Kendrick Lamar’s Damn. was released almost a year ago to the day—ok, a year and 12 days to be exact—and has sold 1.1 million copies since then. Kung Fu Kenny has had a pretty incredible 2018 so far, with a fantastic performance at the Grammy Awards alongside U2 and Dave Chappelle, and becoming the first rapper in history to win the world-renowned Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 album. We knew this award would change things for Kendrick, but not like this—according to Billboard, Damn.’s album sales skyrocketed with a 236 percent increase following his Pulitzer win on April 16. Damn.
In addition to the album getting more attention from consumers after Kenny’s Pulitzer victory, streams, and song sales increased substantially, as well. There were 11,000 digital song sales from the album in the week ending April 19, which equates to a 29 percent increase. Additionally, domestic on-demand streams of Damn.tracks rose by 25 percent—from 21.6 million to 26.9 million.
What all of this renewed interest in Kendrick’s album has led to, is Damn. being back on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Album charts, at No. 8 and No. 7, respectively. On top of that, Damn. went from No. 20 to No. 13 on the Billboard 200. Last year, of course, Kendrick ruled all three of these lists, as the album was the best performing album of 2017 and spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, ten weeks conquering the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and 11 atop the Top Rap Albums charts.
Kendrick Lamar is a national treasure and a gift from the Gods for this generation’s hip-hop culture. As a humble and thoughtful writer, who can spit fire at the drop of a dime and vanquish any opponents, he comprises the yin and yang of a genuinely masterful MC—a ponderous lyricist who can make concept albums, a poet who makes bangers for the summer. Congratulations, Kendrick. You deserve it all.
