Throughout To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick grapples with finding his more authentic self—anxiety that manifests itself here in his relationship to his hometown community, as Kendrick feels caught between the Compton boy he once was and the rap world he is increasingly enmeshed in. Framed as advice from his mother, the “You ain’t gotta lie to kick it” refrain is actually lifted from a title of a track by his idol, 2Pac.
Best bit: “And the world don't respect you and the culture don't accept you/But you think it's all love”
Over a smooth soul sample, Kendrick recalls an encounter with a young boy that pulls him back from the brink he described in “u.” (Is it actually a symbol for confronting his younger self? That’s open to your interpretation!) Much of To Pimp a Butterfly was inspired by a 2014 trip to South Africa, and through subtle references, like the titular Motherland, the track describes how it gave him a renewed sense of faith and purpose in his life and career.
Best bit: “Thank God for rap, I would say it got me a plaque/But what's better than that?/The fact it brought me back home”
Throughout To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick grapples with finding his more authentic self—anxiety that manifests itself here in his relationship to his hometown community, as Kendrick feels caught between the Compton boy he once was and the rap world he is increasingly enmeshed in. Framed as advice from his mother, the “You ain’t gotta lie to kick it” refrain is actually lifted from a title of a track by his idol, 2Pac.
Best bit: “And the world don't respect you and the culture don't accept you/But you think it's all love”
Confronted at the mall by Lucy—the Devil-ish woman who’s been pursuing him—Kendrick provides deeper insight into the possibilities of fame and fortune that have nearly lured him into losing himself. The track serves as the second act of the “God Is Gangsta” short film, where Kendrick resists carnal temptations and finds salvation anew—quite literally, in another baptism.
Best bit: “Lucy give you no worries/Lucy got million stories/About these rappers that I came after when they was boring”
i feel like Catelyn Stark at the end of the Red Wedding! 
LORD WALDER ENOUGH!!!! 
