The first three songs off rapper Kendrick Lamar’s highly-anticipated fourth studio album, Damn, deride law enforcement officers, Fox News, and one of the network’s long-serving personalities, Geraldo Rivera.
On the first track, “Blood,” the California rapper takes his first political swipe by sampling audio of two Fox News reporters reciting anti-police lyrics from his Black Lives Matter anthem “Alright” — “‘And they hate popo’…ugh, I don’t like it'” — which he performed standing atop a police car at the 2015 BET Awards.
The second song, “DNA,” sees another Fox News audio sampling: “Hip-hop has done more damage to young African Americans than racism in recent years.”
Lamar addresses Rivera directly on the third song, “YAH,” noting that his niece watched the Fox correspondent criticizing her famous uncle.
“Fox News wanna use my name for percentage
My latest news is my niece, she’s worth livin’
See me on the TV and scream, “That’s Uncle Kendrick”
Yeah, that’s the business
Somebody tell Geraldo this n*gga got some ambition”
The Grammy-winner gets more political on “LUST,” recounting the feeling of watching the news in the hopes that Donald Trump had not won the election.
“We all woke up, tryna tune to the daily news
Lookin’ for confirmation, hopin’ election wasn’t true
All of us worried, all of us buried and the feeling’s deep
None of us married to his proposal, make us feel cheap
Stealed and sad, distraught and mad, tell the neighbor ‘bout it
Think they agree, parade the streets with your voice profit”
Lamar released a non-album-related single last month called “The Heart Part 4” that saw the rapper calling Trump a “chump.”
The rapper takes aim at Fox News one last time on the song “XXX,” rapping: “It’s nasty when you set us up then roll the dice then bet us up/You overnight the big rifles then tell Fox to be scared of us.”
Lamar took to Twitter later Thursday night to share a link to the new album on iTunes with his nearly eight million followers.
DAMN. https://t.co/9aK87Qi8Dt
— Kendrick Lamar (@kendricklamar) April 14, 2017
The 14-track album features very few collaborations, but does see some notable appearances from Rihanna and U2.
The recently released video for his single “Humble,” made headlines last month, as the visuals saw the 29-year-old rapper draped in bishop’s robes portraying himself as Jesus Christ at the Last Supper.
One of former President Barack Obama’s favorite rappers, Lamar has never hesitated to air his political views. He received a standing ovation at last year’s Grammy Awards, during a performance of his politically-charged hit “The Blacker the Berry” while wearing a prison uniform with cell bars behind him on stage.
Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter: @jeromeehudson
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