On this Good Friday, most of the rap world is fixated on Kendrick Lamar's new album, DAMN. Particularly industrious K-Dot fans, however, are already looking ahead to Easter Sunday -- as they think the holiday might bring with it another album from the Compton prophet.
Not lost on these fans is that Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If the gifted TDE rapper revives himself with another album on Sunday, then DAMN. -- arriving on Good Friday -- would seemingly represent his crucifixion, or his death. DAMN. begins with a track called "BLOOD.," on which Kendrick seems to narrate his death by gunshot, fired by a blind woman whom he had tried to lend a helping hand to.
Kendrick season officially began on March 23 with "The Heart Part 4," on which he warned, "Y'all got 'til April the 7th to get y'all shit together." April 7th ended up being when he shared the DAMN. release date. "The Heart Part 4" also includes the line, "I dropped one classic and I came right back," which originally seemed to pertain to To Pimp a Butterfly and the compilation he dropped a year later, untitled unmastered. Now, though, fans are speculating that Kendrick was foreshadowing DAMN. and the album that may come on Sunday.
The idea that DAMN. precedes another imminent project really gained steam when TDE producer Sounwave tweeted, "But what if I told you... that's not the official version."
Sounwave, who produced extensively on DAMN., then tweeted, "4|4|17" -- DAMN.'s official release date, along with a picture of Morpheus from The Matrix. Here's when the fan theories start to get crazy, or brilliant -- depending what happens on Sunday.
In The Matrix, Morpheus famously offers Neo two pills, one blue and one red. According to the theorists, the red pill is DAMN. -- the cover of which shows Kendrick in front of a red brick wall, along with the album's title written in all-red. The next album, accordingly, will be blue-themed. Coincidentally or not, Kendrick's Spotify profile picture now shows him in front of a blue wall.
Once again, fans have looked to "The Heart Part 4" for possible clues regarding the opposing colors. "My next album, the whole industry on a ice pack," raps Kendrick, following-up with, "With TOC, you see the flames." The "TOC" acronym had not been unpacked until now. Could it stand for "The Other Color"?
Kendrick has explored the red vs. blue -- and, by extension, the rivalry between Bloods and Crips -- before, in his music and via other pursuits. One of his shoe designs for Reebok Classic was a pair that included one blue sneaker and one red one.
If the fans are indeed onto something, are you ready for Kendrick to be resurrected in blue in two days time?
