Duckworth (song)

{{Infobox song

| name = Duckworth

| cover =

| alt =

| type =

| artist = Kendrick Lamar

| album = Damn

| released =

| recorded = Mid 2016

| studio = Windmark Studios, Jungle City Studios

| genre = West Coast hip-hop

| length = {{Duration|m=4|s=09}}

| label = {{hlist|Top Dawg|Aftermath|Interscope}}

| writer = {{hlist|Kendrick Duckworth|Patrick Douthit{{cite web|title=Digital Booklet - DAMN. copy.pdf|url=https://www.docdroid.net/rYHzAok/digital-booklet-damn-copy.pdf.html#page=8|website=DocDroid|access-date=April 20, 2017}}}}

| producer = {{hlist|9th Wonder|Bēkon (add.)}}

}}

"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),{{cite web|last1=India|first1=Lindsey|title=Kendrick Lamar Surprises Fans With 'DAMN.' Collector's Edition|url=http://www.xxlmag.com/rap-music/new-music/2017/12/kendrick-lamar-surprises-fans-damn-collectors-edition/|website=XXL|access-date=December 9, 2017|date=December 8, 2017}} 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 surname, Lamar being his middle name.{{Cite news|url=http://www.capitalxtra.com/artists/kendrick-lamar/lists/facts|title=Kendrick Lamar: 10 Facts You Didn't Know About The 'Good Kid' Rapper|work=Capital XTRA|access-date=April 21, 2017}}{{Cite web|url=http://hollywoodlife.com/2017/04/14/kendrick-lamar-duckworth-meaning-lyrics-new-song/|title=Kendrick Lamar Tells The Most Incredible Story On 'Duckworth' & Fans Love It|last=Norwin|first=Alyssa|date=April 14, 2017|website=Hollywood Life|access-date=April 20, 2017}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/9th-wonder-confirms-kendrick-lamars-duckworth-is-a-true-story-news.31317.html?|title=9th Wonder Confirms Kendrick Lamar's "Duckworth" Is A True Story|work=HotNewHipHop|access-date=April 21, 2017}} The song tells the true story of Lamar's father meeting Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, working at a Kentucky Fried Chicken in a rough area, years prior to Lamar getting signed to his record label. Anthony was renowned for robbing chicken shops, similar to the one Lamar's father had been working at, so Duckworth decided to give Anthony two extra biscuits every time he came in. This caused Anthony to like Duckworth and leave him alive when he robbed the shop. If it weren't for this decision, Kendrick would never have met Anthony and gotten signed to his label, and therefore his music career may have never taken off.{{Cite web|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2017/04/kendrick-lamar-tells-story-of-his-father-meeting-top-dawg-on-duckworth|title=Kendrick Lamar Tells Wild Story About His Father Meeting Top Dawg on "Duckworth"|website=Complex|access-date=April 21, 2017}}

Lyrics

The song uses storytelling to tell the connection of Lamar with his father, Kenny "Ducky" Duckworth, and his Top Dawg label-boss, Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith. 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.{{Cite web|url=https://allhiphop.com/2017/04/18/9th-wonder-confirms-whether-not-kendrick-lamars-duckworth-true/|title=9th Wonder Confirms Whether Or Not Kendrick Lamar's "Duckworth" Was True|last=ClassicOne|date=April 18, 2017|website=Exclusive Hip Hop News, Interviews, Rumors, Rap & Music Videos {{!}} Allhiphop|access-date=April 21, 2017}}

More specifically, it tells the story of how Top Dawg and Ducky were gangbangers. When he was younger, Top Dawg frequented the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant at which Ducky worked; this is the same location that had been robbed a few years prior, and a customer was shot. Ducky was aware of this and Top Dawg's intentions, deciding that he should get on Top Dawg's good side. He does this by giving him free chicken and extra biscuits every time he pulled into the drive-thru. This act of good will was so successful that Top Dawg decided not to hold up the restaurant after all. The song ends with Lamar stating that if it weren't for these events and circumstances, he would have died in a gunfight without the positive influence of his father, and Top Dawg would be serving life in prison for the murder instead of founding his record label.

The song, like "Fear",{{Cite news|url=https://mic.com/articles/174184/what-s-kendrick-lamar-saying-in-reverse-on-fear-and-duckworth-listen-to-the-original#.6YOYS7abY|title=What's Kendrick Lamar saying in reverse on "Fear" and "Duckworth"? Listen to the original.|access-date=April 21, 2017}} another track from Damn, incorporates "backwards vocals", also known as backmasking.{{Cite news|url=https://mic.com/articles/174238/kendrick-lamar-duckworth-lyrics-every-verse-in-the-standout-track-from-damn#.JCyFlRY0T|title=Kendrick Lamar "Duckworth." Lyrics: Every verse in the standout track from 'Damn.'|access-date=April 21, 2017}} Fans and critics noticed this as an inspiration taken from filmmaker David Lynch's work, most notably from the TV series Twin Peaks (1990–1991), and also as Lamar previously filmed the short-film God Is Gangsta from his album To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), in the Paris club "Le Silencio", which was designed by Lynch, Raphael Navot, architectural agency Enia and light designer Thierry Dreyfus.{{cite web | url=https://pitchfork.com/news/62696-kendrick-lamar-shares-7-minute-short-film-god-is-gangsta/ | title=Kendrick Lamar Shares 7-Minute Short Film God is Gangsta | website=Pitchfork | date=31 December 2015 }}

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."{{Cite news|url=http://dailycampus.com/stories/2017/4/24/album-review-kendrick-lamars-damn|title=Album review: Kendrick Lamar's "DAMN."|work=The Daily Campus|access-date=April 25, 2017|language=en-US}} 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. Writing for Pitchfork, Matthew Trammel described the song as "a precious origin story, the stuff of rock docs and hood DVDs, and it’s delivered with such precision, vivid detail, and masterful pacing that it can’t possibly be true. But it’s a tale too strange to be fiction, and too powerful not to believe in—just like its author."{{Cite web |last=Trammell |first=Matthew |date=April 18, 2017 |title=Kendrick Lamar: DAMN. |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/23147-damn/ |access-date=April 29, 2024 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}

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.{{Cite web|last=Raknić|first=Damjan|date=April 28, 2017|title=VIDEO: REPERSKA MEGAZVIJEZDA KENDRICK LAMAR SEMPLIRALA EX-YU JAZZ ROCKERE 'Recite Tihomiru hvala za bezvremensku glazbu'|url=https://www.jutarnji.hr/kultura/glazba/video-reperska-megazvijezda-kendrick-lamar-semplirala-ex-yu-jazz-rockere-recite-tihomiru-hvala-za-bezvremensku-glazbu-5975121|url-status=live|access-date=August 19, 2021|website=Jutarnji list|language=hr-hr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301105540/https://www.jutarnji.hr/kultura/glazba/video-reperska-megazvijezda-kendrick-lamar-semplirala-ex-yu-jazz-rockere-recite-tihomiru-hvala-za-bezvremensku-glazbu-5975121 |archive-date=2021-03-01 }}

Samples

The song contains samples of "Atari" by Hiatus Kaiyote,{{Cite web|url=http://www.whosampled.com/sample/493804/Kendrick-Lamar-DUCKWORTH.-Hiatus-Kaiyote-Atari/|title=Kendrick Lamar's 'DUCKWORTH.' - Discover the Sample Source|website=WhoSampled|access-date=April 21, 2017}} "Ostavi trag" by September, "Let the Drums Speak" by Fatback Band, and "Be Ever Wonderful" by Ted Taylor.{{Citation|title=Kendrick Lamar – DUCKWORTH.|url=https://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-duckworth-lyrics|access-date=April 21, 2017}}{{Citation|last=Genius|title=Every Sample On Kendrick Lamar's 'DAMN.'|date=April 17, 2017|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK0sBRgoxsE|access-date=April 21, 2017}} 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.

Kendrick Duckworth – songwriter
Patrick Douthit – songwriter, producer, mixing
Bēkon – additional production, additional vocals
Kid Capri – additional vocals
Derek Ali – mixing
Tyler Page – mixing, mix assistant
Cyrus Taghipour – mix assistant
Zeke Mishanec – additional recording
Brendan Silas Perry – additional recording

Charts

scope="col"\| Chart (2017) ! scope="col"\| Peak position
class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
{{single chart\|Canada\|52\|artist=Kendrick Lamar\|rowheader=true\|accessdate=April 25, 2017}}
scope="row"\| Ireland (IRMA){{cite web\|url=http://irma.ie/index.cfm?page=irish-charts&chart=Singles\|title=IRMA – Irish Charts\|publisher=Irish Recorded Music Association\|access-date=April 21, 2017}} \| 52
{{single chart\|Portugal\|56\|artist=Kendrick Lamar\|song=Duckworth.\|rowheader=true\|accessdate=April 28, 2017}}
{{single chart\|Slovakdigital2\|76\|year=2017\|week=16\|rowheader=true\|accessdate=April 25, 2017}}
scope="row"\| Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan){{cite web\|url=http://www.sverigetopplistan.se/netdata/ghl002.mbr/lista?liid=215&dfom=20170414&newi=0&mode=list&navi=no&platform=Win32&browser=Safari\|title=Swedish Heatseekers Chart - 14 April 2017\|access-date=17 March 2017}} \| 7
{{single chart\|UK\|80\|date=20170421\|rowheader=true\|accessdate=April 22, 2017}}
{{single chart\|Billboardhot100\|63\|artist=Kendrick Lamar\|rowheader=true\|accessdate=April 25, 2017}}
{{single chart\|Billboardrandbhiphop\|36\|artist=Kendrick Lamar\|rowheader=true\|accessdate=April 25, 2017}}

Certifications

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=2017|certyear=2024|access-date=December 24, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|artist=Kendrick Lamar|title=Duckworth|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2017|certyear=2021|access-date=March 25, 2021}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Kendrick Lamar|title=Duckworth|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2017|certyear=2022|source=radioscope|access-date=December 24, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=Duckworth.|artist=Kendrick Lamar|type=single|award=Silver|relyear=2017|certyear=2024|access-date=October 9, 2024|id=20409-3292-1}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|title=Duckworth|artist=Kendrick Lamar|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=2017|certyear=2018|access-date=June 7, 2018}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|noshipments=true|nosales=true}}

References

Category:2017 songs

Category:Kendrick Lamar songs

Category:Songs written by Kendrick Lamar

Category:Songs written by 9th Wonder