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Credits

PERFORMING ARTISTS
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar
Vocals
Anna Wise
Anna Wise
Vocals
Bilal
Bilal
Vocals
Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Vocals
Pedro Castro
Pedro Castro
Clarinet
Gabriel Noël
Gabriel Noël
Cello
Paul Cartwright
Paul Cartwright
Violin
Taz Arnold
Taz Arnold
Background Vocals
Sam Barsh
Sam Barsh
Keyboards
COMPOSITION & LYRICS
Columbus Smith
Columbus Smith
Songwriter
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth
Songwriter
Fredrik Halldin
Fredrik Halldin
Songwriter
Sam Barsh
Sam Barsh
Songwriter
Kamasi Washington
Kamasi Washington
String Arranger
Mark Spears
Mark Spears
String Arranger
Terrace Martin
Terrace Martin
String Arranger
PRODUCTION & ENGINEERING
Rahki
Rahki
Producer
Derek "MixedByAli" Ali
Derek "MixedByAli" Ali
Mixing Engineer
Anthony "TOPDAWG" Tiffith
Anthony "TOPDAWG" Tiffith
Executive Producer
Dave "Miyatola" Free
Dave "Miyatola" Free
Associate Producer
David Kim
David Kim
Strings Engineer
Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Executive Producer
Fredrik "Tommy Black" Halldin
Fredrik "Tommy Black" Halldin
Producer
James "The White Black Man" Hunt
James "The White Black Man" Hunt
Recording Engineer
Mike Bozzi
Mike Bozzi
Mastering Engineer
Thomas Cullison
Thomas Cullison
Strings Engineer
Tommy Black
Tommy Black
Producer

Lyrics

[Intro]
What money got to do with it
When I don't know the full definition of a rap image?
I'm trapped inside the ghetto, and I ain't proud to admit it
Institutionalized, I keep runnin' back for a visit
Hol' up, get it back
I said I'm trapped inside the ghetto, and I ain't proud to admit it
Institutionalized, I could still kill me a ****, so what?
[Intro]
If I was the president
I'd pay my mama's rent
Free my homies and them
Bulletproof my Chevy doors
Lay in the White House and get high, Lord
Whoever thought?
Master, take the chains off me
[Intro]
Zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom
Zoom, zoom, zoom
Zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom
Zoom, zoom, zoom
Zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom
Zoom, zoom, zoom
Zoom, zoom, zoom, shit
[Verse 1]
Life to me like a box of chocolate
Quid pro quo, somethin' for somethin', that's the obvious
Oh shit, flow's so sick, don't you swallow it
Bitin' my style, you're salmonella poison positive
I can just alleviate the rap industry politics
Milk the game up, never lactose intolerant
The last remainder of real shit, you know the obvious
Me, scholarship? No, streets put me through colleges
Be all you can be, true, but the problem is
A dream only a dream if work don't follow it
Remind me of the homies that used to know me, now follow this
I tell you my hypothesis, I'm probably just way too loyal
K Dizzle will do it for you, my **** think I'm a God
Truthfully, all of 'em spoiled, usually, you're never charged
But somethin' came over you once I took you to them fuckin' BET Awards
You lookin' at artistses like they're harvestses
So many Rollies around you, and you want all of them
Somebody told me you thinkin' 'bout snatchin' jewelry
I should've listened what my grandmama said to me
[Chorus]
"Shit don't change until you get up and wash yo' ass, ****
Shit don't change until you get up and wash yo' ass, boy
Shit don't change until you get up and wash yo' ass, ****"
Oh now, slow down
[Chorus]
And once upon a time, in a city so divine
Called West Side Compton, there stood a little ****
He was five foot something, God bless the kid
Took his homies to the show, and this is what they said
[Verse 2]
"Fuck am I 'posed to do when I'm lookin' at walkin' licks?"
The constant big money talk 'bout the mansion and foreign whips
The private jets and passport, presidential glass floor
Gold bottles, gold models, givin' up the ass for
Instagram flicks, suckin' dick, fuck is this?
One more sucker wavin' with a flashy wrist
My defense mechanism tell me to get him
Quickly because he got it
It's a recession, then why the fuck he at King of Diamonds?
No more livin' poor, meet my .44
When I see 'em, put the per diem on the floor
Now Kendrick, know they're your co-workers
But it's gon' take a lot 'fore this pistol go cold turkey
Now I can watch his watch on the TV and be okay
But see I'm on the clock once that watch landin' in LA
Remember steal from the rich and givin' it back to the poor?
Well, that's me at these awards
I guess my grandmama was warnin' a boy, she said
[Chorus]
"Shit don't change until you get up and wash yo' ass, ****
Shit don't change until you get up and wash yo' ass, boy
Shit don't change till you get up and wash yo' ass, ****"
Oh now, slow down
[Outro]
And once upon a time, in a city so divine
Called West Side Compton, there stood a little ****
He was five foot something, dazed and confused
Talented but still under the neighborhood ruse
You can take your boy out the hood, but you can't take the hood out the homie
Took his show money, stashed it in the mozey wozey
Hollywood's nervous
Fuck you, goodnight, thank you much for your service
Written by: Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, Columbus Smith, Frederik Halldin, Sam Barsh
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