Ty Listens to Kendrick Lamar's "Damn"

What should be to no one's surprise, Kendrick Lamar has done it yet again.

I heard rumblings about a week or so ago that he was putting out another new record so shortly after "To Pimp A Butterfly" and "Untitled, Unmastered". It was proven to be true when his new record, "Damn" was officially released today. I bought it as soon as I woke up, as I have done with all of his records, and I have already listened to it all the way through twice.

I have to say, I really enjoy this album. This is the first album that feels like you can just sit and vibe out to. All his other records are tremendous and wonderful and very, very insightful. Lamar has proven himself the best writer in hip hop since Jay Z, and now, I think he has surpassed him.

After I bought "Damn" this morning, I found an hour to myself, my wife is off work for the day, to listen to it from start to finish while doing some chores here and there, so the kids didn't have to hear it. They cannot listen to this record, just like every other Kendrick Lamar album. Then, when my kids retired to their room for naps, I went to work out, and that was when I really dug into the record. It was just me, my headphones, the pavement and Kendrick Lamar. I got to really focus.

What I really enjoy about "Damn" though, while it is still incredibly introspective, it is easily his most "fun" record. Now, it is not fun in the way that Puff Daddy or any other "party" rappers from the early to mid nineties. It is fun more so in the way that Jay Z was having fun on "The Black Album", or how Run the Jewels have fun on all three of their records.

This record has it all. Like I said, it is deep. The intro is sad and terrifying. Then, the album slips into an almost R&B/funk type record with Kendrick rapping over the beats. It was so different from what I have come to expect from him, but I found myself really enjoying it. I like when artists take a shot at something different, and when they hit, it is even better. Then, the record reverts into a straight up rap record with some big time bass thumping beats. These songs were perfect running songs. Being able to pound the pavement to every bass beat is exactly what I look for when listening to an album that I use for working out. The song "Loyalty" is so prefect for that. "Humble" is another track that made me feel like I could an extra mile or two. "XXX" is kind of a blend of bass and R&B, and it is tremendous.

Look, what it comes down to for me, I am a fan of Kendrick Lamar's just like I'm a fan of Run the Jewels. He would have to do something truly awful, Macklemore awful, for me to not like whatever it was/is. "Damn" just proves tenfold that Lamar is so gifted as a rapper and a writer. The fact that he can put out 3 records in less than 2 years is incredibly impressive. The fact that all 3 records are totally different from each other and successful proves that he may be the best solo rapper in the game right now. Scratch that, he is the best solo rapper right now. He has taken over that throne from Jay Z.

Looking at just the current hip[ hop scene, Kendrick Lamar is so much better than anyone right now, especially Drake. The fact that each of them have a newer record out now, and that Lamar's is so much better is proof enough. Add on "To Pimp A Butterfly" and "Untitled, Unmastered", and he is so much further ahead and so much more prolific than Drake could ever imagine being. While Drake is out there being a front runner for whoever is the best team in college football, basketball and the NBA at the current moment, Kendrick Lamar just keeps getting better and better at rapping and writing. Kendrick Lamar cares more about his craft than most musicians in any genre of music, and "Damn" further hammers home this point. If you ask me, there is no debate about who is a better emcee. It is Kendrick Lamar by a million miles. Lamar is so god damn good and can do any style of rap better than anyone.

I will be listening to "Damn" for a long time now. It will be spliced between listens of "RTJ 3" and "Awaken! My Love" for the next couple of months. There is another rumor floating now that he may release even more music on Sunday, I cannot think of a better way to celebrate Easter, which is a hilarious farcical holiday anyway, than more Kendrick Lamar. Until then, I will be listening to "Damn" over and over again, and you should too. This record is phenomenal.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ha has yet to pick up the new Drake record. Ty is just not in the mood to hear sub-par rymes where Drake bashes the mentally ill.

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