"DNA" (stylized as "DNA.") is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar from his fourth studio album Damn. Despite not being released as a single, the song received support at rhythmic radio after its official music video was released.[2] The second track on the album (thirteenth on the Collector's Edition of Damn),[3] it was written by Lamar, while the production was handled by Mike Will Made It.[1]
"DNA" was the second song from Damn to be recorded by Lamar and Mike Will, after "Humble". After the first verse was recorded with the beat that Mike Will had already prepared, Lamar started rapping the second verse a capella, requesting that Mike Will build the beat around the rap. Lamar proposed that it sound like "chaos", and Mike Will put together the second half of the song with the intention to make it "sound like he's battling the beat".[5] The song samples "Mary Jane" by Rick James.
Critical reception
The song has been described as "the most virtuosic display" on Damn by Vice.[6]Entertainment Weekly praised the song as "technically peerless" and Lamar's "astonishing flow".[7] Music critic Neil McCormick, for The Telegraph, called "DNA" a "punchy electro mantra about identity".[8]
Billboard named "DNA" as the thirty-first best song of the year in their list of the 100 best songs of the year.[9]
Music video
The song's music video, directed by Nabil Elderkin and released on April 18, 2017, features American actor Don Cheadle.[4][10] The video, directed by Nabil and The Little Homies,[11] begins with Cheadle entering an interrogation room, where Lamar is being held captive and attached to a lie detector machine.[10] After Cheadle mocks Lamar,[12] he turns the machine on where he's shocked with Lamar's life force and begins rapping the track.[13] From here, Cheadle and Lamar switch back and forth from rapping the song, mirroring each other's movements along the way until Cheadle finally succumbs to Lamar and lets him go.[13] Afterwards, scenes of Lamar rapping alone along with some of his friends, including American rapper Schoolboy Q, follow.[12][14] The video ends with an extended outro for the song, as Schoolboy Q approaches and punches the camera in slow motion.[12][14][15] The video features the use of Chinese in the second half, with Kendrick subtitled "功夫肯尼" ("Kung Fu Kenny", an alternate name used throughout the Damn album) and Kendrick's crew being given "的家庭" (De jiātíng; "the family"). The Top Dawg Entertainment logo is presented alongside "顶级狗娱乐" (Dǐngjí gǒu yúlè, literally "top level dog entertainment").
Upon release, the music video received positive reviews from critics.[16][17]
An unreleased version of the song, with a new verse, was used during ESPN's coverage of the 2017 NBA Finals, and Lamar also appeared in accompanying promos.[23] It was also used to introduce NBA Live 18 in promotional material. The song was also used as a part of Madden NFL 18’s soundtrack, along with NBA Live 18.
↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 16. týden 2017 in the date selector. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 16. týden 2017 in the date selector. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
