DUCKWORTH. – Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar is, in my opinion, and many others’ opinions, one of the most significant artists of all time, and I think he has the potential to go down as the greatest rapper of all time. I really only hold Andre 3000 in higher regard, but I think within 10 years or so it may be impossible to give the crown to anyone but Kendrick. And given that Andre is unofficially semi-retired from rapping, it may be time for me to give in and give my number one spot to Kendrick.

I don’t want to claim to be a hip-hop head, and I don’t keep up with rap as much as I used to, but there are certain artists that I pay attention to and listen to regularly. The majority of older stuff from the 90s and early 2000s, but there are still a handful of modern artists that I really enjoy, Kendrick of course being one of them. I really got back into rap during the recent Kendrick vs. Drake beef, but that may be a topic for another time.

For the most part, I can’t relate to Kendrick’s lyrics at all, but listening to a Kendrick Lamar album from start to finish, for me, is a similar experience to watching a movie. I believe he is one of the greatest storytellers of all time, and a ton of his songs are his own telling of his own life and experiences. Like many of these artists, I could’ve picked a ton of different songs as my “favorite,” but I have to remind myself I can always write about them again. I chose to feature “DUCKWORTH.” off of his critically acclaimed album DAMN. first because I think it is a great representation of his music as a whole. It checks all the boxes for me: a nice sample, great beat/bassline, and a sensational and amazing (true) story in the form of a song. I linked the audio as well as a lyric video that features the audio to make it easier to follow along. I also linked an interview from Howard Stern that explains the song well enough, and I encourage y’all to watch that before listening to the song.

Some added context –

Anthony = Top Dawg, Founder of Top Dawg Entertainment, the label that first signed Kendrick in 2005, who he stayed with until going independent in 2022.

Ducky = Kendrick’s dad (Their last name is Duckworth)

Link to song – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm-foWGDBF0

Link to lyric video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QEYJQ2ZGMU

Link to story – https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FjvDgrZpQM8