's ironic that the normal tracklist starts with a Kendrick that has nothing but aggressiveness and sin inside of him but ends up healing himself and the reverse tracklist is the complete opposite he lost so much his father his faith in God love humbleness and all he's left with is lust pride and what's in his DNA and keep in mind this is all because he's lost guidance his father wasn't there to raise him so to me it's like he's just become this cartel head right or something it's all about crime making money and [ __ ] there's only one place Kendrick can go from [Music] here at the very beginning of this video I told you a story that didn't really makes sense and honestly I apologize because I don't like to leave uh you guys uh in the dark for too long but right now it makes sense more than ever in the story Kendrick was taken a walk and saw a blind woman looking for something on the sidewalk and Kendrick wanting to help this woman offered to help her look for that thing just for the woman to answer yes you've lost something you've lost your life and Kendrick is shot I believe that with all of this we can now guess who that lady is the old Blind Lady seemed like she was looking for something seemed like she had lost something what if that blind lady was God stay with me what if that lady was God and was just looking for kendri in order to kill him and here's my reasoning there is a goddamn line in yah that to me is so obvious it's related to this story I know he walks the Earth in reference to God Kendrick knows God is walking this Earth and at first it might seem so insignificant okay but let's take this phrase literally God is walking this Earth so you know if Kendrick was taking a walk the other day maybe God was also taking a walk the other day he's walking this Earth and was trying to find Kendrick until Kendrick came himself to God in a final act of kindness this is so godamn ironic when you consider the whole album because he's just been going downhill into a path of damnation he's sinning left and right and he doesn't give a [ __ ] but at the beginning before his father died Kendrick wasn't like that he was still religious and maybe in the end he was like I'm going to try and do something good for once as simp simple as helping a blind lady cross the street or look for something right he just wanted to help this Blind Lady a chance at Redemption a chance to get closer to God after all those years so in a final act of kindness a final Act of weakness Kendrick hopes to be forgiven for all his sins but I guess God didn't have much Mercy for him damn is a kind of Choose Your Own Adventure in a way it sounds kind of silly when I put it this way but is it wickedness is it weakness you decide are we going to live or die by playing the album in either direction you choose if k kendri lives or dies in the normal way Kendrick takes a path to Salvation and lives out of weakness in the reverse stacklist Kendrick's father dies and he follows a path to damnation where he dies to the ANS of God out of wickedness and it's dangling in your [ __ ] face from the beginning of this album and I can't get my my mind off of it it was right in front of you from the beginning of this video I got you again so in the end it's kind of like damn godamn you I hope you enjoyed this video I really do cuz making it took so much more [ __ ] time than I planned it to take I'd like to take a moment maybe to like thank you guys this channel has grown out of proportions I never imagined it to be really like thank you for sticking around and to the new ones um I'm going to give you I'm going to mail you cheit actually uh right to your front door if you subscribe and like this video good night and good luck with your life I'll see you in the next video bye-bye

Channel: TennisThom

Views: 2,062,706

Keywords: DAMN, damn, damn.

Id: v-ek1OxZ2tE

Length: 65min 45sec (3945 seconds)

Published: Fri Nov 03 2023