DAMN EXPLAINED: An Autobiography of Kendrick Lamar | OurThoughts Podcast

and those were the first words that welcomed us into kendrick lamar's six studio album damn now this is actually one of my personal favorite albums of all time so thank you guys you know for participating in the poll that we ran for which albums to dissect next as always leave a like comment subscribe but most importantly let us know if we missed anything if you guys have any theories interpretations of any of the songs that we talked about just because this is one of the most lyrically dense projects I think I've ever heard so you know there's bound to be something we missed something that you wanted to let us know so you know we'll see you guys in the comments and enjoy the video we want to go ahead and start off with blood yes okay so I remember where I was when I first heard this track okay I was driving back home somewhere it was late at night and I was like oh [ __ ] the Kendrick album finally dropped as realized and I started playing and you know obviously it starts out where he's telling that story about like walking that blind lady across the street or something with every line he tells you're just like wait what yeah yeah yeah and then you know it was she was like yeah I have you have lost something your life shoots Kendrick that's actually scared the [ __ ] out of me in the car I was like oh [ __ ] tell me I was like turning it up like you said I was like oh he's about to go in you know I want to hear what he says and a freaking pops a cap out oh my oh [ __ ] anyway this track really is Kendrick starting to highlight the themes of the entire album you know songs like humble you know they show like you said a ruthless braggadocious Kendrick well tracks like feel pride you know they show his weaker side but the themes also kind of interplay across each track you know for example lust as the wicked counterpart of love more of that duality and so it's kind of this demonstrates the meekness caused by you know temptation the importance here is that there there's a lot of do that is set up in this busy wickedness is it weakness you decide basically as we're talking about the importance of duality no duality of man which can be described as the person we are right now versus the person we wish we were and the duality of this album is presented within the very first lines of this Trek and has continued to be echoed throughout the album this begs the question you know who is the blind woman he's helping cross the street you know there's several several theories surrounding the identity of the blind woman on the trek fear Kendricks cousin Karl when he is like a little voicemail about like the book of Deuteronomy or whatever yeah it talked about how the Hebrews are warmed about the consequences that lead them to damnation quote unquote and that the choice of obeying God either you choose to obey God or you don't and that's kind of the woman represents the consequences of not obeying God that's one conspiracy but the one I think I identify more with this she represents Lady Justice or Lady Liberty and that she represents the entire yeah that's right entire justice system which is inherently unjust since she kills Kendrick in that song and you know the gunshot that hits Kendrick can be like about how he lost in that scenario he chose the wrong path basically in the beats one interview Kendrick kind of refused to speak on what exactly it means the deeper meaning mmm he said he wanted you to kind of know how to speak for itself you know I should exactly but when Zane Lowe asks is at the beginning of the end of the end of the beginning he refused to tell him but he says that he's it's just the right question to ask that's the whole thing come on I thought oh yeah I know that's the whole thing so I think that kind of says something this also kind of brings up this next aspect that's also really huge and that is the sample I guess this sample it's the news clip at the end of the track I don't like it this is why I say that hip hop has done more damage to young african-americans than racism in recent years Geraldo Rivera right he was basically responding to Kendrick song alright where you know he says in the track itself you know that line in the song quote and we hate the Popo to kill us in the street fo sho and Kendrick responded to this criticism on TMZ saying you know how can you take a song that's about hope and turn it into hatred you know the overall message is we're gonna be alright you know it's not a message about like yeah I want to kill people which is what Fox is trying to say it was clear they got under his skin cuz he just keeps talking about it and you know he's not happy about that clip and I wouldn't be happy about that you know taking a song that people say is like the idiom of the decade and saying how it's bad people were literally chanting we're gonna be alright during some of the protest ships yeah but a big takeaway I think that the listener should digest from this first track is that right now Kendrick is giving us the option to choose and it's either do you choose wickedness or do you choose weakness the song gives off a very Kill Bill Django Unchained vibe [Music] yeah I think this sets up as kind of like the main menu of like a videogame or something you know it's not necessarily a full song or like a full level of a game but it sets up kind of this tone the world the decisions you are gonna have to make and also that added shock factor of like of that gunshot going off it gives you that that moment that you remember when you listen to this album and I'm already starting to get a little some chills like just talking about it so the next track we have DNA this track he's basically defining the many facets of himself you know the good the bad the ugly like you know he brags he contradicts he reveals himself many times throughout this track and as it kind of lays the foundation as to why the theme of duality is so important but before we get into the track I want to talk about the music video which has Kendrick Lamar and Don Cheadle appear in the beginning kind of inferior war machine right yeah they're basically shown in the beginning arguing but while using the lyrics of the song and in that same scene Kendrick Lamar is dressed in like the traditional you know kung-fu Kenny uniform and yeah in an interview with Don Cheadle confirmed that he is actually the inspiration for the look of the character Kung Fu kenny which is based off his character in rush hour to kung foo kenny anyway going into the track itself in the lines cocaine quarter piece got war on peace inside my DNA this is basically Kendrick addressing his family history of you know they would sling dope and cocaine all the time Kendrick in the same bar you know war and peace inside my DNA meaning Kendrick has seen both war and peace throughout his life he's voiced his you know disapproval of gang violence and gang activity and he hopes to bring you know peace and unity to the streets of Compton and his neighborhood you know he's detailed a lot of the themes on his second album good kid maad city which is one of my favorite rap albums you know of all time you know this is represented both in the title and how you know as he says in messy Dee kill that [ __ ] has 16 what you believe saving me to be innocent kendrick you say ministry so it's so easy for him to put one foot in one foot out of gang life in and regular life because of how prevalent it is in his neighborhood he keeps going he says what was interesting is though an interview with Rick Rubin and he talks about why he includes you know this common theme of good and evil in his music all the time it's like a common theme especially in this album - and he says that I was raised in an environment where my father was a complete like realist from the streets and my mom was a dreamer that was implanted in me first that's just DNA of Who I am it's always the yin and the yang the good versus the evil this has been an aspect of his life since childhood it's his dad who's always been in you know doing stuff you shouldn't be doing and it's his mom who has been encouraging him to pursue his dreams and music and follow a more respectable path you know he continues this is like the coolest part of the track recites just naming stuff off he's like I don't know murder conviction burners boosters ballers dead redemption scholars fathers dead with kids and I wish I was fed forgiveness yeah yeah yes soldier's DNA that's cool [ __ ] boy what I think kind of sit up to me the most obviously he's just saying about how much [ __ ] he's seen but the LAT very last line of that kind of regression there where he says he kind of lost his innocence at a very very young age you know he had seen so much [ __ ] growing up that he knows you know everything there is to know about the projects in the streets and he's only in second grade you know his expertise checked out at a second grade scene all he's needed to see what's important about these two first tracks blood and DNA is that both of them act as kind of the thematic framework in which entire story and lessons of damn will be about further down the road it's the first song the first real song of the album and damn is it a damn I'm gonna keep saying damming pointing it out damn it's a statement to like not only you know us to listener like okay he's back but it also tell like all the other rappers like I don't know if you're gonna transition into this but the whole second part of the song where it just goes ridiculous crazy there's right there is one of those verses where you just step back while he's going and you're just like damn like yeah yeah I think this is one of his most aggressive flows that he's done in a while I think this and maybe black of the berry are like his top two most aggressive songs in general yeah yeah yeah yeah and Janique transitioning tragically yeah as you said you wanna start I want to start a new thing for me to edit we're gonna go ahead and do a thing that I'm gonna keep count of reverse alert anytime they foreshadow the whole concept of you know putting it in reverse we're gonna start that off we're gonna go ding one so yeah leave that go ahead and edit that for me chesco and yeah go ahead sorry I like how you say that before literally I just talked about like exactly that anyway the production choices reflect a major theme but the sample of this track is Billy Paul's 1979 track how good is your game and the way that it was produced is that the original sample was played in Reverse to pitch down and chopped up to create this distorted tone and a loop that was then had regular drum pattern drum be put over it that created the instrumental I don't know as as yeah and you know reversals as you said are a huge aspect of this album and that they reveal a lot of hidden messages and secrets that Kendrick has woven into the majority of this project so keep this in mind as we start off with the lyrics that's one one point yeah he goes on in the lyrics saying blacks know Kendrick emphasizes his frustration obviously with Fox News and directly calls out Geraldo Rivera me even purposely mispronounces Geraldo's name it's pretty it's supposed to be pronounced Geraldo but he says Geraldo just to disrespect him even more yeah you do Fox only you know manipulate his message and stuff just to earn money and views and television ratings and Fox has done this to countless other rappers you know jay-z Ludacris Lupe Fiasco they've all twisted their lyrics to say how bad and how evil rap music is in the next few bars he says where's it know my word [Music] so as I mentioned before his call this with his cousin Karl Duckworth is I guess a really important message isn't that on the track fear during his voicemail section he goes into the book of Deuteronomy which he's reciting and the deuteron look of Deuteronomy pretty much says like the Lord will send you one will sent you curses and confusion and frustration and that you must deal with until you are destroyed because you have forsaken me here Kendrick basically is saying that a lot of the hardships him in his community are facing is because of you know God's wrath and his willingness to test them he keeps going into this religious theme in that you know he says but his mighty thing is yeah zeroes the flip okay he's described that there's desires temptations around his life all the time as if it's drugs money sex gang violence or is it you know live a normal life and focus on using and stuff like that he supplies kind of like a broader reason for why the whole community of the Israelites which are referenced in Deuteronomy are quote unquote cursed but why is it that colored people struggle the most is it because God has chosen them to be the ones who take he tests the most or is it because of the community itself perpetuating and promoting the wrong life choices you know gang violence you know stuff like that so again more duality more references to how there's a right thing in a wrong thing that Kendrick Lamar must choose I don't know if you mentioned this but also like he says I think towards the end like right we're talking about his his connection to his faith in God how do I want it like you know when your cell phone signal is not really working well it's kind of like what it is right now yeah at this point in the album the next song is actually my second favorite song on this album element is a song I'm talking about by the way Kendrick is kind of asserting himself is like the most dominant rapper in the game which I think he is I don't give a [ __ ] right he kind of delves into more of the the interesting aspects of it in that it's his personal you know journey and how the struggle of his family and himself had endured how it influenced him to be the kind of guy he was he is today he starts off he says I'm gonna die for this [ __ ] I done cried for this [ __ ] may might take a life for this [ __ ] so what he's what he's I'm just like revenant to myself don't mind me but what he's referring to here is what he says I don't cry for this [ __ ] there is this I'm not sure what the event was but there were just a bunch of og West Coast hip-hop big names it was like Snoop Dogg Kurupt game dr. Drake dr. Dre they were all up there and they kind of called up Kendrick and soot dog said like yo kind of like you are the future like you are the next generation we are passing the tour he says in the video [Applause] having those same heroes like say something like that to your face he just like started to cry from just like pure joy in the arms of like Snoop Dogg one of my favorite are most interesting lines on this track he says I've been stepdad a friend of my mom back in 2017 with the big boy on his radio show saying that he literally was beat up by three guy three or four guys at some swap meet in LA when he was 15 at the time and they all ran when they saw his mom was coming out and saw the whole thing go down and you know he's also YZ bees and I don't know it is a car ride home basically he fast forwards in two years later he's almost 13 he's got 30 million dollars but he's still not free from violence or from people trying to get at him for who he is anyway he goes into kind of the hypocrisy or calling out what it's like going back home know that he's a huge probably the biggest rapper in the game he said basically he's saying people expected Kendrick not to be present in Compton anymore and like forget about his past and once he's become rich but he isn't he's like actively trying to like improve his city and he's always there he's donated you know millions to the schools and trying to get kids off the streets and stuff so kind of in summary on element he asserts himself again as the most dominant rapper in the game one thing I loved about the song is that it it almost like sexualizes violence you know just the chorus you know I got a slap a pussy-ass and word i'ma make it look sexy if I got to go hard on a [ __ ] I'm gonna make it look sexy it's almost like he finds pleasure in violence the way that that normal people value or get pleasure from sex he kind of similar to gonna make our 100th reference to uncut gems but you know kind of how betting gives him the these pleasures oh yeah he's kind of glorifying violence and not not to say that in like a bad way where it's like you know he's making it sound like it's nothing but for the character at this point in time it's kind of like what he needed to kind of illustrate to us he's kind of rugged and yeah it doesn't really have his stuff in order so it actually goes right into my favorite song off this album feel I just love how much when you read the lyrics it reads like poetry the amount of references and the litany in it where every outline starts with I feel and that makes sense this is probably the most vulnerable Kendrick is on the whole album you know he's talking about a wide range of feelings you know particularly the negative ones that his rise to you know celebrity has kind of elicited in him the song isn't it's almost like an anxiety where like a panic yeah I mean it's just like if this seems like an inner monologue that is constantly in his mind telling him these things even though no matter how big is he still feels this stuff you know so the majority of this song you know it's like he feels like nobody is looking out for him yet he cites a really strong desire to still isolate himself from his friends and family he says the world the world is in and I'm done we did and they [ __ ] you if you get offended it's crazy because it's again he's referencing how this Fox News reporter like has has really he should know corralled I don't know what to say to you except his name out your mouth real or although you gotta watch your [ __ ] man like this his name and I promise you'll see Candyman yeah Kendrick was down bad after that friggin a news report like the reason why it's one of my favorite is my favorite song off this album is cuz he uses his voice so perfectly and it he kind of holds your hand through this song and explains to you like why he's feeling in the way that he is at this point in the song so so I don't know why my dogs just went off there but yeah it like you said at the beginning he's very apprehensive he's timid he he's sharing his opinion but he's not exactly ranting yet and he reflects in his voice and then as the song goes there's this anger and rage that kind of feels like it's boiling under the surface until it finally crescendos and explodes and that I had the line here when he goes [ __ ] your finish that mean this full and Blastoise I could fit it the Phoenix shot of watches explodes in this fit of rage and then towards the end when he goes ain't nobody praying for me he sounds almost defeated like ain't nobody playin you know it's bit too this this whole songs have been cathartic for him but at the end of the day he can't really do anything which I feel like is how a lot of people feel right now is that you know in this country called America there's there's so many issues and you know we we have so many possible solutions but there's a lot of things in the way of actually putting them in motion so I think that feeling of hopelessness I think is very relatable to I think a lot of people and I'm glad he follows this song with a little bit more of an upbeat song and this next track loyalty basically is about well yeah loyalty Vanessa sucess 'ti of complete loyalty and honesty in both platonic and romantic relationship by the way hold on reverse alert number two the Bruno Mars sample 24k imagery is played in Reverse I have a statement from the producer Terrance Martin he says I'm loyalty it came about because you know I was working he was working with Rhapsody and 9th wonder and it was a Bruno Mars sample of 24 karat magic as he said he said I want to replay it reverse it changed the key out of the room and he do all the things all these things to it but still make it sound just like the sample but with the different edge basically he said on God Kendrick said I'm gonna get Rihanna on this and that day like right where the drums in he called Rihanna companies later they agreed and she came in so kind of cool I feel like a match made in heaven you know I feel like they're really good together they're kind of both really in tune with like their spirituality and stuff like that this track is doesn't go too deep into the nitty-gritty of either of their lives it's more of a love song and that it's kind of a fun banter between both of them the only thing I really have like that really stood out to me it was yes this wine sitting on the fence meeting he's in the middle of these two who different viewpoints you know again his another analogy used for his decision to choose wickedness or weakness so even in these more fun upbeat radio friendly tracks he still is bringing the same themes and and morals into it which i think is cool pride what am i one of my favorite moments where he he's able to just like play around with his voice where it's just constantly bitching up and down and so he's almost like floating through the entire song and with that flow and the I think the first verse and regardless of what he's saying you know it's obviously another you know very introspective track that continues he kind of delves deep into his own pride and his recognition is one of the the best rappers alive which causes tension between you know his ideals and and what he does with them that kind of is what leads the vocal pitch to vary from high and low like you said kind of reflects the contrast between the right and wrong like his left side of the brain the right side of the brain kind of thing pride is often considered the original and the most serious of the seven deadly sins another contrast between the beat of Pride and then but the beat of humble which is actually pretty intentional and that pride has very soft spoken he sounds like he's floating around he's kind of bouncing between these different pitches well humble is like very much in your face it's like kind of a more modern take on like the bombastic you know instrumental each instrumental is contrasting the topic of their respective songs if that makes sense you think a song about pride would be really loud and really strong rather it's pretty chill yeah and humble is you know super loud super in your face super braggadocious but it's about being humble you know so it's what Kendrick is able to do and how I was able to express himself there's very few artists I think that are able to do it like him out there today yeah so yeah crazy going off of Pride and transitioning into Humble I have a really great memory with this song it was a view and me man we were in so you know I was staying up in Santa Barbara or down in Santa Barbara and you know Matt came up and visited me and you know we went out to a party and all that [Applause] yo I know every single lyric in this song about to go off like the licks around us we're just going off to this day like you were saying earlier you can't help but bop to this song that piano is just infectious that don't and yeah going into actually like like what it means Kendrick Lamar in that interview with Zane Lowe he says if two people butterfly is about you know everything that's going on in the world damn is about himself and what he can do to change himself for the better so that way he can make these positive changes outwardly this song would represent like you know you're saying ego yeah you know this song is meant to be you can feel it being the initial radio single of the album you know which isn't a bad thing per se but it still gets kind of gets a point across it represents kind of the contradiction in Kendricks character at this point in the album because you know song is called humble he's telling you be humble sit down and he's flexing about things like meeting Obama and and I kind of want to get into the a flow you know where he goes this [ __ ] I do crazy hey you don't have to make me paint a blue coat from AC hey oh hey I remember reading people in this show v they said that this was like Kendrick you know jumping on a trendy flow you know at the time it was you know lows you've heard xxx tenth SEO amigos they're all using this this flow and first of all you know he's not that much older than them you know but he actually uses this to kind of juxtapose the idea of being humble and being cocky because he knows that flow is used by muzaffer who uses that to typically you know like all that it kind of gives the listener this feeling of familiarity of like oh yeah like you know this is about cars about money all that like I've heard this before like I know what this is you know got it it kind of puts that point across without even having to tell you he's kind of he's kind of in over his head right now the big sean dis a hole up little [ __ ] which he used on Marvin Gaye Chardonnay my last point about the song there's so many memorable lyrics you know and so many memorable parts that you just scream along to where he goes you know my left stroke just went viral that part yeah that's this is my one of my favorite tracks I don't know if it's number one I think maybe xxx is my favorite one loved the song will always love the song this is like one of those tracks like a timeless track I think it's at this and like Plain Jane like no matter like if we're whatever context I won't get down to these songs like it does not matter what year it is if it's like yeah does not matter yeah I mean that's what music is for right kind of it's a time in place when we hear it on the throwback hits in like 20 20 years we'll be texting each other yo crazy but transitioning into lust again reverse alert the beat which is the story I hear it's from one of those websites that sell drum kits you know yeah it's it's a beat played backwards if you listen to it that's why that there's a sound effect works moser yeah from the very first lines you know [Applause] he sets up the rest of the song it's about people who thirst or lust for things I kind of give him that instant satisfaction he kind of runs through like his schedule you know where he goes like you know wake up in the morning kick my feet up it kind of it speaks to that the urge to kind of be stagnant I think is a lot more tempting than the urge to improve and be better and do things go to your job having lust and love come after each other kind of already begs the question you know like which one is he feeling is it lust which is you know sinful does it love which is genuine you know but it's it's kind of a lifestyle of like being a rap star I guess you know his life has become more monotonous really it's just weird you know once you become successful you don't have to work you know it's just like compared to probably use busting his ass as a kid trying to make money just like his parents did and now that he has multi million dollars he's living in a mansion probably he just can wake up whenever you want one thing I love about this song actually is the way the way contrast from the next song love is this instrumental the instrumental for less it's pretty middle that minimalistic is very gritty you know it's pretty raw transitioning that into love it's of this very for ik you know daydream feeling that really epitomizes you know what the title of the song is love it it's the most different song on this album just because you know that's what love is so most people in their lives like love is a whole nother category in your brain almost where completely different and that's why the song love really kind of epitomizes that this is most people's first introduction to the khari what an introduction to like your big breakout single is on Lamar's liked big album right after to pimp a butterfly you know there's not much lyrically to the song but it does similar to loyalty reaffirms that theme of you know making a decision love lust and kind of gives you the argument for each side the love is just a really great song I was really surprised when I first heard this song I don't know about you just cuz you know coming off of albums like good kid maad city to pimp a butterfly you wouldn't expect this very lovey-dovey type song from Kendrick Kendrick kind of goes into this sidetrack interest and that he begins or majority of this record is about how there's a choice yet to make as a kid there's always two halves to every story in terms of what he has to choose as he's growing up but then there's also like this take on love and relationships that he kind of weaves into it he uses this as like a ballad to ask like the essential questions like would you still love me if I did this would you still love me like how loyal are you which is interesting to me really just the biopic of Kendrick Lamar is this is what dam is really and it's just so interesting how it all fits cohesively it's not as deep and and nuanced I think yeah I think in general when we say that these song the some of these songs aren't as a lyrically deep that's not to say that they're the lyrics are bad per se I don't know why I'm saying per say a lot like I don't know that's the word of the day apparently but what we mean by death is that it doesn't progress the narrative but it does have great imagery you know it pains in picture you know we're not at all like trashing some of the songs have you been saying that aren't lyrically deep like loyalty and love so going into the next song xxx or do I start man [Music] you [Music]

Channel: OurThoughts Podcast

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Keywords: podcast, music, hip, hop, culture, movies, film, review, joe, budden, state, of, the, complex, breakfast, club, charlamagne, da, god, reaction, reacts, sotc, kanye, west, kendrick lamar, damn, humble, dna, element, isaiah rashad, tde, top dawg entertainment, reason tde, to pimp a butterfly, video essay, album analysis, love, good kid mad city, sza, drake, big sean, top dawg, duckworth, pg lang, jorja smith, zacari, kung fu kenny, section 80, DAMN, explained, theneedledrop, kendrick, analysis, DAMN explained, leaked

Id: lrpGqXKTRm0

Length: 32min 3sec (1923 seconds)

Published: Sun May 24 2020