Kendrick Lamar

It's a great, great experience to finally get the reception that you know you rightfully deserve.

I've been called a recluse. There's definitely truth in that. I like to spend time alone.

Every time I write these words they become a taboo,_x000D_ _x000D_ Making sure my punctuation curve, every letter here's true,_x000D_ _x000D_ Living my life in the margin, and that metaphor was proof.

This is the thing about hip-hop music and where people get it most misconstrued: It's all hip-hop. You can't say that just what I do is hip-hop, because hip-hop is all energies. James Brown can get on the track and mumble all day. But guess what? You felt his soul on those records.

The majority of my interactions with police were not good. There were a few good ones who were actually protecting the community. But then you have ones from the Valley. They never met me in their life, but since I'm a kid in basketball shorts and a white T-shirt, they wanna slam me on the hood of the car. Sixteen years old.

People have to go through trials and tribulations to get where they at. Do your thing - continue to rock it - because obviously, God wants you here.

I penetrate the hearts of good kids and criminals

The sky is falling, the wind is calling_x000D_ _x000D_ Stand for something, or die in the morning

We hurt people that love us, love people that hurt us

If I'm gonna tell a real story, I'm gonna start with my name.

And I'm not sure why I'm infatuated with death,_x000D_ _x000D_ My imagination is surely an aggravation of threats..._x000D_ _x000D_ Maybe cause I'm a dreamer, and sleep is the cousin of death,_x000D_ _x000D_ Really stuck in the scheme of wondering when I'mma rest.

When I'm in the studio, I'm looking for creativity I haven't matched yet, a feeling I haven't felt. It's a high.

Sonnymoon and Quadrants are a couple of bands that really inspire me in terms of the melodics of things and certain tones and just what feels good. It takes me back to the type of music that I grew up on in my household. We played a lot of gangsta rap, but we also played a lot of oldies, and I think that mix is part of what inspires my sound.

The way people look at me these days - that's the same way I looked at President Obama before I met him. We tend to forget that people who've attained a certain position are human.

The worst part of success is, to me, adapting to it. It's scary.

As a kid from Compton, you can get all the success in the world and still question your worth.

I'm standing on a field full of landmines doing the moonwalk hoping i blow up in time

Black and brown pride have been taught in my household for a long time.

If I told you that a flower bloomed in a dark room, would you trust it?

As long as my music is real, it's no limit to how many ears I can grab.

The one in front of the gun lives forever