i

Kendrick Lamar

About i

"I" (stylized as “i”) is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on September 23, 2014 as the lead single from Lamar's third studio album To Pimp a Butterfly. The song utilizes music from "That Lady", written by and originally performed by R&B group The Isley Brothers, elements from which were re-recorded rather than being directly sampled from the original record. "i" won two awards at the 2015 Grammy Awards: Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song.


Year:
2015
4,168 
#14

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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

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

And when they say it's a war outside, bomb in the street
Gun in the hood, mob of police
Rock on the corner with a line full of fiend
And a bottle full of lean and a model on a scheme uhh
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
Blow steam in the face of the beast
Sky could fall down, wind could cry now
Look at me motherfucker, I smile

(I love myself)
When you lookin' at me, ahh, tell me what do you see?
(I love myself)
I put a bullet in the back of the back of the head of the bully
(I love myself)
Illuminated
(I love myself)

Lift up your head and keep moving (Keep moving)
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)
When you lookin' at me, ahh, tell me what do you see?
(I love myself)
I put a bullet in the back of the back of the head of the bully
(I love myself)
Illuminated by the hand of God, boy don't seem shy
(I love myself)

Walk my bare feet (Walk my bare feet)
Down, down valley deep (Down, down valley deep)
Fi-fie-fo-fum (Fi-fie-fo-fum)
My heart undone 

I went to war last night
With an automatic weapon, don't nobody call a medic
I'mma do it 'til I get it right
I went to war last 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 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 dawg
Niggas ain't trying to play vic, Tutu how many niggas we done lost?
Yeah, yeah, how many we done lost?
No forreal, 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 dog
On the dead homies Charlie P. you know that bro
You know that
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, 'cause 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 D'Jango
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
Retrace my steps on what they never taught me
Did my home work fast before governement caught me
So I'mma dedicate this one verse to Oprah
On how the infamous, sensitive N-word control us
So many artist gave her an explanation to hold us
Well this is my explanation straight from Ethiopia
N-E-G-U-S definition: royality King royalty, wait listen
N-E-G-U-S description: Black emperor, King, ruler, now let me finish
The history books overlooked the word and hide it
America tried to make it to a house divided
The homies don't recognize we be using it wrong
So I'mma break it down and put my game in the 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

 The easy, fast & fun way to learn how to sing: 30DaySinger.com


Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987), simply known as Kendrick Lamar, is an American hip hop recording artist from Compton, California, currently signed to Top Dawg, Aftermath, and Interscope. Lamar is a member of hip hop supergroup Black Hippy, along with fellow West Coast rappers and label mates Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul. He first gained major attention after the release of his fourth mixtape, Overly Dedicated, in 2010. In 2011 he released his first independent album to critical acclaim, Section.80, released exclusively through iTunes and instantly ranked as one of the top digital hip hop releases of the year. Early in his career, before releasing his major label debut, Lamar amassed a large Internet following, and had already worked with D… more »

10 fans

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 Approach
Kendrick Lamar used the song "i" as a way to address issues affecting the African American community, including depression, addiction, and violence.
Grammy Awards
The song "i" won two Grammy awards in 2015 for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance.
Release Year
It is the lead single from Lamar's third studio album, "To Pimp a Butterfly," released in 2014.
Song's Inspiration
The song heavily samples "That Lady" by The Isley Brothers and Lamar received their personal blessings before releasing it.
Music Video
Its music video caused a stir due to its politically charged content, similar to most of Kendrick's work.
Billboard Rank
"i" peaked at number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the USA.
Personal Interpretation
The 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.
Live Performance
Lamar debuted the song while performing on Saturday Night Live on November 15, 2014.
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.
Certified Platinum
The song was certified Platinum by RIAA for selling over a million copies.
Album Success
Lamar'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.
Juxtaposition
"i" contrasts to Lamar's later release from the same album, "u," which delves into self-hatred and guilt.
Recognition
The song "i" helped Lamar win the award for Outstanding Original Music & Lyrics at the 67th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
Backup Singers
The song features background vocals by Thundercat, Bilal, Anna Wise, and singer/songwriter Rapsody.
Album Version vs Single Version
The 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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    i

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    Top Hot 100 Songs 2014

    Billboard #39


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