2. DAMN. / Kendrick Lamar

DAMN. is another massive critical and cultural touchstone from the reigning best rapper on earth.  It was difficult to escape Kendrick Lamar's influence and airplay, rightly earned by his fierce prose of righteous and/or just plain indignation.  Tightly wound and introspective, the artist moves from the jazz-funk fusion of To Pimp A Butterfly into a harder-hitting flow that is at once political and personal.  Much of the time, it is less about what he says than how he says it, captivating even out-of-the-loop, oft-unwoke, middle-aged family men like The D Man.

The spare profile captured my imagination in ways its maximalist predecessor could not.  There is something about the aesthetic of the record that spoke to me--the lone-wolf lyricist spitting consciously, the stark album photograph, the thematic, one-word song titles in all caps, etc.  Lamar is the show and needs little help -- this is his moment -- but when guests appear they happen to be some of the largest acts in the world, Rihanna and U2.  It would be surprising if DAMN. does not win the Grammy for both Best Rap Album and Album of the Year.

C-Dog loves playing the festival bangers "DNA" and "Humble" before ball games.  (Family versions, yo!)  Who can blame him?  500 plus million views on Youtube, sheesh.  Their pointillist attack bore a hole straight through your skull, unsparing and concise.  The D Man's sentiments, however, lie more with the mid-tempo chill of "YAH," the simmering defiance of "FEEL," or the quasi-rap ballad "LOVE."  There are critics and fans who will do a much better job of psycho-analyzing the record's merits and influences, so I will just leave things by highlighting my favorite lyrics or moments on the album.

• The opening bars of "DNA" are explosive.  I got power, poison, pain and joy inside my DNA / I got hustle though, ambition, flow, inside my DNA / I was born like this, since one like this / immaculate conception / I transform like this, perform like this / was Yeshua's new weapon"
• The woozy and and unconventional chorus on "YAH."  Buzzin, radars is buzzin' / Yah yah yah yah yah yah.
• The syncopated transition on "ELEMENT."  We okay, we let the A1 fly / Relocate jump on the same G5!
• "FEEL" is the jam.  I feel like a chip on my shoulders / I feel like I'm losing my focus / I feel like I'm losing my patience / I feel like my thoughts in the basement / Feel like, I feel like you're miseducated / Feel like I don't wanna be bothered / I feel like you may be the problem.  As Lamar's temperature rises, he then releases into serious self-pity: Ain't nobody prayin' for me / Ain't nobody prayin'
• Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty!
• Two parts on "HUMBLE."  First, the music stops: my left stroke just went viral! Right stroke just put 'lil baby in a spiral!  Second, referring to his music:  This that Grey Poupon, that Evian, that TED Talk!
• Zacari's falsetto accents on "LOVE."  Try getting them out of your head.