“Hip-hop is not the problem. Our reality is the problem of the situation. This is our music. This is us expressing ourselves.”— Kendrick Lamar, tmz.com
“Music moves with the times. It’s not something we have to consciously do. This is what’s happening in the world — not only to me but to my community. Whenever I make music, it reflects where I’m at mentally. And this is where we’re at. When you look at other artists doing the same thing, it’s of the…”— Kendrick Lamar, nytimes.com
“This album did what I wanted it to do...That’s not necessarily to sell tons of records — though it didn’t do bad at that either — but to actually have an impact on the people and on the culture of music.”— Kendrick Lamar, nytimes.com
“Some people use drugs, or violence, or whatever your vice may be, and you have creative people that may use music or maybe use style in expressing themselves—whether they are angry or happy, or sad.”— Kendrick Lamar, thecoveteur.com
“I'd like to start it out from the bottom and build with ya Be on my last dollar and split the bill with ya”— Kendrick Lamar, open.spotify.com
“Cocaine laced in marijuana And they wonder why I rarely smoke now Imagine if your first blunt had you foaming at the mouth I was straight tweaking”— Kendrick Lamar, open.spotify.com
“I am a sinner who's probably gonna sin again Lord forgive me, Lord forgive me Things I don't understand Sometimes I need to be alone”— Kendrick Lamar, open.spotify.com
“If I told you that a flower bloomed in a dark room, would you trust it?”— Kendrick Lamar, amazon.com
“It's the beauty in her but when the make-up occur I don't see it, all I see is a blur”— Kendrick Lamar, amazon.com
“I'll tell you just how much a dollar cost The price of having a spot in Heaven, embrace your loss, I am God”— Kendrick Lamar, amazon.com