Fred Hampton was a charismatic African-American activist who was also associated with the Black Panthers. He was a revolutionary who joined at 19 and amazingly became a leader of their Chicago, Illinois chapter at 20.

Hampton was for the people and was constantly at work, whether he was teaching daily Political Education classes or helping at a Free People’s Clinic. He eventually also launched a community control of police project to help curb the destructive nature of citizen-police relations. Remember, it was an era of racism. He also helped to form the BPP’s Free Breakfast Program and before his death, was scheduled to become the Chief of Staff for their central committee.

As Jay-Z notes, Fred Hampton was brutally assassinated in his apartment on December 4th, 1969. This was carried out not by a rogue citizen or gunman, but by the Chicago police who worked in conjunction with the FBI. Murder to excellence indeed.

There’s much more to say on this man so research is recommended. In any case, respect is due.

To begin, Kendrick is reminiscing on the ideologies of peace & social advancements of colored people advocated by the great Martin Luther King Jr. However, those ideas conflict with those of Malcolm X’s, which seemed to be what Kendrick is more in tune with as depicted in the next lines, through the “hex.”

While everyone else was waiting at a standstill, Lamar was making moves. He got off the typical route, started building his empire and writing down his message. He’s gone after HiiiPower. Notice how these lines change as the song progresses.

Kendrick is making a statement that shows that his race is not a disadvantage; he’s independent & is moving forward to reach success. This is important as he contrasts one oppressive event (slavery) in Black history to a time of glory (Egyptian Royalty). Therefore, suggesting others alike to unleash their true potential by unlocking their shackels.

The slave ship mention is relevant to the Atlantic slave trade:

This is possibly also a jab at the social pyramid of society. Egyptian symbols and mythology are frequent in freemasonry which ties in with the Illuminati line later on. He subtly hints at the influence on society from the masons, etc. and wants people to build up their own system of knowledge and power.

2012 might not just be a mythical date of the apocalypse but might actually be real (although it wasn’t). He wants to make sure he gets his message out before then. .

Cool fact: Kendrick’s classic album, “Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City,” was released in 2012.

The Bible teaches in Luke 6:29: “Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.”

Kendrick, probably making a subtle reference to Malcolm X, can’t allow his enemies to get at him that easily, he has to rebel against them.

Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery.

Could also be referring to the peaceful movements of Gandhi and Martin Luther, the non-violent resistance.

Huey Newton was a co-founder of the Black Panther Party, an African-American revolutionary leftist organization. The Black Panthers fought against racism and were noted for their militant stance, politics, cultural expression and determinedness. They had a great impact on America and by extension, other countries. More than just simply fighting against racism, the BPP and NBPP are representatives of the Pro-Black movement.

“Going stupid” is another way of saying you’re “goin in” or doing something with a lot of energy.
Also, in In Seize the Time (Bobby Seale) the author Bobby Seale mentions over and over again how agitating it is for people not to educate themselves, but to live by the hype, to be racist against people who are not racist towards you, and how the system can only be changed from within, with the people who want to change it (even if this means these people being different from you)… Huey Newton goes stupid due to stupidity and closed mindedness–Eldridge Cleaver, Huey P., and Bobby Seale fought hard against the racist system, losing everything they fought for so others can be stupid and only half-educated about topics.

Diabetes is a disease in which your body cannot properly metabolize sugar. Type II diabetes can be caused by eating too much sugar.

Kendrick’s not going to make the situation and topic seem softer and less intense than they really are. Most other rappers wouldn’t have the guts to do this – they’d sugar coat the truth. That is just as bad for you as actually eating too much sugar.

This is the hand sign for the HiiiPoWeR movement. The 3 fingers resemble the 3 “i"s in HiiiPoWeR, they represent heart, honor, and respect.

Sound’s like Kendrick might be facing slightly similar challenges to what Jay-Z did. The line is interpretable as preyed/prayed. Kendrick hasn’t prayed in weeks and the demons in him are tempting him to prey on the weak.