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.
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh you thought you had me all figured out?
Take it from the horses mouth, you'll never understand me
I told you, my Plan B is to you win your hearts before we win a Grammy
These Days ain't shit changed
Different toilet, same shit and I drank a whole gallon
Of laxatives by accident just to shit on you has-beens
Had it been for my past tense, I wouldn't be rapping
Made me hungry, made you hate me, but fuck love
It don't make dollars it don't make sense nigga
By the way that's DJ Quik nigga
Respect or check it
These Days I'm a little more focused cause y'all cracked the door
And I kicked it open, yellin' get the fuck down or I will shoot
I told you not to motherfuckin' move!
Be another example, I'll take the whole industry hostage if I have to
I'll sabotage this game, a good kid? Yeah that's only in my mama's eyes
I seen a dead body at five and that shit made me traumatized
So These Days, a little blood on my hands ain't nothing compared
To hopping out a minivan, with a mini 22 3s and the homie TuTu
Two more YGs
Ain't nobody got time for that!
These Days it's only time for rap!
So Herbet Anthony Stevens, you make or break bread before we break even
Before they broke our records we broke records and wrote pieces, of history
So These Days? These accolades are meant for we
It's only truth that this shit was meant to be
T.D.E
Life's in a Traffic Jam
Shit, what more did you expect? HiiiPower
For the most part, we go hard for the respect
I'm obviously ominous to my competition and if
I ain't better than Kendrick than nobody is then!
We shared our life with you, shared our light with you even in the darkest of hours
In hopes that one day, just maybe, one day the world'll be ours
Ha, and now they look up to us like towers for rhyming like we had super powers
They should've never let us in these offices
Knowing good and God-damn well how well we've been ducking officers
Laughing at the scraps they offered us in the past
And now we toast champagne to the thirst we never had!
I had my ups and downs but I always left right
Rest In Peace Alori Joh
TopDawg for life!
And oh yeah
SOUL!
I watch this fire that we're gathered around and see
That it burns similar to the fire that is inside you
In the song "Kendrick Lamar", Kendrick spits bars that seem to be a defiant declaration of his greatness. He starts off the verse by asserting his timely presence and how he cannot be contained or understood by anyone. He then goes on to reveal his plan B, which is to win hearts before winning a Grammy. He likens the rap game to an unchanged toilet bowl that he, like a laxative, intends to flush out by shitting on the has-beens who inhabit it. Kendrick then paints a picture of a life that he is all too familiar with, one that made him and then broke him down only to rebuild him. He raps about how the hate that people expressed towards him only made him hungrier, and how he is now focused on making rap music that bangs. The verse is peppered with violent imagery and he talks of taking the whole industry hostage if he has to. In the end, he raises a toast to a life that he has always dreamed of and is now living.
Line by Line Meaning
24/7, 365, motherfucker I'm still right on time
I'm always on time, every day of the year
Oh you thought you had me all figured out?
Did you think you knew everything about me?
Take it from the horses mouth, you'll never understand me
You won't ever really get me, listen to me
I told you, my Plan B is to you win your hearts before we win a Grammy
My backup plan is winning your affection before winning an award
These Days ain't shit changed
Things are the same as ever
Different toilet, same shit and I drank a whole gallon
Same problems again and again, it's tiring
Of laxatives by accident just to shit on you has-beens
I consumed something by accident to show former rivals and peers theyāre no longer a challenge to me
Had it been for my past tense, I wouldn't be rapping
Without the past experiences, I wouldn't have started a career in music
See these streets made me, broke me down, built me up, drove me crazy
My background shaped and changed me, had rough times and progress
Made me hungry, made you hate me, but fuck love
Gave me an ambition, you went against me, I'm not talking about love here
It don't make dollars it don't make sense nigga
Logic says you need to be earning money to make sense
By the way that's DJ Quik nigga
I need to mention that's DJ Quik for anyone who didn't recognize him
Respect or check it
Show some respect or test me
These Days I'm a little more focused cause y'all cracked the door
Recently I'm concentrating more due to opportunities
And I kicked it open, yellin' get the fuck down or I will shoot
I entered aggressively, threatening anyone to stay still or face the consequences
I told you not to motherfuckin' move!
I warned you not to move!
Be another example, I'll take the whole industry hostage if I have to
I'll make an example out of everyone and force them to comply
I'll sabotage this game, a good kid? Yeah that's only in my mama's eyes
I'll ruin the music industry, being labeled as a good kid doesn't matter
I seen a dead body at five and that shit made me traumatized
As a child, seeing a dead person had a lasting effect on me
So These Days, a little blood on my hands ain't nothing compared
Nowadays, violence doesn't scare me like it used to
To hopping out a minivan, with a mini 22 3s and the homie TuTu
Getting out of a car with a small firearm and my friend TuTu
Two more YGs
Two more gangsters
Ain't nobody got time for that!
I don't have time for that nonsense!
These Days it's only time for rap!
These days, all I have time for is music
So Herbet Anthony Stevens, you make or break bread before we break even
You need to either help or hinder us before we can break even financially
Before they broke our records we broke records and wrote pieces, of history
We created a new type of music, that made history
So These Days? These accolades are meant for we
These days, we deserve the praise and awards
It's only truth that this shit was meant to be
It's honest that this music was always meant to happen
T.D.E
Top Dawg Entertainment
Life's in a Traffic Jam
Life is currently difficult and stuck in traffic
Shit, what more did you expect? HiiiPower
I did what I had to do, HiiiPower
For the most part, we go hard for the respect
We put a lot of effort into earning respect
I'm obviously ominous to my competition and if
It's clear to competitors I'm a threat and the best
I ain't better than Kendrick than nobody is then!
If you can't consider me the best, no one should be the best!
We shared our life with you, shared our light with you even in the darkest of hours
We've given you our life, even during the darkest period
In hopes that one day, just maybe, one day the world'll be ours
Hopefully one day we'll have success and worldwide recognition
Ha, and now they look up to us like towers for rhyming like we had super powers
People admire us for our lyrical abilities as if they're superpowers
They should've never let us in these offices
They should've never let us get this far in the music industry
Knowing good and God-damn well how well we've been ducking officers
They know very well how we avoided getting caught by the authorities
Laughing at the scraps they offered us in the past
We're laughing at the small opportunities they gave us in the past
And now we toast champagne to the thirst we never had!
Now we celebrate because we're finally successful after not having hope before
I had my ups and downs but I always left right
My life had high and low moments but balanced out
Rest In Peace Alori Joh
Alori Joh, rest in peace
TopDawg for life!
I'm always with TopDawg Entertainment, it's for life!
And oh yeah
By the way,
SOUL!
Soul!
Lyrics Ā© Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Herbert Stevens, Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, Terrace Martin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@melihiscan4145
[Verse 1]
I can tell you what it is, I can tell you what it isn't
No more K. Dot, my mother had named me Kendrick
Fuck a stage name, that's the name that I was given
The only thing that I can identify within this business
I'm just a good kid from Compton that want to rap
Weighing my options, pick up a Bible or a strap?
I never killed a man, never sold any crack
All I ever did was try to keep my city on the map
But this monkey on my back, y'all don't want me to win
I'm tryna follow dreams, you want me to follow trends
So just to get a dollar, will I sell my soul?
I look the Devil in the eye and tell him, "Hell no"
They say anything worth having is worth the wait
Well, I want the world, tell me how long that takes
There's no time like now, I can cut my patience short
Or give 'em some more gowns, I don't even want the crown
I just want a peace of mind, and nigga, when I get it
You won't get a piece of mine, won't you mind your own business?
A rich nigga buy anything you sell him
A broke nigga believe anything that you tell him
Well I'm a broke nigga, but still I wouldn't listen to you
Even if your hand was on a Bible quote, nigga, pfttuh
[Verse 2]
See I was brought up different
Whatever that my pops said, for sure I'd listen
You said you did dirt, but I can't dig it
It don't concern you if you wasn't born in it
Oh-no-oh-oh
I swear we got to fast-forward, before time flies by
My new saying for '0-10 is, why lie?
And if you ain't trying to win, then why try?
Now you can low-ball or give me high five
This is I nigga, look into my eye[Hook]
Nigga, I am Kendrick... Lamar
Nigga, my name is Kendrick... Lamar
I said my name is Kendrick... Lamar
I changed the name cause I was tired of being like y'all
Now finally I'm ready to tell the world who I are, pfttuh
[Verse 3]
And that used to be a hell of a task
Now I'm ahead of my class, so go ahead and harass
My character like it don't carry a confidence
That can marry a Halle Berry or Angelina with no cash
I'm bout to cash in my thoughts
Give you a compass, then tell you get lost
What I'm bout to accomplish is something that you can't fathom
Once the Eves come, they quick to stare at him
Hoping I don't take their bitch, but I'm on some other shit
When I'm done, I'm tryna run the government
These are big dreams, tansition from a rapper to a human being
You can't 'school' a dean
I be tutoring artist-es, leave 'em with no audience
All cause they all oversaw it, my God
Y'all be out partying, I be stealing your audience
All because who I are, Lamar
[Hook]
But my first name, it gotta be Kendrick... Lamar
Nigga, my name is Kendrick... Lamar
I changed the name cause I was tired of being like y'all
Now finally I'm ready to tell the world who I are, now let's go
@alainducasse6199
its hard to find this song when you're actually trying to
@Girlsarewavy
alain ducasse lmfao
@xxxamesxxx9687
The truest commment
@Notyel
FACTSS
@sumrb_
i actually typed ''kendrick lamar kendrick lamar'' and found it
@lusakaonlineagribusiness5993
šššš
@Ace01010
This isn't the Kendrick you deserve, This is the Kendrick that you need.
@Dr.JudeAEMasonMD
šš½šš„
@gutadaria7899
Kendrick is the only artist that i can listen to everyday without getting bored :)
@whizzbangbang
kendrick saved the rap game and then took it to another level may he long continue to bless us