On April 14, 2017, Kendrick Lamar dropped yet another album,
“DAMN.,” which made a huge impact in the music industry and brought his
reputation to a whole new level. Throughout the album, Kendrick contemplates
several themes, such as the battle between wickedness and weakness, and
introduces new components to them throughout the whole album. A particularly
powerful song to me was Duckworth,
the last song in the album. However, it was not any extensive metaphors or
intricate writing that was so enticing about it; the pure story behind the song
was what made it so incredible. In his song, Duckworth, Kendrick Lamar uses personal anecdotes to reveal the
extent of the consequences which our decisions can cause.
Kendrick uses personal anecdotes to give concrete evidence
of how our decisions can create unexpected and unimagined consequences. As a
child, Kendrick lived in a poor neighborhood. His father (referred to as “Ducky”)
worked at a local KFC, where a particular juvenile delinquent – Anthony “Top
Dawg” – would continually rob this KFC and threaten its workers. One day, the
Anthony was prepared to kill Kendrick’s father, but for some reason decided not
to. 20 years later, Kendrick Lamar creates music under Anthony’s record label –
a remarkable conclusion to their relationship. In Duckworth, Kendrick asks the question, “Whoever thought the
greatest rapper would be from coincidence / Because if Anthony killed Ducky /
Top Dawg could be serving life / While I grew up without a father and died in a
gunfight.” The song goes on to play the entire album in reverse, emphasizing
that if Kendrick had died, “DAMN.” would never have been created, and neither
would any of his other music. Kendrick’s anecdote demonstrates an extreme
example of what our decisions can do. If Anthony had killed his father,
Kendrick would have never become a rapper, as he would have gone down a
different path given his lack of a father figure, and Anthony would never have formed
his record label. Most importantly of all, Kendrick and Anthony would have
never collaborated and been able to produce the masterpieces that they did and
still do. While most listeners have never been faced with such drastic options
like Anthony was, the song shows how much our split-second choices can alter
the future. Even if a situation doesn’t seem significant at the time, it could
be a defining moment later in life.
Ultimately, Kendrick Lamar is able to convey his message not
only through words, but through a very interesting story told by his powerful
rap. He takes a unique story and is able to apply it to his listeners’ lives. I
recommend listening to the song (particularly the second half of it) because it
completely changed my perspective.
