| "Duckworth" | |
|---|---|
| Song byKendrick Lamar | |
| from the albumDamn | |
| Recorded | Mid 2016 |
| Studio | Windmark Studios,Jungle City Studios |
| Genre | West Coast hip-hop |
| Length | 4:09 |
| Label | |
| Songwriters |
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| Producers |
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"Duckworth" (stylized as "DUCKWORTH.") is a song by American rapperKendrick Lamar, taken from his fourth studio albumDamn, released on April 14, 2017. The fourteenth and final track on the album (first on theCollector's Edition ofDamn),[2] the lyrics were written by Lamar while the music was written byrecord producer Patrick Douthit, known professionally as9th Wonder, with additionalproduction byBēkon.
The song's title is Lamar's actual surname, Lamar being his middle name.[3][4][5] The song tells the true story[5] of Lamar's father meeting Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, working at aKentucky 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.[6]
Although the song was not released as a single, the song made it onto five charts, including hitting number 63 on theBillboard Hot 100 and earning its highest position at number 36 on theHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song would also be certified Platinum by theAustralian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), alongside certifying Silver by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI) and certifying Gold by three organizations, including theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The song uses storytelling to tell the connection of Lamar with his father, Kenny "Ducky" Duckworth, and hisTop Dawg label-boss, Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith.[4] 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.[7][4]
More specifically, it tells the story of how Top Dawg and Ducky were gangbangers. When he was younger, Top Dawg frequented theKentucky 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",[8] another track fromDamn, incorporates "backwards vocals", also known asbackmasking.[9] Fans and critics noticed this as an inspiration taken from filmmakerDavid Lynch's work, most notably from the TV seriesTwin Peaks (1990–1991), and also as Lamar previously filmed the short-filmGod Is Gangsta from his albumTo Pimp a Butterfly (2015), in theParis club "Le Silencio", which was designed by Lynch, Raphael Navot, architectural agency Enia and light designer Thierry Dreyfus.[10]
Teddy Craven ofThe Daily Campus described "Duckworth" asDamn's "strongest song" and "ends the album with a fantastic philosophical mic-drop."[11] Craven compared the track to "Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst" from Lamar's second studio albumGood Kid, M.A.A.D City, a song that also tells personal stories about the unexpected consequences of Lamar's music.[11] Writing forPitchfork, 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."[12]
The song attracted attention of media in theformer Yugoslavia due to its sample of "Ostavi trag" ("Leave a Mark") byYugoslavjazz-rock bandSeptember.[13]
The song contains samples of "Atari" byHiatus Kaiyote,[14] "Ostavi trag" bySeptember, "Let the Drums Speak" byFatback Band, and "Be Ever Wonderful" byTed Taylor.[15][16]9th Wonder sampled "Mole on the Dole" byClimax Blues Band for the track's drums.
Credits adapted from the officialDamn digital booklet.[1]
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[17] | 52 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[18] | 52 |
| Portugal (AFP)[19] | 56 |
| Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[20] | 76 |
| Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[21] | 7 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[22] | 80 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[23] | 63 |
| USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[24] | 36 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[25] | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[26] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[27] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[28] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[29] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||