Months after its release, Kendrick Lamar confirmed a long-held fan theory that DAMN. was purposely designed to be listened to in reverse order.
“I think like a week after the album came out, [fans] realized you can play the album backwards,” Kung-Fu Kenny told MTV News. “It plays as a full story and even a better rhythm. It’s one of my favorite rhythms and tempos within the album. It’s something that we definitely premeditate while we’re in the studio.”
He continues: “I don’t think the story necessarily changes, I think the feel changes. 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.”
This shows how carefully constructed DAMN. is and the painstaking attention to detail Kendrick puts into all his work.