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DAMN.
by
DAMN. Image
Metascore
95

Universal acclaim - based on 39 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 3346 Ratings

  • Summary: The fourth full-length studio release for the Compton rapper features guest appearances from Rihanna, U2, and Zacari.
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 39
  3. Negative: 0 out of 39
  1. Record Collector
    May 25, 2017
    100
    DAMN. sees the rapper make a 180 degree turn from the sprawling jazz/funk/hip-hop odyssey of TPAB to deliver 14 taut, tough and wise cutting-edge examples of what’s possible in hip-hop today. ... Essential stuff.
  2. NOW Magazine
    Apr 17, 2017
    100
    Countless rappers claim to have transcended the game. Kendrick Lamar actually does. There’s the sense his ambitions on DAMN. are even larger, reaching toward something more universal, fateful even spiritual in its reach to find the link tying all contradictions together.
  3. The Quietus
    Apr 21, 2017
    100
    It's so lean and spare sonically that it feels like a dash of cold water to the face after the cacophonous, dense To Pimp A Butterfly; it's so light on its feet that it makes Good Kid, M.A.A.D City feel ponderous in comparison. It does this while also staking its claim to being Kendrick's most philosophically profound album to date.
  4. Slant Magazine
    Apr 17, 2017
    90
    Clocking in at under an hour, the new album maintains its predecessor's varied sonic palette with a mishmash of stark trap flourishes and woozy, impressionistic melodies but also distills these sounds to an ear-wormy directness primed for your car speakers.
  5. Drowned In Sound
    Apr 25, 2017
    90
    It’s not what you might have expected or even--on one or two initial listens--have been hoping for from Kendrick Lamar. But this is an artist in his absolute prime: artistically, lyrically and musically.
  6. Rolling Stone
    Apr 18, 2017
    90
    Much like the recent A Tribe Called Quest record, Damn. is a brilliant combination of the timeless and the modern, the old school and the next-level. The most gifted rapper of a generation stomps into the Nineties and continues to blaze a trail forward.
  7. Exclaim
    Apr 18, 2017
    60
    DAMN. is the first time in Lamar's career that he hasn't broken new ground, explored old themes in new ways or exhibited sonic growth.

See all 39 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 427 out of 468
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 468
  3. Negative: 19 out of 468
  1. Solsun
    Apr 14, 2017
    10
    This album was Kendrick changing his sound and offering something different than his previous albums. A great listen from start to end, stillThis album was Kendrick changing his sound and offering something different than his previous albums. A great listen from start to end, still need to listen a couple more times to unpack the lyrics… Expand
  2. Bilal99
    Apr 16, 2017
    10
    I was nervous about the release of this album. I wondered: how could he follow up the brilliant TPAB? Good lawd! Kendrick's genius overflowsI was nervous about the release of this album. I wondered: how could he follow up the brilliant TPAB? Good lawd! Kendrick's genius overflows on this piercing record. DNA is one of the most viscious rap songs in recent memory. YAH simmers like my grandma's grits in Mississippi. ELEMENT is straight fire.

    "Ain't nobody praying for me" is recurring refrain throughout the album. Like a lead Eminem single, I didn't judge the entire project based on HUMBLE because I knew that the song would tie into the overall story of the album. Honestly, after hearing HUMBLE I didn't even notice when he says nobody prays for him in the beginning until the album came out.

    Kendrick bares his soul on FEEL. LOYALTY is a great duet with Rihanna...This album is equal to rather briilliant GKMC and TPAB but different from both. I highly recommend listening to this album. Glad i was alive to hear 2pac, BIG, Nas and now Kendrick.    … Expand
  4. Dahp99
    Jan 2, 2018
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. DAMN. is Kendrick's best album by far. This album seemed to tell so much yet still sound amazing. His previous albums lyrics were jaw dropping these are no exception. This is an album were you can listen to every single song and not get tired of them. This album will be a cult classic and will be in the record book. These are bold statements but songs like HUMBLE, ELEMENT and DNA talk about the slums in Compton, CA and how he sticks to those roots.

    Best Songs: DNA. HUMBLE. ELEMENT. PRIDE. LOVE. XXX.    … Expand
  5. Spinsir
    Apr 15, 2017
    10
    Not a bad song on the entire album. Kendrick Lamar is on the Mount Rushmore of rap after this one. He is able to tell an amazing story andNot a bad song on the entire album. Kendrick Lamar is on the Mount Rushmore of rap after this one. He is able to tell an amazing story and make it sound good at the same time.… Expand
  6. jckgwrnsk
    Apr 15, 2017
    9
    I love this album. Not as great as To Pimp a Butterfly, but still great. Also, there are two songs on here that a just straight garbage. ThoseI love this album. Not as great as To Pimp a Butterfly, but still great. Also, there are two songs on here that a just straight garbage. Those songs are Love and God. other than that, every song here is great. some of his best songs yet on here.… Expand
  7. zakier
    Sep 25, 2021
    8
    I feel DAMN. is simultaneously overrated and overrated. On one hand there are people who adulate this album excessively merely because it’s aI feel DAMN. is simultaneously overrated and overrated. On one hand there are people who adulate this album excessively merely because it’s a Kendrick Lamar album, while on the other there’s people who blindly hate on it without trying to understand it. DAMN. shows Kendrick trying to make an album which dives into his psyche, and for that matter the human psyche’s emotions and feelings. For the most part, he does this well. Tracks like DUCKWORTH, XXX., FEAR., PRIDE., ELEMENT and DNA. are amazing songs with admirable production and meaningful lyrics. BLOOD. and LUST. are good tracks but don’t hit as much as the ones mentioned before. HUMBLE. is in its own category as though I believe it’s above BLOOD. and LUST., it’s radio friendly and slightly shallow meaning is reminiscent of Swimming Pools, and consequently makes me hesitant to praise it too much. YAH. and GOD. are decent at best, some may say mediocre, there’s honestly not too much to say about them. LOYALTY. and LOVE. are definitely regrettable. LOYALTY. is just annoying and obviously engineered for the radio, while LOVE. is soulless, uncharacteristic and is probably the only Kendrick song since 2011 which I’d actually classify as bad. At times, Kendrick also fails to tie in all these ideas together - the album lacks cohesion at times. With that being said, the album is still full of good songs, and the concepts Kendrick explores are impactful and deep. Kendrick should have just fleshed out some ideas more, especially for LOVE. and LOYALTY.… Expand
  8. njaff2386
    Jan 22, 2020
    0
    Trash!!!!!!!!!!!! His fans are toxic and need to grow up. Making multiple accounts to bring ratings down is pathetic

See all 468 User Reviews

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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best Album of 2017
5
#5 Most Discussed Album of 2017
1
#1 Most Shared Album of 2017

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