New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Kendrick Lamar unleashed DAMN., his fourth studio album, on streaming services shortly after midnight on the east coast Friday, hours after it leaked online and about an hour after pre-orders popped up on his fans' phones.
The 14-song effort from the Compton rapper comes with only three guest appearances by way of
Rihanna ("LOYALTY."), U2 ("XXX."), and Zacari ("LOVE."). It also boasts production from the likes of Mike WiLL Made-It, DJ Dahi,
James Blake, Sounwave, BADBADNOTGOOD, Steve Lacy, The Alchemist, and Ricci Riera.
Kendrick Lamar warmed up for his latest offering with "HUMBLE." a hypnotic banger produced by Mike WiLL Made-It, that was introduced with a Dave Meyers-directed spectacle. The song debuted at No. 2 on the Hot 100, marking his highest-charting single to date as a lead artist. It also follows "The
Heart Part 4," which fueled beef rumors while soaring to No. 22 on the chart.
Earlier this year, Kung Fu Kenny spoke about what fans should expect from this album. "I think now, how wayward things have gone within the past few months, my focus is ultimately going back to my community and the other communities around the world where they're doing the groundwork," he told T Magazine. "To Pimp a Butterfly was addressing the problem. I'm in a space now where I'm not addressing the problem anymore. We're in a time where we exclude one major component out of this whole thing called life: God. Nobody speaks on it because it's almost in conflict with what's going on in the world when you talk about politics and government and the system."
During the interview, Kendrick also used the analogy of a daughter to explain how he wants this project to feel. "This is what goes on in my mind as a writer," he said. "At one point in time I may have a little girl who grows up and tells me about her engagements with a male figure — things that most men don't want to hear. Learning to accept it, and not run away from it, that's how I want this album to feel." The album arrives just ahead of Lamar's headlining set at Coachella, where he will cap off the weekend on Sunday.
It's time to eat. Listen below.
