DAMN. COLLECTORS EDITION. ALBUM REACTION.
Added 2025-05-04 08:35:05 +0000 UTCmade available for all members on June 1, 2025
00:00 - INTRO.
04:39 - DUCKWORTH.
11:14 - GOD.
17: 59 - FEAR.
31:31 - XXX.
37:40 - LOVE.
43:44 - LUST.
49:54 HUMBLE.
54:48 - PRIDE. (53:13 technically start of song)
1:01:00 - LOYALTY.
1:05:59 - FEEL.
01:11:36 - ELEMENT.
01:16:56 - YAH.
01:20:05 - DNA.
01:26:24 - BLOOD.
01:29:45 - FINAL THOUGHTS.
Comments
Apologies in advance, I wasn’t expecting to write so much, until I realized this is my favorite Kendrick Album 😭. But I ended the video with tears in my eyes since after you finished DNA—because your reaction felt so visceral and exactly how I reacted when I was listening in this direction. Especially when you heard the “you decide” in BLOOD. I absolutely loved the way that your mind jumps and connects ideas, I thought you were making perfect sense and don’t worry, you were spot on with a lot of your interpretations. And that level of precisely the type of attention Kdot’s art deserves… When all of the dualities between the song pairings were weaving together, my brain started spiraling and I got so overwhelmed with emotion over how powerful this album was. I’m a Gemini and always hated it because of backhanded comments in school about stereotypes, but this album and the way that Kendrick leans into his internal dualities and this whole concept of wickedness vs weakness (including the religious overtones starting even at the title—DAMN and the concept of damnation due to being cursed). I also grew up with a heavy religious influence so seeing Kendrick’s connection to religion always at the forefront of his themes is always fascinating and validating, for someone who grew up loving rap and also going to church. This album made me freaking *reel* with how the reverse order scrambled I felt about the SAME song lyrics, only different due to context… like the chorus for LUST made me feel DISGUSTED when you consider the “let me put the *** in” could be interpreted as coercion, with the woman from LOVE replying “I don’t want more than that”—meanwhile in the original order the “I don’t want more than that” could be himself trying to hold back from indulging in these vices. But yeah, incredible reaction! I came here after watching your Super Bowl and original DAMN reaction, after I saw you put up the deluxe version for free. You have an incredible gift to be articulate enough to react to something (genuinely), analyze it in real time, and also explain how your thoughts are moving. Thank you for deep diving into Kendrick’s discography! My girlfriend is a Swiftie and this made me want to introduce her to more of Kendrick’s music as she introduces me to more of Taylor!! 🥹🙏😊
Microwavey
2025-06-10 21:47:17 +0000 UTCUsing a notepad isn’t a bad idea at all, just jotting down keywords, especially when things get more advanced, or having the lyrics and marking the parts you want to talk about, would probably work great too. You're still doing great though! <3
TwinCat
2025-06-03 18:13:28 +0000 UTCThis is such a good video bro everyone needs to watch it
Samuel Loock
2025-06-02 10:41:02 +0000 UTCI feel like I see this album a bit different to most. For example The end of the final track is the police killing him where the blind person could feel the evil presence within him. Also the second to last track I think the normal album it's on about prophets while this one It's about Profits as in money. But that's my head cannon. Great reaction
Aisback
2025-06-02 00:38:20 +0000 UTCI feel like the original sequencing is Kendrick’s return to “weakness” (like meekness and righteousness) after feeling jaded by fame and reverting to impulsiveness after the acclaim/criticism with TPAB Meanwhile, the reversed sequencing is a story of descending into “wickedness” (ie sex, money, and murder) after a life growing up without a father (Ducky) and without a mentor (Top)
Homer Richards
2025-06-01 18:44:28 +0000 UTCIn FEAR his father is still around @ 7 years old (then he is killed) now at 17, verse 2 his father is now dead hence why the 2nd n third verse doesnt mention his father. He’s passed away and KDot has fallen off the path. Also XXX is USA x’d out. GREAT REACTION!!! 💪🏾🔥
Lawrence Coleman
2025-06-01 18:41:49 +0000 UTCYou are right about the album’s meaning, it really is an album that has two stories. It was very satisfying to watch you pick up the lyrics and interpret them, because I really like your analogy. Along with DTG, there’s also TennisThom, who also interpret the album in the same way but with much more detail. Both, DTG and TennisThom, are very great at what they do and I highly suggest to check them out, if you like! I hope you have a wonderful day! TennisThom’s video: https://youtu.be/v-ek1OxZ2tE?si=4fCSmVNrd5t0J1UP
Anthony Tafoya
2025-06-01 14:16:49 +0000 UTChttps://youtu.be/v-ek1OxZ2tE?feature=shared yo don't need any Kendrick interview bcs he doesn't give anyone answers he wants you to interpret it yourself as a listener. All your need is this video right there ⬆️ it explains everything
DUCKWORTH
2025-05-20 12:38:02 +0000 UTC🤯🤯🤯
Vambie
2025-05-20 11:02:57 +0000 UTCFinally got to watch this! Thank you so much for the recommendation! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽I loved the physical representation he created such a creative way to show exactly what he was explaining!!!
Vambie
2025-05-20 11:02:44 +0000 UTCSo happy you enjoyed it! And thank you so much 🥹🙌🏽 I really loved filming this. I think it was because in my head it’s just reversing the track list which I almost felt I could conceptualize in my head but in reality I truly underestimated how much it would connect dots and flip things around so much🤯🙌🏽
Vambie
2025-05-20 11:00:19 +0000 UTCThank you so much 🥹🙌🏽
Vambie
2025-05-20 10:53:18 +0000 UTCAmazing reaction keep up the great work
Christopher Mayfield
2025-05-14 14:16:08 +0000 UTCSomehow watching this was even better than watching the original album reaction cuz watching you connect ALL the dots and reference back to the original was soooo intriguing cuz this was my first full listen to this in this direction. I’ve always known it was meant as a double meaning just never took the time to really dive in so this was SUCH a fun reaction as it was kind of a first me as well! Thank you for this!
MacD
2025-05-13 22:45:28 +0000 UTCA YouTuber called Diggin the Greats did a nice job breaking down his interpretation of the collectors edition with a visual reference if you feel like checking that out: https://youtu.be/S9wPxY-LUwE
John(zilla-StillOnTrack)
2025-05-09 20:06:08 +0000 UTCI think the line about "don't run to your father" still fits if his father died slightly after that. He's 7 years old in that verse. Most people are 7-8 in 2nd grade so if he "checked out" in 2nd grade that would suggest that's when his father is killed in this hypothetical.
John(zilla-StillOnTrack)
2025-05-09 20:01:44 +0000 UTCI have always felt like these are his two sides. Especially with like DNA, like at any point both versions of his perspective are true.
Jared Murti
2025-05-08 21:39:20 +0000 UTCBTW on FEAR I interpreted “run to your father” as tell God about me beating yours ass as Kenny put it. Also he’s being prayed for early on and as the album progresses no one prays for him
Erik Ballen
2025-05-08 19:23:02 +0000 UTCVambie I love your reactions, they are so raw and authentic, and your analysis is spot on. HIGHLY suggest you check out 2 YouTube videos by @tennisthom. He has a video on DAMN. And MMATBS. He puts a lot of work into them and breaks the album down piece by piece. But you hit most of it on the dot. One of the things I like about playing in reverse is how as the album goes on you get further and further away from GOD
Erik Ballen
2025-05-08 19:04:51 +0000 UTCYou got it on first attempt 🔥
Luis Gomez
2025-05-08 04:22:55 +0000 UTCI could be wrong but I think there was a short lived theory that because he released this album on Good Friday (4/14) he would be dropping another album on Easter (4/16) but it turned out to be false. It was later that it was found out that it could be played backwards which was later confirmed by Kendrick. I think there’s an interview or article somewhere where he speaks about it.
Ben
2025-05-08 04:20:55 +0000 UTCYou’re not clowning. This LP is extremely ambitious! And not at the same time. You can listen surface or go more layers than inceptions. There more tho. Much more!
keire kelly
2025-05-06 21:33:40 +0000 UTCWow wow wow As a OG Kendrick fan that has listened to this album multiple times you have led me into a whole new perspective in the collectors edition and I’m just mind blown how this man’s artistry leads me into finding something new every time I listen to him. One of the greatest artist of all time hands down.
Elvis Kyei
2025-05-05 16:09:53 +0000 UTCOk I think this has helped me understand this better now. I think the main thing that changes listening to it in reverse isn't any of the actual events, but is him internalizing the idea of being cursed or dawned, while the forward version is him breaking free of the idea of being cursed. Also I think the blind woman in blood represents blind luck in the same way duckworth was about the coincidence that turned out into him being the greatest rapper, it could have just as easily been him dying
Jadon David
2025-05-05 13:43:14 +0000 UTCYou helped me finally understand this album . Once you get to Yah a light bulb goes off. This is so good
Dyaunte Fox
2025-05-05 12:29:05 +0000 UTCThe man is THEE artist of the times. He's Curtis Mayfield, Nina Simone, Lauryn Hill, Andre 3000, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Robert Johnson, Marvin Gaye - you can see how he's been so deeply influenced by not only his environment but of the history of American music (specifically black music) and channels it into something new but still honors what we love about the past. Can't wait for more ;)
Kate
2025-05-05 04:09:27 +0000 UTCThe way the context of the songs and their relations to each other changing depending on which order it’s listened to is wild, not only in Kendrick getting closer/farther from God, but even the nuance in the delivery of certain lyrics. Going from LUST. to LOVE., it can be viewed as a budding relationship where two people are going from having their first sexual encounter with each other, to being in love. The inverse of it sounds like a man doing/saying things to impress a woman, then convincing her to sleep with him. Listen to how he delivers the line, “I-it’s okay…She said it’s okay”. His voice trembles like there’s uncertainty on the part of the woman. Are these two people who have genuine affection for each other, or is it sexual coercion? Regarding your question about the plot hole in DUCKWORTH. I don’t think Kendrick is saying his dad literally died in order for him to go down a dark path, but it’s more of a “Consider my dad had died. Here’s how my life may have played out”.
Eric Napier
2025-05-05 00:51:04 +0000 UTCso I wanted to wait until you finish the collectors edition before I said this but I've always imagined the blind women is lady justice whos eyes are covered and she holds the scale which I felt was wickedness or weakness on the 2 sides and which weighs more. Her shooting him symbolizes to me, police brutality and how there's no real justice for black men like myself. I could obviously be wrong but that's the theory I arrived at
Ray
2025-05-04 21:04:14 +0000 UTCI would agree with you if only I didn't also contend that MM&TBS and it's triple layer conceptual framework is just as artistically unfathomable to process just how so much can come out of individual song concepts/lyrics tying together via their tracklisting. **** Vambie please stop here cause I'm not trying to give you extra context for an upcoming alnum**** 1. Therapy session unpacking, breaking through, and letting go of trauma via ego death. 2. A mordern Morality Play - with it's three central characters (Eckhart, Kendrick, Kodak) 3. A double album where one album mirrors the other other song for song, if you were to fold the albums over each other between songs 9-10.
Darren Banks
2025-05-04 19:22:46 +0000 UTCI like how love comes before lust in this version cuz it’s almost like Kendrick is love bombing at the beginning which just turns to lust afterwards. Like when in Wesley’s theory Kendrick says “At first I did love you, but I just wanna f**k”
Aidan
2025-05-04 18:58:59 +0000 UTCOne of my favorite details is that in FEAR. Kendrick starts off the song speaking in reverse and the first like after that is “ill beat ur a** keep talking back(wards)”
Aidan
2025-05-04 18:56:57 +0000 UTCI also think it is interesting to use this as a divergent point where his Gemini sides no longer coexist as evenly as before. You can look at Mr. Morale and GNX as examples of this when you hear those.
Kevin Dahdah
2025-05-04 18:45:01 +0000 UTCI think you're pretty spot on with this analysis. I'm not sure if he is outright trying to say this is his life is his father died when he was young. But if it happened after he was 7 that would have been around 2nd grade, so I think it could fit.
Kevin Dahdah
2025-05-04 18:42:01 +0000 UTCWE GON PUT IT IN REVERSE
Haku Playing Pretty Pretty Princess
2025-05-04 17:57:24 +0000 UTCDNA is so much better in this order, and I didn’t think that was possible when I heard it the regular way
Jay D
2025-05-04 15:55:58 +0000 UTCyou're gonna be a mess when it comes time for mr. morale
Peter Hammond
2025-05-04 15:04:43 +0000 UTC'Tennisthom' made a great video explaining the meaning in DAMN. if you wanna check it out. It's called 'A Deep Dive Into Damn. - Kendrick Lamar's Darkest Opus'. Loved your reaction btw!
Blue
2025-05-04 14:42:09 +0000 UTCThe album goes from more negative to hopeful when listening front top to bottom and from hopeful to negative when listening in reverse, so yes “is it wickedness is it weakness, you decide, are we gonna live or die ?” Is to the listener. Basically asking the question what way do you view this albums sentiment, do you see our future as optimistic and hopeful or do you feel like the world is ending.
calum1
2025-05-04 14:30:09 +0000 UTCDon't worry 😅. You were spot on most of the times, or atleast in line with how I interpreted it.
Shridhar Hegde
2025-05-04 14:23:23 +0000 UTCthe blind woman is Lady Justice: "it SEEMS to ME that you have lost SOMETHING". What's she always holding in both hands and what would replace the sword in today's world :) *wink-wink* also, on FEAR: Cause my DNA won't let me involve in the light of God and PRIDE: See, in a perfect world, I'll choose faith over riches in the original we're going towards GOD, in this one we're moving away from GOD, literally this album has layers on layers - it's crazy
SoundWAV
2025-05-04 14:16:30 +0000 UTCAnother great reaction. Warning about Mr. Morale you might want to buy a couple boxes of tissue before you react if you want to do something lighter before that review I suggest "Mona Lisa" Lil Wayne and Kendrick. It's probably one of the best story telling songs of this new era
Joseph Walker
2025-05-04 14:14:23 +0000 UTCWhat I get from this album is the original album feels more interpretive and leaves room for contemplation, the reverse album turns back into a more traditional Kendrick album where the songs build on each other to paint a more focused picture/story. Love this album
calum1
2025-05-04 14:12:40 +0000 UTCNMAD
Rob Wright
2025-05-04 14:10:41 +0000 UTCThe blind lady is lady justice that’s why she’s blind
Isaiahspec
2025-05-04 14:04:14 +0000 UTCPlaying Forward = Weakness, Playing Backwards = Wickedness. DAMN either way
GA Playurr
2025-05-04 13:36:43 +0000 UTCI perceive the standard edition as kendrick in limbo, blinded by the material reality, trying to find God to find himself. I perceive the collector's edition as him losing God to find his reality in the material world and losing hisself in the process
Quincy Benjamin
2025-05-04 12:17:27 +0000 UTCAmazing reaction as always, I loved it! btw just had to recommend the Dissect podcast (if you haven’t checked it out yet), their Kendrick stuff (especially Damn) is honestly mind-blowing. I feel like you’d really enjoy it ❤️
Sara
2025-05-04 11:02:26 +0000 UTCTo answer your question about the line you better not run to your father this is supposed to be kendrick at 7 years old so his father is still around
ahmed
2025-05-04 09:34:28 +0000 UTChttps://youtu.be/v-ek1OxZ2tE?feature=shared yo don't need any Kendrick interview bcs he doesn't give anyone answers he wants you to interpret it yourself as a listener. All your need is this video right there ⬆️ it explains everything
DUCKWORTH
2025-05-04 09:30:20 +0000 UTCYou can argue that GKMC, TPAB and Mr. Morale tell more compelling and relatable stories, but being able to craft an album and each individual song so that it can tell two separate, intertwining and contrasting stories using the same songs just based on context you listen to them in, to me, is still the most artistically impressive thing Kendrick has ever done. And why he's the first and only non-classic or jazz artist to win a Pulitzer prize.
ManVSLife
2025-05-04 08:47:06 +0000 UTC
