Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987), professionally known as Kend… Read Full Bio ↴Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987), professionally known as Kendrick Lamar, is a rapper from Compton, California. He is also a member of the hip-hop supergroup Black Hippy collective along with members Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, and Schoolboy Q. His music is largely influenced by the works of 2Pac, Jay-Z, Nas, DMX, The Notorious B.I.G., Mos Def, Eazy-E and Eminem.

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.

The Recipe
Kendrick Lamar Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Smokin' weed with you
'Cause you've taught me to
Smokin' weed with you
'Cause you've taught me to

Every morning when I wake up, uh, money on my mind
Good times and get caked up, uh, sunshine coming through my blinds
I'm living but, really though, it's never enough

Ten milli on, that's a must, living in California
Everybody wanna visit for (women, weed and weather)
They come for (women, weed and weather)
(For the women, weed and weather)
From all around the world for the (women, weed and weather)
These niggas'll kill for that, put it in your grill for that
Still everybody gotta build for that, me? I make mills off that
How the fuck can't y'all see I ride, when I drive, down the block and
You look outside, H-A-T-E in your eyes, I enter big money for the enterprise
It's a beautiful day I guess for a bitch to roll with Andre I guess
Roll it up, baby come and lift that dress then roll it up for me when I'm stressed

You might catch me in Atlanta looking like a boss
New Orleans and then Miami, party in New York
Texas I be screwed up, Chi town I be really pimping
But nothing like my hometown I'm forever living
Women, weed and weather
(They come for) women, weed and weather
For the women, weed and weather
(From all around the world for the) women, weed and weather
Got that women, weed and weather
Don't it sound clever, come and play
What more can I say? Welcome to LA

My nigga said he wanna fly out to get him
Some, three W's only for a three day run, bitch
Take them motherfuckin' panties off, you ain't no nun, shit
I be living in the sky every time I ride by them hoes
Ribbon in the sky on the radio 'cause Stevie know I control
Let it breathe, I control, California living 'til I am old
You want to be on, to peak on the chart
So the peons can be gone and pee on their hearts
She in the coupe, she in the Neon 'cause she on the BS before we can start
Fuck with a nigga, ride with a nigga, let 'em know the priority order me
Hennessy and for my niggas OG Killa, call it Jason Voorhees
Boy he's on his job, boy he sure be having the marks on they mark
Pretty bitches and tire marks, let 'em inhale them pipe exhausts
Let 'em reveal how much it cost for this life controlling my vice
No way hell no, uh uh, if I'm wrong I don't wanna be right
You want to be on, to peak on the chart
So the peons can be gone and pee on their hearts
Women, weed, weather, it's not my fault
That it's eighty-two degrees and my top peeled off

You might catch me in Atlanta looking like a boss
New Orleans and then Miami, party in New York
Texas I be screwed up, Chi town I be really pimping
But nothing like my hometown I'm forever living
Women, weed and weather
(They come for) women, weed and weather
For the women, weed and weather
(From all around the world for the) women, weed and weather
Got that women, weed and weather
Don't it sound clever, come and play
What more can I say? Welcome to LA

Known for that homegrown where I come from
Smoke one, palm trees, double D's got 'em topless in the sun
I shall proceed, that's me, muthafuck your opinion
How many ways am I killing 'em? Shit, right around a billion
We on it, that mean we living for the moment
That mean she'll fuck 'til the morning, time and I got time
And I know that I'm in a position of controlling, anything out by that ocean
I'm a boss I'll buy that ocean, ain't nobody fucking with this

They want that shit, they often feind, I give it to 'em, but in between
My time, I gotta tie shoestrings, life's a trip when you want these things
I often slip and then I lean toward three W's in life
You know blow job need an application, eating pussy make appetite
And yeah my type, I like 'em brown, just like my drink, the fuck you think?
I don't fuck with no hand me downs, see if you fuck then it's after me
You know how much I'ma make it work? You know her dress, slip it in her purse
When you discussed your love for lust, just make sure you visit here first, Cali

You might catch me in Atlanta looking like a boss
New Orleans and then Miami, party in New York
Texas I be screwed up, Chi town I be really pimping
But nothing like my hometown I'm forever living
Women, weed and weather
(They come for) women, weed and weather
For the women, weed and weather
(From all around the world for the) women, weed and weather
Got that women, weed and weather

Don't it sound clever, come and play
What more can I say? Welcome to LA

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Kendrick Lamar's "The Recipe" highlight the allure of living in California, specifically Los Angeles, because of the overwhelming presence of three things: women, weed, and weather. Lamar explains that the great appeal of California is its year-round sunshine and comfortable weather that allows people to wear minimal clothing and enjoy the beach and the palm trees. However, the primary draw to California is the cannabis culture that seemingly exists everywhere. Lamar uses cannabis as a metaphor for his comfort in California, and his happiness stems from having a spiritual awakening that he attributes to smoking cannabis. The song also touches upon Lamar's philosophy that success in life is about keeping it simple and having fun, less so about social standing or career success.

The lyrics of the song primarily focus on the three Ws- women, weed, and weather- which represent the broad appeal of Los Angeles. At the same time, Lamar is also attempting to grapple with themes related to success in life, personal fulfillment, and the desire to remain happy in the face of temptation. By using these themes to create a portrait of Los Angeles, Lamar connects his story to the stories of countless other outsiders who come to LA chasing their dreams.

Line by Line Meaning

Smokin' weed with you
I'm smoking weed with you

'Cause you've taught me to
Because you taught me to

Every morning when I wake up, uh, money on my mind
I wake up in the morning thinking about money

Good times and get caked up, uh, sunshine coming through my blinds
I have a good time and make a lot of money, with sunshine coming through the windows

I'm living but, really though, it's never enough
I'm alive but it never feels like enough

Ten milli on, that's a must, living in California
Having ten million dollars is a must while living in California

Everybody wanna visit for (women, weed and weather)
Everyone wants to visit California for women, weed, and weather

They come for (women, weed and weather)
People come to California for women, weed, and weather

(For the women, weed and weather)
For the women, weed, and weather

From all around the world for the (women, weed and weather)
People from all over the world come to California for women, weed, and weather

These niggas'll kill for that, put it in your grill for that
People are willing to kill for women, weed, and weather in California

Still everybody gotta build for that, me? I make mills off that
Everyone has to work hard for it, but I make millions of dollars from it

How the fuck can't y'all see I ride, when I drive, down the block and
How can you not see me when I'm driving around the block?

You look outside, H-A-T-E in your eyes, I enter big money for the enterprise
When you look outside, you see me making a lot of money for my enterprise and you hate it

It's a beautiful day I guess for a bitch to roll with Andre I guess
I guess it's a beautiful day for a woman to hang out with Andre

Roll it up, baby come and lift that dress then roll it up for me when I'm stressed
Roll up a joint, then let me lift up your dress and you can roll it up for me when I'm stressed

You might catch me in Atlanta looking like a boss
You might see me looking like a boss in Atlanta

New Orleans and then Miami, party in New York
I like to party in New Orleans, Miami, and New York

Texas I be screwed up, Chi town I be really pimping
When I'm in Texas I'm messed up, and when I'm in Chicago I'm really pimping

But nothing like my hometown I'm forever living
But nothing compares to my hometown where I will always live

Got that women, weed and weather
I have women, weed, and weather

Don't it sound clever, come and play
Doesn't it sound clever? Come and join in

What more can I say? Welcome to LA
What else can I say? Welcome to Los Angeles

My nigga said he wanna fly out to get him
My friend said he wants to fly out here to buy some

Some, three W's only for a three day run, bitch
Some, women, weed, and weather, only for a three-day trip

Take them motherfuckin' panties off, you ain't no nun, shit
Take off your panties, you're not a nun

I be living in the sky every time I ride by them hoes
I feel on top of the world every time I ride past these women

Ribbon in the sky on the radio 'cause Stevie know I control
Stevie Wonder knows I control the radio because I'm so popular

Let it breathe, I control, California living 'til I am old
I control California and I plan to keep making money here until I'm old

You want to be on, to peak on the chart
You want to be on top, to peak in popularity

So the peons can be gone and pee on their hearts
So people who are not popular can go away and suffer

She in the coupe, she in the Neon 'cause she on the BS before we can start
She's in the coupe, she's in the Dodge Neon because she's already causing trouble before we even start

Fuck with a nigga, ride with a nigga, let 'em know the priority order me
Hang out with me, ride in my car, and let everyone know that I'm in charge

Hennessy and for my niggas OG Killa, call it Jason Voorhees
I drink Hennessy with my friends and we're called OG Killas, like Jason Voorhees

Boy he's on his job, boy he sure be having the marks on they mark
He's doing his job and he sure is making a mark on his competition

Pretty bitches and tire marks, let 'em inhale them pipe exhausts
I attract beautiful women and have tire marks on my car, and I let them smell the exhaust fumes

Let 'em reveal how much it cost for this life controlling my vice
Let them show how much money it takes to support my lifestyle, which is controlled by my addictions

No way hell no, uh uh, if I'm wrong I don't wanna be right
No way, if I'm wrong I don't want to be right

Women, weed, weather, it's not my fault
Women, weed, and weather are not my fault

That it's eighty-two degrees and my top peeled off
It's not my fault that it's 82 degrees and I have the top off my car

Known for that homegrown where I come from
I'm known for the homegrown weed where I come from

Smoke one, palm trees, double D's got 'em topless in the sun
Let's smoke some weed, there are palm trees, and women with large breasts are sunbathing topless

I shall proceed, that's me, muthafuck your opinion
I will continue on my path, that's who I am, and I don't care about your opinion

How many ways am I killing 'em? Shit, right around a billion
I'm killing it in so many ways, probably around a billion

We on it, that mean we living for the moment
We are doing it now, living in the moment

That mean she'll fuck 'til the morning, time and I got time
That means she'll have sex until morning, and I have time for that

And I know that I'm in a position of controlling, anything out by that ocean
I know that I am in control of anything that happens near the ocean

I'm a boss I'll buy that ocean, ain't nobody fucking with this
I'm a boss, I'll buy the ocean, nobody can beat me

They want that shit, they often feind, I give it to 'em, but in between
They want what I have, they're always looking for it, and I give it to them, but not all the time

My time, I gotta tie shoestrings, life's a trip when you want these things
I have to be somewhere at a certain time, life is tough when you want all of these things

I often slip and then I lean toward three W's in life
I often make mistakes and then I focus on the three W's of life (women, weed, weather)

You know blow job need an application, eating pussy make appetite
You need permission for a blow job, and eating pussy can make you hungry

And yeah my type, I like 'em brown, just like my drink, the fuck you think?
And yeah, I like brown-skinned women, just like my drink, what else would you think?

I don't fuck with no hand me downs, see if you fuck then it's after me
I don't settle for second-hand things, if you have sex with anyone else it's after me

You know how much I'ma make it work? You know her dress, slip it in her purse
Do you know how much I'm going to make it work? Do you see her dress? I'm going to slip it in her purse so we can leave

When you discussed your love for lust, just make sure you visit here first, Cali
When you talk about your love of lust, make sure you come to California first

Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kendrick Lamar, Elijah Molina, Gabel Mullen D Amico, Udbhav Gupta, Andrea Estella Hernandez, Eric Michael Cardona, Bryan Matthew Ujueta, Sylvester Jordan Jr

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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