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Kendrick Lamar Says DAMN. Is His Best Album

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 24: Kendrick Lamar performs onstage at night three of the STAPLES Center Concert, sponsored by Sprite, during the 2017 BET Experience at Staples Center on June 24, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET)

Los Angeles radio show host Big Boy grabbed the rare Kendrick Lamar interview for his latest show. During the jovial conversation, Big Boy prompted the rhymer to rank his short but revered discography. The list goes:

4. Section.80
3. To Pimp a Butterfly
2. good kid, m.A.A.d. city
1. DAMN.

The ranking may be a bit of a surprise to many. Many rappers hold their debut LP close because there’s a lifetime expressed on there (JAY-Z’s relationship with Reasonable Doubt is a particularly famous example). To Pimp a Butterfly was an ambitious, pro-black statement piece in 2015—two years later, it’s his lowest ranked major label album. Still, DAMN., his most accessible project, isn’t that outrageous of a top pick. Hip-hop fans tend to have a precious relationship with the concept of a “classic,” so it may be hard to believe for some that a months-old project might be a potential legend’s finest.

That part of the conversation takes place at the 36-minute mark. On another note, Kendrick also reveals at the 8:15 mark that DAMN.‘s original title was What Happens on Earth Stays On Earth, a recurring phrase throughout the project. Watch the talk in full below.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=fYFfkBSo2mg%3Fecver%3D1