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To Pimp a Butterfly

Kendrick Lamar on i with interviewer Rob Markman on MTV

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i Is this mic on? (Hey, move this way, this way)
Hey, Hey! Hey! Turn the mic up, c'mon, c'mon
Is the mic on or not? I want the mic
We're bringing up nobody, nobody...
Nobody but the number one rapper in the world
He done traveled all over the world
He came back just to give you some game
All of the little boys and girls, come up here
(One two, one two, what's happening, fool?)
Come right here, this is for you, come on up
Kendrick Lamar, make some noise, brother

I done been through a whole lot
Trial, tribulation, but I know God
The Devil wanna put me in a bow tie
Pray that the holy water don't go dry
As I look around me
So many motherfuckers wanna down me
But an enemigo never drown me
In front of a dirty double-mirror they found me

And (I love myself)
When you lookin' at me, tell me what do you see?
(I love myself)
Ahh, I put a bullet in the back of the back of the head of the police
(I love myself)
Illuminated by the hand of God, boy don't seem shy
(I love myself)
One day at a time, uhh

They wanna say it's a war outside, bomb in the street
Gun in the hood, mob of police
Rock on the corner with a line for the fiend
And a bottle full of lean and a model on the scheme uh
These days of frustration keep y'all on tuck and rotation (Come to the front)
I duck these cold faces, post up fi-fie-fo-fum basis
Dreams of reality's peace
Blow steam in the face of the beast
Sky could fall down, wind could cry now
Look at me motherfucker I smile

And (I love myself)
When you lookin' at me, tell me what do you see?
(I love myself)
Ahh, I put a bullet in the back of the back of the head of the police
(I love myself)
Illuminated by the hand of God, boy don't seem shy
(I love myself)
One day at a time, uhh

(Crazy)
(What you gon' do?)
Lift up your head and keep moving, (Keep moving) turn the mic up
(Haunt you)
Peace to fashion police, I wear my heart
On my sleeve, let the runway start
You know the miserable do love company
What do you want from me and my scars?
Everybody lack confidence, everybody lack confidence
How many times my potential was anonymous?
How many times the city making me promises?
So I promise this, nigga

And (I love myself)
When you lookin' at me, tell me what do you see?
(I love myself)
Ahh, I put a bullet in the back of the back of the head of the police
(I love myself)
Illuminated by the hand of God, boy don't seem shy
(I love myself)
One day at a time, uhh

Huh (Walk my bare feet) huh (Walk my bare feet)
Huh (Down, down valley deep) huh (Down, down valley deep)
(I love myself) huh (Fi-fie-fo-fum) huh (fi-fie-fo-fum)
(I love myself) huh (My heart undone) one, two, three

And (I love myself)
When you lookin' at me, tell me what do you see?
(I love myself)
Ahh, I put a bullet in the back of the back of the head of the police
(I love myself)
Illuminated by the hand of God, boy don't seem shy
(I love myself)
One day at a time, uhh

I went to war last night
With an automatic weapon, don't nobody call a medic
I'm a do it till I get it right
I went to war last night (Night, night, night, night, night)
I've been dealing with depression ever since an adolescent
Duckin' every other blessin', I can never see the message
I could never take the lead, I could never bob and weave
From a negative and letting them annihilate me
And it's evident I'm moving at a meteor speed
Finna run into a building, lay my body...

(Offstage Argument)
Not on my time, Not while I'm up here
Not on my time, kill the music
Not on my time
We could save that shit for the streets
We could save that shit, this for the kids bro
2015, niggas tired of playin' victim dog
Niggas ain't trying to play vic- TuTu, how many niggas we done lost?
Yan-Yan, how many we done lost?
No for real, answer the question, how many niggas we done lost bro?
This, this year alone
Exactly. So we ain't got time to waste time my nigga
Niggas gotta make time bro
The judge make time, you know that, the judge make time right?
The judge make time so it ain't shit
It shouldn't be shit for us to come out here and appreciate the little bit of life we got left, dawg
On the dead homies. Charlie P, you know that bro
You know that
It's mando. Right, it's mando
And I say this because I love you niggas man
I love all my niggas bro
Exac- enough said, enough said
We gon' get back to the show and move on, because that shit petty my nigga
Mic check, mic check, mic check, mic check, mic check
We gon' do some acapella shit before we get back to-
All my niggas listen
Listen to this:

I promised Dave I'd never use the phrase "fuck nigga"
He said, "Think about what you saying: 'Fuck niggas'
No better than Samuel on Django
No better than a white man with slave boats"
Sound like I needed some soul searching
My Pops gave me some game in real person
Retraced my steps on what they never taught me
Did my homework fast before government caught me
So I'm a dedicate this one verse to Oprah
On how the infamous, sensitive N-word control us
So many artists gave her an explanation to hold us
Well, this is my explanation straight from Ethiopia
N-E-G-U-S definition: royalty; King royalty - wait listen
N-E-G-U-S description: Black emperor, King, ruler, now let me finish
The history books overlook the word and hide it
America tried to make it to a house divided
The homies don't recognize we been using it wrong
So I'm a break it down and put my game in a song
N-E-G-U-S, say it with me
Or say no more. Black stars can come and get me
Take it from Oprah Winfrey, tell her she right on time
Kendrick Lamar, by far, realest Negus alive