Dissect

We conclude our season on DAMN. by recapping the album’s narrative in standard track order before speculating on an alternative narrative when listening in reverse track order. Finally, we present a new theory about the album’s track listing (did someone say “chiasm”?).

DUCKWORTH. tells the remarkable true story of the chance encounter between Kendrick’s father Kenny Duckworth and Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith. Kendrick uses this story to illustrate the album’s central message: the (unpredictable) blessings that come from choosing weakness.

After receiving guidance from Cousin Carl on FEAR., Kung Fu Kenny expresses the joyous feeling of being filled with the spirit of GOD.

FEAR. is the pivotal track in the narrative of DAMN. We begin our two part analysis by dissecting the song’s virtuosic use of samples before digging into the appearance of Kendrick Lamar’s two real life cousins: Carl and Charles. Finally, we unpack the song’s first verse, which is rapped from the perspective of Kendrick’s mother.

In part two of our analysis of XXX., we discover the dramatic twist in the narrative of DAMN.

XXX. is a multipart suite that begins to reveal the deep-rooted themes of DAMN. We find Kung Fu Kenny seemingly under demonic influence as he portrays himself as a heartless, bloodthirsty killer. By the song’s second half, we discover the event that triggered such ruthlessness.

Coming off the heels of LUST., LOVE. presents the flipside of the coin as Kung Fu Kenny explores the youthful, romantic love he felt as a teenager. As we’ll discover, this isn’t the first time Kendrick has explored the love/lust dichotomy in his music: it was actually the basis for his major label debut good kid, m.A.A.d. city.

When DAMN. released just months after Donald Trump was elected president, many were anticipating the moment Kendrick Lamar -- the greatest rapper of our generation -- addressed the election on the album. LUST. presents that moment, but not in a way many people were expecting…

We continue our season-long analysis of DAMN. with the album’s hit single HUMBLE. Coming off the heels of PRIDE. in which Kung Fu Kenny admitted his imperfections, we are puzzled to find Kenny egotistically lifting himself up by putting down others. But as we’ll hear, this mentality embodies the central biblical theme that powerful rulers and nations often become corrupted by pride.

Kung Fu Kenny takes a big step forward by admitting his imperfections and humbling himself. As track 7 of 14, we hypothesize about PRIDE. being a micro-resolution to DAMN’s first half.

Kung Fu Kenny teams with Bad Girl RiRi for a meditation on the concept of LOYALTY. What begins as a self-serving demand for absolute devotion eventually unfolds into a recognition that one’s highest degree of loyalty should be shown to God.

Kung Fu Kenny’s pursuit of sex, money, and murder comes to a head in FEEL. In a violent storm of emotions, Kenny reveals the underlying isolation and suffering caused by his self-centered way of life.

ELEMENT. is a brutal meditation on Kung Fu Kenny’s intuition toward preemptive violence. But upon analysis we realize that beneath Kenny’s aggression is an underlying fear of his family going back to a life of poverty. In this way, the track exemplifies how self-preservational pride tilts toward death and destruction.

YAH. formally introduces DAMN’s protagonist: Kung Fu Kenny, a prophet who rejects God’s call. Kenny chooses instead to follow his intuition toward sex, money, and murder -- the very traits named on the album’s previous track DNA.

In Part 2 of our DNA. analysis, we dissect the song’s dramatic second half. Triggered by the disparaging comments by FOX News, Kendrick goes ballistic in a now icon extended verse. While we may have originally thought DNA. was about Kendrick Lamar, the song ends with the diagnosis that sex, money, and murder are traits shared in each and every human being.

DNA. lays the philosophical groundwork for the album DAMN. In the song’s first half, Kendrick defines his genetic makeup as a mixture of biological (family), environmental (Compton), and cultural (hip-hop) inheritances.

We begin our season-long analysis of DAMN. with the opening track BLOOD. We unpack the many layers of the wickedness/weakness dichotomy presented as well as the cryptic parable in which Kendrick is shot by a blind lady -- or shall we call her Lady Justice?

We revisit To Pimp a Butterfly with a special focus on how its ending connects directly with the opening of DAMN.

Season 5 is dedicated entirely to Kendrick Lamar’s Pulitzer-Prize winning album DAMN. Today’s episode dives into Lamar’s upbringing in Compton and the developing spiritual beliefs encoded in his early discography. As we’ll come to find out, these beliefs become the basis of the underlying question DAMN. serves to answer: Is it wickedness or weakness?

Today’s special episode dissects Tyler, The Creator’s 2019 album IGOR. After a thorough dissection of the album’s narrative, we hypothesize about thematic and narrative connections between IGOR and Flower Boy.

After a thorough recap of the album’s narrative, we draw some final conclusions about the themes of Flower Boy and dissect the album’s cover art and title. We then hear from you, the Dissect audience, sharing their biggest takeaways from the album.

Our season long analysis of Flower Boy continues with the song “Glitter”. It’s that Tyler’s album long journey culminates with him expressing how he feels to the love interest he’s been chasing throughout Flower Boy. But as we’ll discover, this beautiful moment comes with a twist ending.

Our season long analysis of Flower Boy continues with the song “November.” In terms of the album’s narrative, “November” represents rock bottom, an emotional low point. But after a near death experience, Tyler is inspired to pull over his sports car and seize his moment.

Our season long analysis of Flower Boy continues with the song “Pothole.” Tyler takes his mother’s advice to heart and examines the various “potholes” in his life that hinder his personal growth.

Our season long analysis of Flower Boy continues with the song “Who Dat Boy.” Tyler combats his vulnerability through egotism, machismo, and materialism. While still searching for his dream partner revealed in “See You Again”, Tyler seems to be looking in all the wrong places.

Our season long analysis of Flower Boy continues with "See You Again." Tyler describes an idealized partner he only sees in his dreams. But as we'll discover, this fantasy lover is a manifestation of the chronic loneliness Tyler feels in the waking world.

Our season long analysis of Flower Boy continues with the song “Where This Flower Blooms.” Tyler contrasts his childhood roots in poverty with the initial feeling of “making it” as a successful musician. But the song ends with a cliffhanger -- what exactly is Tyler hiding?

We begin our season long analysis of Flower Boy by Tyler the Creator with the album’s opening track “Foreword.” We find Tyler laying out the themes that will be explored throughout Flower Boy as he questions his success, his chronic loneliness, and the nature of life itself.