DAMN.

DAMN.

Kendrick Lamar

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

Reviews

CY
Apr 5, 2026

I slept on this for way too long. A friend kept recommending it and I kept putting it off, and now I feel like I wasted years not having this in my life. The songwriting is remarkably assured — these aren't the kind of hooks that grab you immediately and then fade. They're the slow-burn kind that embed themselves in your brain and only get stronger over time. The production deserves a lot of credit too. It's detailed without being cluttered, polished without being sterile. There's a warmth to the sound that makes it feel alive and breathing. A few tracks could have been trimmed but honestly that's a minor complaint about an excellent record.

CL
Apr 5, 2026

Really strong album with only a couple of tracks that don't quite land.

PI
Apr 5, 2026

Flawless execution of an ambitious vision. This is why we love music.

RE
Apr 5, 2026

Overrated in my opinion. There's some good stuff here but not enough.

LU
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.

BO
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.

LA
Apr 5, 2026

Every generation has a handful of perfect albums. This is one of them.