Kendrick Lamar's Damn Analysis

Kendrick Lamar’s Damn is the only album on the list that I have listened to in its entirety before this assignment. This album became so popular because of Kendrick Lamar’s history of embodying the black community through song. This album speaks to the black and discontented youth as well as delves into racial tensions through a combination of hip hop and soul. Kendrick Lamar is known for his social justice work in the black community. His lyrics and music help to tell the stories of black people in the United States and the constant struggle that they endure. In today’s racial and political climate, Kendrick Lamar’s Damn conveys his unhappiness with racial injustice for black people. Despite his fight for equality, Lamar is tired and has made little impact on racial injustice as this is captured in his album.

XXX explores racism in America in which one of his friend’s son is killed. It is a vintage example of “clapping back at killer cops, perfectly in line with Rodney King-era revenge fantasies…” (Weingarten). It is also calling out racist police officers that kill unarmed black men and black children. Despite the violent overtones of the song, gun control is the main point of it. Gun control continues to be a major political issue and Lamar is addressing the need for reform in his music. Although the revenge for his friend’s son is likely to become violent, he juxtaposes it against his desire for gun control (Weingarten). Kendrick Lamar even uses the song and album to voice his displeasure with the election of President Trump. Overall, black youth are disgruntled with the President and his silence and dismissive nature of racial issues and white supremacy like the riots in Charlottesville, Virginia. Also, racial tensions between black communities and police officers have not been properly addressed and Kendrick Lamar highlights that all throughout his album,