The album flows a lot smoother played backwards. I haven't tried to make out the themes and how they fit relative to the original listing. But it's worth experiencing at least once.

http://www.avclub.com/kendrick-lamar-says-damn-was-meant-to-be-played-backwar-1798439375

GREAT JOB INTERNET
Kendrick Lamar says Damn was meant to be played backwards, and it rules that way

Clayton Purdom
Friday 2:15pmFiled to: GREAT JOB

2017 has already seen a bumper crop of great rap records, from Future, Jay-Z, Vince Staples, 2 Chainz, MIKE, Starlito & Don Trip, and many more, but when the dust settles, Kendrick Lamar’s Damn may outshine them all. Despite its stripped, back-to-basics aesthetic and spartan first single, it’s a deceptively rich song set, full of themes that slowly develop and a clear-cut narrative that unfolds into a shaggy-dog twist. When it first came out, people seemingly wanted more from Kendrick, and so began a conspiracy theory around a second album, an Easter Sunday release called Nation that would complement Damn’s Good Friday release. It never happened, because these sort of internet conspiracy theories pretty much never do.

But a lower-key theory—that the album functioned as an equally cohesive statement when played back-to-front—still lingered, and in a new interview with MTV News, Lamar confirmed it.

“It plays as a full story and even a better rhythm. It’s one of my favorite rhythms and tempos within the album. It’s something that we definitely premeditate while we’re in the studio. I don’t think the story necessarily changes, I think the feel changes. The initial vibe listening from the top all the way to the bottom is ... this aggression and this attitude. You know, ‘DNA,’ and exposing who I really am. You listen from the back end, and it’s almost the duality and the contrast of the intricate Kendrick Lamar. Both of these pieces are who I am.”

And guess what? It fucking rules that way! “Duckworth” bangs as an opener, “DNA” is a great late-album tempo pick-up, “Lust” leads into “Humble” beautifully, and the whole thing’s worth a damn re-listen. These sort of secret methods of listening to records are always fun, if totally spurious, ranging in quality from “Dark Side Of Oz” to the insane belief that you’re supposed to two copies of Kid A synced 17 seconds apart. (Get high first?) But an intentionally designed alternate version of listening to a record is pretty rare, and anyway, a good enough excuse to revisit the record on a Friday afternoon.

https://open.spotify.com/user/1260825350/playlist/1YCSn7ha0gVKAGJ2WIVHR4

Felt kind of disjointed to me; I prefer the normal way. But if Kendrick claims that's the case I'll take his word for it, obviously.

I always like to point out that The Roots' undun is a great album listened front to back and then back to front, though. Feels like the character dying and then having his life flash before his eyes.

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"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

It's subjective so I can't argue either way, but the way the tone of the music flows seems better to me. Although now that I'm about through with the album, I have to say that the way the subject matter is weaved in seems more random, like a normal album.

Good point about undun. That album does work well both ways.

I'm thankful for audio files and CD's because if this was the cassette era, I wouldn't listen to that side.

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Twitter & IG: @rulerofmyself
SC: rulerofmyself17

Yes! She's on the drugs. (c) BoHagon

I feel like if an album is meant to be experienced backwards or some in other order from the official track list then it just should have been released that way in the first place.

Can't argue with Kendrick if being able to flip the track order and it still make sense was a conscious decision on his part, but now I'm stuck in my ways and don't want to hear "Duckworth" first haha.

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I don't like the beat anymore because its just a loop. ALC didn't FLIP IT ENOUGH!

Flip it enough? Flip these. Flip off. Go flip some f*cking burgers.(c)Kno

Allied State of the National Electric Beat Treaty Organization (NEBTO)

clearly, this was an album meant to be played either way.

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I listened to that entire album in reverse and it made no sense.


http://keymusic.bandcamp.com/album/apophenia

https://keymusic.bandcamp.com/

where it's almost (keyword: almost) like a parallel version of Kendrick's life.

There are lyrics sprinkled throughout the album that support the idea. I don't think the reverse album idea works 100% of the time but it is occasionally noticeable.
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