Kendrick Lamar managed to snag six out of the eight Moon People he was nominated for at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards. Lamar’s lead single HUMBLE off of his fourth LP DAMN was everything short of a meek victory as David Meyers & The Little Homies took home awards such as Video of the Year and Best Cinematography.
However, taking home all of those trophies was the least surprising win for one of the Leaders Of The New School. His recent effort has gone multi platinum and currently has 4 entries on the Billboard 100s.
What was even more shocking to hear was Kendrick himself confirm that the album DAMN was actually meant to be listened to in reverse order.”You listen from the back end, and it’s almost the duality and the contrast of the intricate Kendrick Lamar. Both of these pieces are who I am.” He told MTV News in a recent interview that was put out before the VMA’s.
Taking this into account one can begin to analyze all the intricate details and speculations of the album from a totally different perspective. For example, why you hear a gunshot at the beginning and ending of BLOOD & DUCKWORTH and also why many people suspected that the Compton MC would be releasing a second album this past Easter Sunday.
In fact, one Reddit user by the name of ntgbox went as far as breaking down every single component of this duality Kendrick Lamar was talking about.
The user explains that when hearing the album in it’s original format listeners become bombarded with different emotions and often get lost in the story arc Kendrick is well known for, but if one decomposes DAMN into two seperate albums the message suddenly touches upon a completely different conversation.
ntgbox suggests that all 14 tracks are in direct juxtaposition from one another because Lamar meant for DAMN to be a dichotomy: The Path of Damnation or Salvation. This is in fact why many fans had their wits about him releasing another album they thought would be entitled NATION.
However, start to compare tracks from one another and you find the message is oppositional. LUST is about succumbing to desires such as sex & money, but LOVE is about rejecting those desires and instead embracing one’s partner with the most powerful emotion humanity has to offer.
“Try listening to these albums separately, and the cohesiveness will come together. There are truly four ways to listen to DAMN. Forward, backward, the Saved Man, and the Damned Man” said ntgbox.
We’ve composed 3 of the 4 playlists for you, give them a listen and tell us what you think below.