[Intro: Kendrick Lamar]
What money got to do with it
when I don't know the full definition of a rap image?
I'm trapped inside the ghetto and I ain't proud to admit it
Institutionalized, I keep runnin back for a visit
Hol' up, get it back...
I said I'm trapped inside the ghetto and I ain't proud to admit it
Institutionalized, I can still k** me a n***a, so what?
[Interlude: Anna Wise and Bilal]
If I was the president
I'd pay my mama's rent, free my homies and 'nem
Bulletproof my Chevy doors
Lay in the White House and get hiiiiigh, Lord
Who ever thought, Ma**a'll take the chains off me?
{*beat changes*}
Zoom zoom zoom-zoom-zoom, zoom-zoom-zoom
Zoom zoom zoom-zoom-zoom, zoom-zoom-zoom
Zoom zoom zoom-zoom-zoom, zoom-zoom-zoom
Zoom zoom zoom-zoo-(Sheeeeiiit~!)
[Kendrick Lamar]
Life can be like, a box of choc-o-late
Quid pro quo, somethin for somethin, that's the obvious
Oh sh**, flow's so sick, don't you swallow it
Bitin my style, you're salmonella poison positive
I can just, alleviate the rap industry politics
Milk the game up, never lactose-intolerant
The last remainder of real sh**, you know the obvious
Me scholarship? No, streets put me through colleges
BE all you can be, true, but the problem is
A dream's only a dream if, work, don't follow it
Remind me of the homies that used to know me, now follow this
I'll tell you my hypothesis, I'm prol'ly just way too loyal
K-Dizzle would do it for you, my n***az think I'm a god
Truthfully all of 'em spoiled, usually you're never charged...
But somethin came over you once I took you to them f**in BET Awards
You lookin at artists like the harvests
So many Rollies around you and you want all of 'em
Somebody told me you thinkin 'bout snatchin j**elry
I shoulda listened what my grandmomma said to me...
[Chorus: Bilal]
sh** don't change until you, get up and wash yo' a**, n***a
sh** don't change until you, get up and wash yo' a** (Boooy...)
sh** don't change until you, get up and wash yo' a**, n***a
Oh now... slow down
[Snoop Dogg]
And once upon a time in a city so divine
Called West Side Compton, there stood a little n***a
He was five-foot somethin, God bless the kid
Took his homies to the show and this is what they said
[Kendrick Lamar]
f** am I s'posed to do when I'm lookin' at walkin licks?
The constant big money talk about mansions and foreign whips
The private jets and pa**ports, presidential gla** floor
Gold bottles, gold models stiffen up the a** for
Instagram flicks, s**in dick, f** is this?
One more s** away from wavin flashy wrist
My defense, mechanism tell me to get him, quickly because he got it
It's the recession, then why the f** he in King of Diamonds?
No more livin poor, meet my .44
When I see 'em, put the per diem on the floor
Now Kendrick, know they your co-workers
But it's gon' take a lot for this pistol go cold turkey
Now I can watch his watch on the TV and be okay
But see I'm on the clock once that watch landin in LA
Remember steal from the rich and givin it back to the poor?
Well that's me at these awards (I guess my grandmomma was warnin a boy, she said...)
[Chorus]
[Outro: Snoop Dogg]
And once upon a time in a city so divine
Called West Side Compton, there stood a little n***a
He was five-foot somethin, dazed and confused
Talented but still under the neighborhood ruse
You can take your boy out the hood but you can't
take the hood out the homie, took his show money
Stashed it in the mozey-wozey, Hollywood's nervous
f** you, goodnight, thank you much for your service