DAMN.

Humble was the first song recorded for the album. Mike Will Made It built the beat with the idea of recording it with Gucci Mane, then played it to Lamar. DNA was the second: after the first verse Lamar began the second a cappella and asked Mike Will to build the beat around it. Further production came from James Blake, Steve Lacy, BadBadNotGood, Greg Kurstin, the Alchemist and 9th Wonder, with guests Rihanna, Zacari and U2. The cover was designed by Vlad Sepetov. The working title was What Happens on Earth Stays on Earth. A collector's edition issued on 8 December 2017 reversed the track order.

It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 603,000 units and was the Billboard year-end number one album of 2017. It was certified triple platinum on 10 May 2018. Metacritic gives it 95 from 39 reviews. Petridis wrote in the Guardian that it has none of To Pimp a Butterfly's wilfully jarring quality but still feels episodic and expansive. It won Best Rap Album at the 2018 Grammys, and the Pulitzer Prize for Music on 16 April 2018.