Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. is still burning up the charts more than four months after its release, and for fans who haven’t already fallen down the Reddit rabbit hole, there’s a new way to listen to it: backwards.
Following the release of Kendrick’s fourth studio release in April, many fans speculated on the possibility of a surprise second album coming out soon after, while others theorized on the possibility of there being a second, hidden concept within the 14 tracks.
During a recently published interview with MTV News, K. Dot confirmed the latter theory — even admitting that the album has a better rhythm when the album’s songs are played in reverse order.
“Many of my fans know that my albums get real intricate and there’s always details in there,” the Compton native said when asked about the theory. “For the most part, they usually have a good listening ear to figure out what’s going on.”
“I think like a week after the album came out, [fans] realized you can listen to the album backwards,” Lamar continued. “It plays as a full story and even a better rhythm. It’s one of my favorite rhythms and tempos within the album. It’s something that we definitely premeditate while we’re in the studio.”
Kendrick goes on to admit that while the project’s narrative doesn’t change, the feel of the album most certainly differs when played in reverse order.
“I don’t think the story necessarily changes, I think the feel changes,” he said. “The initial vibe listening from the top all the way to the bottom is … this aggression and this attitude. You know, ‘DNA,’ and exposing who I really am. 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.”
Watch the clips below.
Over rated.
word. Lol.
i’m a fan, but any album is gonna have a different vibe if you change the sequencing. it doesn’t really feel deliberate in the way he’s letting on, though.
STOP it 5
Wow. So you just bit the Tetsuo and Youth idea and not acknowledge it? I swear, mainstream artists/ record labels (not K.dot in particular) will bite the hell out of a concept that’s been done by lesser known artists, non mainstream artists etc
Sat down and listened to this album, got bored 3/4ths of the way through and never came back (except for DNA). Kendrick hasn’t grabbed people’s attention since MAAD City. Don’t lie and say you still listen to TPAB.
I still listen to all his songs. K.dot playlist crazy lit. From Section 80 all the way to DAMN
I LISTEN TO TPAB MORE THAN I LISTEN TO DAMN., FUCK YOU TALKIN BOUT
TPAB is an amazing listen, still. It gets better each time. Maybe you should go back to your mumble rap if you can’t appreciate the real
Why does he have to like mumble rap because Kendrick hasn’t put out a good album worth the praise he’s receiving since section.80?
I hate when people assume you listen to mumble rap just because you don’t wanna hear kendrick with Rhianna on a track. Some of us rap fans, love lyricism and such, but also love a dark west coast gangster type of rap. If Kendrick kept it super west coast, I’d be a giant fan still, but even schoolboy q is more of a westcoast sound than kendrick.
Shut your old ass up! Oh, and I still listen to TPAB, Overly Dedicated, Section 80, GKMC, and Damn. From start to finish.
This dude is full of himself. Disguising himself as a genius through devote fans generate money for him when in media. His music shines because of excellent production and mixing/engineering. All of the vocal tricks and effects in the songs lay it out excellent. Put him anonymously on a beat in a live cypher, without the ability to have a producer/engineer tweak it…and he’s just average
You must eat plain bologna sandwiches too. Cause you like to keep it REAL, right? But on the real, part of this artistry of music IS how you put things together. He happens to be very hands on about HOW he sounds on a record. How a beat interacts with his voice. Just being able to rap is too low of a criteria. But hey if you prefer a backyard burger to a filet mignon, thats fine too. But let’s not act like production magically happens without the artist participation. Its a disservice to suggest so. If it was easy, any of those cypher guys would be selling platinum records. And they are not.
Of course an artist wants great production. That’s part of what makes a song great. Lemme guess.. you’re an aspiring rapper right? Got it figured all out. Kendrick doesn’t need an engineer or producer to give him “vocal tricks”. His lyricism and flow does that on its very own. Quit being a hater. And actually get better at your craft.
Not an aspiring rapper. I’m just saying most of kendricks greatness is his producers and engineers presentation of him. He’s not the messiah he’s made out to be. Maybe you should stfu and stop acting like you got a psych degree and can read me
Duh. DamnNation. Listen to it from start to finish, or backwards, been knowing this for about 2 months now.
yawn album
Lupe did this with Tetsuo and youth which I think was a better concept. I wonder if he was inspired by that though I know most he wasn’t the first to do it
Good try Kendrick
Dave east, J cole, Drake, big sean > Kendrick
Okay cool! Now sit down and be humble
Im a big Kendrick fan, but if this is true…Lupe did it way better
Kendrick is real when it comes to being a lyricist but listening to his latest album it’s definitely not a classic, maybe I’m getting old but I think classic albums came from the likes of PAC, Biggie, Nas, Wu Tang, Bone Thugs, NWA, Ice Cube, Eminem, 50 Cent (I probably forgot to mention some names) but all the ones I’ve mentioned above have had at least one record where you put in your player and not have to skip throughout the whole album… now days you have to be satisfied with an album that’s got 3-4 tracks that’s good… Kendrick is definitely the best ACTIVE rapper now keeping in mind that his competition is the singing ass soft Drake and others…