Song · Kendrick Lamar
“DNA.” by Kendrick Lamar
From the album DAMN. (2017)
“DNA.” by Kendrick Lamar appears on 5 radio countdowns from 4 stations between 2017 and 2025. It was first released in 2017 on the album DAMN.. Its best result is #34 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2017. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #166 alternative song of 2017.
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"DNA." sits second on Damn., Kendrick Lamar's fourth studio album from April 2017, and it plays like a fistfight between a rapper and his own beat. Mike Will Made It produced it, the second song the two finished for the album after "Humble". Lamar laid the first verse over a beat Mike Will already had, then rapped the second verse with nothing behind him and asked for the music to be built around it. He wanted chaos, and Mike Will built the back half so Lamar sounds like he's wrestling the track. It samples Rick James's "Mary Jane".
It was never a single, but the video, out on April 18 with Don Cheadle, pushed it onto rhythmic radio anyway. Vice called it the most virtuosic moment on the album.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 34 | Triple J Australia (national) | Triple J Hottest 100 of 2017 | 100 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 534 | The Current | The Current's 893 Essential Songs | 892 |
| 2020 | 1868 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
| 2024 | 661 | WXPN | WXPN The 885 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century (2024) | 885 |
| 2025 | 670 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 21st Century | 909 |
Also listed as: DNA.
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