In the midst of his 4th studio album, Kendrick Lamar has been praised by critics while simultaneously solidifying his spot as one of the hip hop legends. As Damn. released commercially on April 10th, social media and hip hop fans were sent into a frenzy over the release of the Compton MC’s latest project.

Whether you praise Kendrick for his stylistic approach, or banish his latest project as nothing more than over-hyped jargon; K Dot’s numbers don’t lie. In the week leading into May 6th, all fourteen songs that appear on Damn. are on the Billboard top 100 list. In addition to this astounding feat, Kendrick’s latest musical endeavor has passed Drake’s More Life as the number one album within the Hip Hop genre.

As a fan of Kendrick Lamar, I can beam with pride at the fact that he’s been able to reach a more mainstream audience with his music. But as a fan of his craftsmanship, I felt as though Damn was a tad bit underwhelming.Don’t get me wrong, I can bob my head with enthusiasm to tracks like DNA, Duckworth, and XXX. But I feel as though this musical endeavor lacked the soul of Kendrick’s earlier albums.

On Damn. I was hoping for another masterful piece of storytelling that give a glimpse into raw human emotions. I was looking for a “u.” from To Pimp a Butterfly or something similar to The Art of Peer Pressure from Good Kid, M.A.AD City. Sadly, my hopes feel short.

In my mind, Damn. is an album that is driven more so by good beats and baselines than mere rapping. This is evident from tracks like Loyalty and Love, where Kendrick employs the help of pop based artists to create club bangers for mainstream audiences.

The importance for an artist to be ever-changing is what gives their music a lasting legacy. With that being said, Damn. marks a turning point in Kendrick’s style of music.

We can all cross our fingers with anticipation for his next body of work (Whenever that may be). But I know that I’ll be crossing my fingers in hopes of the Compton native will reside to his previous messages of self love and addressing issues that affect not only the African American Community, but society as a whole.

With that being said, I’ll give this album a seven out of ten rating.  While I can be grateful for any release that Kendrick drops, I can’t help but dwell on his past musical masterpieces while being skeptical of his latest work.