Genius | Song Lyrics & Knowledge

Platinum, platinum, platinum
Gotta look at self and ask, "What happened?"
How y'all let a conscious nigga go commercial
While only makin' conscious albums? Future (Ft. Kendrick Lamar) – Mask Off (Remix)

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Despite Kendrick creating conscious music, he’s still found just as much commercial success, if not more, than other mainstream artists who are more focused on creating chart topping hits than songs with a message.

All of Kendrick’s three major-label albums—good kid, m.A.A.d city, To Pimp a Butterfly, and DAMN.—have achieved platinum status, even though he has stayed true to himself as an artist.

Some fans have interpreted these lyrics as another shot at Drake. On The Game’s 2015 song “100,” Drake rapped:

I would have all of your fans if I didn’t go poppin'
I stayed on some conscious shit

The delivery of this line is also eerily similar to Drake’s rhetorical question on “Free Smoke,” where he rapped:

How you let the kid fightin'
Ghost-writin' rumors turn you to a ghost?

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Despite Kendrick creating conscious music, he's still found just as much commercial success, if not more, than other mainstream artists who are more focused on creating chart topping hits than songs with a message.

All of Kendrick's three major-label albums—[*good kid, m.A.A.d city*](/albums/Kendrick-lamar/Good-kid-m-a-a-d-city), [*To Pimp a Butterfly*](/Kendrick-lamar-to-pimp-a-butterfly-tracklist-album-art-lyrics), and [*DAMN.*](/Kendrick-lamar-damn-tracklist-album-art-lyrics)---have achieved platinum status, even though he has stayed true to himself as an artist.

Some fans have interpreted these lyrics as another shot at Drake. On The Game's 2015 song ["100,"](https://genius.com/The-game-100-lyrics) Drake rapped:

>I would have all of your fans if I didn't go poppin'
I stayed on some conscious shit

The delivery of this line is also eerily similar to Drake's rhetorical question on ["Free Smoke,"](https://genius.com/Drake-free-smoke-lyrics) where he rapped:

>How you let the kid fightin'
Ghost-writin' rumors turn you to a ghost?

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6 years

He saying that even his a conscious rapper say he is going platinum and his going to unveil all ass and end so many rapper career, that’s he has power to change people mindset.

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7 years

Drakes verse from The Game’s 100 reads as
“I would have all of your fans If I didn’t go pop and I stay on some conscious shit”

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7 years

Drakes verse from The Game’s 100 reads as
“I would have all of your fans If I didn’t go pop and I stay on some conscious shit”

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469

7 years

The idea of ‘mask off’ i.e. removing the superficial mask we all have resonates with Kendrick as he often alludes to a conflict between his introversion and extroversion and commercial and ethereal conviction. This conflict is summarised as his conscious albums have become commercialised but still retain a conscious message.

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241

7 years

It’s also interesting how Kendrick now calls himself a conscious rapper, a term he distanced himself from on his track “Ignorance is Bliss”

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692

7 years

Also important to throw out that he threw in one “platinum” for each of his major label albums.

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Stephen Agwu

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7 years

This can also allude to Drake as Drake says “plat plat only” in his song Grammy, just as Kendrick says “platinum platinum platinum”. This ties into his alluding to Drake’s verse on Games track “100”. Kendrick is saying he went platinum on all his song while staying conscious, something Drake admitted he couldn’t (or wouldn’t) do.

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1,070

7 years

he’s just talking about how the system let him go commercial while exposing and discussing controversial topics…and you can clearly see that in the following lines

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Left Hollywood Meek Mill – Left Hollywood

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This song was released as part of a 3 song EP titled Meekend Music to celebrate Meek’s 30th birthday. It was later included on his third studio album, Wins & Losses.

The song samples Amber Run’s song “I Found” and Meek throws a jab at rival, Drake on the final verse :

Where I’m from if you turn eighteen, then that’s More Life

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7 years

I don’t really see it as a ‘jab’. It’s more like he’s making bars

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Ooh, that pussy good, won't you sit it on my taste bloods? Kendrick Lamar – HUMBLE.

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Kendrick conflates “bloods” with “buds” so that both words are heard. He mentioned his “taste bloods” previously in the God Is Gangsta extended music video—there is a frame that displays the words:

“Taste blood” is an idiom used to indicate something exciting—oral sex, in Kendrick’s case. He may also be alluding to the Blood gang.

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554

2 years

Taste bloods could be referring to a period?? Similar vain to how DOOM said: “leaving pussy cats like why hoes need Kotex, exercise index”.

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Pretty little body dancin' like GoGo, hey French Montana (Ft. Swae Lee) – Unforgettable

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Go-Go dancers are hired by a club/rave to entertain a crowd.

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Is it unconditional when the 'Rari don't start? Kendrick Lamar (Ft. Rihanna) – LOYALTY.

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“‘Rari” is slang for Ferrari. This is a metaphor for Kendrick’s success—when the Ferrari breaks down, will they (his family, friends, fans, and partner) still ride unconditionally and remain loyal?

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4,018

3 years

When shit hits the fan, is you still a fan?

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That homework better be finished, I beat yo' ass
Your teachers better not be bitchin' 'bout you in class Kendrick Lamar – FEAR.

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It seems Kendrick’s mother’s fear worked—he was a straight A student during high school, and some classes even inspired him to start writing songs:

School was pretty fun for me. I knew when it was time to press the button and get the grade.

I was in seventh grade, I had an English class and a teacher by the name of Mr Inge and he would give us these poetry assignments, and there was one particular homework assignment what I didn’t do and I said to myself, ‘when I get to school I’m going to write it as fast as possible’, and I did. I had like ten minutes until I had to turn it in, so I did it and I turned it in.

Later that day, he was passing out the grades and I was looking at my friends going ‘man, I got a D, I got a C’ and I looked at it and it was an ‘A’. From that moment on I knew I had a gift to put words together and draw my inspiration out on a piece of paper, that was the beginning of when I started writing actual lyrics.

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It seems Kendrick's mother's fear worked—he was a [straight A student](https://www.joe.co.uk/entertainment/kendrick-lamar-if-you-dont-have-drive-you-are-going-to-fall-short-7155) during high school, and some classes even inspired him to start writing songs:

>School was pretty fun for me. I knew when it was time to press the button and get the grade.

>I was in seventh grade, I had an English class and a teacher by the name of  Mr Inge and he would give us these poetry assignments, and there was one particular homework assignment what I didn’t do and I said to myself, 'when I get to school I’m going to write it as fast as possible', and I did. I had like ten minutes until I had to turn it in, so I did it and I turned it in.

>Later that day, he was passing out the grades and I was looking at my friends going ‘man, I got a D, I got a C’ and I looked at it and it was an ‘A’. From that moment on I knew I had a gift to put words together and draw my inspiration out on a piece of paper, **that was the beginning of when I started writing actual lyrics.**

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131

2 years

What a poetry it is

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They say only the good die young
That just ain't right Lana Del Rey (Ft. The Weeknd) – Lust for Life

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This may be another allusion to the suicide of Peg Entwistle, a young actor dubbed “The Hollywood Sign Girl.” Entwistle tragically committed suicide at 24 by jumping off the “H” on the Hollywood sign in 1932 after suffering depression due to a failed career in acting.

Lana has shown her desire to die young in multiple songs and interviews. In a 2014 interview with The Guardian, Lana said:

I wish I was dead already […] I don’t know. Ummm, yeah. That’s just how I feel. If it wasn’t that way, then I wouldn’t say it. I would be scared if I knew [death] was coming, but…

This line is also a nod to Billy Joel’s “Only The Good Die Young.”

Lana seems to refer to her wish to die young, like in her prime but also shows her awareness that it ain’t right.

The two lines basically state that more positivity should be given more time to lighten up the world. It relates to the injustice we feel when someone leaves our world that has so much life ahead of him/herself.

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This may be another allusion to the suicide of [Peg Entwistle](http://hollywoodsign.org/a-sign-of-the-times-tragic-suicide-off-the-h/), a young actor dubbed "The Hollywood Sign Girl." Entwistle tragically committed suicide at 24 by jumping off the "H" on the Hollywood sign in 1932 after suffering depression due to a failed career in acting.

Lana has shown her desire to die young in multiple songs and interviews. In a 2014 interview with [*The Guardian,*](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jun/12/lana-del-rey-ultraviolence-album) Lana said:

>I wish I was dead already [...] I don't know. Ummm, yeah. That's just how I feel. If it wasn't that way, then I wouldn't say it. I would be scared if I knew [death] was coming, but...

This line is also a nod to Billy Joel's ["Only The Good Die Young."](https://genius.com/Billy-joel-only-the-good-die-young-lyrics)

http://images.genius.com/532ed41a5629a063bf81d5175289e0c6.300x299x1.jpg

Lana seems to refer to her wish to die young, like in her prime but also shows her awareness that it ain't right.

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On your pulse like it's EDM Kendrick Lamar (Ft. Rihanna) – LOYALTY.

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Rihanna plays on “pulse,” like the human heart beat. EDM (Electronic Dance Music) typically has a BPM (beats per minute) of 125-130.

Pulse is also a radio station that plays Electronic Dance Music or EDM. It started in Bondi Beach Australia and is headquartered in Los Angeles.

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Zacari Zacari

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Hailing from Bakersfield, California, Zacari Pacaldo is an up and coming R&B/Pop singer.

Notable songs of his include “Foggy Windows” and his various collaborations with TDE artists such as Isaiah Rashad, Ab-Soul, and Kendrick Lamar.

His breakout feature came on 2017’s “LOVE.” from Kendrick Lamar’s album DAMN.—a song he pitched to Kendrick himself.

In an interview with Pitchfork, he recounts how he got into music:

My parents had me in a performing arts school when I was like 8 years old, so I’ve been singing. I used to do like Elvis and James Brown stuff as a kid. And then I really got into like writing and singing when I joined the worship team for my youth group at the church. I learned how to play guitar, so I was initially just playing guitar. And then I started singing while playing guitar. And then I ended up leading the whole church’s band, all through high school, and I played saxophone through high school too, jazz band and stuff like that.

On January 25, 2019, Zacari was announced as TDE’s newest signee along with the release of his debut single, “Don’t Trip.”

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Hailing from Bakersfield, California, Zacari Pacaldo is an up and coming R&B/Pop singer.

Notable songs of his include ["Foggy Windows"](https://genius.com/Zacari-foggy-windows-lyrics) and his various collaborations with TDE artists such as [Isaiah Rashad](/artists/Isaiah-rashad), [Ab-Soul](/artists/Ab-soul), and [Kendrick Lamar](/artists/Kendrick-lamar).

His breakout feature came on 2017's ["LOVE."](https://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-love-lyrics) from Kendrick Lamar's album *DAMN.*—a song he [pitched to Kendrick himself.](https://genius.com/a/zacari-details-his-feature-on-kendrick-lamar-s-love)

In an interview with [*Pitchfork*,](http://pitchfork.com/news/72851-kendrick-lamars-damn-collaborator-zacari-talks-new-song-love-and-more/?mbid=social_twitter) he recounts how he got into music:

>My parents had me in a performing arts school when I was like 8 years old, so I’ve been singing. I used to do like Elvis and James Brown stuff as a kid. And then I really got into like writing and singing when I joined the worship team for my youth group at the church. I learned how to play guitar, so I was initially just playing guitar. And then I started singing while playing guitar. And then I ended up leading the whole church’s band, all through high school, and I played saxophone through high school too, jazz band and stuff like that.

On January 25, 2019, [Zacari was announced](https://twitter.com/dangerookipawaa/status/1088875738177011712) as [TDE](https://genius.com/artists/Top-dawg-entertainment)'s newest signee along with the release of his debut single, ["Don't Trip."](https://genius.com/Zacari-dont-trip-lyrics)

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591,060

7 years

@genius-editorial-board – we didn’t have a bio here so i wrote a quick one, if anyone wants to add stuff go for it!

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304

8 years

i just wanted to say that i know Bakersfield from American Truck Simulation Game

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I'm willin' to die for this shit, nigga
I'll take your fuckin' life for this shit, nigga
We ain't goin' back to broke, family sellin' dope
That's why you maney-ass rap niggas better know Kendrick Lamar – ELEMENT.

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These lyrics emphasize that for both Kendrick and anybody who challenges him, the stakes are life and death.

“Maney” is term used in the Bay Area of Northern California. It’s a shorthand version of the word “maniac,” and an alternative way of saying “weird” or “crazy.”

Kendrick alludes to his father hustling later in the album on “DUCKWORTH.,” rapping:

He worked the window, his name was Ducky
He came from the streets, the Robert Taylor Homes
Southside Projects, Chiraq, the Terror Dome
Drove to California with a woman on him and 500 dollars
They had a son, hopin' that he’d see college
Hustlin' on the side with a nine-to-five to freak it

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