Fear (Kendrick Lamar song)
song performed by Kendrick Lamar
"Fear" (stylized as "FEAR.") is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, from his fourth studio album Damn, released on April 14, 2017. The twelfth track on the album (third on the Collector's Edition of Damn), the song was written by Kendrick and produced by The Alchemist, with additional production by Bēkon. At seven minutes and forty-one seconds, it is the longest song on the album. Although not released as a single, the song charted in multiple countries in 2017.
The song, structured in three parts, describes events in Lamar's life, specifically his worries and fears, at the ages of seven, seventeen, twenty-seven, and at the time of recording. The song has received critical acclaim from music critics, with multiple critics calling the track Damn's centerpiece, as well as a huge standout.
Although the song was not released as a single, the song made it onto 6 charts, including the Billboard Hot 100, where it hit number 50, and the Hot Rap Songs chart, where the song earned its highest position, hitting number 23. The song was also earned gold certifications by three organizations, including the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) based in the United States, where the song sold 500,000 units.
Composition
The song begins with a voicemail from Lamar's cousin, Karni Israel Duckworth (then Carl Duckworth), who, in the voicemail, speaks a verse from the Book of Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Torah (a section of the Hebrew Bible). Specifically, he recites Deuteronomy 28:28, which reads "The LORD will smite thee with madness, and with blindness, and with astonishment of heart." Duckworth, a member of the Black Hebrew Israelites, refers to the burden that Lamar feels as a result of not accepting his supposed Israeli heritage.
“Fear (Kendrick Lamar song)” enters the record as song performed by Kendrick Lamar. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Fear, Kendrick and Lamar can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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