Lyrics

[Verse: Kendrick Lamar] Oh, Lamar Hail Mary and marijuana, times is hard Pray with the hooligans, shadows all in the dark Fellowship with demons and relatives, I'm a star God is one funny ma'fucker A true comedian, you gotta love him, you gotta trust him I might be buggin', infomercials and no sleep Introverted by my thoughts; children, listen, it gets deep See, once upon a time inside the Nickerson Garden projects The object was to process and digest poverty's dialect Adaptation inevitable: gun violence, crack spot Federal policies raid buildings and drug professionals Anthony was the oldest of sеven Well-respеcted, calm and collected Laughin' and jokin' made life easier; hard times, mama on crack A four-year-old tellin' his nanny he needed her His family history: pimpin' and bangin' He was meant to be dangerous, clocked him a grip and start slangin' Fifteen, scrapin' up his jeans with quarter pieces Even got some head from a smoker last weekend Dodged a policeman, workin' for his big homie Small-time hustler, graduated to a brick on him Ten-thousand dollars out of a project housing, that's on the daily Seen his first mill' twenty years old, had a couple of babies Had a couple of shooters, caught a murder case Fingerprints on the gun they assumin', but witnesses couldn't prove it That was back when he turned his back and they killed his cousin He beat the case and went back to hustlin' Bird-shufflin', Anthony rang The first in the projects with the two-tone Mustang, that 5.0 thing They say 5-0 came, circlin' parking lots and parking spots And hoppin' out while harrassin' the corner blocks Crooked cops told Anthony he should kick it He brushed 'em off and walked back to the Kentucky Fried Chicken See, at this chicken spot, there was a light-skinned nigga that talked a lot With a curly top and a gap in his teeth, 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 five-hundred dollars They had a son, hopin' that he'd see college Hustlin' on the side with a nine-to-five to freak it Cadillac Seville, he'd ride his son around on weekends Three-piece special with his name on the shirt pocket 'Cross the street from the projects, Anthony planned to rob it Stuck up the place before, back in '84 That's when affiliation was really at gears of war So many relatives tellin' us, sellin' us devilish works, killin' us, crime Intelligent, felonious prevalent proposition with 9's Ducky was well-aware They robbed the manager and shot a customer last year He figured he'd get on these niggas' good sides Free chicken every time Anthony posted in line, two extra biscuits Anthony liked him and then let him slide, they didn't kill him In fact, it look like they're the last to survive, pay attention That one decision changed both of they lives, one curse at a time Reverse the manifest and good karma, and I'll tell you why You take two strangers and put 'em in random predicaments Give 'em a soul, so they can make their own choices and live with it Twenty years later, them same strangers, you make 'em meet again Inside recording studios where they reapin' their benefits Then you start remindin' them about that chicken incident Whoever thought the greatest rapper would be from coincidence? Because if Anthony killed Ducky, Top Dawg could be servin' life While I grew up without a father and die in a gunfi—