i
Kendrick Lamar
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Is this mic on? Hey, Hey! 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 (uh) (One two, one two, what's happening, fool?) Come right here, this is for you, come on up I done been through a whole lot (Kendrick Lamar) Trial, tribulation, but I know God (make some noise, brother) The Devil wanna put me in a bow tie Pray that the holy water don't go dry-yay 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) Huh, and when you lookin' at me (ooh) 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) Uh, illuminated by the hand of God, boy, don't seem shy (I love myself) One day at a time, huh 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) Yeah, I duck these cold faces, post up fi-fie-fo-fum basis Dreams of reality's peace (ah yeah) 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) Uh, and when you lookin' at me (ooh) Tell me what do you see? (Ooh) (I love myself) Ahh, I put a bullet in the back of the back of the head of the police (ooh) (I love myself) Uh, illuminated All ya'll come to the front, ya'll come up to the front (I love myself) Baby what about you, come on (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 (I love myself) Uh, and when you lookin' at me (ooh) 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) Uh, illuminated by the hand of God, boy, don't seem shy (I love myself) 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 I went to war last night With an automatic weapon, don't nobody call a medic I'ma do it till I get it right I went to war last 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 Not on my, 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? How many yea, yea, how many we lost? No for real, answer the que— 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, dog On the dead homies, Charlie P, you know that bro You know that Right it’s mando, it's mando Right it’s mando Listen and I say this, because I love you niggas man I love all my niggas bro Exac— enough said, enough said And 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 "f*ck nigga" He said, "Think about what you saying: "F*ck niggas" No better than Samuel on the 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'ma 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'ma break it down and put my game in a song N-E-G-U-S, say it with me, or say it 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
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Written by: Columbus Tower Smith, Ernest Isley, Christopher Howard Jasper, Marvin Isley, O'kelly Jr. Isley, Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley, Kendrick Lamar Duckworth
Lyrics © DistroKid, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
15 facts about this song
Artistic ApproachKendrick Lamar used the song "i" as a way to address issues affecting the African American community, including depression, addiction, and violence.
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Grammy AwardsThe song "i" won two Grammy awards in 2015 for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance.
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Release YearIt is the lead single from Lamar's third studio album, "To Pimp a Butterfly," released in 2014.
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Song's InspirationThe song heavily samples "That Lady" by The Isley Brothers and Lamar received their personal blessings before releasing it.
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Music VideoIts music video caused a stir due to its politically charged content, similar to most of Kendrick's work.
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Billboard Rank"i" peaked at number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the USA.
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Personal InterpretationThe song serves as an anthem for self-love and self-respect, which was a topic Kendrick felt was much needed to be discussed in the society during the times.
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Live PerformanceLamar debuted the song while performing on Saturday Night Live on November 15, 2014.
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Record Label"i" was released under the record label "Top Dawg Entertainment," Kendrick Lamar's primary record label since the start of his professional career.
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Certified PlatinumThe song was certified Platinum by RIAA for selling over a million copies.
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Album SuccessLamar's album "To Pimp a Butterfly," which features "i," has frequently been named in many end-of-year best album lists, often ranking at number one.
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Juxtaposition"i" contrasts to Lamar's later release from the same album, "u," which delves into self-hatred and guilt.
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RecognitionThe song "i" helped Lamar win the award for Outstanding Original Music & Lyrics at the 67th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
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Backup SingersThe song features background vocals by Thundercat, Bilal, Anna Wise, and singer/songwriter Rapsody.
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Album Version vs Single VersionThe album version of the song is a live performance and is different from the single version released previously. It features more lyrics and a different arrangement.
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Citation
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"i Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 May 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/31773130/Kendrick+Lamar/i>.
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