Hood Politics
Kendrick Lamar Lyrics

K-Dot, pick up the phone, nigga
Hey Kendrick, answer the phone

Every time I call, it's going to voicemail
You're avoiding my calls

Don't tell me they got you on some weirdo rap shit, nigga?
Please don't tell me you're involved in some strange rap genre

No socks and skinny jeans and shit, ha
I'm talking about the modern rap fashion trends

Call me on Shaniqua's phone!
Reach out to me through Shaniqua's phone instead!

I been A-1 since day one, you niggas boo boo
I've been excellent since the beginning, you guys are mediocre

Your home boy, your block that you're from, boo boo
Your friends and the neighborhood you represent are also subpar

Lil hoes you went to school with, boo boo
Even the girls you knew from school are nothing special

Baby mama and your new bitch, boo boo
The mother of your child and your new girlfriend are also not impressive

We was in the hood, 14 with the deuce-deuce
We were in the neighborhood with small pistols at the age of 14

14 years later going hard, like we used to on the dead homies
Now, 14 years later, we're still working hard like we did back then in honor of our deceased friends

I don't give a fuck about no politics in rap, my nigga (my nigga)
I don't care about the controversies in the rap industry

My lil' homie Stunna Deuce ain't never comin' back, my nigga (my nigga)
My young friend Stunna Deuce is never coming back

So you better go hard every time you jump on wax, my nigga (my nigga)
You need to give your best effort every time you record a song

Fuck what they talkin' 'bout, your shit is where it's at, my nigga (my nigga)
Don't listen to what others say, your music is great

Came in this game, you stuck your fangs in this game
When you entered the music industry, you made your mark

You wore no chain in this game, your hood, your name in this game
You didn't wear flashy jewelry, your reputation and the neighborhood you represent stood out

Now you double up, time to bubble up the bread and huddle up
Now it's time for you to make more money and gather your team

Stickin' to the scripts, now here if them Benjamins go cuddle up
Staying true to your goals, see the money pile up

Skip, hop, drip, drop, flip, flop with the white tube sock
Moving and dancing with confidence and swagger

It goes 'Sherm Sticks, burn this'
Referencing the drug culture and its effects

That's what the product smell like when the chemicals mix
Describing the strong aroma produced when mixing certain drugs

50 nigga salute, out the Compton zoo, with the extras
Acknowledging and praising the support received from the Compton community

El Cos, Monte Carlos, Road Kings, and dressers
Listing various car models popular in Compton

Rip Ridaz, P-Funkers, Mexicans, they fuck with you
Members of different groups in Compton support you

Asians, they fuck with you, nobody can fuck with you
Even Asians show their support, no one can rival you

Hopped out the Caddy, just got my dick sucked
Getting out of a Cadillac after receiving oral sex

The little homies called and said, 'the enemies done cliqued up'
Young friends informed me that our rivals have formed an alliance

Puto want to squabble with mi barrio?
Does the fool want to fight with my neighborhood?

Tell 'em they can run it for the cardio
Let them know they can try to fight, but they won't succeed

Everythin' is everythin', it's scandalous
Everything is how it is, and it's filled with scandal

Slow motion for the ambulance, the project filled with cameras
Moving slowly for the ambulance due to the presence of surveillance cameras in the projects

The LAPD gamblin', scramblin', football numbers slanderin'
The police department taking risks and causing chaos, manipulating statistics

Niggas names on paper, you snitched all summer
People's names listed on papers, you were giving information all summer

Streets don’t fail me now, they tell me it's a new gang in town
I rely on the streets, and they're informing me about a new gang in the area

From Compton to Congress, set trippin’ all around
From the streets of Compton to the political world, gang rivalries exist everywhere

Ain't nothin' new, but a flu of new Demo-Crips and Re-Blood-licans
It's nothing new, just a wave of new gang affiliations based on political parties

Red state versus a blue state, which one you governin'?
The ongoing rivalry between Republicans and Democrats, which side are you supporting?

They give us guns and drugs, call us thugs
They provide us with weapons and drugs, then label us as criminals

Make it they promise to fuck with you
They make promises to support you but ultimately betray you

No condom, they fuck with you, Obama say, 'What it do?'
They engage in risky behavior by supporting you without hesitation, Obama understands

I remember you was conflicted
I recall that you were struggling internally

Misusing your influence
Misusing your power and impact on others

Sometimes I did the same
Sometimes I made the same mistakes

Abusing my power full of resentment
Using my power in a negative way, fueled by bitterness

Resentment that turned into a deep depression
That bitterness transformed into a profound sadness

Found myself screaming in a hotel room
I discovered myself shouting in a hotel room

I didn't want to self-destruct
I didn't want to destroy myself

The evils of Lucy was all around me
The temptations and negative influences were surrounding me

So I went running for answers
So I searched desperately for solutions

Until I came home
Until I returned to my roots

But that didn't stop survivors guilt
But that didn't prevent feelings of guilt for surviving

Going back and forth, trying to convince myself the stripes I earned
Struggling internally, trying to convince myself of the achievements and respect I earned

Or maybe how A-1 my foundation was
Or maybe how strong and solid my foundation was

But while my loved ones was fighting a continuous war back in the city
Meanwhile, my loved ones were engaged in an ongoing conflict in our hometown

I was entering a new one
I found myself entering a different kind of battle

Everybody wanna talk about who this and who that
Everyone wants to discuss who's talented and who's not

Who the realest and who wack, or who white or who black
Who's genuine and who's untalented, or who's Caucasian and who's African American

Critics want to mention that they miss when hip-hop was rappin'
Critics want to mention that they miss the days when hip-hop focused more on rhyming

Motherfucker, if you did, then Killer Mike'd be platinum
If that's what you truly missed, then Killer Mike would be a highly successful artist

Y’all priorities fucked up, put energy in wrong shit
Your priorities are messed up, you're focusing on the wrong things

Hennessy and Crown Vic, my memory been gone since
Drinking Hennessy and driving a Crown Victoria, my memory has been impaired

Don’t ask about no camera blocking at award shows
Don't ask about the positioning of cameras at award shows

No, don’t ask about my bitch, no, don’t ask about my Vogues
No, don't ask about my girlfriend, no, don't ask about my magazine features

'Less you askin' me about power, yeah, I got a lot of it
Unless you're asking about power, yes, I have a lot of influence

I'm the only nigga next to Snoop that can push the button
I'm one of the few individuals who has the power and authority to make significant decisions

Had the Coast on standby
I had the West Coast ready and waiting

'K. Dot, what up? I heard they opened up Pandora’s box'
'K. Dot, how are you? I heard that a dangerous situation has been unleashed'

I box ‘em all in, by a landslide
I defeat and outperform all my competitors easily

Nah homie we too sensitive, it spill out to the streets
No, my friend, we are too easily offended, and this affects the entire community

I make the call and get the coast involved then history repeats
I take the initiative and involve the West Coast, then history repeats itself

But I resolved inside that private hall while sitting down with Jay
But I found a resolution privately during a conversation with Jay-Z

He said 'it's funny how one verse could fuck up the game'
He mentioned how a single verse has the power to disrupt and shake up the music industry