Is Kendrick’s ‘DAMN.’ Cover An Homage To This Obscure British Band’s Debut?

Now that Kendrick Lamar’s new album DAMN. has been out in the world for a while, there’s plenty of time for people to make connections and unravel any easter eggs Kung Fu Kenny and TDE may have embedded into the record. Clearly, this record is one of his best yet, sets up a rivalry with Drake even more clearly, and made him the highlight of Coachella, but further ramifications are still being felt.

One connection that was made today is pretty unlikely, but still pretty funny. The label account for Future Times, an electronic and dance music label from Washington DC, tweeted out the cover of the debut album from an experimental British band named Pram who were active in the ’90s and ’00s. The album name alone is worth sharing: The Stars Are So Big The Earth Is So Small… Stay As You Are, and the way the band’s name, PRAM, is spelled out in red uppercase letters across the top makes it look similar to the DAMN. cover. The figure in the cover is facing in a similar posture to Kendrick’s on his artwork, although this figure is a white woman:

This album came out in 1993 in the UK on Too Pure records, a label that would become well known for releasing PJ Harvey’s debut, Dry. Perhaps Kendrick’s cover, created by graphic designer Vlad Sepetov, is an homage to this record. But odds are it’s just one of those funny coincidence of the universe. Based off the ethos exhibited by both artists on these respective albums, I think they’ll enjoy the serendipity.