The visual world around Kendrick Lamar's DAMN. continues to grow, his videos tunneling inward as they progress stunningly outward. After the visual feast of "HUMBLE." and the Don Cheadle-starring "DNA." Lamar dives into "ELEMENT."

There is an urgency of artistry and autobiography in "ELEMENT." that's missing from most lyrical narratives, the willingness to lay yourself — the was and the is — on the line. Director Jonas Lindstroem and "the little homies" (a.k.a. Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free) translate this notion into beautifully shot lessons on the brawl, learned in slow motion.

"Thought that K-Dot real life was the same life they see on TV, huh?" Lamar asks. Yes and no.

DAMN. is out now.

Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

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