Kendrick Lamar Says We’ve Been Listening To ‘DAMN.’ Wrong This Whole Time

If you’ve been listening to Kendrick Lamar’s album DAMN. from start to finish, we have some bad news: you’ve been doing it all wrong.

Well, partly. In a new interview with MTV News, the Compton rapper revealed that DAMN. was actually designed to be played both forwards and backwards — and in many ways, he says, it’s actually better in reverse.

“I think like a week after the album came out, [fans] realised you can play the album backwards,” Lamar told MTV. “It plays as a full story and even a better rhythm… It’s something that we definitely premeditate while we’re in the studio.”

“I don’t think the story necessarily changes, I think the feel changes,” he continued.

“The initial vibe listening from the top all the way to the bottom is … this aggression and this attitude. You know, ‘DNA,’ and exposing who I really am. You listen from the back end, and it’s almost the duality and the contrast of the intricate Kendrick Lamar. Both of these pieces are who I am.”

Keep in mind that Kendrick is referring to listening to the the album’s tracklist backwards — kicking off at track 14 and finishing on track one — not the individual songs. This isn’t a ‘Stairway To Heaven’ scenario.

So next time you and give DAMN. a spin, kick off with ‘DUCKWORTH.’ instead of ‘BLOOD.’