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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Saturday 13 May 2017
With new album, Kendrick Lamar emerges as artist of the year

MESFIN FEKADU different path and still
AP Music Writer emerged as the artist of
NEW YORK (AP) — Rappers the year, and it’s one rea-
who morph into superstars son he’s been elevated
usually follow a well-trav- to superstar status with
eled path that includes an “DAMN.,” which has domi-
overabundance of col- nated pop culture since
laborations with other art- its release last month. The
ists, radio-friendly pop hits, album, a searing lyrical
a bit of tabloid buzz and a masterpiece that touches
conscious effort to eschew on societal breakdowns,
anything that might get politics, relationships and
too political or socially con- his own vulnerability — has
scious. spawned limitless think
Kendrick Lamar took a pieces, conquered the

In this Feb. 15, 2016 file photo, Kendrick Lamar accepts the award for best rap album for “To Pimp
A Butterfly” at the 58th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Lamar’s third official studio album,
“DAMN.”
Associated Press

charts and has had some gotten together and been always wanted. Like, we
people calling him a new like, ‘Man, where do you always wanted a guy who
rap god. hope the music will be in represented what the es-
Last year it was Beyonce 30 years?’ they would have sence of what hip-hop
and her epic “Lemonade” wanted it to be a kid like was supposed to be from
visual. This year it’s Lamar Kendrick Lamar,” said Pe- a cultural standpoint, from
and “DAMN.” ter Rosenberg, the veteran a political standpoint, from
“In a way, Kendrick is the radio personality at Hot 97. a socioeconomics stand-
opposite of a lot of what’s “That’s what they would point — he does everything
popping right now. He’s the have wanted.” right,” Rosenberg said.
other side of the pillow,” “DAMN.” has sold over 1 “And on top of that, the
said Tuma Basa, Spotify’s million equivalent albums in kids love him.”
global head of hip-hop. just three weeks, and it has It’s not just kids who rally be-
Lamar was a platinum-sell- spent all three weeks at No. hind the 29-year-old Lamar.
ing, Grammy-winning star 1 on Billboard’s 200 albums The Compton, California-
before “DAMN.,” but the chart. Nielsen Music says born rapper has practically
release of his third studio it’s the second best-selling checked every box when it
album has put him on an- album this year, behind comes to his audience: His
other level. It started with Ed Sheeran’s “Divide,” re- concertgoers are diverse
his song “The Heart Part 4,” leased March 3. in race, age and sex, and
which led to a viral guess- “The beauty of ‘DAMN.’ is they range from the cool
ing game about which rap- that the more you listen to kids of Coachella to the
per — or rappers — he was it, the more you like it. I think children from the ‘hood
referring to on the powerful that’s the quality of a great to Swifties. LeBron James
track featuring his signa- piece of work — whether plays his music before bas-
ture sharp rhymes. A week it be an album or even a ketball games, and he’s a
later came “Humble,” an movie — the more you get favorite of former President
insta-hit that topped Bill- into it, the more you like it. Barack Obama.
board’s Hot 100 chart and It means you’re unpeeling Lamar has become a criti-
launched a debate about layers. It’s a complex piece cal darling, topping several
women and butt injections, of work that wasn’t some end-of-the-year lists and
creating yet another pop cut-and-paste, copied (al- earning top awards, includ-
culture moment for Lamar. bum),” Basa said. ing seven Grammys.
Two weeks later, “DAMN.” Despite its pop star success, The real question is: Who
is finally out, becoming “DAMN.” is one of the most isn’t a Kendrick Lamar fan?
another critically revered highly regarded releases Gail Mitchell, a senior cor-
and commercially suc- in hip-hop history, follow- respondent at Billboard,
cessful album for Lamar, ing Lamar’s acclaimed compares Lamar’s appeal
and assimilating his stance albums, 2015’s “To Pimp a to Tupac Shakur, and more
as the reigning king of rap Butterfly” and 2012’s “good widely, Stevie Wonder.
and pop music’s unlikely kid, m.A.A.d city.” “He’s one of the rare artists
juggernaut. “If the fore- “To me he was everything who has the ability to tran-
fathers of hip-hop had all that true hip-hop heads scend generations. q