He began to gain major recognition in 2010 after his first retail release, Overly Dedicated. The following year, Lamar independently released his first studio album Section.80, which included his debut single, "HiiiPoWeR" which was produced by J. Cole. By that time, he had amassed a large Internet following and collaborated with several artists in the hip-hop industry, including The Game, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne and Drake.
Lamar secured a major-label record deal with Aftermath and Interscope Records, in 2012. His major-label debut, good kid, m.A.A.d city, was released in October 2012 to critical success. The record contained the top 40 singles "Swimming Pools (Drank)", "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe", and "Poetic Justice". It debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Lamar won his first Grammy Award for "i", the lead single from his critically acclaimed third album To Pimp a Butterfly (2015). The album drew on free jazz, funk, soul, and spoken word debuted atop the charts in the U.S. and the UK, and won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 58th ceremony. In 2016, Lamar released untitled unmastered., a collection of unreleased demos that originated during the recording sessions for Butterfly.
Lamar has received several accolades throughout his career, including seven Grammy Awards. In early 2013, MTV named Lamar the number one "Hottest MC in the Game", on their annual list. Time named Lamar one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016.
Lamar's fourth album, DAMN. was released on April 17, 2017, to widespread critical acclaim. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, earning Lamar his third consecutive number-one album in the United States. The album was supported by the lead single, "Humble.". Lamar won the Pulitzer Prize for DAMN.
Lamar's fifth album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers was released on May 13, 2022, his first album in five years.
Buried Alive
Kendrick Lamar Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I would surely break the lock
I'd jump right in an-and fall asleep (I fall asleep)
'Cau-'cau-'cause you are the death of me ('cause you are)
If you was in a pine box (box)
I would surely break the lock
I'd jump right in an-and fall asleep (I fall asleep)
'Cau-'cau-'cause you are the death of me
Lookin' in the mirror, I'm embarrassed
I'm feelin' like a suicidal terrorist
React like an infant whenever you are mentioned
Mind over matter never worked for my nemesis
I'm in the matter of man arm wrestlin' hands I was dealt
When I said the music business was all I needed
When I got it I was greeted by an alien
That said last year that she slept with a Canadian
That gave him an addiction that'd keep him in Mercedes Benz
Bright lights and Rihanna as a lady friend
My vice is similar, women love when you're my type
And you're winnin' from everything that your palm write
Put her in the Palms Hotel, Sin City
Devil in a dress, Platinum Chanel, live the ambiance all
'Cause the audience one day said I would do it
So instead of a verse bein' read
I'ma go and get some head off the strength of my music
I tell a bad bitch yo' ass too fat, Capitalize That
And your weave look good with the Indian tracks
Trackin' device on your used 5 series
I don't call back, just blame it on your Canadian
The same day we say were in the area cruisin' in Toronto
Hit me on the cellular thought he was gonna sell me
A false word like the rappers I know
Sat down with a few drinks, located where you can't see us
A white waitress on standby when we need her
A black Maybach, 40 pulled up Jeep
No doors, all that nigga was missin' was Aaliyah
Felt like the initiation, a reality livin' in the matrix
We talk casually about the industry
And how the women be the taste makers for the shit we makin'
Then he said that he was the same age as, myself
And it didn't help 'cause it made me even more rude and impatient
So blame it on Mr. OVOXO
The reason why I'm breathin' all the vanity I know
The reason why my best friend said she love me more than life
But I live a double life and need to let her go
The reason why the highlight was when he said
You belong to the people when you're outside
So dig a shovel full of money, full of power, full of pussy
Full of fame and bury yourself alive, then I died
"Buried Alive" by Kendrick Lamar is a song about the harsh reality of fame and the toll it takes on an artist's life. Throughout the song, Lamar expresses his feelings of being trapped in the music industry and feeling like he has lost his true self in the process. The first verse speaks of the depth of Lamar's love for someone, stating that even if they were buried alive, he would follow them into death. This can be interpreted as a metaphor for the death of Lamar's true self as he navigates the music industry.
The second verse is where Lamar gets more personal, stating that he is embarrassed by his own reflection and feels like a suicidal terrorist. He speaks of feeling like an infant when his name is mentioned, as though he is still struggling to find his footing in the industry. Lamar also acknowledges the power that the industry has over him, stating that no matter how much he tries to use his mind over matter, it never works against his nemesis. He goes on to say that he feels like he's constantly arm-wrestling with the cards he's been dealt, which is a metaphor for the harsh realities of life that he's had to face.
Line by Line Meaning
If you was in a pine box (box)
If you were trapped in a coffin,
I would surely break the lock
I would do anything to save you.
I'd jump right in an-and fall asleep (I fall asleep)
I would be willing to be buried alive with you.
'Cau-'cau-'cause you are the death of me ('cause you are)
Because I cannot live without you.
Lookin' in the mirror, I'm embarrassed
I feel ashamed of myself when I look in the mirror.
I'm feelin' like a suicidal terrorist
I feel like a danger to myself.
React like an infant whenever you are mentioned
I get emotional whenever I hear your name.
Mind over matter never worked for my nemesis
I cannot overcome my enemy with just my thoughts.
I'm in the matter of man arm wrestlin' hands I was dealt
I am struggling to deal with the cards I have been given.
When I said the music business was all I needed
I used to believe that all I needed was the music industry.
When I got it I was greeted by an alien
But when I finally got it, it was not what I expected.
That said last year that she slept with a Canadian
I heard a rumor about a woman I had slept with and a Canadian guy.
That gave him an addiction that'd keep him in Mercedes Benz
She supposedly gave him an addiction to a lavish lifestyle.
Bright lights and Rihanna as a lady friend
I became caught up in the celebrity lifestyle.
My vice is similar, women love when you're my type
I have a weakness for women who are attracted to my fame.
And you're winnin' from everything that your palm write
I have gained so much success from my talents.
Put her in the Palms Hotel, Sin City
I took her to a luxurious hotel in Las Vegas.
Devil in a dress, Platinum Chanel, live the ambiance all
I was surrounded by luxury and excess.
'Cause the audience one day said I would do it
My success was predicted by my fans.
So instead of a verse bein' read
Instead of just writing music, I took it further.
I'ma go and get some head off the strength of my music
I used my fame to get sexual favors.
I tell a bad bitch yo' ass too fat, Capitalize That
I objectified and insulted women for my own personal gain.
And your weave look good with the Indian tracks
I made superficial comments about women's hair.
Trackin' device on your used 5 series
I was paranoid about being tracked and spied on.
I don't call back, just blame it on your Canadian
I used Canadian people as an excuse for my poor behavior.
The same day we say were in the area cruisin' in Toronto
On the same day, I was in Toronto driving around with my friend.
Hit me on the cellular thought he was gonna sell me
My friend contacted me over the phone.
A false word like the rappers I know
Most rappers lie and are not truthful.
Sat down with a few drinks, located where you can't see us
We drank in a private location to avoid being seen by others.
A white waitress on standby when we need her
We had a waitress waiting for us to order drinks.
A black Maybach, 40 pulled up Jeep
We had two luxury cars, a Maybach and a Jeep.
No doors, all that nigga was missin' was Aaliyah
The Jeep had no doors and reminded us of the car Aaliyah was in when she passed away.
Felt like the initiation, a reality livin' in the matrix
I felt like I was in a movie or a dream because I was living a surreal life.
We talk casually about the industry
My friend and I discussed the music industry in a relaxed manner.
And how the women be the taste makers for the shit we makin'
We talked about how women influence our music.
Then he said that he was the same age as, myself
My friend told me that he was the same age as me.
And it didn't help 'cause it made me even more rude and impatient
Hearing this fact made me more irritable and short-tempered.
So blame it on Mr. OVOXO
I am blaming my behavior on Drake's record label, OVOXO.
The reason why I'm breathin' all the vanity I know
My desire for fame and material things is what motivates me.
The reason why my best friend said she love me more than life
My friend loves me more than anything else in her life.
But I live a double life and need to let her go
But I am leading a double life and need to end the relationship.
The reason why the highlight was when he said
The best moment was when my friend said something inspiring.
You belong to the people when you're outside
When I am famous, I belong to the public.
So dig a shovel full of money, full of power, full of pussy
So I should bury myself in wealth, influence, and sex.
Full of fame and bury yourself alive, then I died
Become consumed by fame, and you will essentially be dead.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kendrick Lamar, Aubrey Drake Graham, Noah James Shebib, Dwayne Richard Chin-Quee
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ashura6038
Drake initiated Kendrick but probably Cole too. We’ve been living in there Era for some years now an the picture is starting to pan out. (Keep in mind that they’res a thing called Universal Law an Karma that even the people pulling the strings have to obey, that why we get lil cookie crumbs like this or movies like the Matrix, stuff like that. Because in order for them to keep the illusion going they have to give us the choice. As long as they somehow someway subtly or blatantly show us the truth they’ll always be in accordance with the Universal Law of Free Will. It’s much more effective to mask the truth in doubt and back up the lies then it is to jus full out oppress knowledge.)
So back in 2009, 2010, 2011 I get the feeling that it was a drawn out map that Drake was gonna be the public punching bag an stunt man, to be a distraction. While Kendrick and Cole were set up to represent the balance of thought provoking music. One of the dudes in the replies pointed out something that’s actually another fold in the matrix. He said that even the deep, prophet kinda rappers are there to entertain the sheep too, and that’s true. Their is no technical term for it but from observing the effect it had on me as jus a kid listening to kendrick and Cole I started to see myself hanging onto ever word they were saying, trying to decipher even the littlest phrase for a truth that might have gone over my head.
Cause earlier in their careers Kendrick and Cole had insights that were more palpable an direct. But you can see as the years have stretched on theirs been a lot more filler bars in between; more words with less meaning. And I see what it is now, it’s the manipulation of our searching for the truth in a prophet or someone we look up too. They anointed these people that Are good dudes, give them a high seat to fulfill a role and we naturally take the bait if we feel the truth or some attraction to them and this is what puts us on the hook of waiting endlessly for what they gotta say next. Never really making the changes we should be making cause it’s jus another form of Distraction.
And that’s why this song is probably the only real glimpse into What They See from they’re side of the Matrix.
That when your put up on that level you’ve ceased to be..your buried alive cause your a Symbol not a person anymore.
“You belong to the people when you outside, so dig shovel money power pussy fame an bury yourself alive. Then I died.”
@sawanhiphop6101
[Intro: Kendrick Lamar]
If you was in a pine box (Box)
I would surely break the lock
I'd jump right in an-and fall asleep (I fall asleep)
'Cau-'cau-'cause you are the death of me ('Cause you are)
If you was in a pine box (Box)
I would surely break the lock
I'd jump right in and fall asleep (I fall asleep)
'Cau-'cau-'cause you are the death of me
'Cause you are, the-the death of me, you-you, the death of me
[Verse: Kendrick Lamar]
Lookin' in the mirror, I'm embarrassed
I'm feelin' like a suicidal terrorist
React like an infant whenever you are mentioned
Mind over matter never worked for my nemesis
I'm in the matter of man arm wrestlin' hands I was dealt
When I said the music business was all I needed
When I got it I was greeted by an alien
That said last year that she slept with a Canadian
That gave him an addiction that'd keep him in Mercedes Benz
Bright lights and Rihanna as a lady friend
My vice is similar, women love when you're my type
And you're winnin' from everything that your palm write
Put her in the Palms Hotel, sin city
Devil in a dress, Platinum Chanel, live the ambiance all
'Cause the audience one day said I would do it
So instead of a verse bein' read
I'ma go and get some head off the strength of my music
I tell a bad bitch yo' ass too fat, Capitalize That
And your weave look good with the Indian tracks
Trackin' device on your used 5 series
I don't call back, just blame it on your Canadian
The same day we say were in the area cruisin' in Toronto
Hit me on the cellular thought he was gonna sell me
A false word like the rappers I know
Sat down with a few drinks, located where you can't see us
A white waitress on standby when we need her
A black Maybach, 40 pulled up Jeep
No doors, all that nigga was missin' was Aaliyah
Felt like the initiation, a reality livin' in the matrix
We talk casually about the industry
And how the women be the taste makers for the shit we makin'
Then he said that he was the same age as… myself
And it didn't help 'cause it made me even more rude and impatient
So blame it on Mr. OVOXO
The reason why I'm breathin' all the vanity I know
The reason why my best friend said she love me more than life
But I live a double life and need to let her go
The reason why the highlight was when he said:
You belong to the people when you're outside
So dig a shovel full of money, full of power, full of pussy
Full of fame and bury yourself alive, then I died
@RaviPunia
This might go down as one of the most underrated and forgotten song in the hip-hop.
@JayLee-sn1il
Not lying bro def 4got bout this jawn
@dtsmusic7574
Facts!
@khantmbas1858
Trust me bro
I think this album will 2
@lemikehendrix357
Facts
@dgoat776
Facts my shit still
@alancantu2557
I just get an unexplainable feeling every time I listen to this song
@feelitnowmrkrabs1840
SAME OMG i was about to comment that
@kultw1837
This some other leve psychedelia
@jayblack3c3
Especially in my car at night on the highway.