KENDRICK LAMAR - DAMN. VINYL (2LP)

Release Date: 14th July 2017

New Kung-Fu Kenny! Damn it's been a bit of wait for the vinyl release of this but it was sure worth the wait. The most important man in hip-hop and potentially in music in general right now shows no sign of slowing down following up last years demos collection Untitled Unmastered and 2015's record of the year To Pimp A Butterfly with yet another collection of wall to wall bangers! DAMN. sees Lamar changing his style once more moving away from the jazz-influenced sounds on To Pimp A Butterfly and Untitled Unmastered for a more sparse and darker approach which strikes a neat balance between spiritual content personal reflection and socio-political comment. He can even make a guest spot from U2 work and sound great! Rihanna also guest stars as does Zacari whilst the record has production work by James Blake and Steve Lacy from the Internet.

"Kendrick Lamar releases his new album Damn. It’s his first extended release since last year’s demos collection Untitled Unmastered, and his first formal record since 2015’s To Pimp A Butterfly. Damn strikes a neat balance between spiritual content, personal reflection and socio-political comment. 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. Guests include U2, Rihanna, and Zacari whilst it has production work by James Blake and Steve Lacy from the Internet plus a sample by Essex hellraiser Rat Boy."