Meaning of “XXX.” by Kendrick Lamar (featuring U2)

In 2017 Kendrick Lamar and U2, both music legends in their own regard, teamed up to bring the world XXX off of Lamar’s fourth album, DAMN. The track is highlighted by powerful lyrics that not only paint a picture of the harsh environment Lamar grew up in but are also critical of American politics.

One of the main themes of the track is Kendrick Lamar’s analysis of negative aspects of the African-American community. Violence, vengeance and retaliation are also strong themes within the rap lyrics of this song.

In the song’s chorus above, Bono laments about the death of the American dream. Below are more facts about this historic collaboration.

Facts about “XXX.”

• “XXX.” was U2’s second collaboration with a major rap act, the first being on the 2010 Haitian charity single “Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)”. That single featured Jay-Z, Rihanna, Bono and The Edge.
• Writers of this song in addition to Lamar include Mike Will Made It, DJ Dahi and of course Bono.  In total this track is credited with having 9 writers.
• Kendrick Lamar and U2, joined by comedian Dave Chappelle, opened the 2018 Grammy Awards with a rendition of this song.
• Lamar and Bono of U2 conversed some time, trying to conceptualize a song to collaborate on, until this song finally came along.
• Producers who worked on this track include Top Dawg, DJ Dahi and Soundwave.
• “XXX” was released on the same day, 14 April 2017, as DAMN, the Lamar album it was featured on.
• Lamar mentioned both current US President Donald Trump and former US President Barack Obama in this track, giving more favor to the latter than former.
• Bono handles the song’s chorus whereas Lamar handles the verses. The intro is taken care of by Kid Capri and Bēkon.
• The track is Lamar’s first time of working with Bono. However, it isn’t for Kid Capri. He and Bono had worked together long before this collaboration.
• The song’s title doesn’t really appear in the lyrics.

Does “XXX.” sample any other song(s)?

Yes. The song actually features samples from three songs. It samples the following tracks:

• The late James Brown’s 1976 single “Get Up Offa That Thing”
• U2’s 2017 single “American Soul”
• Bēkon’s 2018 song “America”.

Is there any music video for “XXX.”?

No official music video was ever shot for this song.

 Was “XXX.” Released as a single?

No. But interestingly enough, despite that, it went on to chart in several countries, including the United Kingdom and United States. On the US Billboard Hot 100, it made it to number 33. On the UK Singles Chart, it reached number 50.

Do you have the full list of all the songwriters on this track?

Yes. The nine songwriters on this track are as follows:

• Mike Will Made It
• Bono
• The Edge
• Adam Clayton
• DJ Dahi
• Kendrick Lamar
• Top Dawg
• Larry Mullen Jr
• Sounwave