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.
Keisha's Song
Kendrick Lamar Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Flagging down all of these flashy cars
And Lord knows she's beautiful
Lord knows the usuals leaving a body sore
She take the little change she make to fix her nail cuticles,
Lipstick is suitable to make you fiend for more
She play Mr. Shakur
While a pervert yelling at her and she capture features of a woman
But only 17, the 7 cars start honkin'
She start running like FLo-Jo don't care if they Joe Blow
If they got money to blow a blow job is a sure go
And sure enough don't see a dime of dirty dollars
She give all to her daddy but she don't know her father,
That's ironic see a block away from Lueders park, I seen the El Camino parked
In her heart she hate it there, but in her mind she made it where
Nothing really matters, so she hit the back seat
Rosa Parks never a factor when she making ends meet
Fancy girls on Long Beach Blvd
Flagging down all of these flashy cars
And Lord knows she's beautiful
Lord knows the usuals, leaving a body sore
Her anatomy is God's temple, and it's quite simple
Her castle is about to be destroyed, she's always paranoid
Watching the law inside the streets undercover the dummies that look like decoys
Remember the sergeant let her slide,
Said if he seen what's between her thighs he'd compromise,
To no surprise she took the ultimatum around the alleyway and gave him
A warm welcome to fill him right below the navel
Though he was wired up like a pair of jumping cables
His eyes was closed shut, prior charges, he had waived 'em
It was a block away from Lueders Park, I seen a squad car parked
And in her heart, she hate it there but in her mind, she made it where
Nothing really matters, so she hit the back seat
Cause Rosa Parks never a factor when she topping off police
Fancy girls on Long Beach Blvd
Flagging down all of these flashy cars
And Lord knows she's beautiful
Lord knows the usuals, leaving a body sore
As she bust down like a 12 bunk on tour
She suddenly realized she'll never escape the allure
Of the black man, white man, needed satisfaction, at first
It became a practice, but now she's numb to it
Sometimes she wonder if she can do it like nuns do it
But she never heard of Catholic religion or sinners' redemption
That sounds foolish, and you can blame it on her mother
For letting her boyfriend slide candy under her cover
Ten months before she was ten he moved in and that's when he touched her
This muthafucka is the fucking reason why Keisha rushing through that
Block away from Lueders park, I seen a El Camino park
And in her heart she hate it there but in her mind, she made it where
Nothing really matters, so she hit the back seat
And caught a knife inside the bladder, left her dead, raped in the street Keisha's song
My little sister eleven, I looked her right in the face
The day that I wrote this song, set her down and pressed play
Fancy girls on Long Beach Blvd
Flagging down all of these flashy cars
Fancy girls on Long Beach Blvd oh
Flagging down all of these flashy cars
The song Keisha's Song by Kendrick Lamar featuring Astro Bot is a haunting tale of a young girl named Keisha who is forced into prostitution due to her circumstances. The first verse describes Keisha flagging down flashy cars on Long Beach Blvd, a famous street in California known for its association with prostitution. Despite her beauty, Keisha is left with a sore body after servicing her clients for little pay. She takes the little money she earns to fix her nail cuticles and wears lipstick to make herself more appealing. She plays Tupac's "Brenda's Got A Baby" and captures features of a woman, even though she is only 17. The verse ends with Keisha running away from the cars that honk at her, highlighting her desperate situation.
The second verse delves deeper into Keisha's miserable life. Her anatomy is God's temple, but it is about to be destroyed as her clients only leave her paranoid. She watches the law from the streets and knows that they are undercover, but she feels like they are just decoys. Her desperation reaches a new low when she agrees to compromise with a sergeant who gives her an ultimatum. She takes him to the alley and gives him a warm welcome to fill him right below the navel. The verse ends with Keisha dead and raped in the streets.
The chorus repeats at the end, emphasizing the tragedy of Keisha's story. The final lines emphasize that the song was written for Kendrick Lamar's little sister, aged eleven at the time, and shows the problems that exist in inner-city areas.
Line by Line Meaning
Fancy girls on Long Beach Blvd
Girls who dress up and look good on Long Beach Blvd
Flagging down all of these flashy cars
Stopping and signalling to posh cars driving by
And Lord knows she's beautiful
Everyone acknowledges her good looks
Lord knows the usuals leaving a body sore
Men who usually pay for sexual favors leave feeling physically hurt
She take the little change she make to fix her nail cuticles,
She spends the small amount of money she earns on maintaining her nails
Lipstick is suitable to make you fiend for more
Wearing lipstick increases the desire of men for her
She play Mr. Shakur
She listens to the music of Tupac Shakur
That's her favorite rapper bumping "Brenda's Got A Baby"
Her favorite song by Tupac Shakur is "Brenda's Got A Baby"
While a pervert yelling at her and she capture features of a woman
A man with perverse intentions is yelling at her while she tries to look and act like a grown woman
But only 17, the 7 cars start honkin'
She's only 17 years old but several cars are honking at her
She start running like FLo-Jo don't care if they Joe Blow
She runs away from the cars honking at her without any care for who they might be
If they got money to blow a blow job is a sure go
If they have money to pay for it, she's willing to perform oral sex
And sure enough don't see a dime of dirty dollars
Despite making money from such actions, she doesn't get to keep any of it
She give all to her daddy but she don't know her father,
She gives all her money to her father but she doesn't have any connection with her biological father
That's ironic see a block away from Lueders park, I seen the El Camino parked
It's ironic that there is an El Camino parked near Lueders Park where she's trying to escape from a life of prostitution despite her father owning a similar car
In her heart she hate it there, but in her mind she made it where
She doesn't like where she is but she tries to convince herself that she has made it
Nothing really matters, so she hit the back seat
She doesn't care about anything so she gets into the back seat of a car
Rosa Parks never a factor when she making ends meet
She doesn't care about civil rights and dignity when she wants to earn enough money to survive
Her anatomy is God's temple, and it's quite simple
She believes her body is sacred but the situation she's in makes it all too simple for her to be exploited
Her castle is about to be destroyed, she's always paranoid
Her body, which she considers her castle, is about to be taken away from her and she's always scared and anxious
Watching the law inside the streets undercover the dummies that look like decoys
She's wary of undercover cops in the streets who look like easy targets but could be setting her up instead
Remember the sergeant let her slide,
She remembers how a sergeant let her go without getting arrested for prostitution
Said if he seen what's between her thighs he'd compromise,
The sergeant offers to let her go if she has sex with him
To no surprise she took the ultimatum around the alleyway and gave him
Without any surprise, she gave in and had sex with the sergeant in the alleyway
A warm welcome to fill him right below the navel
She performed oral sex on him
Though he was wired up like a pair of jumping cables
He had a recording device on him
His eyes was closed shut, prior charges, he had waived 'em
He closed his eyes and ignored the fact that he was committing a crime
It was a block away from Lueders Park, I seen a squad car parked
A police car was parked near Lueders Park where she was involved in prostitution
As she bust down like a 12 bunk on tour
She continues to have sex with men like it's a job or a routine while on tour like a musician in a tour bus with 12 bunk beds
She suddenly realized she'll never escape the allure
She comes to a sudden realization that she'll never be able to get away from the temptation
Of the black man, white man, needed satisfaction, at first
Initially, she had sex with black and white men because she needed money and satisfaction
It became a practice, but now she's numb to it
Having sex with different men has become a routine and she's now desensitized
Sometimes she wonder if she can do it like nuns do it
Sometimes, she wonders if she could be celibate like nuns
But she never heard of Catholic religion or sinners' redemption
She's never been exposed to religion or the concept of being saved from sin
That sounds foolish, and you can blame it on her mother
She thinks the idea of religion sounds foolish and it's because of her mother's influence
For letting her boyfriend slide candy under her cover
Her mother's boyfriend molested her by making unwanted sexual advances
Ten months before she was ten he moved in and that's when he touched her
The boyfriend started molesting her ten months before she turned ten when he moved in with them
This muthafucka is the fucking reason why Keisha rushing through that
This man is the reason why Keisha is hurrying to get away from her current situation
And caught a knife inside the bladder, left her dead, raped in the street Keisha's song
She was killed and raped in the street with a knife wound to the bladder
My little sister eleven, I looked her right in the face
The singer refers to his younger sister who is eleven years old
The day that I wrote this song, set her down and pressed play
He played this song to his sister on the day he wrote it to make her aware of the dangers of the world
Fancy girls on Long Beach Blvd
Girls who dress up and look good on Long Beach Blvd
Flagging down all of these flashy cars
Stopping and signalling to posh cars driving by
Fancy girls on Long Beach Blvd oh
Girls who dress up and look good on Long Beach Blvd
Flagging down all of these flashy cars
Stopping and signalling to posh cars driving by
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DANTE PERKINS, DONTE PERKINS, KENDRICK LAMAR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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