DAMN.

DAMN.

Kendrick Lamar

3.9/ 5.0 from 17 ratings
#203 Overall#8 for 2017
Descriptors
intensespiritualbangingintrospective

Reviews

SE
Apr 5, 2026

The instrumentation is gorgeous throughout. Really well produced.

CR
Apr 5, 2026

A landmark release that deserves every bit of praise it gets.

SU
Apr 5, 2026

I respect the ambition but this doesn't work for me.

GU
Apr 5, 2026

This grew on me enormously. What initially seemed messy revealed itself as brilliant.

VA
Apr 5, 2026

The atmosphere this album creates is incredible.

VE
Apr 5, 2026

Few albums have had this kind of impact on me. I distinctly remember finishing it for the first time and immediately starting it over from the beginning. The sonic palette is unlike anything else — familiar enough to be accessible but strange enough to keep pulling you deeper. Every instrument occupies its own perfect space in the mix. What elevates this beyond just great music is the emotional honesty. You can feel the lived experience behind every note. It doesn't perform vulnerability, it embodies it. And somehow it manages to be both deeply personal and universally resonant. That's an almost impossible balance to strike and they nailed it.

PA
Apr 5, 2026

I put off listening to this for years because the hype felt overwhelming. How could anything live up to that kind of consensus? But when I finally sat down with good headphones and gave it my full attention, I understood immediately. This isn't an album you casually appreciate — it demands and rewards your complete focus. What strikes me most is the emotional range. It moves from devastating vulnerability to towering confidence, from intimate whispers to massive sonic landscapes, and it all feels organic. The transitions never feel jarring even when they probably should. That's a level of craft that very few artists achieve even once in their career.

RI
Apr 5, 2026

Probably the most perfectly sequenced album I've ever heard. Each track sets up the next one beautifully and the climax hits like a freight train. The fact that they pulled this off is honestly kind of miraculous.

HE
Apr 5, 2026

What sets this apart from other great albums is the consistency. There's no filler, no dips in quality, just track after track of brilliance. The emotional arc from start to finish is perfectly constructed. An easy 5.

FR
Apr 5, 2026

Fine album from a good band. Nothing offensive, nothing transcendent. It sits comfortably in the middle of their discography and that's okay. Not everything needs to be a masterpiece to be worth your time.