Released: January 30, 2009

Songwriter: Kendrick Lamar

Producer: Vaushaun “Maestro” Brooks

[Intro]
Weezy wassup with it bruddah?
Tell Maestro I need to fuck over his beat real quick
Hear me?

[Hook]
I'm the best rapper under 25, 24 inches on my ride
Ball like 23 and I shot my first .22 when I was 9

[Verse 1]
That's no lie, ho
Rappers out they mothafucking minds so I gotta go
Psycho on these niggas, call me Norman Bates with a poker face
Got the banger in my hand and I'm out to poke your face
.38 Special, grab it, let him have it, where the safe, we hungry
Housing authority saved my Section 8
My section be on the west side of Compton Cali, champ
Where the killers posted on the corner like a letter stamp
Let a rapper tell me I ain't better than whoever's out
I'ma knock 'em out his Force 1's once I air 'em out
Air jets flying 'cross the atlas, I made it momma, made a promise
Married to hip hop, and the maid of honor gonna be R&B
I'm fucking her too, so please hand me my condoms
Where the honeymoon in the mother fucking booth
You're fucking right, I'm the fucking truth
I put my hand on the bible
Swear to god if I lie, then I'll probably die tomorrow
Tell my momma don't feel sorrow cause her son was a gunner
They found my corpse with a rapper's head in my stomach
I'm right here, I ain't running even if the Iraqis w-was in back of me
Back against the wall I'm clapping them rapidly y'all
Would never stop what you can't see
It's like a red light when driving with Stevie
Wonder if you can understand or withstand the blast of my wrath
I steer the game with both hands while you crash
Like Earnhardt my heart to the fallen soldiers
You can either ride, or get rolled over
Sleeping on me, I put you in a coma
So please chill out before you meet the coldest
Starving every day, see my face where the bowl is
Bowl on my face, I walk while my mouth hold it

[Hook]
Hold it
I'm the best rapper under 25, 24 inches on my ride
Ball like 23 and I shot my first .22 when I was 9

[Verse 2]
21 gun salute
And my soldiers killed 20 of your troops at a time
And I got about nine teens on the corner fucking with marijuana
Jive and heard about 18 rappers say that a bird can go for 17.5
Motherfuck that my sweet 16's be equivalent to about 15 pie
I was 14 when I wrote a rhyme
All I seen was 13 ghosts every time I wrote a crazy line
All these 12 bars in my verses, that's what Notorious and Pac arrived
God dammit I spit just like a Mac 11 every time
I drop jewels, you drop dimes, you pretending to be like mine
I intend to put about 10 of you rappers on channel 9
Straight up, fuck around and get ate up
Cut 'em up in 7 ways, funeral carried by 6 in 5 days you'll know I go for
Money when I sink my teeth in Carter III beats
To you from me, my son the victory is mine, I won
I'm the one
The beat was the pussy
And I cum, hard

Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter from Compton, CA.

He first gained major attention after the release of his 2010 mixtape O(verly) D(edicated). In 2011, his album Section.80, released exclusively through iTunes, instantly ranked as one of the top digital hip-hop releases of the year. In 2012, he crossed over to mainstream audiences with his major label debut, good kid, m.A.A.d city, which was widely regarded as an instant classic. In 2015, he released To Pimp a Butterfly to widespread acclaim. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart. The following year, untitled unmastered. was released by surprise. In April of 2017, Kendrick released DAMN. on Good Friday.

Known for his storytelling, imagery, wordplay, passion and varied song structures, Kendrick brings hard-hitting lyricism with narratives to the West Coast, not traditionally known for its lyricists.