Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly Album Lyrics

When the four corners of this cocoon collide
You'll slip through the cracks hoping that you'll survive
Gather your wind, take a deep look inside
Are you really who they idolize?
To pimp a butterfly

[Hook:]
At first, I did love you
But now I just wanna f*ck
Late night thinkin' of you
Until I got my nut
Tossed and turned, lesson learned
You was my first girlfriend
Bridges burned, all across the board
Destroyed, but what for?

When I get signed, homie I'mma act a fool
Hit the dance floor, strobe lights in the room
Snatch your little secretary bitch for the homies
Blue eyed devil with a fat ass monkey
I'mma buy a brand new Caddy on fours
Trunk the hood up, two times, deuce four
Platinum on everything, platinum on wedding ring
Married to the game, made a bad bitch yours
When I get signed homie I'mma buy a strap
Straight from the CIA, set it on my lap
Take a few M-16s to the hood
Pass 'em all out on the block, what's good?
I'mma put the Compton swap meet by the White House
Republican, run up, get socked out
Hit the press with a Cuban link on my neck
Uneducated but I got a million dollar check, like that

[Pre-Hook x2:]
We should never gave, we should never gave
Niggas money go back home, money go back home

[Hook]

[Dr. Dre:]
Yo what's up? It's Dre
Remember the first time you came out to the house?
You said you wanted a spot like mine
But remember, anybody can get it
The hard part is keeping it, motherf*cker

What you want you? A house or a car?
Forty acres and a mule, a piano, a guitar?
Anything, see, my name is Uncle Sam on your dollar
Motherf*cker you can live at the mall
I know your kind (That's why I'm kind)
Don't have receipts (Oh man, that's fine)
Pay me later, wear those gators
Cliche and say, f*ck your haters
I can see the borrow in you
I can see the dollar in you
Little white lies with a snow white collar in you
But it's whatever though because I'm still followin' you
Because you make me feel forever baby, count it all together baby
Then hit the register and make me feel better baby
Your horoscope is a gemini, two sides
So you better cop everything two times
Two coupes, two chains, two c-notes
Too much and enough both we know
Christmas, tell 'em what's on your wish list
Get it all, you deserve it Kendrick
And when you get the White House, do you
But remember, you ain't pass economics in school
And everything you buy, taxes will deny
I'll Wesley Snipe your ass before thirty-five

[George Clinton (Kendrick Lamar):]
Lookin' down is quite a drop (It's quite a drop, drop)
Lookin' good when you're on top (When you're on top you got it)
A lot of metaphors, leavin' miracles metaphysically in a state of euphoria
Look both ways before you cross my mind

[Pre-Hook]

Tax man comin'
Tax man comin'
Tax man comin'
Tax man comin'
Tax man comin'

F*ck you, motherf*cker, you a ho-ass nigga
I don't know why you trying to go big, nigga, you ain't shit
Walking around like you God's gift to Earth, nigga, you ain't shit
You ain't even buy me no outfit for the Fourth
I need that Brazilian, wavy, twenty-eight inch, you playin'
I shouldn't be f*ckin' with you anyway, I need a baller-ass, boss-ass nigga
You's a off-brand-ass nigga, everybody know it
Your homies know it, everybody f*ckin' know
F*ck you, nigga, don't call me no more
You won't know, you gonna lose on a good bitch
My other nigga is on, you off
What the f*ck is really going on?

This dick ain't free
You lookin' at me like it ain't a receipt like I never made ends meet
Eating your leftovers and raw meat
This dick ain't free
Livin' in captivity raised my cap salary
Celery, tellin' me green is all I need
Evidently all I seen was spam and raw sardines
This dick ain't free, I mean, baby
You really think we could make a baby named Mercedes
Without a Mercedes Benz and twenty-four inch rims
Five percent tint, and air conditioning vents? Hell f*ckin' naw
This dick ain't free
I need forty acres and a mule, not a forty ounce and a pit bull, bullshit
Matador, matador, had the door knockin', let 'em in, who's that? Genital's best friend
This dick ain't free
Pity the fool that made the pretty in you prosper
Titty juice and pussy lips kept me obnoxious
Kept me up watchin' pornos in poverty, apology? No
Watch you politic with people less fortunate, like myself
Every dog has its day, now doggy style shall help
This dick ain't free
Matter of fact, it need interest, matter of fact, it's nine inches
Matter of fact, see our friendship based on business
Pension, more pension, you're pinchin' my percents
It's been relentless, f*ck forgiveness, f*ck your feelings
F*ck your sources, all distortion, if you f*ck it's more abortion
More divorce courts and portion
My check with less endorsement left me dormant
Dusted, doomed, disgusted, forced with
F*ck you think is in more shit?
Porcelain pipes pressure, bust 'em twice
Choice is devastated, decapitated the horseman
Oh America, you bad bitch, I picked cotton and made you rich
Now my dick ain't free

I'ma get my Uncle Sam to f*ck you up
You ain't no king

I got a bone to pick
I don't want you monkey-mouth motherf*ckers sittin' in my throne again
Ayy, ayy, nigga, what's happenin'? K-dot back in the hood, nigga!
I'm mad (he mad!), But I ain't stressin'
True friends
One question

Bitch, where you when I was walkin'?
Now I run the game, got the whole world talkin'
King Kunta, everybody wanna cut the legs off him
Kunta, black man taking no losses, oh yeah
Bitch, where you when I was walkin'?
Now I run the game, got the whole world talkin'
King Kunta, everybody wanna cut the legs off him
When you got the yams (what's the yams?)

The yam is the power that be (that be, that be, that be, that be, that be)
You can smell it when I'm walkin' down the street
(Oh yes, we can, oh yes, we can)
I can dig rappin'
But a rapper with a ghost writer?
What the f*ck happened? (Oh no)
I swore I wouldn't tell (tell, tell, tell, tell)
But most of y'all sharing bars
Like you got the bottom bunk in a two-man cell (a two-man cell)
Something's in the water (something's in the water)
And if I gotta brown-nose for some gold
Then I'd rather be a bum than a motherf*ckin' baller (oh yeah)

Bitch, where you when I was walkin'?
Now I run the game, got the whole world talkin'
King Kunta, everybody wanna cut the legs off him
King Kunta, black man taking no losses, oh yeah
Bitch, where you when I was walkin'?
Now I run the game, got the whole world talkin'
King Kunta, everybody wanna cut the legs off him (King Kunta)
When you got the yams (what's the yams?)

The yam brought it out of Richard Pryor (Pryor, Pryor, Pryor, Pryor)
Manipulated Bill Clinton with desires
24/7, 365 days times two, I was contemplatin' gettin' off stage
Just to go back to the hood, see my enemy, and say (oh yeah)

Bitch, where you when I was walkin'?
Now I run the game, got the whole world talkin'
King Kunta, everybody wanna cut the legs off him
King Kunta, black man taking no losses, oh yeah
Bitch, where you when I was walkin'?
Now I run the game, got the whole world talkin'
King Kunta, everybody wanna cut the legs off him

You goat-mouth mammyf*cker
I was gonna kill a couple rappers, but they did it to themselves
Everybody's suicidal, they ain't even need my help
This shit is elementary, I'll probably go to jail
If I shoot at your identity and bounce to the left
Stuck a flag in my city, everybody's screamin', "Compton!"
I should probably run for mayor when I'm done, to be honest
And I put that on my momma and my baby boo too
20 million walkin' out the court buildin', woo-woo!
Aw, yeah, f*ck the judge
I made it past 25, and there I was
A little nappy-headed nigga with the world behind him
Life ain't shit but a fat vagina
Screamin', "Annie, are you okay? Annie, are you okay?"
Limo tinted with the gold plates
Straight from the bottom, this the belly of the beast
From a peasant to a prince to a motherf*ckin' king (oh yeah)

Bitch, where you when I was walkin'?
By the time you hear the next pop
The funk shall be within you
Now I run the game, got the whole world talkin'
King Kunta, everybody wanna cut the legs off him
King Kunta, black man taking no losses, oh yeah
Bitch, where you when I was walkin'?
Now I run the game, got the whole world talkin'
King Kunta, everybody wanna cut the legs off him

Funk
Funk, funk
Funk, funk, funk, funk, funk, funk, funk, funk
We want the funk!
We want the funk!
Now if I give you the funk, you gon' take it?
We want the funk!
Now if I give you the funk, you gon' take it?
We want the funk!
Now if I give you the funk, you gon' take it?
We want the funk!
Do you want the funk?
We want the funk!
Do you want the funk?
We want the funk
Now if I give you the funk, you gon' take it?
We want the funk!

I remember you was conflicted, misusing your influence

What money got to do with it
When I don't know the full definition of a rap image?
I'm trapped inside the ghetto and I ain't proud to admit it
Institutionalized, I keep runnin' back for a visit
Hol' up
Get it back
I said I'm trapped inside the ghetto and I ain't proud to admit it
Institutionalized, I could still kill me a nigga, so what?

If I was the president
I'd pay my mama's rent
Free my homies and them
Bulletproof my Chevy doors
Lay in the White House and get high, Lord
Whoever thought?
Master take the chains off me

Zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom
Zoom, zoom, zoom
Zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom
Zoom, zoom, zoom
Zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom
Zoom, zoom, zoom
Zoom, zoom, zoom, shit

Life to me like a box of chocolate
Quid pro quo, somethin' for somethin', that's the obvious
Oh shit, flow's so sick, don't you swallow it
Bitin' my style, you're salmonella poison positive
I can just alleviate the rap industry politics
Milk the game up, never lactose intolerant
The last remainder of real shit, you know the obvious
Me scholarship? No, streets put me through colleges
Be all you can be, true, but the problem is
Dream only a dream if work don't follow it
Remind me of the homies that used to know me, now follow this
I'll tell you my hypothesis, I'm probably just way too loyal
K Dizzle will do it for you, my niggas think I'm a god
Truthfully all of 'em spoiled, usually you're never charged
But somethin' came over you once I took you to them f*ckin' BET Awards
You lookin' at artists like the harvests
So many Rollies around you and you want all of them
Somebody told me you thinkin' 'bout snatchin' jewelry
I should've listened when my grandmama said to me

Shit don't change until you get up and wash your ass nigga
Shit don't change until you get up and wash your ass
Shit don't change until you get up and wash your ass nigga
Oh now, slow down

And once upon a time in a city so divine
Called West Side Compton, there stood a little nigga
He was five foot something, God bless the kid
Took his homie to the show and this is what they said

F*ck am I 'posed to do when I'm lookin' at walkin' licks?
The constant big money talk 'bout the mansion and foreign whips
The private jets and passports, presidential glass floor
Gold bottles, gold models, givin' up the ass for
Instagram flicks, suckin' dick, f*ck is this?
One more sucker wavin' with a flashy wrist
My defense mechanism tell me to get him, quickly because he got it
It's a recession, then why the f*ck he at King of Diamonds?
No more livin' poor, meet my .44
When I see 'em, put the per diem on the floor
Now Kendrick, know they're your co-workers
But it's gon' take a lot for this pistol go cold turkey
Now I can watch his watch on the TV and be okay
But see I'm on the clock once that watch landin' in LA
Remember steal from the rich and givin' it back to the poor?
Well, that's me at these awards
I guess my grandmama was warnin' a boy
She said

Shit don't change until you get up and wash your ass nigga
Shit don't change until you get up and wash your ass, boy
Shit don't change until you get up and wash your ass nigga
Oh now, slow down

And once upon a time in a city so divine
Called West Side Compton, there stood a little nigga
He was five foot something, dazed and confused
Talented but still under the neighborhood ruse
You can take your boy out the hood but you can't take the hood out the homie
Took his show money, stashed it in the mozey wozey
Hollywood's nervous
F*ck you, goodnight, thank you much for your service

I remember you was conflicted
Misusing your influence
Sometimes, I did the same

(If these walls could talk)
(If these walls could talk)
(If these walls could talk)
(If these walls could talk)
(If these walls could talk)
(If these walls could talk)
Sex

She just wanna close her eyes and sway
With you, with you, with you
Exercise her right to work it out
It's true, it's true, it's true
Shout out to the birthday girls, say hey (hey)
Say hey (hey), (ah, girl)
Everyone deserves a night to play (play)
She plays, only when you tell her no

If these walls could talk
I can feel your reign when it cries
Gold lives inside of you
If these walls could talk
I love it when I'm in it
I love it when I'm in it, oh

If these walls could talk, they'd tell me to swim good
No boat, I float better than he would
No life jacket, I'm not the God of Nazareth
But your flood can be misunderstood
Walls telling me they full of pain, resentment
Need someone to live in them just to relieve tension
Me, I'm just a tenant
Landlord said these walls vacant more than a minute
These walls are vulnerable, exclamation
Interior pink, color coordinated
I interrogated every nook and cranny
I mean, it's still amazing, before they couldn't stand me
These walls want to cry tears
These walls happier when I'm here
These walls never could hold up
Every time I come around, demolition might crush

If these walls could talk
I can feel your reign when it cries
Gold lives inside of you
If these walls could talk
I love it when I'm in it
I love it when I'm in it, oh

If these walls could talk, they'd tell me to go deep
Yelling at me continuously, I can see
Your defense mechanism is my decision
Knock these walls down, that's my religion
Walls feeling like they ready to close in
I suffocate, then catch my second wind
I resonate in these walls
I don't know how long I can wait in these walls
I've been on the streets too long
Looking at you from the outside in
They sing the same old song
About how they walls always the cleanest
I beg to differ, I must've missed them
I'm not involved, I'd rather diss 'em
I'd rather call on you, put your wall up
'Cause when I come around, demolition gon' crush

If these walls could talk
I can feel your reign when it cries
Gold lives inside of you
If these walls could talk
I love it when I'm in it
I love it when I'm in it, oh

If your walls could talk, they'd tell you it's too late
Your destiny, accept it, your fate
Burn accessories and stash them on the yard
Take the recipe, the Bible and God
Wall telling you that commissary is low
Race wars happening, no calling CO
No calling your mother to save you
Homies to say you're irrepetible, not acceptable
Your behavior is Sammy the Bull like
A killer that turned snitch
Walls is telling me you a bitch
You pray for appeals hoping the warden would afford them
That sentence so important
Walls telling you to listen to Sing About Me
Retaliation is strong, you even dream 'bout me
Killed my homeboy and God spared your life
Dumb criminal got indicted same night
So when you play this song, rewind the first verse
About me abusing my power so you can hurt
About me and her in the shower whenever she horny
About me and her in the after hours of the morning
About her baby daddy currently serving life
And how she think about you until we meet up at night
About the only girl that cared about you when you asked her
And how she f*ckin' on a famous rapper
Walls can talk (talk)

I remember you was conflicted
Misusin' your influence
Sometimes I did the same
Abusin' my power, full of resentment
Resentment that turned into a deep depression
Found myself screamin' in a hotel room

Aah!
Aah!
Aah!

Loving you is complicated, loving you is complicated
Loving you is complicated, loving you is complicated
Loving you is complicated, loving you is complicated
Loving you is complicated, loving you is complicated
Loving you is complicated, loving you is complicated

I place blame on you still, place shame on you still
Feel like you ain't shit, feel like you don't feel
Confidence in yourself, breakin' on marble floors
Watchin' anonymous strangers, tellin' me that I'm yours
But you ain't shit, I'm convinced your tolerance nothin' special
What can I blame you for? Nigga, I can name several
Situations, I'll start with your little sister bakin'
A baby inside, just a teenager, where your patience?
Where was your antennas? Where was the influence you speak of?
You preached in front of 100,000 but never reached her
I f*ckin' tell you, you f*ckin' failure-you ain't no leader!
I never liked you, forever despise you-I don't need you!
The world don't need you, don't let them deceive you
Numbers lie too, f*ck your pride too, that's for dedication
Thought money would change you
Made you more complacent
F*ckin' hate you, I hope you embrace it
I swear

Loving you is complicated, loving you is complicated
Loving you is complicated, loving you is complicated
Loving you is complicated, loving you is complicated
Loving you is complicated, loving you is complicated
Loving you is complicated

Lovin' you, lovin' you, not lovin' you, 100 proof
(I can feel your vibe and recognize that you're ashamed of me
(Yes, I hate you, too)

(Loving you ain't really complicated)
Housekeeping, housekeeping (what I got to do to get to you?)
¡Abre la puerta! ¡Abre la puerta tengo que limpiar el cuarto! (To you)
¡Es que no hay mucho tiempo tengo que limpiar el cuarto! (Loving you ain't really complicated)
¡Disculpe!
(What I got to do to get to you?)
(To you)

You the reason why mama and them leavin'
No, you ain't shit, you say you love them, I know you don't mean it
I know you're irresponsible, selfish, in denial, can't help it
Your trials and tribulations a burden, everyone felt it
Everyone heard it, multiple shots, corners cryin' out
You was deserted, where was your antennas again?
Where was your presence? Where was your support that you pretend?
You ain't no brother, you ain't no disciple, you ain't no friend
A friend never leave Compton for profit
Or leave his best friend, little brother
You promised you'd watch him before they shot him
Where was your antennas?
On the road, bottles and bitches
You FaceTimed him one time, that's unforgiven
You even FaceTimed instead of a hospital visit
Guess you thought he would recover well
Third surgery, they couldn't stop the bleeding for real
Then he died, God himself will say, "You f*ckin' failed"
You ain't try

I know your secrets, nigga
Mood swings is frequent, nigga
I know depression is restin' on your heart for two reasons, nigga
I know you and a couple block boys ain't been speakin', nigga
Y'all damn near beefin', I see it and you're the reason, nigga
And if this bottle could talk
I cry myself to sleep
Bitch, everything is your fault
Faults breakin' to pieces, earthquakes on every weekend
Because you shook as soon as you knew confinement was needed
I know your secrets
Don't let me tell them to the world about that shit you thinkin'
And that time you
I'm 'bout to hurl
I'm f*cked up, but I ain't as f*cked up as you
You just can't get right, I think your heart made of bullet proof
Should've killed yo' ass a long time ago
You should've felt that black revolver blast a long time ago
And if those mirrors could talk it'd say, "You gotta go"
And if I told your secrets
The world'll know money can't stop a suicidal weakness

[Kendrick Lamar]
Alls my life I has to fight, nigga
Alls my life I...
Hard times like, "God!"
Bad trips like, "Yea!"
Nazareth, I'm f*cked up
Homie you f*cked up
But if God got us
Then we gon' be alright

[Pharrell Williams]
Nigga, we gon' be alright
Nigga, we gon' be alright
We gon' be alright
Do you hear me, do you feel me? We gon' be alright
Nigga, we gon' be alright
Huh? We gon' be alright
Nigga, we gon' be alright
Do you hear me, do you feel me? We gon' be alright

[Kendrick Lamar]
Uh, and when I wake up
I recognize you're lookin' at me for the pay cut
But homicide be lookin' at you from the face down
What Mac-11 even boom with the bass down
Schemin', and let me tell you 'bout my life
Painkillers only put me in the twilight
Where pretty pussy and Benjamin is the highlight
Now tell my momma I love her but this what I like, Lord knows
20 of 'em in my Chevy, tell 'em all to come and get me
Reapin' everything I sow, so my karma come
And heaven no preliminary hearing, so my record
I'm a motherf*ckin' gangster in silence for the record
Tell the world I know it's too late
Boys and girls, I think I gone cray
Drown inside my vices all day
Won't you please believe when I say

Wouldn't you know
We been hurt, been down before
Nigga, when our pride was low
Lookin' at the world like, "Where do we go?"
Nigga, and we hate po-po
Wanna kill us dead in the street fo sho
Nigga, I'm at the preacher's door
My knees gettin' weak, and my gun might blow
But we gon' be alright

[Pharrell Williams]
Nigga, we gon' be alright
Nigga, we gon' be alright
We gon' be alright
Do you hear me, do you feel me? We gon' be alright
Nigga, we gon' be alright
Huh? We gon' be alright
Nigga, we gon' be alright
Do you hear me, do you feel me? We gon' be alright

[Kendrick Lamar]
What you want, you a house, you a car?
40 acres and a mule, a piano, a guitar?
Anything, see my name is Lucy, I'm your dog
Motherf*cker, you can live at the mall
I can see the evil, I can tell it, I know it's illegal
I don't think about it, I deposit every little zero
Thinkin' of my partner, put the candy, paint it on the Regal
Diggin' in my pocket, ain't a profit big enough to feed you
Everyday my logic, get another dollar just to keep you
In the presence of your chico... ah!
I don't talk about it, be about it, everyday I sequel
If I got it then you know you got it, heaven, I can reach you
Pet dog, pet dog, pet dog, my dog, that's all
Pick back and chat, I trap the back for y'all
I rap, I black on track so rest assured
My rights, my wrongs; I write 'til I'm right with God

Wouldn't you know
We been hurt, been down before
Nigga, when our pride was low
Lookin' at the world like, "Where do we go?"
Nigga, and we hate po-po
Wanna kill us dead in the street fo sho
Nigga, I'm at the preacher's door
My knees gettin' weak, and my gun might blow
But we gon' be alright

[Pharrell Williams]
Nigga, we gon' be alright
Nigga, we gon' be alright
We gon' be alright
Do you hear me, do you feel me? We gon' be alright
Nigga, we gon' be alright
Huh? We gon' be alright
Nigga, we gon' be alright
Do you hear me, do you feel me? We gon' be alright

[Kendrick Lamar]
I keep my head up high
I cross my heart and hope to die
Lovin' me is complicated
Too afraid, a lot of changes
I'm alright, and you're a favorite
Dark nights in my prayers

I remembered you was conflicted
Misusing your influence, sometimes I did the same
Abusing my power full of resentment
Resentment that turned into a deep depression
Found myself screamin' in the hotel room
I didn't wanna self-destruct
The evils of Lucy was all around me
So I went runnin' for answers

What's wrong, nigga?
I thought you was keeping it gangsta?
I thought this what you wanted?
They say if you scared, go to church
But remember
He knows the bible too

My baby when I get you, get you, get you, get you
I'ma go hit the throttle with you
Smokin', lokin', pokin' the doja 'til I'm idle with you
'Cause I (want you)
Now baby when I'm riding here, I'm riding dirty
Registration is out of service
Smokin', lokin', drinkin' that potion, you can see me swervin'
'Cause I (want you)
I want you more than you know

I remember you took me to the mall last week, baby
You looked me in my eyes about four-five times
'Til I was hypnotized, then you clarified
That I (want you)
You said Sherane ain't got nothing on Lucy
I said, "You crazy"
Roses are red, violets are blue, but me and you both pushing up daisies if I (want you)

My baby when I get you, get you, get you, get you
I'ma go hit the throttle with you
Smokin', lokin', pokin' the doja 'til I'm idle with you
'Cause I (want you)

You said to me
You said your name was Lucy
I said, "Where's Ricardo?"
You said, "Oh no, not the show"
Then you spit a little rap to me like this
When I turned twenty-six, I was like, "Oh shit"
You said to me
I remember what you said too, you said
"My name is Lucy, Kendrick
You introduced me, Kendrick
Usually I don't do this
But I see you and me, Kendrick
Lucy give you no worries
Lucy got million stories
About these rappers that I came after when they was boring
Lucy gone fill your pockets
Lucy gone move your mama out of Compton
Inside the gi-gantic mansion like I promised
Lucy just want your trust and loyalty
Avoiding me?
It's not so easy, I'm at these functions accordingly
Kendrick, Lucy don't slack a minute
Lucy work harder
Lucy gon' call you even when Lucy know you love your Father
I'm Lucy
I loosely heard prayers on your first album truly
Lucy don't mind 'cause at the end of the day you'll pursue me
Lucy go get it, Lucy not timid, Lucy up front
Lucy got paper work on top of paper work
I want you to know that Lucy got you
All your life, I watched you
And now you all grown up, then sign this contract if that's possible"

Get you, get you, get you, get you
I'ma go hit the throttle with you
Smokin', lokin', pokin' the doja 'til I'm idle with you
'Cause I (want you)
Now baby when I'm riding here, I'm riding dirty
Registration is out of service
Smokin', lokin', drinkin' the potion, you can see me swervin'
'Cause I (want you)

I remember, you was conflicted
Misusing your influence, sometimes I did the same
Abusing my power full of resentment
Resentment that turned into a deep depression
Found myself screamin' in the hotel room
I didn't wanna self destruct
The evils of Lucy was all around me
So I went runnin' for answers
Until I came home

Oh shit!
Oh, I need that
I need that sloppy
That sloppy
Like a Chevy in quicksand
That sloppy

This feelin' is unmatched
This feelin' is brought to you by adrenaline and good rap
Black Pendleton ball cap
(West, west, west)
We don't share the same synonym fall back
(West, west, west)
Been in it before internet had new acts
Mimicking radio's nemesis made me wack
My innocence limited the experience lacked
Ten of us with no tentative tactic that cracked
The mind of a literate writer but I did it in fact
You admitted it once I submitted it wrapped in plastic
Remember scribblin' scratchin' dilligent sentences backwards
Visiting freestyle cyphers for your reaction
Now I can live in a stadium, pack it the fastest
Gamblin' Benjamin benefits, sinnin' in traffic
Spinnin' women in cartwheels, linen fabric on fashion
Winnin' in every decision
Kendrick is master that mastered it
Isn't it lovely how menace has turned attraction?
Pivotin' rappers, finish your fraction while writing blue magic
Thank God for rap, I would say it got me a plaque
But what's better than that?
The fact it brought me back home

We been waitin' for you
Waitin' for you
Waitin' for you
Waitin' for you

I know everything, I know everything, know myself
I know morality, spirituality, good and bad health
I know fatality might haunt you
I know everything, I know Compton
I know street shit, I know shit that's conscious, I know everything
I know lawyers, advertisement their sponsors
I know wisdom, I know bad religion, I know good karma
I know everything, I know history
I know the universe works mentally
I know the perks of bullshit isn't meant for me
I know everything, I know cars, clothes, hoes and money
I know loyalty, I know respect, I know those that's Ornery
I know everything, the highs the lows the groupies the junkies
I know if I'm generous at heart, I don't need recognition
The way I'm rewarded, well, that's God's decision
I know you know that lines from Compton School District
Just give it to the kids, don't gossip about how it was distributed
I know how people work, I know the price of life
I know how much it's worth, I know what I know and I know it well
Not to ever forget until I realized I didn't know shit
The day I came home

We been waitin' for you
Waitin' for you
Waitin' for you
Waitin' for you

I met a little boy that resembled my features
Nappy afro, gap in his smile
Hand me down sneakers bounced through the crowd
Run a number on man and woman that crossed him
Sun beamin' on his beady beads exhausted
Tossin' footballs with his ashy black ankles
Breakin' new laws mama passed on home trainin'
He looked at me and said Kendrick you do know my language
You just forgot because of what public schools had painted
Oh I forgot don't kill my vibe, that's right you're famous
I used to watch on Channel 5, TV was takin'
But never mind you're here right now don't you mistake it
It's just a new trip, take a glimpse at your family's ancestor
Make a new list, of everything you thought was progress
And that was bullshit, I mean your life is full of turmoil
You spoiled by fantasies of who you are
I feel bad for you
I can attempt to enlighten you without frightenin' you
If you resist, I'll back off quick go catch a flight or two
But if you pick, destiny over rest in peace
Then be an advocate go tell your homies especially
To come back home

This is a world premiere
This is a world premiere
This is a world premiere

I been lookin' for you my whole life, an appetite
For the feeling I can barely describe, where you reside?
Is it in a woman, is it in money, or mankind?
Tell me something got me losing my mind, ah!

You make me wanna jump
Jump, jump, jump, jump, jump, jump, jump (let's talk about love, let's talk about love)
Jump, jump, jump, jump, jump, jump, jump (let's talk about love, let's talk about love)

I been lookin for you my whole life, an appetite
For the feeling I can barely describe, where you reside?
Is it in a woman, is it in money, or mankind?
Tell me something, think I'm losing my mind, ah!

I say where you at? From the front to the back
I'm lookin' for you I react, only when you react
Ah, I thought I found you, back in the ghetto
When I was seventeen with the .38 special
Maybe you're in a dollar bill, maybe you're not real
Maybe only the wealthy get to know how you feel
Maybe I'm paranoid, ha, maybe I don't need you anyway
Don't lie to me I'm suicidal anyway
I can be your advocate
I can preach for you if you tell me what the matter is

K dot, pick up the phone, nigga. Every time I call, it's going to voice mail.
Don't tell me they got you on some weirdo rap shit, nigga.
No socks and skinny jeans and shit. Call me on Shaniqua's phone

[Hook:]
I been A-1 since day one, you niggas boo boo
Your home boy, your block that you're from, boo boo
Lil hoes you went to school with, boo boo
Baby mama and your new bitch, boo boo
We was in the hood, 14 with the deuce deuce
14 years later going hard, like we used to on the dead homies
On the dead homies

I don't give a f*ck about no politics in rap, my nigga
My lil homie Stunna Deuce ain't never comin' back, my nigga
So you better go hard every time you jump on wax, my nigga
F*ck what they talkin' bout, your shit is where its at, my nigga
Came in this game, you stuck your fangs in this game
You wore no chain in this game your hood, your name in this game
Now you double up, time to bubble up the bread and huddle up
Stickin' to the scripts, now here if them benjamin's go cuddle up
Skip, hop, trip, drop, flip, flop with the white tube sock
It goes "Sherm Sticks, burn this"
Thats what the product smells like when the chemicals mix
50 nigga salute, out the Compton zoo, with the extras
El Cos, Monte Carlos, Road Kings and dressers
Rip Ridaz, P-Funkers, Mexicans, they f*ck with you
Asians, they f*ck with you, nobody can f*ck with you

[Hook]

Hopped out the caddy, just got my dick sucked
The little homies called, they said, "The enemies done cliqued up"
Oh yeah? Puto want to squabble with mi barrio?
Oh, yeah? Tell 'em they can run it for the cardio
Oh, yeah? Everythin' is everythin', it's scandalous
Slow motion for the ambulance, the project filled with cameras
The LAPD gamblin', scramblin', football numbers slanderin'
Niggas name on paper, you snitched all summer
The streets don't fail me now, they tell me it's a new gang in town
From Compton to Congress, it's set trippin' all around
Ain't nothin' new but a flow of new DemoCrips and ReBloodlicans
Red state versus a blue state, which one you governin'?
They give us guns and drugs, call us thugs
Make it they promise to f*ck with you
No condom they f*ck with you, Obama say, "What it do?"

[Hook]

Everybody want to talk about who this and who that
Who the realest and who wack, who white or who black
Critics want to mention that they miss when hip hop was rappin'
Motherf*cker if you did, then Killer Mike'd be platinum
Y'all priorities are f*cked up, put energy in wrong shit
Hennessy and Crown Vic, my memory been gone since
Don't ask about no camera back at award shows
No, don't ask about my bitch, no, don't ask about my foes
'Less you askin' me about power, yeah, I got a lot of it
I'm the only nigga next to Snoop that can push the button
Had the Coast on standby
"K. Dot, what up? I heard they opened up Pandora's box”
I box 'em all in, by a landslide
Nah homie we too sensitive, it spill out to the streets
I make the call and get the coast involved then history repeats
But I resolved inside that private hall while sitting down with Jay
He said "it's funny how one verse could f*ck up the game"

I remember you was conflicted
Misusing your influence
Sometimes I did the same
Abusing my power full of resentment
Resentment that turned into a deep depression
Found myself screaming in a hotel room
I didn't want to self-destruct
The evils of Lucy was all around me
So I went running for answers
Until I came home
But that didn't stop survivors guilt
Going back and forth
Trying to convince my self the stripes I earned
Or maybe how A-1 my foundation was
But while my loved ones was fighting
A continuous war back in the city
I was entering a new one

How much a dollar really cost?
The question is detrimental, paralyzin' my thoughts
Parasites in my stomach keep me with a gut feeling, y'all
Gotta see how I'm chillin' once I park this luxury car
Hopping out feeling big as Mutombo
Twenty on pump six dirty Marcellus called me Dumbo
Twenty years ago, can't forget
Now I can lend him a ear or two how to stack these residuals
Tenfold, the liberal concept of what men'll do
Twenty on six, he didn't hear me
Indigenous African only spoke Zulu
My American tongue was leery
Walked out the gas station
A homeless man with a semi-tan complexion
Asked me for ten rand
Stressin' about dry land
Deep water, powder blue skies that crack open
A piece of crack that he wanted, I knew he was smokin'
He begged and pleaded
Asked me to feed him twice, I didn't believe it
Told him, beat it
Contributin' money just for his pipe, I couldn't see it
He said, my son, temptation is one thing that I've defeated
Listen to me, I want a single bill from you
Nothin' less, nothin' more
I told him I ain't have it and closed my door
Tell me how much a dollar cost

It's more to feed your mind
Water, sun and love, the one you love
All you need, the air you breathe

He's starin' at me in disbelief
My temper is buildin', he's starin' at me, I grab my key
He's starin' at me, I started the car then I tried to leave
And somethin' told me to keep it in park until I could see
A reason why he was mad at a stranger like I was supposed to save him
Like I'm the reason he's homeless and askin' me for a favor
He's starin' at me, his eyes followed me with no laser
He's starin' at me, I notice that his stare is contagious
'Cause now I'm starin' back at him, feelin' some type of disrespect
If I could throw a bat at him, it'd be aimin' at his neck
I never understood someone beggin' for goods
Askin' for handouts, takin' it if they could
And this particular person just had it down pat
Starin' at me for the longest until he finally asked
Have you ever opened up Exodus 14?
A humble man is all that we ever need
Tell me how much a dollar cost

It's more to feed your mind
Water, sun and love, the one you love
All you need, the air you breathe

Guilt trippin' and feelin' resentment
I never met a transient that demanded attention
They got me frustrated, indecisive and power trippin'
Sour emotions got me lookin' at the universe different
I should distance myself, I should keep it relentless
My selfishness is what got me here, who the f*ck I'm kiddin'?
So I'ma tell you like I told the last bum, crumbs and pennies
I need all of mines, and I recognize this type of panhandlin' all the time
I got better judgement, I know when nigga's hustlin'
Keep in mind, when I was strugglin', I did compromise
Now I comprehend, I smell grandpa's old medicine
Reekin' from your skin, moonshine and gin
Nigga your babblin', your words ain't flatterin', I'm imaginin'
Denzel but lookin' at O'Neal, Kazaam is sad
Thrills, your gimmick is mediocre, the jig is up
I seen you from a mile away losin' focus
And I'm insensitive, and I lack empathy
He looked at me and said, "Your potential is bittersweet"
I looked at him and said, "Every nickel is mines to keep"
He looked at me and said, "Know the truth, it'll set you free"
You're lookin' at the Messiah, the son of Jehova, the higher power
The choir that spoke the word, the Holy Spirit, the nerve
Of Nazareth, and I'll tell you just how much a dollar cost
The price of having a spot in Heaven, embrace your loss, I am God

I wash my hands, I said my grace, what more do you want from me?
Tears of a clown, guess I'm not all what is meant to be
Shades of grey will never change if I condone
Turn this page, help me change, to right my wrongs

I'm with this

Complexion (two-step)
Complexion don't mean a thing (it's a Zulu love)
Ooh complexion (two-step)
It all feels the same (it's a Zulu love)

Uh
Dark as the midnight hour or bright as the mornin' sun
Give a f*ck about your complexion, I know what the Germans done
Sneak (dissin')
Sneak me through the back window, I'm a good field nigga
I made a flower for you outta cotton just to chill with you
You know I'd go the distance, you know I'm ten toes down
Even if master listenin', cover your ears, he 'bout to mention

Complexion (two-step)
Complexion don't mean a thing (it's a Zulu love)
Ooh, complexion (two-step)
It all feels the same (it's a Zulu love)

Uh
Dark as the midnight hour, or bright as the mornin' sun
Brown skinned, but your blue eyes tell me your mama can't run
Sneak (dissin')
Sneak me through the back window, I'm a good field nigga
I made a flower for you outta cotton just to chill with you
You know I'd go the distance, you know I'm ten toes down
Even if master's listenin', I got the world's attention
So I'ma say somethin' that's vital and critical for survival
Of mankind, if he lyin', color should never rival
Beauty is what you make it, I used to be so mistaken
By different shades of faces
Then Whit' told me, "A woman is woman, love the creation"
It all came from God, then you was my confirmation
I came to where you reside
And looked around to see more sights for sore eyes
Let the Willie Lynch theory reverse a million times with

Complexion (two-step)
Complexion don't mean a thing (it's a Zulu love)
Ooh, Complexion (two-step)
It all feels the same (it's a Zulu love)

(Uh)
You like it, I love it
You like it, I love it
You like it, I love it
You like it, I love it
You like it, I love it
You like it, I love it
You like it, I love it
You like it, I love it

Where the homegirl Rapsody at?
I need you to speak your mind real quick, loved one!

Let me talk my Stu Scott, 'scuse me on my 2Pac
Keep your head up, when did you stop, loving thy
Color of your skin? Color of your eyes
That's the real blues, baby, like you met Jay's baby, uh
You blew me away, you think more beauty in blue, green and grey
All my solemn men up north, 12 years a slave
12 years of age, thinkin' my shade too dark
I love myself, I no longer need Cupid
Enforcin' my dark side like a young George Lucas
Light don't mean you smart, bein' dark don't make you stupid
And frame of mind for them bustas, ain't talkin' "Woo-hah!"
Need a paradox for the pair of doc's they tutored
Like two Todd's, L-L, you lose two times
If you don't see you beautiful in your complexion
It ain't complex to put it in context
Find the air beneath the kite, uh that's the context, yeah, baby, I'm conscious
Ain't no contest
If you like it, I love it, all your earth tones been blessed
Ain't no stress, jiggaboos wanna be
I ain't talkin' Jay hm-hm, I ain't talkin' Bey
I'm talkin' days we got school watchin' movie screens
And spike your self-esteem, the new James Bond gon' be black as me
Black as brown, hazelnut, cinnamon, black tea
And it's all beautiful to me
Call your brothers magnificent, call all the sisters queens
We all on the same team, blues and pirus, no colors ain't a thing

Barefoot babies with no cares
Teenage gun toters that don't play fair
Should I get out the car?
I don't see Compton, I see something much worse
The land of the landmines, the hell that's on earth

Everything black, I don't want black (they want us to bow)
I want everything black, I ain't need black (down to our knees)
Some white, some black, I ain't mean black (and pray to the God)
I want everything black (we don't believe)
Want all things black, I don't need black
Want everything black, don't need black
Our eyes ain't black, I own black
Own everything black

Six in the morn'
Fire in the street
Burn, baby, burn
That's all I wanna see
And sometimes I get off watchin' you die in vain
It's such a shame they may call me crazy
They may say I suffer from schizophrenia or somethin', but homie, you made me
Black don't crack, my nigga

I'm the biggest hypocrite of 2015
Once I finish this, witnesses will convey just what I mean
Been feeling this way since I was sixteen, came to my senses
You never liked us anyway, f*ck your friendship, I meant it
I'm African-American, I'm African
I'm black as the moon, heritage of a small village
Pardon my residence
Came from the bottom of mankind
My hair is nappy, my dick is big, my nose is round and wide
You hate me don't you?
You hate my people, your plan is to terminate my culture
You're f*ckin' evil I want you to recognize that I'm a proud monkey
You vandalize my perception but can't take style from me
And this is more than confession
I mean I might press the button just so you know my discretion
I'm caught in my feelings, I know that you feel it
You sabotage my community, makin' a killin'
You made me a killer, emancipation of a real nigga

The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
The blacker the berry, the bigger I shoot

I said dem treat we like a slave, cah we black
Woii, we feel wul heap ah pain, cah we black
I man ah say dem put we inna chain, cah we black
And watch 'ya now, big gold chain full of rocks
And you nuh see di whip, left scar 'pon we back
But now we have a big whip parked 'pon di block
How dem ah seh we doomed from the start, cah we black?
Remember this, every race start from the block, jus 'member dat

I'm the biggest hypocrite of 2015
Once I finish this, witnesses will convey just what I mean
I mean, it's evident that I'm irrelevant to society
That's what you're telling me, penitentiary would only hire me
Curse me 'til I'm dead
Church me with your fake prophesize that I'ma be just another slave in my head
Institutionalized manipulation and lies
Reciprocation of freedom only live in your eyes
You hate me don't you?
I know you hate me just as much as you hate yourself
Jealous of my wisdom and cards I dealt
Watchin' me as I pull up, fill up my tank, then peel out
Muscle cars like pull ups, show you what these big wheels 'bout, ah
Black and successful, this black man meant to be special
Katzkins on my radar, bitch, how can I help you?
How can I tell you I'm making a killin'?
You made me a killer, emancipation of a real nigga

The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
The blacker the berry, the bigger I shoot

I said dem treat we like a slave, cah we black
Woii, we feel wul heap ah pain, cah we black
I man ah say dem put we inna chain, cah we black
And watch 'ya now, big gold chain full of rocks
And you nuh see di whip, left scar 'pon we back
But now we have a big whip parked 'pon di block
How dem ah seh we doomed from the start, cah we black?
Remember this, every race start from the block, jus 'member dat

I'm the biggest hypocrite of 2015
When I finish this if you listenin' then sure you will agree
This plot is bigger than me, it's generational hatred
It's genocism, it's grimy, little justification
I'm African-American, I'm African
I'm black as the heart of a f*ckin' Aryan
I'm black as the name of Tyrone and Darius
Excuse my French but f*ck you, no, f*ck y'all
That's as blunt as it gets, I know you hate me, don't you?
You hate my people, I can tell 'cause it's threats when I see you
I can tell 'cause your ways deceitful
Know I can tell because you're in love with that Desert Eagle
Thinkin' maliciously, he get a chain then you gone bleed him
It's funny how Zulu and Xhosa might go to war
Two tribal armies that want to build and destroy
Remind me of these Compton Crip gangs that live next door
Beefin' with Pirus, only death settle the score
So don't matter how much I say I like to preach with the Panthers
Or tell Georgia State, "Marcus Garvey got all the answers"
Or try to celebrate February like it's my B-Day
Or eat watermelon, chicken, and Kool-Aid on weekdays
Or jump high enough to get Michael Jordan endorsements
Or watch BET 'cause urban support is important
So why did I weep when Trayvon Martin was in the street
When gang banging make me kill a nigga blacker than me?
Hypocrite!

Study long, study wrong, nigga
Hey, y'all close that front door, ya'll let flies in this motherf*cker
Close that door!
My OG up in this motherf*cker right now
My pops man with the bottle of Hennessy in his hand, actin' a fool
Hey, hey, babe check it out
Imma tell you what my mama had said, she like

I could spot you a mile away
I could see your insecurities written all on your face
So predictable your words, I know what you gonna say
Who you foolin'? Oh, you assuming you can just come and hang
With the homies but your level of realness ain't the same
Circus acts only attract those that entertain
Small talk, we know that it's all talk
We live in the Laugh Factory every time they mention your name

Askin', "where the hoes at?" to impress me
Askin', "where the moneybags?" to impress me
Say you got the burner stashed to impress me
It's all in your head, homie
Askin' "where the plug at?" to impress me
Askin' "where the juug at?" to impress me
Askin' "where it's at?" only upsets me
You sound like the feds, homie

You ain't gotta lie to kick it, my nigga
You ain't gotta lie, you ain't gotta lie
You ain't gotta lie to kick it, my nigga
You ain't gotta try so hard

You ain't gotta lie to kick it, my nigga
You ain't gotta lie, you ain't gotta lie
You ain't gotta lie to kick it, my nigga
You ain't gotta try so hard

And the world don't respect you and the culture don't accept you
But you think it's all love
And the girls gon' neglect you once your parody is done
Reputation can't protect you if you never had one
Jealousy (complex), emotional (complex)
Self-pity (complex), under oath (complex)
The loudest one in the room, nigga, that's a complex
Let me put it back in proper context

You ain't gotta lie to kick it, my nigga
You ain't gotta lie, you ain't gotta lie
You ain't gotta lie to kick it, my nigga
You ain't gotta try so hard

You ain't gotta lie to kick it, my nigga
You ain't gotta lie, you ain't gotta lie
You ain't gotta lie to kick it, my nigga
You ain't gotta try so hard

Askin', "where the hoes at?" to impress me
Askin', "where the moneybags?" to impress me
Say you got the burner stashed to impress me
It's all in your head, homie
Askin' "where the plug at?" to impress me
Askin' "where the juug at?" to impress me
Askin' "where it's at?" only upsets me
You sound like the feds, homie

What do you got to offer?
Tell me before we off ya, put you deep in the coffin
Been allergic to talkin', been a virgin to bullshit
And sell a dream in the auction, tell me just who your boss is
Niggas be fugazie, bitches be fugazie, this is for fugazi
Niggas and bitches who make habitual lyin' babies
Bless them little hearts, you can never persuade me
You can never relate me
To him, to her, or that to them or you, the truth you love to bend
In the back, in the bed, on the floor, that's your hoe
On the couch, in the mouth, I'll be out, really though
So loud, rich niggas got low money
And loud, broke niggas got no money
The irony behind it is so funny
And I seen it all this past year
Pass on some advice we feel

You ain't gotta lie to kick it, my nigga
You ain't gotta lie, you ain't gotta lie
You ain't gotta lie to kick it, my nigga
You ain't gotta try so hard

You ain't gotta lie to kick it, my nigga
You ain't gotta lie, you ain't gotta lie
You ain't gotta lie to kick it, my nigga
You ain't gotta try so hard

[Produced by Rahki]"<"<"<"<"<"<"<"<"<"<"<"<"<"<"<"<"<"<"<
[Directed by Alexandre Moors and the Little Homies]

[Hype Man]
Is this mic on? (Hey, move this way, this way)
Hey, Hey! Hey! Turn the mic up, c'mon, c'mon
Is the mic on or not? I want the mic
We're bringing up nobody, nobody...
Nobody but the number one rapper in the world
He done traveled all over the world
He came back just to give you some game
All of the little boys and girls, come up here
(One two, one two, what's happening, fool?)
Come right here, this is for you, come on up
Kendrick Lamar, make some noise, brother

[Intro]
I done been through a whole lot
Trial, tribulation, but I know God
The Devil wanna put me in a bow tie
Pray that the holy water don't go dry
As I look around me
So many motherf**kers wanna down me
But an enemigo never drown me
In front of a dirty double-mirror they found me

[Hook]
And (I love myself)
When you lookin' at me, tell me what do you see?
(I love myself)
Ahh, I put a bullet in the back of the back of the hand of the bully
(I love myself)
Illuminated by the hand of God, boy don't seem shy
(I love myself)
One day at a time, uhh

[Verse 1]
They wanna say it's a war outside, bomb in the street
Gun in the hood, mob of police
Rock on the corner with a line for the fiend
And a bottle full of lean and a model on the scheme uh
These days of frustration keep y'all on tuck and rotation (Come to the front)
I duck these cold faces, post up fi-fie-fo-fum basis
Dreams of reality's peace
Blow steam in the face of the beast
Sky could fall down, wind could cry now
Look at me motherf**ker I smile

[Hook]


[Verse 2]
(Crazy)
(What you gon' do?)
Lift up your head and keep moving, (Keep moving) turn the mic up
(Haunt you)
Peace to fashion police, I wear my heart
On my sleeve, let the runway start
You know the miserable do love company
What do you want from me and my scars?
Everybody lack confidence, everybody lack confidence
How many times my potential was anonymous?
How many times the city making me promises?
So I promise this, nigga

[Hook]


[Bridge]
Huh (Walk my bare feet) huh (Walk my bare feet)
Huh (Down, down valley deep) huh (Down, down valley deep)
(I love myself) huh (Fi-fie-fo-fum) huh (fi-fie-fo-fum)
(I love myself) huh (My heart undone) one, two, three

[Hook]

[Verse 3]
I went to war last night
With an automatic weapon, don't nobody call a medic
I'mma do it till I get it right
I went to war last night (Night, night, night, night, night)
I've been dealing with depression ever since an adolescent
Duckin' every other blessin', I can never see the message
I could never take the lead, I could never bob and weave
From a negative and letting them annihilate me
And it's evident I'm moving at a meteor speed
Finna run into a building, lay my body...

[Spoken Interlude]
(Offstage Argument)
Not on my time, Not while I'm up here
Not on my time, kill the music
Not on my time
We could save that sh*t for the streets
We could save that sh*t, this for the kids bro
2015, niggas tired of playin' victim dog
Niggas ain't trying to play vic— TuTu, how many niggas we done lost?
Yan-Yan, how many we done lost?
No for real, answer the question, how many niggas we done lost bro?
This, this year alone
Exactly. So we ain't got time to waste time my nigga
Niggas gotta make time bro
The judge make time, you know that, the judge make time right?
The judge make time so it ain't sh*t
It shouldn't be sh*t for us to come out here and appreciate the little bit of life we got left, dawg
On the dead homies. Charlie P, you know that bro
You know that
It's mando. Right, it's mando
And I say this because I love you niggas man
I love all my niggas bro
Exac- enough said, enough said
We gon' get back to the show and move on, because that sh*t petty my nigga
Mic check, mic check, mic check, mic check, mic check
We gon' do some acapella sh*t before we get back to-
All my niggas listen
Listen to this:

[Acapella Verse]
I promised Dave I'd never use the phrase "f**k nigga"
He said, "Think about what you saying: 'f**k niggas'
No better than Samuel on Django
No better than a white man with slave boats"
Sound like I needed some soul searching
My Pops gave me some game in real person
Retraced my steps on what they never taught me
Did my homework fast before government caught me
So I'ma dedicate this one verse to Oprah
On how the infamous, sensitive N-word control us
So many artists gave her an explanation to hold us
Well, this is my explanation straight from Ethiopia
N-E-G-U-S definition: royalty; King royalty - wait listen
N-E-G-U-S description: Black emperor, King, ruler, now let me finish
The history books overlook the word and hide it
America tried to make it to a house divided
The homies don't recognize we been using it wrong
So I'ma break it down and put my game in a song
N-E-G-U-S, say it with me
Or say no more. Black stars can come and get me
Take it from Oprah Winfrey, tell her she right on time
Kendrick Lamar, by far, realest Negus alive

Oh, oh, woah
Oh, oh
Oh, ooh
Yeah yeah, yeah
Yeah yeah, yeah
Yeah yeah
Yeah yeah, yeah

The ghost of Mandela, hope my flows stay propellin'
Let these words be your Earth and moon, you consume every message
As I lead this army, make room for mistakes and depression
And with that being said, my nigga, let me ask this question

When shit hit the fan, is you still a fan?
When shit hit the fan (one two, one two)
Uh when shit hit the fan, is you still a fan?
When shit hit the fan, is you still a fan?

The ghost of Mandela, hope my flows stay propellin'
Let these words be your Earth and moon, you consume every message
As I lead this army, make room for mistakes and depression
And with that being said, my nigga, let me ask this question

When shit hit the fan, is you still a fan?
When shit hit the fan, is you still a fan?
Won't you look to your left and right? Make sure you ask your friends
When shit hit the fan, is you still a fan?

Do you believe in me? Are you deceiving me?
Could I let you down easily, is your heart where it need to be?
Is your smile on permanent? Is your vow on lifetime?
Would you know where the sermon is if I died in this next line?
If I'm tried in a court of law, if the industry cut me off
If the government want me dead, plant cocaine in my car
Would you judge me a drug-head or see me as K. Lamar?
Or question my character and degrade me on every blog?
Want you to love me like Nelson, want you to hug me like Nelson
I freed you from being a slave in your mind, you're very welcome
You tell me my song is more than a song, it's surely a blessing
But a prophet ain't a prophet til they ask you this question

When shit hit the fan, is you still a fan?
When shit hit the fan, is you still a fan?
Won't you look to your left and right? Make sure you ask your friends
When shit hit the fan, is you still a fan?

The ghost of Mandela, hope my flows stay propellin'
Let my words be your Earth and moon, you consume every message
As I lead this army, make room for mistakes and depression
And with that

Do you believe in me? How much you believe in her?
You think she gon' stick around if them 25 years occur?
You think he can hold you down when you down behind bars, hurt?
You think y'all on common ground if you promise to be the first?
Can you be immortalized without your life being expired?
Even though you share the same blood, is it worth the time?
Like, who got your best interest? Like, how much are you dependent?
How clutch are the people that say they love you and who pretending?
How tough is your skin when they turn you in? Do you show forgiveness?
What brush do you bend when dusting your shoulders from being offended?
What kind of den did they put you in when the lions start hissing?
What kind of bridge did they burn? Revenge or your mind when it's mentioned
You wanna love like Nelson, you wanna be like Nelson
You wanna walk in his shoes, but your peacemaking seldom
You wanna be remembered that delivered the message
That considered the blessing of everyone
This your lesson for everyone, say

When shit hit the fan, is you still a fan?
When shit hit the fan, is you still a fan?
Won't you look to your left and right? Make sure you ask your friends
When shit hit the fan, is you still a fan?

The voice of Mandela, hope this flow stay propellin'
Let my word be your Earth and moon, you consume every message
As I lead this army, make room for mistakes and depression
And if you riding with me, nigga

I been wrote off before, I got abandonment issues
I hold grudges like bad judges, don't let me resent you
That's not Nelson-like-want you to love me like Nelson
I went to Robben's Island analysing, that's where his cell is
So I could find clarity-like, how much you cherish me?
Is this relationship a fake, or real as the heavens be?
See I got to question it all; family, friends, fans, cats, dogs
Trees, plants, grass, how the wind blow, Murphy's Law
Generation X-will I ever be your ex?
Flaws of a baby step', mauled by the mouth a bit
Pause, put me under stress, crawled under rocks, duckin' y'all
It's respect-but then tomorrow, put my back against the wall
How many leaders you said you needed then left 'em for dead?
Is it Moses? Is it Huey Newton or Detroit Red?
Is it Martin Luther? JFK? Shooter-you assassin
Is it Jackie? Is it Jesse? Oh, I know it's Michael Jackson-oh

When shit hit the fan, is you still a fan?
When shit hit the fan, is you still a fan?
That nigga gave us "Billie Jean" you say he touched those kids?
When shit hit the fan, is you still a fan?

The ghost of Mandela, hope my flows stay propelling
Let my word be your Earth and moon, you consume every message
As I lead this army, make room for mistakes and depression
And if you riding with me, nigga, let me ask this question, nigga

I remember you was conflicted
Misusing your influence
Sometimes I did the same
Abusing my power, full of resentment
Resentment that turned into a deep depression
Found myself screaming in the hotel room
I didn't wanna self destruct
The evils of Lucy was all around me
So I went running for answers
Until I came home
But that didn't stop survivor's guilt
Going back and forth trying to convince myself the stripes I earned
Or maybe how A-1 my foundation was
But while my loved ones was fighting the continuous war back in the city
I was entering a new one
A war that was based on apartheid and discrimination
Made me wanna go back to the city and tell the homies what I learned
The word was respect
Just because you wore a different gang color than mine's
Doesn't mean I can't respect you as a black man
Forgetting all the pain and hurt we caused each other in these streets
If I respect you
We unify and stop the enemy from killing us
But I don't know
I'm no mortal man
Maybe I'm just another nigga
Shit and that's all I wrote
I was gonna call it "Another Nigga" but
It ain't really a poem, I just felt like it's something you probably could relate to
Other than that, now that I finally got a chance to holla at you
I always wanted to ask you about a certain situa- about a metaphor actually
Uh, you spoke on the ground
What you mean by that, what the ground represent?

The ground is gonna open up and swallow the evil
Right
That's how I see it, my word is bond
I see-and the ground is the symbol for the poor people
Right
The poor people is gonna open up this whole world and swallow up the rich people
'Cause the rich people gonna be so fat
And they gonna be so appetizing, you know what I'm saying wealthy, appetizing
The poor gonna be so poor, and hungry
Right
You know what I'm saying, it's gonna be like
You know what I'm saying, it's gonna be
There might, there might be some cannibalism out this muh-fu-
They might eat the rich, you know what I'm saying?

Aite, so let me ask you this then
Do you see yourself as somebody that's rich or
Somebody that made the best of they own opportunities?

I see myself as a natural born hustler
A true hustler in every sense of the word
I took nothin', I took the opportunities
I worked at the most menial and degrading job
And built myself up so I could get it to where I owned it
I went from having somebody managing me
To me hiring the person that works my management company
I changed everything, I realized my destiny
In a matter of five years, you know what I'm saying?
I made myself a millionaire, I made millions for a lot of people
Now it's time to make millions for myself, you know what I'm saying?
I made millions for the record companies
I made millions for these movie companies
Now I make millions for, for us

And through your different avenues of success
How would you say you managed to keep a level of sanity?

By my faith in God, by my faith in the game
And by my faith in "all good things come to those that stay true"
Right
You know what I'm saying? And and it was happening to me for a reason
You know what I'm saying, I was noticing, shit
I was, I was punching the right buttons and it was happening
So it's no problem, you know
I mean, it's a problem but I'm not finna let them know
I'm finna go straight through

Would you consider yourself a fighter at heart or somebody that
Somebody that only reacts when they back is against the wall?

Shit, I like to think that at every opportunity I've ever been, uh
Threatened with resistance, it's been met with resistance
And not only me but, it goes down my family tree
You know what I'm saying, it's in my veins to fight back

Aite well
How long will you think it take before niggas be like
"We fighting a war, I'm fighting a war I can't win
And I wanna lay it all down"

In this country, a black man only have like
5 years we can exhibit maximum strength
And that's right now while you a teenager, while you still strong
While you still wanna lift weights, while you still wanna shoot back
'Cause once you turn 30 it's like
They take the heart and soul out of a man
Out of a black man, in this country
And you don't wanna fight no more
And if you don't believe me, you can look around
You don't see no loud mouth 30-year old motherf*ckers

That's crazy, because me being one of your offsprings
Of the legacy you left behind, I can truly tell you that
There's nothing but turmoil goin' on so, I wanted to ask you
What you think is the future for me and my generation today?

I think that niggas is tired of grabbin' shit out the stores
And next time it's a riot it's gonna be like, uh, bloodshed
For real, I don't think America know that
I think America think we was just playing
And it's gonna be some more playing but
It ain't gonna be no playing
It's gonna be murder, you know what I'm saying?
It's gonna be like, like Nat Turner, 1831, up in this motherf*cker
You know what I'm saying, it's gonna happen

That's crazy man
In my opinion only hope that we kinda
Have left is music and vibrations
Lot a people don't understand how important it is, you know
Sometimes I can like, get behind a mic
And I don't know what type of energy I'ma push out
Or where it comes from
Trip me out sometimes

Because it's spirits, we ain't even really rappin'
We just letting our dead homies tell stories for us
Damn

I wanted to read one last thing to you
It's actually something a good friend had wrote
Describing my world
It says:
"The caterpillar is a prisoner to the streets that conceived it
Its only job is to eat or consume everything around it
In order to protect itself from this mad city
While consuming its environment
The caterpillar begins to notice ways to survive
One thing it noticed is how much the world shuns him
But praises the butterfly
The butterfly represents the talent
The thoughtfulness and the beauty within the caterpillar
But having a harsh outlook on life
The caterpillar sees the butterfly as weak
And figures out a way to pimp it to his own benefits
Already surrounded by this mad city
The caterpillar goes to work on the cocoon
Which institutionalizes him
He can no longer see past his own thoughts
He's trapped
When trapped inside these walls certain ideas take root, such as
Going home, and bringing back new concepts to this mad city
The result?
Wings begin to emerge, breaking the cycle of feeling stagnant
Finally free, the butterfly sheds light on situations
That the caterpillar never considered
Ending the internal struggle
Although the butterfly and caterpillar are completely different
They are one and the same"
What's your perspective on that?
Pac?
Pac?
Pac?!