Kendrick Lamar released his album DAMN in April of 2017. When the album came out, I had it on repeat for a good few weeks. DAMN was the album that really introduced me to rap. I had only heard the occasional Eminem or Kanye West song, but I had never listened to a rap album all the way through. I originally listened to it simply because I loved the music but I never thought much about what the lyrics actually meant. It never even occurred to me to think about the story he was telling through the album.

Like many albums, DAMN has various theories for its storyline. But generally, people seem to agree that the album highlights what America was like in 2017. Specifically, how divided the country was when Donald Trump was elected. At the time, republicans and followers of Trump only heard what they wanted to and ignored what they didn’t. The same mindset applied to liberals.

"I gotta stay creative, I gotta stay writing - I’m usually writing every day. I can’t miss a day without writing, whether it’s a line, a verse, or an idea. I always have to have that creative flow going."

When you listen to the songs on DAMN in pairs, they contrast each other in opposing political and social issues. The first song on the album, “Blood,” is a short and somewhat vague story about police brutality. The blind woman in the song is a symbol for the justice system and she eventually shoots the bystander who is only trying to help. The vague nature of the song shows that police brutality isn’t one particular issue but a systemic problem.

Following “Blood” is “DNA” which is longer and more detailed. It acts as a narrative of Kendrick telling the listener about all the things that make him up, the good, the bad, his failures and his successes. In comparison to “Blood,” “DNA” is more popular. This illustrates how people will turn a blind eye to police brutality and systemic racism.

“Yah” and “Element” show two opposing sides of Kendrick’s self-esteem. “Yah” shows Kendrick feeling depressed and that he has nothing to live for. But in “Element” he is extremely confident and bragging that he is the greatest rapper of all time.

“Feel” and “Loyalty” also contrast emotions. “Feel” highlights isolation from others while “Loyalty” fittingly shows the loyalty he feels from being connected to his peers. These two songs could be Kendrick’s connections to other people or his relationship with God. From the God perspective, “Feel” is about how people are losing their religion so “Loyalty” is God asking for people to be faithful again.

The middle songs on the album are “Pride” and “Humble.” For these two songs, the meanings are actually flipped. “Pride” is about humility while “Humble” is about being prideful. “Humble” was the first single released from DAMN and with a staggering 1.5 billion plays on Spotify, it is the most popular song on the album.

“Lust” and “Love” offer a straightforward contrast of desire and affection. “Lust” sounds somewhat eerie and outlines the selfish things people do to take advantage of others. “Love” is more upbeat and Kendrick repetitively asks someone to love him despite his possible shortcomings.

“XXX” represents chaos while “Fear” represents consistency. The music in “XXX” changes throughout the song and the lyrics don’t follow a specific storyline. “Fear” is specifically about how fear is a constant throughout life.

“God” and “Duckworth” contrast intention and free will. In “God,” Kendrick asks to not be judged for his mistakes but it is worthless because he is already damned. “Duckworth” shows that even the smallest decisions and actions can have a great impact on your life.

“When my time has come on earth, I want it to live longer than me, for the grandkids and their kids.”

When you listen to the songs on DAMN in pairs, it brings greater meaning to the album by contrasting views. The topics of the song are still relevant today, seeing as America is still very much divided after Biden won the election.

Watch Kendrick Lamar talk about his album, DAMN.

Molly Briggs-Webb

Molly is a student at Algonquin College. She loves writing, traveling and photography.