What is this?

The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

The voice is Alvin Fields, the choir director working with Ken Lewis.

Ken Lewis is a musical composer and choir director who has worked with many big names in Hip Hop; including, but not limited to, 2 Chainz, Drake, Jay-Z, Kanye West & Young Jeezy.

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

What is this?

The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

K-Dot was Kendrick’s original rap name, and has now become an alter-ego. While Kendrick himself is laid back and calm, K-Dot is the more aggressive Compton side.

Usually when he uses the phrase mentioned in the previous line he is talking about Dump'n on people, something K-Dot loves to do.

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

What is this?

The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

Kendrick had a similar line during his verse on Meek Mill’s A1 Everything, saying:

Puttin my all inside your bitch, I grip her hips thats power steering

Except for this time around Kendrick’s having the woman perform fellatio, since he simply just wants to pop his top, slang for achieving orgasm. Since he’s not actually having sex with her, there’s no need to grab her hips like he’s power steering.

Interstate 105 is a freeway in California that goes right by Compton, where Kendrick is from.

He could also mean he’s getting head while driving, so he’s swerving in and out of lanes. In a car with no power steering, not giving a fuck.

Also a reference to Power 105.1, a popular hip-hop and R&B radio station in New York.

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

What is this?

The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

2012 was a breakout year for K-Dot. He went from being an underground rapper to becoming the center of attention in Hip Hop. Not only was his studio debut album, GKMC, a critical and commercial success, he also came in at #1 on MTV’s hottest MC list. Whether he’s doing songs with Jay-Z, kicking it with Lady Gaga or gracing the XXL cover with his mentor Dr. Dre, it’s safe to assume Kendrick is the ‘it’ rapper at the moment. He truly is Finally Famous.

Being the humble person Kendrick is, he credits his fans for his success and when he looks in the mirror he sees money, as he sees himself literally as the famous rapper he has become, it’s safe to say he is eatin'

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

What is this?

The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

It’s getting cold in here, so you should drop it like it’s hot.

Q may be employing a double entendre, saying that he can afford to raise the setting of his thermostat from 72 degrees to 75 because he’s got a lot of money.

Q could also be referring to his drug dealing past, specifically talking about the heating process used to cook drugs up

“Drop that” could also be a reference to the bass, which kicks in right after this line

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

What is this?

The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

50 told me go ‘head switch the style up, and if they hate then let 'em hate and watch the money pile up

Ye has always had a love-hate relationship with the media and the critics. They love him when he puts out new music, but criticize him for his action.

Ye best described his feelings about this issue during the BET Cypher, where he said:

This game you could never win
Cause they love you then they hate you then they love you again

As he states in the next line, he doesn’t care about pleasing anybody, he simply acts how he pleases.

Also, note that in the Biblical story of creation, God made man in His image. Though an all-knowing and all-seeing being, God did not intervene when man sinned and were (as Christians believe) separated from Him. In a sense, this line could be interpreted as “soon as [man] is like [God], [God] makes [man] unlike [Him]”.

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

What is this?

The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

Track 2 off the mixtape Longterm Mentality. This song features a hook from Ab-Soul’s fellow Black Hippy member Schoolboy Q.

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

What is this?

The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

Usually a woman licks her lips to show that she is interested in taking part in sexual activity, do you really expect Cole to deny that? Cole discussed his internal conflict with temptations, in his song Forbidden Fruit, even comparing his struggles, to those of Adam and Eve.

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

What is this?

The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

As a kid, a young Cole, dreamed of a normal life which usually consists of a wife, kids, and a home. He has discussed this topic in the past, specifically on his song Breakdown, saying

I wanted a big house with a white picket fence and a pool

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

What is this?

The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

One of the main themes of Born Sinner revolves around Cole discussing his difficulties as an artist who was forced to compromise his artistic vision to create ‘mainstream music’, something he discusses in detail on the track Let Nas Down. His sophomore album is supposed to be geared more towards his hardcore fans, allowing him to keep his artistic integrity, something he cares for very deeply. Thanks to the impressive commercial success of his debut, Cole’s record label has given him more creative control second time around and allowed him to make more intellectual music.

He also recognizes that the business end of the rap game is like a cliff, forcing the quality music to fall off. Luckily Cole was there to catch his music before he was totally forced to cross over to the ‘mainstream’.

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.