A Deep Dive into DAMN. - Kendrick Lamar's Darkest Opus 

Thank you sooo much for the kind words on the video and most importantly, 10K SUBS!!! ❤ It really means the world to me :) Btw, what artists would you like to see next on the channel? 🤔

as a reminder: there are genuinely people out there that think Drake is better than this

bro is definitely getting an A in english

kendrick is the only dude where you need an 1 hour explanation for his album

we need mr morale and big steppers version

DAMN. being your first rap album is setting a very high bar for your rap taste

I feel like the blind lady was a reference to weakness or wickedness, lemme explain. He helped the lady without knowing what would happend trusting and showing her weakness WHICH GOT HIM KILLED. But if he didnt helped her he would be wicked, or "a bad person" but not get killed. Showing how unfair the world it's, bad people have it all, they do whatever they want and it comes out however they want. While good people are usally punishes or suffer too much in their life.

now i understand why this album won a Pulitzer prize

the amount of symbolism and theme, the quality of this album… its one of the greatest albums of all time

Respect for Kendrick's father! He found a smart move that changed whole history

Duuuuuude, this is one of the best album breakdowns I’ve ever seen. Also the animations were on point. Definitively following you and hope you can do more of Kendrick in the future!

He’s feeling cursed and then his newest album he mentions the generational curse being broken. Kendrick is an absolute genius and the best rapper alive

In PRIDE, he says “I wasn’t taught to share, BUT care.” Maybe, he’s saying that he cares, but nobody else does. Maybe that other life is where people DO care.

One thing I'd like to add! In blood, you can see the old blind lady as Lady Justice. You can see the interaction as a court case or police brutality. With blood leading off, you can see Lady Justice as a corrupt cop, playing as judge, jurry, and executioner. The story of a young black man walking down the street and being shot by a cop for no reason. This could act as a metaphor for the things Kendrick may have heard growing up. To cope with this idea, he begins to believe that's the way of life for black people in America. This manifests in the next track DNA, with him ending "sex money murder in our DNA". This sets Kendrick up to believe murder is part of who he is, and there isn't anything he can do about it, and hell just die in a gun fight regardless. Queue Yah next and it plays along with idea 'i got so many theories and suspicions' On the flip side of things, ending with blood, you can see a corrupt, wealth, rapper Kendrick in a court battle of sorts. One that he ultimately loses and is sentenced to death. The gunshots even works as the gavel the judge would use to end it all. Then Kendrick becomes just another headline for Fox to use. We know Kendrick is deeply worried about he's legacy he will leave after his time on earth. We see this in the previous album, even ending on the thought of 'if shit hit the fan are you still a fan?' That was the last thing Kendrick said to us before this album. Blood works both ways in this context. Blood could refer to a story of a black man being killed in Compton being told to a young Kendrick. This is the solidified by what he sees on the news. It could also be the end of Kendricks life as a wicked rapper who never focused on what was important until it was too late, becoming just another headline. This also still fits with all the other ideas in the video! I'd re listen to the album both forwards and backwards with this context! It fits surprisingly well.

5 minutes into this video and your interpretation of story-telling and editing is actually amazing dude! Never stop making vids :)

the story of DAMN sounds like a psychological horror movie.

I think the blind lady is justice and what she was finding was Kendrick’s fate on whether he chose weakness or wickedness

Barely 20 minutes in and he's uncovered more than I would've ever imagined by myself. Insane bro, also the animations and works are amazing. Keep it up bro!

One thing that could be point out. In the regular album cover in DAMN, DAMN is above Kendrick as he’s wearing a blank white T-shirt, indicating his journey to salvation and being free from damnation. In the collector’s edition (reversed order) DAMN is on his shirt which could indicate his path into damnation and where he becomes cursed.

As an young teenager with a short attention span, this was not difficult to keep my attention on for an hour. This is amazing keep continuing to be great

Kendrick at 7, 17, and 27… 777? Angel number

The quality of this is fucking wild, definitely looking forward to seeing more! Update: I just relistened to DAMN. Because of this video. It was always my least favorite Kendrick project and this let me give it a second chance with new context and it elevated it a whole lot. Thanks for this

I’ve always interpreted XXX. As 666. Or hell. Showing that America is now a hellhole, and also referring to one of Kendrick’s main fears in the album

7:48 Someone's probably mentioned this already, but "sex" being the 23rd thing in his DNA holds significance: it's the chromosome pair that determines your sex at birth. And... the second chromosome in the pair (the one that makes the difference) is provided by the father

Man I’m really going to need you to do the rest of Kendrick’s discography after this one

this video is PERFECT. the interpretation, the imagery, the color game, everything builds up to a MASTERPIECE. congratulations brother, you've made ART.

Holy shit i never realized how insanely amazing this album is. The reverse twist is phenomenal, and its so impressive that kendrick and his team were able to make this story so cohesive in both directions

the theory that this is a loop is supported too by the premise in fiction going back to even Homer: blind people are the ones that aren’t actually blind. they physically can’t see but what they do see is the truth. the old lady being blind telling Kendrick he’s lost his life is (in the reverse track list) her telling him he’s lost his way without his father’s guidance, which damns him; the blind lady in the original track list is telling him the truth that he’s lost his life because he’s cursed/damned from the start. even though she’s blind she can see Kendrick for who he really is in that moment, but until you listen to the whole album and choose weakness or wickedness for you and him, you can’t see what she sees.

missed the opportunity to name the collectors edition “god damn.”

I think it’s really important to mention that Rhianna had been dealing with a similar situation. Somebody in her team took money from her / deceived her and Kendrick heard about it. They ended up collaborating on Loyalty cuz they were in very similar places dealing wit dishonesty & being backstabbed in the industry

the duckworth ending is a representation of kendrick lamar getting shot "die in a gunfi-" and the rewind/reverse is how all your life flashes before your eyes.

might be the best video i’ve seen

in FEAR. one thing that always stuck out to me was the way Kendrick says "my new found life made all of me magnified". It almost sounds like he says "Ptolemy". Looking into Ptolemy he has a theory about Earth being the center of the universe which I interpret as either Kendrick being fearful because he believes he is the center of the attention further "magnifying" his fear brought from fame, or a connection to Earthly desires and ways furthering him away from god. Just a thought I had.

I wish i could like this a million times cuz thats how much this deserves. DAMN. Was my fav album but i could never put in to words why, and this video finally answered that for me 🔥🔥🔥

I was eating cheese its while eating this.

Whats crazy about this is whats currently going on with him and Drake. Listening to him explain Damn album makes me feel he is serving his purpose here

I hope my homies are ready because i'll definitely be presenting this video as my own ideas for the next 5 years

I never understood why people didn't like DAMN. as much as his other albums, personally i think DAMN. is a better album than TPAB even if TPAB is the objectively more culturally significant one. This video really made me realize why I loved this album so much...i never thought this deeply into it even though i spent a lot of time with this album and listening to what Kenny had to say. Thanks so much for your hard work on this ♥

This entire video is beautifully made.

Who else is here after the w

When I heard pride for the first time I cried especially when he said “a perfect world isn’t perfect just full of lies “chills

genuinely my favorite video I've watched in years, I love your editing, commentary, story telling, everythings so unique and feels so fresh, cant wait to see what you do next brother

Dude, I've been a fan of Kendrick's poetry since GKMC, so i gladly listened to that and TPAB over and over again to get it(and watched a few explanation videos)...but DAMN was a brain teaser. I couldn't understand it for the life of me. And yet, finally, someone did their homework to fully explain (in the best way possible) the entire album (in both ways!!). Thanks a lot for your hard work. 🙏

this album literally changed my life, i was in a deep depression and listening to kendrick dealing with most of the same issues as a young 19 year old kid lost with no plans he really helped me understand that there is good and evil

this man has perfected his craft and we got weirdos mad about him not consistently dropping.. true art takes time

This is easily the best breakdown of DAMN I’ve ever heard. Everything from the commentary to the editing and storytelling is one point. I’ve always wondered why I’ve like the dichotomy tracks of LOVE and LUST or PRIDE and HUMBLE.

this just made me realize damn. is one of the greatest works of art in music history. unbelievable. great breakdown

when the vid so good you just stand there like,DAMN.

I got a light on kendrick from the rap beef and now I know why he is the big him. holy I sat through all this I never realized how music can actually portray horror until now.

I've been trying to understand the conceptual side of damn for so long. This truly is the best breakdown I've seen on this project. I truly am amazed by the work you've put in and ofc kendrick's hehe. Thank you! Love!

First of all, i want to say that this was an amazing video. Script, editing, everything. That said, i have a different take on what the story on BLOOD. is, and by extension the nature of the 2 versions of Kendrick. I believe that the 2 Kendricks are connected, and pretty much the same person. You see, in blood, we see a kendrick that is loving, he sees a grandma and goes to help her. That is in character with the weak Kendrick. The grandma, we see a character that is lost and blind. That is in line with wicked kendrick, who has been blinded by sin and lost his path to salvation. That said, their physical characteristics don't match this traits. The physically weak one(grandma) has the spirtual characteristics of the wicked one. To me this tells me that they are the same person. Both people are half of what each of the kendricks represent. That said, i do think that they have one connection to each version respectfully. The grandma has lived a long life, so if in kendrick terms, she survived. She is the kendrick who loved. Kendrick, in BLOOD. is the wicked kendrick, dying at a young age in some sort of gang conflict. Here we see too lives. One, where a person lives a long life, who turned to love and god. A person with some sort of legacy. The other is one of a person who was misguided, lost in a forest of sin and only getting deeper into the woods. Dying in a gang affiliation, too young to have his legacy, only to be forgotten. The first chose love. The first one simply got killed in the crossfire. The second chose pride. And it was the death of him.

“Ain’t nobody praying for me”

What an amazing breakdown. You must have sat and dwelled on this albums for hours man 😭 we appreciate your work.

holy shit. I started watching this at 3 A.M. thinking "this video has 1 hour, I'm going to watch it to maybe sleep in the middle of it" BUT WHAT???? this video was fucking incredible, man. when I heard this album for the first time, I didn't have any idea that it was *_that_* deep. this video was so amazingly written and edited that it made my comprehend the album so much better. never stop making videos, man. you got a new _loyal_ sub. *damn.*

Kendrick is one of my top listened to artists on Spotify and this album has been one I constantly go back to since it came out and the reverse order track list BLEW MY MIND

To keep it real nobody albums gets broken down more than Kendrick Lamar...even after all these years to me he is the greatest you really cant compare him to Drake or J.Cole...

So Damn back then was the reason of why we have M.Moral & TheBigSteppers😮😮

This is like my first time commenting in a long time, perhaps since 5 years ago. I gotta say, while watching this at 3 in the morning, this has to be the BEST breakdown of an album I have EVER seen. Without even mentioning the quality of the editing or tone of the video, it’s fucking amazing. Keep it going man, this was an incredible watch.

yo usually i dont even comment on vids and shit but allow me to tell you this video is amazing. The visuals, the way you explain it, the overall attention to detail is what makes this video so entertaning and complete. really hope u keep going dude, u killed it.

This is genuinely such an amazingly written and well made video well done !!

It also shows that Kendrick was worried that there was no alternate timeline where he was good, instead however he was that timeline, as the other timeline , which is the album played in reverse, was what happened when he chose wickedness

I was so confused by this album, because I knew there was something more to it. That video solved it all. Such an amazing perspective of this album. Thank you :)

Bro, this is one of the greatest video essays I've ever seen. Though I knew the twist about the reverse story, you still made me watch the whole video with so much satisfaction. You gave me goosebumps with the structure, the montage, the storytelling. Great job, bro!! Thanks a lot!!

Bro this is legitimately the best video I've ever watched on RU-vid. Congrats man, I'm definitely subscribing!

whenever you do a video about an album you make it so clear to understand and enjoy. you should do to pimp a butterfly i still dont get it

Thank you for making this… I’m 30 and went through my 20s with the emergence of Kendrick Lamar… this made me appreciate this body of work infinitely more.

I’m going to be honest at first I was like "I doubt some guy who discovers rap music in 2017 will have any thing interesting to say about this amazing album" but then you blowed my mind on how well this video was written and edited. You even thought me about the two different path of the album I always thought it was just about how Kendrick picked the wickness path and that’s it wow I can only tell you how impressed I am

omg... This is without question the best video I have seen this year. Thank you so much for making it I am so lost in thought rn

That is the best video I’ve watched related to uncovering the meaning of albums,please keep it up man

this is my all-time favorite album. i've been listening to it off and on for the past few years, and loved every bit of it. awesome video, my man. love to find new perspectives

Damn you should do this for every Kendrick album😭

What a brilliant commentary. I am in awe at the detail and revelations you have made in this video - thank you for this!

This is truly one of the best and most enjoyable album breakdowns I've watched. Great work buddy 👏🏽

Dude, never stop making videos. They just keep getting more incredible. Your editing is also so amazing

Dude, I never thought that Tyler video could be topped, yet this is absolutely magnificent. Great video!

Thank you so much for making this. One of my favorite albums and my favorite artist since 6th grade, never did I realize how deep this album was. This was such an amazing watch

DAMN. and IGOR were my intros to rap, and those 2 will forever be my favorite albums of all time, but DAMN takes number one after I watched this video. Makes me appreciate DAMN. so much more.

this is actually one of the best videos ive watched in a while

this is probably the best and most well made analysis of music ive ever seen on youtube, especially with all the graphics. would love to see you cover more works!

The best deep dive video I have watched. PLEASE do not stop making content!

We need another deep dive into rap albums!! This style of editing and production is amazing!! Keep it up

What a fucking trip. I felt that I picked up some of what he was going for but I appreciate you for going so deep into it. It was like putting contacts that not only help me see it clearer, it also gave xray vision on top or that. You did a great job on the video.

this is one of the best videos ive ever seen, the editing, the attention to detail ect is incredible

Bro should do Mr Morale and the Big Steppers ❤️

Bro thank you for making this 💯 it's extremely well done! Kendrick's album concepts & executions are amazing

this video is so well done! as a huge kendrick fan, i wanna thank you for making this. i feel like this needs more recognition

This has absolutely made this album an even more amazing listen, thank you for the work you put into the deep dive. Keep up the good work

This video is almost as well put together as the album good job bro, really helped me understand the meaning as a whole and the themes throughout. 👍

what an absolutely amazing video. props my dude. awesome work

Dude I have watched this like 5 times, I can’t get enough of this. You HAVE to keep making these deep dives man!!!

this NEEDS more attention absolutely loved everything about this vid to the storytelling to the editing to the final twist, fucking heat and made me LOVE (ironic) DAMN even more than I alr do.Great vid honestly keep it up

I think the blind lady is actually wisdom because in proverbs 1:20-23 it’s saying that wisdom cries out on the streets for those who want to listen. While in the original order Kendrick goes to seek wisdom and his old self dies showing that he is starting his journey with Christ while in the reverse it’s showing that because of all his wickedness, that Kendrick dies because in Deuteronomy 30:19 it is saying that God has given you a choice to choose from blessings or curses and he has called all on earth and heaven to witness your decisions. But the most important part in that is him saying that if you choose God or “life” as it states, then you and your descendants will live. It also states in the Bible that wisdom is a woman in some way so it would make more sense 1:00:11

I thought it was cool through the track list you found the phrase "Fear God" on the original album. It also made me realize that on the collectors edition you can see "Love Lust".

I've been watching lots of yt videos for over a decade now. This is easily the best music video that I have watched. Not only because I'm a fan of Kenny's work (specially DAMN), but because this video registered my thoughts on this masterpiece. Great respect for your vid work, production, dedication and appreciation for the album. You did a fantastic job.

This is fucking amazing. Props to you dude, probably one of the best breakdowns ive seen on YT, notifications will be on 👍

I think the interpretation for BLOOD. in the reverse order is that she says he's lost his life and a replay of the gunfire that killed his father rings in his head as he recognizes that he's lost his true self, his life, in the path that he's chosen.

I really love how much you broke this down. really puts things into perspective.

This is probably my favourite video on ALL of RU-vid, absolutely perfect AMAZING video. Keep it up

ive like kinda known about this theory for a while and watched other breakdowns, but never *really* understood. but goddamn you explained it SO well while also being really intertaining and with amazing editing.

This mf makes art