"Duckworth"
Song by Kendrick Lamar
from the album Damn
RecordedMid 2016
StudioWindmark Studios, Jungle City Studios
Genre
Length4:09
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"Duckworth" (stylized as "DUCKWORTH.") is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, taken from his fourth studio album Damn, released on April 14, 2017. The fourteenth and final track on the album (first on the Collector's Edition of Damn),[2] the lyrics were written by Lamar while the music was written by record producer Patrick Douthit, known professionally as 9th Wonder, with additional production by Bēkon.

The song's title is Lamar's actual last name, Lamar being his middle name.[3][4][5] The song tells the true story[5] of Lamar's father meeting Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, years prior to Lamar getting signed to his record label.[6]

Lyrics

The song uses storytelling to tell the connection of Lamar with his father, Kenny "Ducky" Duckworth, and his TDE label-boss, Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith.[4] Specifically, the song tells the story about Top Dawg's previous encounters with Ducky, many years prior to Top Dawg signing Lamar to his label.[7][4]

More specifically, it tells the story of how Top Dawg and Ducky were gangbangers. When he was younger, Top Dawg frequented the KFC where Ducky worked; this is the same KFC that Top Dawg had stuck up a few years prior, where he killed a manager, and maybe even a few customers. Ducky found out about this and made sure he stood on Top Dawg's good side: giving him free chicken, extra biscuits, etc. When Top Dawg did eventually hold up the restaurant again, he and his cohorts made sure not to kill Ducky. If it weren't for these events and circumstances, Kendrick Lamar states he would have died in a gunfight without the positive influence of his father.

The song, like "Fear",[8] another track from Damn, incorporates "backwards vocals", also known as backmasking.[9]

Critical reception

Teddy Craven of The Daily Campus described "Duckworth" as Damn's "strongest song" and "ends the album with a fantastic philosophical mic-drop."[10] Craven compared the track to "Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst" from Lamar's second studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, a song that also tells personal stories about the unexpected consequences of Lamar's music.[10]

The song attracted attention of media in the former Yugoslavia due to its sample of "Ostavi trag" ("Leave a Mark") by Yugoslav jazz-rock band September.[11]

Samples

The song contains samples of "Atari" by Hiatus Kaiyote,[12] "Ostavi trag" by September, "Let the Drums Speak" by Fatback Band, and "Be Ever Wonderful" by Ted Taylor.[13][14] 9th Wonder sampled "Mole on the Dole" by Climax Blues Band for the track's drums.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the official Damn digital booklet.[1]

Charts

Chart (2017) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[15] 52
Ireland (IRMA)[16] 52
Portugal (AFP)[17] 56
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[18] 76
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[19] 7
UK Singles (OCC)[20] 80
US Billboard Hot 100[21] 63
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[22] 36

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[23] Gold 35,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[24] Gold 40,000‡
United States (RIAA)[25] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b "Digital Booklet - DAMN. copy.pdf". DocDroid. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  2. ^ India, Lindsey (December 8, 2017). "Kendrick Lamar Surprises Fans With 'Damn.' Collector's Edition". XXL. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  3. ^ "Kendrick Lamar: 10 Facts You Didn't Know About The 'Good Kid' Rapper". Capital XTRA. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Norwin, Alyssa (April 14, 2017). "Kendrick Lamar Tells The Most Incredible Story On 'Duckworth' & Fans Love It". Hollywood Life. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  5. ^ a b "9th Wonder Confirms Kendrick Lamar's "Duckworth" Is A True Story". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  6. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Tells Wild Story About His Father Meeting Top Dawg on "Duckworth"". Complex. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  7. ^ ClassicOne (April 18, 2017). "9th Wonder Confirms Whether Or Not Kendrick Lamar's "Duckworth" Was True". Exclusive Hip Hop News, Interviews, Rumors, Rap & Music Videos | Allhiphop. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  8. ^ "What's Kendrick Lamar saying in reverse on "Fear" and "Duckworth"? Listen to the original". Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  9. ^ "Kendrick Lamar "Duckworth." Lyrics: Every verse in the standout track from 'Damn.'". Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  10. ^ a b "Album review: Kendrick Lamar's "DAMN."". The Daily Campus. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  11. ^ Raknić, Damjan (April 28, 2017). "VIDEO: REPERSKA MEGAZVIJEZDA KENDRICK LAMAR SEMPLIRALA EX-YU JAZZ ROCKERE 'Recite Tihomiru hvala za bezvremensku glazbu'". Jutarnji list (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 2021-03-01. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  12. ^ "Kendrick Lamar's 'DUCKWORTH.' - Discover the Sample Source". WhoSampled. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  13. ^ Kendrick Lamar – DUCKWORTH., retrieved April 21, 2017
  14. ^ Genius (April 17, 2017), Every Sample On Kendrick Lamar's 'DAMN.', retrieved April 21, 2017
  15. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  16. ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  17. ^ "Kendrick Lamar – Duckworth.". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  18. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201716 into search. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  19. ^ "Swedish Heatseekers Chart - 14 April 2017". Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  20. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  21. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  22. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  23. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  24. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Kendrick Lamar – Duckworth". Music Canada. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  25. ^ "American single certifications – Kendrick Lamar – Duckworth". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
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