XXX (Kendrick Lamar Song)
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"XXX" (stylized as "XXX.", pronounced "X-Rated") is a song by American rapper
Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his Progressive rap, progressive musical styles and Social consciousness, socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most infl ...
, from his fourth studio album ''
Damn Damnation (from Latin '' damnatio'') is the concept of divine punishment and torment in an afterlife for actions that were committed, or in some cases, not committed on Earth. In Ancient Egyptian religious tradition, citizens would recite th ...
'', released on April 14, 2017. The eleventh track on the album (fourth on the ''Collector's Edition'' of ''Damn''), the song was written by Lamar, Mike Will Made It,
DJ Dahi Dacoury Dahi Natche (born March 10, 1983), professionally known as DJ Dahi, is an American DJ, songwriter, record producer and singer from Inglewood, California. Dahi is perhaps best known for producing " Money Trees" by American rapper Kendric ...
, Mark Spears
Sounwave Mark Anthony Spears, known professionally as Sounwave, is an American hip-hop producer and songwriter from Compton, California, and an original member of the Californian hip-hop label Top Dawg Entertainment. Sounwave has worked on every Kendrick ...
, Anthony Tiffith,
Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Born and raised in Dublin, he attended M ...
,
the Edge David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is an English-born Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing voca ...
,
Adam Clayton Adam Charles Clayton (born 13 March 1960) is an English-born Irish musician who is the bass guitarist of the rock band U2. He has resided in County Dublin, Ireland since his family moved to Malahide in 1965, when he was five years old. Cla ...
, and
Larry Mullen Jr. Laurence Joseph Mullen Jr. (; born 31 October 1961) is an Irish musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band U2. Mullen was born in Dublin, where he attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School. In 1976, he co-founded U2 ...
, and produced by Mike Will Made It, DJ Dahi, and Sounwave, with additional production by Top Dawg and Bēkon. The song features samples of the songs "America" by Bēkon and "American Soul" by Irish rock band U2. Although not released as a
single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
, the song charted in multiple countries in 2017.


Composition

The lyrics of "XXX" are about speaking truth to power. The first verse has Lamar talking about what he would do if anything happened to his family. The chorus then features
Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Born and raised in Dublin, he attended M ...
, the lead singer of Irish rock band U2, singing a prominent refrain in the latter half of the song. Lamar also references then-current
U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
and former President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
in the lyric, "Donald Trump's in office; we lost Barack, and promised to never doubt him again".


Critical reception

"XXX" received widespread acclaim from music critics. Ian Servantes of ''Spin'' called the song "damn good." Steven Hyden of ''Uproxx'' said that U2's cameo was "very un-U2-like" but in a good way.


Live performances

Lamar performed "XXX" live, without U2, at the
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. ...
on April 23, 2017. Lamar has performed "XXX" on
the Damn tour The Damn Tour (stylized as The DAMN. Tour) was a concert tour by American rapper and songwriter Kendrick Lamar, in support of his fourth studio album, ''Damn (Kendrick Lamar album), Damn'' (2017). The tour's North American leg began on July 12, ...
. Lamar performed "XXX" live with U2 at the
60th Annual Grammy Awards The 60th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on January 28, 2018. The CBS network broadcast the show live from Madison Square Garden in New York City. The show was moved to January to avoid coinciding with the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongc ...
in January 2018. Lamar and U2 performed an excerpt before segueing into a verse from " DNA".


Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the official ''Damn'' digital booklet. *Kendrick Duckworth – songwriter, additional keys * Mike Will Made It – songwriter, producer * Dacoury Natche – songwriter, producer * Mark Spears – songwriter, producer *Anthony "Topdawg" Tiffith – songwriter, producer *
Paul Hewson Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Born and raised in Dublin, he attended M ...
– songwriter, voice * David Evans – songwriter *
Adam Clayton Adam Charles Clayton (born 13 March 1960) is an English-born Irish musician who is the bass guitarist of the rock band U2. He has resided in County Dublin, Ireland since his family moved to Malahide in 1965, when he was five years old. Cla ...
– songwriter *
Larry Mullen Jr. Laurence Joseph Mullen Jr. (; born 31 October 1961) is an Irish musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band U2. Mullen was born in Dublin, where he attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School. In 1976, he co-founded U2 ...
– songwriter *Bēkon – additional production and vocals *
Kid Capri David Anthony Love Jr. (born February 7, 1967) is an American DJ and rapper better known by his stage name Kid Capri. Early life Kid Capri's humble roots can be traced back to his parents' home in the Bronx, where ten year old David Antho ...
– additional vocals *Derek Ali – mixing *Tyler Page – mix assistant *Cyrus Taghipour – mix assistant *Zeke Mishanic – additional recording *Brendan Silas Perry – additional recording


Charts


Certifications


References

{{Trump media 2017 songs Kendrick Lamar songs Songs about Donald Trump Songs written by Kendrick Lamar Songs written by Mike Will Made It Songs written by Bono Songs written by the Edge Songs written by Adam Clayton Songs written by Larry Mullen Jr. Song recordings produced by Mike Will Made It Songs written by DJ Dahi Songs written by Sounwave