The most notable appearance is made by Yugen Blakrok, "half-machine" Johannesburg native who boasts of "crushing any system that belittles us," references Millie Jackson, and leaves a pile of smoldering rubble in her wake. Another canny aspect in the album's assemblage is its inclusion of several artists from South Africa. The set has a major crossover single bid in the form of "All the Stars," an elegantly crafted SZA showcase that sounds at once like a defiant hero's anthem and a love theme. They frame Lamar, a central figure as he proclaims his sovereign rank and examines its pitfalls - not a stretch for him. Elements that are alternately obvious and subtle, including tribal-futuristic drums, audio-logo-like mentions of character names, and ululations (the last instance via the Weeknd on the despairing but proud finale), are threaded throughout to maintain the connection.
Indeed, a significant portion of the content - from whole tracks like the Travis Scott turn "Big Shot," to the part where Future quotes Juicy J's "Slob on My Knob" - has no relation to the film, though there's a reflectively militant quality to a high percentage of the verses. Subtitled "Music from and Inspired By," this is not a soundtrack in the strictest sense. Director Ryan Coogler sought Lamar out to contribute to the album, but the artist ended up involved with every track, credited in varying combinations as headliner, featured artist, co-songwriter, and co-producer, with long-term producer Sounwave a factor in all but three cuts. It's an unprecedented convergence of the mainstream film industry with an uncompromising musician thriving commercially and artistically. The song peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100.A culturally momentous film directed by a black man, featuring a black lead actor and a predominantly black supporting cast, Marvel Studios' Black Panther is augmented with an album powered by Kendrick Lamar. It was released to contemporary hit radio on November 21, 2017. "Love" featuring Zacari, was released as the album's third single on October 2, 2017, to rhythmic contemporary radio. The song peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100. "Loyalty" featuring Rihanna, was released as the album's second single on June 20, 2017, to rhythmic and urban contemporary radio. It reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Canadian Hot 100 chart. On March 30, 2017, Lamar released the album's lead single, "Humble", accompanied by a music video. Genre: Alternative Hip-Hop, Hip Hop, jazz rap, Rap, West Coast Hip Hop Damn features appearances from singers Rihanna and Top Dawg signee Zacari, along with Irish rock band U2. The album features production from a variety of record producers, including executive producer and Top Dawg Entertainment label-head Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, Sounwave, DJ Dahi, Mike Will Made It and Ricci Riera as well as further production contributions from James Blake, Steve Lacy, BadBadNotGood, Greg Kurstin, The Alchemist and 9th Wonder, among others. It was released on April 14, 2017, by Aftermath Entertainment, Interscope Records and Top Dawg Entertainment. Damn (stylized as DAMN.) is the fourth studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar.