Sept. 20, 2024
Kendrick Lamar - "Humble"
This definitive episode dissects Kendrick Lamar's transcendent hit "Humble" and his era-defining album "DAMN." Tracing his Compton roots and rise from underground phenom to multi-Grammy winner, it explores how the minimalist banger's duality of braggadocio and self-awareness made him 2017's voice of the culture.
Lamar's artistic apotheosis surrounding the album's kaleidoscopic tales of race, identity, and ego is chronicled - from its subversive videos and live spectacles to sparking worldwide social dialogues. An examination of "DAMN's" mainstream breakthroughs and enduring legacy solidifies Lamar's place amongst rap's most vital, impactful visionaries and storytellers of a generation.
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Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed!
Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories’ with no commercials! Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Join today and help support the show!
We now have Merch! FREE SHIPPING! Check out all the products like T-shirts, mugs, bags, jackets and more with logos and slogans from your favorite shows! Did we mention there’s free shipping? Get 10% off with code NewMerch10 Go to Caloroga.com
Get more info from Caloroga Shark Media and if you have any comments, suggestions, or just want to get in touch our email is info@caloroga.com
WEBVTT
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The hit Maker Chronicles now has merch hats, mugs, t
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shirts all with the podcast logo. We have free shipping
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and ten percent off with the code new Merch ten.
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Just go to Kalaroga dot com that's c l Roga
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dot com or look for the link in the show notes.
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It all supports us here behind the scenes of the
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show and really appreciate it. Thanks Calaroga Shark Media.
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In the realm of twenty first century hip hop, few
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artists have achieved the level of critical acclaim and cultural
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impact as Kendrick Lamar. His artistry has pushed the boundaries
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of lyricism, production, and social commentary, solidifying his status as
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one of the most important voices of his generation. In
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this episode of The hit Maker Chronicles, we delve into
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Lamar's seminal twenty seventeen album, Damn, and a lead single
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that set the tone for his most definitive artistic statement yet,
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the seismic ego laced banger Humble. Born in nineteen eighty seven,
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Kendrick Lamar Duckworth's origin story is deeply rooted in the
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streets of Compton, California, raised amidst the harsh realities of
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gang violence and poverty. Lamar found solace and inspiration in
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the rich musical heritage that had birthed legends like NWA
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and DJ Quick. As Lamar began crafting his follow up album,
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he sought to push the boundaries of his artistry even further.
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The result was the audacious, genre defying dam a work
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that cemented his status as a generational talent and cultural force.
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Upon its release, Humble was an instant cultural phenomenon. The
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track dominated charts, streaming platforms, and radio airwaves, solidifying Lamar's
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status as a mainstream superstar while retaining his underground credibility.
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The unprecedented success of Humble was merely the opening salvo
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in what would become one of the most celebrated album
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campaigns in recent memory. Damn debuted at number one on
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the Billboard two hundred, shattering streaming records and garnering universal
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critical praise for its inventive production, lyrical depth, and genre
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blurring ambition. At the heart of this masterpiece was the
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lead single, Humble, a raw, uncompromising display of Lamar's lyrical
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prowess and unabashed confidence. From the opening lines, Humble grabs
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the listener with its infectious minimalist production courtesy of Michael Jamar,
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Robertson and Ray Romulus. The sparse, pulsating beat, laced with
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subtle synth flourishes and Lamar's own vocal samples, creates a
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hypnotic sonic canvas for his razor sharp rhymes to take
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center stage. What sets Humble apart is Lamar's masterful lyricism,
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which oscillates between boastful bravado and introspective self examining. With
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each bar, he effortlessly weaves together clever wordplay, cultural references,
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and hard hitting observations on the trappings of fame and
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the insidious nature of ego. Lines like I'm so effing
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sick and tired of the photoshop. Show me something natural
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like afro on Richard Pryor and I'm so self conscious
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That's why you always see me top in All the
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lists showcase Lamar's ability to blend razor sharp social commentary
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with raw, unfiltered honesty. The accompanying music video, directed by
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Dave Meyers and The Little Homies, is a visual masterpiece
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that further amplifies the song's themes. Lamar's kung Fu inspired
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persona kung Fu Kenny represents the duality of his ego,
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both a confident, unstoppable force and a self aware critic
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of his own hubris. The video's striking imagery, featuring references
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to Renaissance art, Japanese culture, and Lamar's own Compton roots,
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creates a powerful metaphor for the dichotomy of his artistic persona.
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The album's impact reverberated far beyond the world of music.
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Lamar's fearless exploration of topics like race, identity, and institutional
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injustice through tracks like DNA Lust and the Searing Triple X,
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established him as one of the most vital voices of
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social and political commentary of his era. His ability to
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blend raw, visceral lyricism with complex, multilayered narratives elevated hip
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hop's storytelling prowess to new heights. Lamar's artistic triumph with
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dam was officially consecrated at the sixtieth Annual Grammy Awards
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in twenty eighteen. The album won the coveted Grammy for
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Album of the Year, while Humble took home Rap Performance
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of the Year and Best Rap Song honors. Lamar's total
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Grammy hall that night reached five awards, bringing his career
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total to an astonishing fourteen Grammys by the age of thirty.
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In accepting the Album of the Year accolade, Lamar delivered
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a powerful speed each that encapsulated his artistic ethos. This
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is something that none of us could have made on
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our own. All we have is these stories that we
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tell and these songs that we write, celebrating not only
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ourselves but the lives of others. And that's what I
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want to continue doing. Beyond its critical accolades, Damn represented
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a mainstream cultural watershed for hip hop. Lamar's dexterous blending
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of old school lyricism with forward thinking production esthetics and
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socially conscious storytelling propelled the album to over three point
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seven million units sold in the US alone. It shattered
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preconceived notions of what a rap album could achieve commercially,
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while retaining uncompromising artistic integrity. The reverberations of Lamar's definitive
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statement extended beyond music into other art forms. Iconic music
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videos like Humble and DNA became visual corollaries to his
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audio narratives, blistering social critiques augmented by striking cinematic imagery
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and metaphor. Countless filmmakers, writers, and visual artists cited Lamar's nuanced,
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kaleidoscopic storytelling as sources of inspiration for their own groundbreaking works.
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Touring in support of Dam, Lamar established himself as a captivating,
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transcendent live performer. His headlining sets at festivals like Coachella
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blurred the lines between rap concert and immersive theatrical spectacle,
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complete with martial arts choreography, provocative spoken word interludes, and
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visceral audio visual assaults channeling Lamar's Kung Fu Kenny and
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other conceptual personae, He cemented his place among the most
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must see live performers in any genre more in a moment.
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Years after its release, Dam and Lamar's artistic apotheosis surrounding
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it continued to cast a long cultural shadow. The album's
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narratives countless think pieces, academic papers, and social critiques examining
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its layered symbolism and layered meditations on African American life
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and modern society's harsh realities. Remarkably, Lamar's influence only expanded
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in subsequent years. His guest turn on the duet All
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the Stars for the blockbuster film Black Panther further illuminated
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his dexterity at weaving together pop appeal with sharp social commentary.
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His twenty twenty two album Mister Morale and the Big
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Steppers garnered similar critical rapture for its brave vulnerability in
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dissecting generational trauma, toxic masculinity, and spiritual searching through it all.
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Lamar's breakthrough work with Humble and Dam endures as a
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seminal creative and cultural statement for this era of hip
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hop and popular music at large. At its core was
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Lamar's undeniable lyrical mastery, his daring vision in blending raw
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authenticity with conceptual ambition, and his braves centering of uncomfortable
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societal truths that too often remain unspoken. As Kendrick Lamar
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continues adding to his already legendary creative canon, Humble and
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the era Defining Dam will forever be enshrined as the
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definitive works that solidified his status as one of the
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twenty first century's most vital, impactful voices in music. His
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ability to push artistic boundaries while retaining universal emotional resonance
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is a legacy that will continue inspiring generations of musical
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storytellers and truth seekers to come. In the lineage of
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hip hop's greatest visionaries, Lamar's fearless creative daring and commitment
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to using his art as a form of social commentary
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and personal catharsis have few modern parallels. As the hit
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Maker Chronicles attests, Humble and dam were more than mere hits.
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They were seismic cultural reckonings that elevated rap's narrative potential
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to new heights of cinematic soul shaking brilliance. I'm Andrew
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Irons and this has been another engaging episode of The
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hit Maker Chronicles. Join us next week as we continue
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to uncover the stories behind the songs and artists that
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have left an indelible mark on the world. The hit
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Maker Chronicles is a production of Calarogus Shark Media executive
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producers Mark Francis and John MacDermott. Portions of this podcast
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may have been created with the assistance of Ai
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