The Blacker The Berry

The Blacker the Berry is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on February 9, 2015 as the second single from his third studio album, To Pimp a Butterfly. The song's hook is performed by Jamaican dancehall artist Assassin, notable for performing on Kanye West's 2013 LP Yeezus, whose lyrics similarly address racial inequality, specifically against African Americans. It shares its title with the novel The Blacker the Berry by American author Wallace Thurman, which deals with similar themes of racism. The album version of the song also features additional vocals from neo soul singer Lalah Hathaway. "The Blacker the Berry" is a racially-charged song, noted for being a departure from the "self-love-promoting" "i", a single released in late 2014. The song features a "boom-bap beat", with lyrics that celebrate his African-American heritage, and "tackles hatred, racism, and hypocrisy head on." Lamar introduces the themes with lyrics such as; "Came from the bottom of mankind / My hair is nappy, my dick is big, my nose is round and wide / You hate me don’t you / You hate my people, your plan is to terminate my culture / You’re fucking evil / I want you to recognize that I’m a proud monkey / You vandalize my perception, but can’t take style from me." The song, however, contains a deeper meaning of the dangers of hypocrisy. Every verse in the song begins with "I'm the biggest hypocrite of 2015", followed by Lamar stating issues of racism in society. The final lyric — "So why did I weep when Trayvon Martin was in the street? / When gang banging make me kill a nigga blacker than me? / Hypocrite! " — reframes the meaning of the piece, and demonstrates an internal struggle within Lamar and the African-American community about issues of racism and events such as the death of Trayvon Martin. Lamar notes the hypocrisy of black men mourning Martin's death while also themselves committing violent acts against black men, forcing the listener to consider the complexity and perhaps inevitability of the hypocrisy discussed throughout the song.

[Intro: Kendrick Lamar & Lalah Hathaway] Everything black, I don't want black (They want us to bow) I want everything black, I ain't need black (Down to our knees) Some white, some black, I ain't mean black (And pray to the God) I want everything black (We don't believe) Everything black, want all things black I don't need black, want everything black Don't need black, our eyes ain't black I own black, own everything black [Bridge: Kendrick Lamar] Six in the morn' Fire in the street Burn, baby, burn (You, you, you, you, you) That's all I wanna see (You, you, you, you, you) And sometimes I get off watchin' you die in vain It's such a shame they may call me crazy They may say I suffer from schizophrenia or somethin' But homie, you made me (You, you, you, you, you) Black don't crack, my nigga [Verse 1: Kendrick Lamar] I'm the biggest hypocrite of 2015 Once I finish this, witnesses will convey just what I mean Been feelin' this way since I was sixteen, came to my senses You never liked us anyway, fuck your friendship, I meant it I'm African-American, I'm African, I'm black as the moon Heritage of a small village, pardon my residence Came from the bottom of mankind My hair is nappy, my dick is big, my nose is round and wide You hate me don't you? You hate my people, your plan is to terminate my culture You're fuckin' evil I want you to recognize that I'm a proud monkey You vandalize my perception but can't take style from me And this is more than confession I mean I might press the button just so you know my discretion I'm caught in my feelings, I know that you feel it You sabotage my community, makin' a killin' You made me a killer, emancipation of a real nigga [Pre-Chorus: Kendrick Lamar] The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice The blacker the berry, the bigger I shoot [Chorus: Assassin] I said they treat me like a slave, cah' me black Woi, we feel a whole heap of pain, cah' we black And man a say they put me inna chains, cah' we black Imagine now, big gold chains full of rocks How you no see the whip, left scars 'pon me back But now we have a big whip parked 'pon the block All them say we doomed from the start, cah' we black Remember this, every race start from the block, jus 'member dat [Verse 2: Kendrick Lamar] I'm the biggest hypocrite of 2015 Once I finish this, witnesses will convey just what I mean I mean, it's evident that I'm irrelevant to society That's what you're tellin' me, penitentiary would only hire me Curse me 'til I'm dead, church me with your fake prophesizing That I'ma be just another slave in my head Institutionalized manipulation and lies Reciprocation of freedom only live in your eyes You hate me don't you? I know you hate me just as much as you hate yourself Jealous of my wisdom and cards I dealt Watchin' me as I pull up, fill up my tank, then peel out Muscle cars like pull ups, show you what these big wheels 'bout, ah Black and successful, this black man meant to be special Katzkins on my radar, bitch, how can I help you? How can I tell you I'm making a killin'? You made me a killer, emancipation of a real nigga [Pre-Chorus: Kendrick Lamar] The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice The blacker the berry, the bigger I shoot [Chorus: Assassin] I said they treat me like a slave, cah' me black Woi, we feel a whole heap of pain, cah' we black And man a say they put me inna chains, cah' we black Imagine now, big gold chains full of rocks How you no see the whip, left scars 'pon me back But now we have a big whip parked 'pon the block All them say we doomed from the start, cah' we black Remember this, every race start from the block, jus 'member dat [Verse 3: Kendrick Lamar] I'm the biggest hypocrite of 2015 When I finish this if you listen then sure you will agree This plot is bigger than me, it's generational hatred It's genocism, it's grimy, little justification I'm African-American, I'm African I'm black as the heart of a fuckin' Aryan I'm black as the name of Tyrone and Darius, excuse my French But fuck you — no, fuck y'all, that's as blunt as it gets I know you hate me, don't you? You hate my people, I can tell 'cause it's threats when I see you I can tell 'cause your ways deceitful Know I can tell because you in love with that Desert Eagle Thinkin' maliciously, he get a chain then you gone bleed him It's funny how Zulu and Xhosa might go to war Two tribal armies that wanna build and destroy Remind me of these Compton Crip gangs that live next door Beefin' with Pirus, only death settle the score So don't matter how much I say I like to preach with the Panthers Or tell Georgia State "Marcus Garvey got all the answers" Or try to celebrate February like it's my B-Day Or eat watermelon, chicken, and Kool-Aid on weekdays Or jump high enough to get Michael Jordan endorsements Or watch BET 'cause urban support is important So why did I weep when Trayvon Martin was in the street When gang-banging make me kill a nigga blacker than me? Hypocrite! [Instrumental Outro] [Produced by Boi-1da & Koz]