And then there was Kendrick. Glorious, glorious Kendrick. HIGHLIGHTS TIME!
Top 20
1. Humble. by Kendrick Lamar (3)
2. Shape of You by Ed Sheeran (1)
3. That's What I Like by Bruno Mars (2)
4. DNA. by Kendrick Lamar (New)
5. Mask Off by Future (7)
6. iSpy by KYLE ft. Lil Yachty (6)
7. Stay by Zedd & Alessia Cara (14)
8. Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers & Coldplay (5)
9. Despacito by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber (48)
10. XO TOUR Llif3 by Lil Uzi Vert (8)
11. Body Like A Back Road by Sam Hunt (9)
12. Issues by Julia Michaels (12)
13. It Ain't Me by Kygo x Selena Gomez (11)
14. Loyalty. by Kendrick Lamar (New)
15. Congratulations by Post Malone ft. Quavo (19)
16. Element. by Kendrick Lamar (New)
17. Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur (16)
18. Love. by Kendrick Lamar ft. Zacari (New)
19. Paris by The Chainsmokers (10)
20. Rockabye by Clean Bandit ft. Sean Paul & Anne-Marie (13)
Fell Off Top 20
21. Tunnel Vision by Kodak Black (15)
22. Sign of the Times by Harry Styles (4)
24. I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk (17)
25. Location by Khalid (20)
26. Bad And Boujee by Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert (18)
Big Gains (10+)
9. Despacito by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber (48)
59. Unforgettable by French Montana ft. Swae Lee (74)
73. Cake by Flo Rida & 99 Percent (89)
Moderate Gains (5 - 9)
7. Stay by Zedd & Alessia Cara (14)
80. No Frauds by Nicki Minaj, Drake & Lil Wayne (87)
Big Losses (10+)
22. Sign of the Times by Harry Styles (4)
36. I Don't Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker) by Zayn & Taylor Swift (26)
38. Chained To The Rhythm by Katy Perry ft. Skip Marley (27)
41. 24K Magic by Bruno Mars (30)
43. Scars To Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara (31)
47. Can't Stop The Feeling! by Justin Timberlake (33)
49. Mercy by Shawn Mendes (34)
52. Look At Me! by XXXTENTACION (37)
42. Swalla by Jason Derulo ft. Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign (42)
57. Down by Marian Hill (35)
59. Portland by Drake ft. Quavo & Travis Scott (41)
62. Dirt On My Boots by Jon Pardi (45)
66. Now Or Never by Halsey (50)
67. The Fighter by Keith Urban ft. Carrie Underwood (53)
68. Heavy by Linkin Park ft. Kiiara (58)
69. Any Old Barstool by Jason Aldean (52)
70. Shining by DJ Khaled ft. Beyoncé & Jay-Z (59)
71. Party by Chris Brown ft. Usher & Gucci Mane (55)
74. Green Light by Lorde (54)
75. Black by Dierks Bentley (61)
77. The Weekend by Brantley Gilbert (64)
79. Losin Control by Russ (63)
82. God, Your Mama, And Me by Florida Georgia Line ft. Backstreet Boys (68)
83. Call On Me by Starley (65)
84. Moves by Big Sean (67)
85. Fast by Luke Bryan (66)
86. First Day Out by Tee Grizzley (76)
88. Selfish by Future ft. Rihanna (69)
89. Deja Vu by J. Cole (71)
90. Everyday We Lit by YFN Lucci ft. PnB Rock (79)
91. Scared To Be Lonely by Martin Garrix & Dua Lipa (80)
92. Gyalchester by Drake (62)
96. Good Drank by 2 Chainz ft. Gucci Mane & Quavo (82)
97. You Look Good by Lady Antebellum (85)
100. Craving You by Thomas Rhett ft. Maren Morris (81)
Moderate Losses (5 - 9)
19. Paris by The Chainsmokers (10)
20. Rockabye by Clean Bandit ft. Sean Paul & Anne-Marie (13)
21. Tunnel Vision by Kodak Black (15)
24. I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk (17)
25. Location by Khalid (20)
26. Bad And Boujee by Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert (18)
27. Passionfruit by Drake (22)
28. Closer by The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey (23)
30. Bounce Back by Big Sean (25)
31. Love On The Brain by Rihanna (24)
34. Swang by Rae Sremmurd (29)
40. Rolex by Ayo & Teo (32)
44. Slide by Calvin Harris ft. Frank Ocean & Migos (36)
45. In Case You Didn't Know by Brett Young (40)
56. Redbone by Childish Gambino (49)
64. Hometown Girl by Josh Turner (56)
65. How Far I'll Go by Auli'i Cravalho (60)
81. Yeah Boy by Kelsea Ballerini (73)
95. How Not To by Dan + Shay (86)
Dropouts
- Fake Love by Drake (38, 25 weeks)
- Starboy by The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk (39, 30 weeks)
- Don't Wanna Know by Maroon 5 ft. Kendrick Lamar (46, 27 weeks)
- Play That Song by Train (70, 20 weeks)
- Free Smoke by Drake (72, 4 weeks)
- Road Less Traveled by Lauren Alaina (77, 12 weeks)
- The One by The Chainsmokers (78, 2 weeks)
- Draco by Future (83, 8 weeks)
- Blem by Drake (84, 4 weeks)
- Prblms by 6LACK (88, 4 weeks)
- Think A Little Less by Michael Ray (90, 16 weeks)
- Teenage Dream by Drake (91, 4 weeks)
- Bar At The End Of The World by Kenny Chesney (92, 1 week)
- You're Welcome by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (93, 12 weeks)
- Still Got Time by Zayn ft. PARTYNEXTDOOR (95, 2 weeks)
- Subeme La Radio by Enrique Iglesias ft. Descemer Vueno, Zion & Lennox (96, 2 weeks)
- How Far I'll Go by Alessia Cara (98, 19 weeks)
- If I Told You by Darius Rucker (99, 1 week)
- Flatliner by Cole Swindell ft. Dierks Bentley (100, 1 week)
New Entries
4. DNA. by Kendrick Lamar
14. Loyalty. by Kendrick Lamar ft. Rihanna
16. Element. by Kendrick Lamar
18. Love. by Kendrick Lamar ft. Zacari
32. Yah. by Kendrick Lamar
33. XXX. by Kendrick Lamar ft. U2
35. Feel. by Kendrick Lamar
37. Pride. by Kendrick Lamar
39. The Cure by Lady Gaga
42. Lust. by Kendrick Lamar
50. Fear. by Kendrick Lamar
54. Blood. by Kendrick Lamar
58. God. by Kendrick Lamar
63. Duckworth. by Kendrick Lamar
76. Good Life by G-Eazy & Kehlani
78. Peek A Boo by Lil Yachty ft. Migos
87. Black SpiderMan by Logic ft. Damian Lemar Hudson
93. Broken Halos by Chris Stapleton
99. The Night We Met by Lord Huron
New Entries Ranked
1. Black SpiderMan
Okay, after hearing this and Everybody, I am totally on board with Logic becoming a serious thing in the mainstream. This guy is awesome. He's so energetic and fun even when spitting about racial issues. It's just beautiful. Fast tempo, gospel influences. This may not have much of a shot at becoming a real hit, but please, please can it be? We need this. Okay, maybe this needed a second verse, but still.
2. Fear.
The longest song on Damn., but with good reason. It's slow, smoky, jazzy, and wonderful. It starts from the point of view of a mother in the slums threatening her child with violence. Then it shifts to other sources of fear as Kendrick grows up. It's a long one, but a good one.
3. DNA.
"There's no way you can debut two songs in the Top 5 within a few weeks." "Hold my beer." Yep. This song also got a music video shortly after the album released, and it is beautiful in its own right. But the song on its own...yeah, it's great. It feels like two songs essentially, with one resembling the voices in Kendrick's head and the second they've seemingly gotten out with those vocal samples in the background. This is twisted, dark, and overall great.
4. XXX.
Kendrick and U2, eh? It's a strange combination, but it does come together in a weird way. It starts as a gritty track about American oppression, but slows down to a jazzy piece. Bono's vocals in this part are a nice touch too. Weird at first glance, but shapes up as one of the most memorable and hard-hitting songs on Damn.
5. Lust.
Deliciously dark. I don't normally go for bass-heavy tracks that are this minimalist, but something about the way Kendrick does it connects really well. Mostly the voice he delivers and the tension throughout every note. Also includes a shot at the election. Which I'm always okay with.
6. Good Life
G-Eazy and Kehlani make a song for The Fate of the Furious. And I dig it. It's kinda cheesy with its uptempo production and some of the lyrics, but it works for me. Put a smile on my face and from what I can tell, it kinda fits the series. So yeah, definitely my favorite Kehlani song and my favorite G-Eazy song in some time.
7. Duckworth.
The closing track. And a good one at that. Seems like a personal story, which would make sense to end the album on. Low-key somber jazz, but effective nonetheless. Kinda like the rest of the album.
8. Feel.
Full of chill vibes and vicious rapping. I like this a lot. Even with that weird bassy vocal sample in the background. Feel your feels brah. Or something. That's what the song's about I think.
9. Loyalty.
Why haven't Rihanna and Kendrick previously collaborated? I'm sure she's the main reason this hit the Top 20. Another chill track from the album. I like that synthesizer-like vocal sample. Kendrick and Rihanna also have great interplay.
10. Element.
Kendrick asserts his dominance in the rap game with a bassy song with jazzy pianos. Good stuff, for sure. Weird hook though.
11. Blood.
The opening track from Damn., and the one that sets the tone for the rest of the album. It's eerie and weird and short, telling the tale of an encounter with a blind woman that turned ugly quick when she draws a gun. Weird on its own, but an effective album opener.
12. Pride.
A little too sluggish for my liking, but still carries an effective melody. And Kendrick matches it fine. He certainly makes a better case for dreary rapping than many of his contemporaries.
13. God.
One of the weaker songs on the album for its weird, sluggish pace and that hook. Apparently it's supposed to be making fun of Drake. Maybe? Definitely not a bad track though. It's still got a nice beat and lyrics.
14. Yah.
This seems to be the crowd least-favorite on Damn., and I can see that. It's more downtempo and kinda sloppy. But it's chill. Jazzy swing, sounds decent. Good stuff. Essentially an interlude the way I see it.
15. Broken Halos
Slow country ballad by the one and only Chris Stapleton. Good on principal alone, but not the most memorable or special thing I've heard in the genre. We'll see. If this sticks around maybe it'll grow on me.
16. Love.
Probably my least favorite on the track. Not that it's a bad song, but I don't think it's a particularly good fit for Kendrick. Slow and sensual has never really been his thing. Not really feeling it compared to the others.
17. The Night We Met
An indie folk song from two years ago, only now charting because of 13 Reasons Why. Well, it's not like it would chart on its own merits. This isn't bad, but it uses way more reverb than it should. The melodies are pleasant and all, but the reverb makes it hard to get into them. Eh.
18. The Cure
Eh. At this point in her career, the last thing Lady Gaga needs is a mediocre song. And well...yep, this is mediocre. Kinda generic and feels like a step back considering her last album was inspired by blues and country. As a pop singer, she was always best when she was weird and bombastic. This is neither of those things. If this was sung by anyone else, there wouldn't be a reason to care about it. Gaga, just make a rock album.
19. Peek A Boo
Ohhhhhh nooooooo... Who told Lil Yachty he should try to be dark? Because they made a mistake. Migos makes sense with this beat but Yachty absolutely does not. It just sounds so awkward and that hook is so awkward. Also the beat's annoying but I think that was always apparent.
