ABSTRACT
“Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. as an Aesthetic Genealogy,” by Dominik Hammer, argues Lamar offers an account of the open as well as latent qualities and traits shaping his character. Focusing on an analysis of “DNA.,” Hammer’s chapter analyzes the layers of this genealogical work, the genetic themes present in “DNA.,” as well as the sociopolitical and the historical context of those themes. To describe these traits, Hammer argues that Lamar uses the language of genetics, talking about them as being “in his DNA” and referring to his “pedigree.” As characteristics he names, among others, “loyalty,” “royalty,” “realness,” but also “evil” and “a troublesome heart.” Hammer discusses Lamar’s use of DNA as a metaphor referring not only to the biological but also to the social aspects of heritage and to personal experience. Through using DNA as an image for a broad range of influences, Lamar employs a widely used, yet controversial figure. However, through listing such contradictory qualities as “power, poison, pain and joy,” Hammer draws attention to how Lamar uses it in a way that hinders deterministic readings. The rhetoric of “DNA.” ties into a recurring theme in DAMN. – with various songs on the album dealing with a search for origins and an explanation of development. As elaborated by Hammer, in “FEAR.,” Lamar reconstructs the different dominant fears he had at ages 7, 17, and 27, respectively. And in “DUCKWORTH.,” the artist tells about a fateful encounter that would shape his future life. As discussed by Hammer, DAMN. is a genealogical project.
