apr 14, 2017 - "FEAR." is released as an album cut on "DAMN."

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"FEAR." Opens with a reference to Deuteronomy 28:28 which says -

"The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness and astonishment of heart." (NIV)

It then contains the lyric:

"Why God, why God do I gotta suffer?
Pain in my heart carry burdens full of struggle
Why God, why God do I gotta bleed?
Every stone thrown at you restin' at my feet
Why God, why God do I gotta suffer?
Earth is no more, why don't you burn this mufucka?" (Duckworth, 2017)

Kendrick's question is one many of us have faced in our walks of faith. Like most things, the Bible answers this question in one of its excerpts. John 15:18-20 states -

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also." (NIV)

This verse clearly illustrates that the path of following Jesus is one of difficulty and earthly suffering. Blackaby Ministries International has a devotional that also covers this concept. It states that "Darkness cannot tolerate light; the more your life illuminates the presence of Christ, the more you should expect opposition from the forces of darkness." (Blackaby, 2018). It appears that while following Christ means we will sit by His thrown in Heaven, it also means that we must stand by his cross on Earth.

Kendrick seems to present a different reasoning for his suffering here however. The soundbyte from "Carl" is continued at the end of the song:

"Verse two says you only have I known of all the families of the earth
Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities
So until we come back to these commandments
Until you come back to these commandments
We're gonna be in this place, we're gonna be under this curse
Because he said he's gonna punish us
The so-called Blacks, Hispanics, and Native American Indians
Are the true children of Israel." (Duckworth, 2017)

It sounds like Kendrick believes his suffering his a result of straying from God as opposed to walking with God. This is a type of theological belief that follows more in line with the "angry God" of the Old Testament as opposed to the "forgiving God" of the New Testament... a concept covered in greater depth in Mark McEntire's book "The Old Testament Story." This thinking establishes a belief that concludes God's punishments of the Israelites in the Old Testament is reflective of punishments he might give in this current day and age if his people stray from him again.

The chapter "The Poet's Poets" in "Raising Cain, Fleeing Egypt, and Fighting Philistines" also addresses this issue of suffering and offers a light at the end of the tunnel:

"The singer's experience does not fit this simplistic statement of faith, and vv. 2-14 express a painful experience, culminating with 'I am plagued all day, and punished every morning.'" (Emerson, 2006, p. 64)

This first statement is very similar to Kendrick Lamar's "Why God, why God" quote but unlike Kendrick Lamar, the Psalm "reverses itself... when the singer enters the temple and recalls another set of experiences that reflect more positively on God's faithfulness" (Emerson, 2006, p. 64). This acts as an indication that perhaps Kendrick Lamar may have a positive turn in his next album similar to the shift in tone of Psalm 73.

"FEAR." is one of the final songs on the album and therefore has lyrical tie-ins to the previous songs.

"I'm talkin' fear, fear of losin' creativity
I'm talkin' fear, fear of missin' out on you and me
I'm talkin' fear, fear of losin' loyalty from pride
'cause my DNA won't let me involve in the light of God
I'm talkin' fear, fear that my humbleness is gone
I'm talkin' fear, fear that love ain't livin' here no more" (Duckworth, 2017)

The entire album "DAMN." is made up of songs consisting of one word in all capital letters (e.g. "BLOOD.") therefore, this lyric is a refernce to the songs "LOYALTY.", "PRIDE.", "DNA.", "HUMBLE.", and "LOVE."

Several of these song titles are actually references to the fruit of the spirit (the traits that make someone a good follower of God). Therefore it seems that Kendrick is most fearful of losing that which symbolizes his walk with God.

Loyalty (Faithfulness), Love, and Humbleness (meekness) are all three fruits of the spirit, and all three titles of songs on the album.

The other takeaway from this section of the song is the curious line: "'cause my DNA won't let me involve in the light of God." This is yet another reference to the Black Hebrew Israelite belief system. Kendrick is concerned about his heritage affecting his closeness to God because he believes that he will be separated until he repents and gives up his false Idols.

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