"Lust" (stylized as "LUST.") is a song by American rapper

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...

, from his fourth studio album ''

Damn Damnation (from Latin '' damnatio'') is the concept of divine punishment after death for sins that were committed, or in some cases, good actions not done, on Earth. In Ancient Egyptian religious tradition, it was believed that citizens would ...

'', released on April 14, 2017. The ninth track on the album (sixth on the ''Collector's Edition'' of ''Damn''), the song was written by Lamar,

DJ Dahi Dacoury Dahi Natche (born March 10, 1983), known professionally as DJ Dahi or simply Dahi, is an American record producer, songwriter, disc jockey and singer from Inglewood, California. Working primarily in hip hop and R&B music, he has been ...

, Mark Spears

Sounwave Mark Anthony Spears (born February 28, 1986), known professionally as Sounwave, is an American record producer and songwriter. He is a frequent collaborator of rapper Kendrick Lamar, having worked on all of his projects since his 2009 self-title ...

, and

BadBadNotGood BadBadNotGood (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian instrumental band and Hip hop production, production team from Toronto, Canada. The group was founded in 2010 by bassist Chester Hansen, keyboardist Matthew Tavares, and drummer Alexander Sowinsk ...

, and was produced by DJ Dahi, Sounwave, and BadBadNotGood. The song features uncredited guest vocals from record producer

Kaytranada Louis Kevin Celestin (born August 25, 1992), known professionally as Kaytranada (stylized as KAYTRANADA, shortened as KAYTRA), is a Haitian-Canadian music producer, rapper, singer and DJ. Celestin rose to prominence after releasing a series of m ...

. Although not released as a single, the song charted in multiple countries in 2017.

Production

The song is about routine; the things we allow to interrupt them, along with romantic lust and material desire. The song's lyrics also reflect Lamar's reaction to the 2016 presidential election, specifically the anger and confusion some of

the nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...

felt in the wake of it. Specifically, Lamar speaks about the

protests against Donald Trump Protests against Donald Trump have occurred in the United States and internationally since Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign, his entry into the 2016 presidential campaign. Protests have expressed opposition to Trump's campaign rhetoric, ...

, including the struggle to keep the energy up and sustain the protests long-term, without getting fatigued. By the end of the song, the theme of acceptance comes into play. The song is built off an original composition by BadBadNotGood which features guest vocals from electronic musician

. Lamar first met the band at

Coachella Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music festival, music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valle ...

in 2016, immediately asking the band to collaborate. With Lamar, producers DJ Dahi and Sounwave flipped the track, with additional string arrangements made by jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington, who played on Lamar's third studio album, ''

To Pimp a Butterfly ''To Pimp a Butterfly'' is the third studio album by the American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on March 15, 2015, by Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album was recorded in studios throughout ...

''. The song contains a sample of Rat Boy's 2015 song "Knock Knock Knock", sampled by former collaborator Dahi. When he found out about the sample, Rat Boy tweeted his appreciation.

Critical reception and tributes

Kathleen Johnston of '' GQ'' described "Lust" as the best song on ''Damn''. Months after the release of "Lust" and ''Damn'', creative collective Combined Culture released a

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

inspired by the track on June 17, 2017, in celebration of Lamar's 30th birthday earlier in June.

Live performances

Lamar performed "Lust" live at the

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colora ...

on April 23, 2017. He performed the song seated in a cage accentuated by strings of

LED lights An LED lamp or LED light is an electric light that produces light using light-emitting diodes (LEDs). LED lamps are significantly more energy-efficient than equivalent incandescent lamps and fluorescent lamps. The most efficient commercial ...

. Lamar has performed "Lust" on

The Damn Tour The Damn Tour (stylized as The DAMN. Tour) was a concert tour by American rapper and songwriter Kendrick Lamar, in support of his fourth studio album, '' Damn'' (2017). The tour's North American leg began on July 12, 2017, in Glendale, Arizona a ...

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the official ''Damn'' digital booklet. Production and songwriting *Kendrick Duckworth – songwriter * Dacoury Natche – songwriter, producer * Mark Spears – songwriter, producer, strings * Chester Hansen – songwriter, producer (as part of BADBADNOTGOOD) * Alexander Sowinski – songwriter, producer (as part of BADBADNOTGOOD) * Matthew Tavares – songwriter, producer (as part of BADBADNOTGOOD) *

Leland Whitty BadBadNotGood (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian instrumental band and production team from Toronto, Canada. The group was founded in 2010 by bassist Chester Hansen, keyboardist Matthew Tavares, and drummer Alexander Sowinski. In 2016, the ...

– songwriter, producer (as part of BADBADNOTGOOD) * Kamasi Washington – strings *

– additional vocals * Rat Boy – additional vocals (sample) Technical *Derek Ali – mixing *Tyler Page – mix assistant *Cyrus Taghipour – mix assistant

Charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2017 songs Kendrick Lamar songs Songs written by Kendrick Lamar Songs written by DJ Dahi Songs written by Sounwave Songs written by Matthew Tavares Songs written by Chester Hansen