Kendrick Lamar is known for his impressive body of work. Unlike many artists, the Compton native does not release a project every year and takes his craft exceptionally seriously to ensure every album tells a distinct story.
Whether it be Good, Kid m.A.A.d City about his life in Compton or his Mr Morale & The Big Steppers about stepping into the world of fatherhood, there is always something of substance fans can take away from Kendrick.
That said, Lamar always surprises fans with his beat choices, features and lyrical delivery of his songs. All of the emcee’s projects are consistently critically acclaimed. In fact, it caused a fair amount of controversy when the Grammy Awards decided to give the honour of ‘Best Rap Album’ to Macklemore in 2014 after Lamar’s was superior.
The West Coast lyricist is consistent and works well with specific producers, whether that be The Alchemist or Hit-Boy. He also works well with his Black Hippy counterparts like Jay Rock and Ab-Soul, so his LPs have some consistency. However, in 2017, when the musician released his fourth album DAMN, one feature shocked fans as Lamar leant upon a well-known rock figure.
The final track of DAMN is entitled ‘XXX’, and although it was not released as an official single, it performed exceptionally well commercially. The song charted in multiple countries, including Ireland, New Zealand, the US, Canada, the UK, and Sweden. However, its prominent guest appearance was surprising to fans.
For ‘XXX’, Lamar called upon Bono, the lead singer of the iconic Irish rock band U2. The highly political song talks about several people, from Donald Trump to Barack Obama. Bono appears on the chorus and provides various ad-libs, and appears throughout the track for its various interludes.
In an interview with music publication NME, Bono explained why he was more than happy to collaborate with Kendrick Lamar, stating, “It was really just that we were fans. We were just thinking about artists we really respect and like, and he was on the top of our list. We look for artists that we feel have a similar spirit.”
Addressing the political nature of the track and its attacks on America, Bono explained, “There’s a righteous anger that is hard to argue with. I asked him would he rap about where America is at, his reply was to rap about where America isn’t at. Smart dude.”
You can listen to ‘XXX’ in the video below.
