Humble

I'm with sphinxsnakeon on it being pointed towards all the different vain/showy things that artists do. Many people seem to interpret that specifically, he's talking about all the vain and showy things about rap culture and telling rappers to be more humble.

I just barely discovered this song and I'm still digesting it but I'll see if I can figure out a few meanings.

"Ay, I remember syrup sandwiches and crime allowances Finesse a n**** with some counterfeits But now I'm countin' this Parmesan where my accountant lives In fact, I'm downin' this D'USSÉ with my boo bae, tastes like Kool-Aid for the analysts"

As sphinxsnakeon pointed out, while he's talking about 'allowances', 'counterfeits', and counting them-- the music video displays women in medical masks and headgear counting money. Aside from medical reasons, most people wear them during flu seasons or an outbreak when they don't wanna catch something. He's talking about Dirty Money and references that by the medical masks, touching that what is unclean.

"Ay, I remember syrup sandwiches and crime allowances" If you look up syrup sandwiches, it's a reference to eating barely put-together sandwiches as a result of being poor.

"Finesse a n**** with some counterfeits But now I'm countin' this Parmesan where my accountant lives In fact, I'm downin' this D'USSÉ with my boo bae, tastes like Kool-Aid for the analysts"

He then goes on to switch to another character and go on bragging about persuading (finesse) people with fakes and profiting. D'USSÉ is another religious symbol actually, which is a very refined drink with the bottle decorated with the Cross of Lorraine. So this character isn't very humble and sees themselves as a higher being, despite profiting from a a bad profile. I think this is a reference to rappers who brag about their crimes.

"Girl, I can buy yo' ass the world with my paystub Ooh, that pussy good, won't you sit it on my taste bloods? I get way too petty once you let me do the extras Pull up on your block, then break it down: we playin' Tetris A.M. to the P.M., P.M. to the A.M., funk Piss out your per diem, you just gotta hate 'em, funk If I quit your BM, I still ride Mercedes, funk If I quit this season, I still be the greatest, funk My left stroke just went viral Right stroke put lil' baby in a spiral Soprano C, we like to keep it on a high note Its levels to it, you and I know, bitch, be humble"

I feel like this switches back and forth to both of their thoughts (the unhumble character and Kendrick himself) and in the video you see it switching between the proud character in a lavish situation to Kendrick being in more down-to-earth situations like being in a hair salon with women wearing sweats and sneakers. It might also be how initially they both started out in the same kind of background. They might even be sort of agreeing with each other until, ultimately Kendrick is basically going "yeah okay BUT-" as a rebuttal. "Yeah but there's levels to it, you and I know" and reminds the other to be humble.

I'm still processing the rest of the lyrics but here's my take for now.

Question: What's the deal with the religious representations in the video? He doesn't address it directly, but is he referring to simpler/more humble times back in Jesus' day? Am I over-thinking this?

@ybbob it's hard to say. I can see that. The imagery at The Last Supper shows them clowning a bit, but it's also during the chorus when he says sit down and motions to the guy who stands up at the table. I think this is just one way Kendrick is showing all the various different vain/showy things going on around him. It is interesting that towards the end you see everyone moving away, leaving just him.

Did anyone else notice the medical mask on the woman who was counting the money?

As @kathy lee points out I think it is talking about the vanity of many entertainers (bit of a recurring theme in many of his songs) and sometimes the need to be more humble (more is less).

The references to brands, names etc. I think is used satirical, as is the sexual references and "bitch" tags. Sort of showing up the perception that many entertainers like to present (in videos, their life), but all they have are material goods (no real wealth) ...

Interesting that at the moment this is number 3 on the Billboard charts and number 1 is Bruno Mars' "That's What I Like" ... which is pretty much a song about using fame and fortune to get girls into his bed. The Billboard listeners must be totally confused at the moment ... Bruno tells us being flashy, using fame etc. is GOOD, whilst Lamar is lamenting so many perceive they need to sing about such themes.

Bruno obviously didn't get the memo regarding being humble ... you might have to message him again Lamar.

I love this song!! Go Kendrick. Question-who is Man-Man and what is that whole verse about, are they told together? Like he’s telling both sides of the story or are they 2 separate situations and he’s telling a chick to get the F off his di*k that ain’t right, I make a play fucking up your whole life? Since he didn’t say I ‘will’ make a play…then it makes me wanna put the 2 together like those things happened between a male and female, ManMan threw me off intitially. I’m curious, something must have went down for this part to be added to it. Any thoughts???

As someone who is not generally into rap or hip hop, I usually just ignore these genres all together. To be honest, you could even say I shunned this type of music like a child rejecting a horrid vegetable. However, I was never the less intrigued by the attention and/or hype Kendrick Lamar’s new album was receiving.

Full disclosure, I did not really know ANYTHING about the man other than his name and would probably be hard-pressed to successfully pick him out in a crowd; but as it is with many hyped figures, big movies, looped songs, popular programs and numerous other pop culture “phenomenon’s,” it is hard to ignore something when it is seemingly everywhere. In the past I have enjoyed artists such as Eminem, DMX and Ja Rule, who occupy the same space as Lamar and I have been a big fan in the past of rap-rock artists like Papa Roach, Gorillaz and especially 311 – the latter being my favorite band for many years. So given that I am kind of halfway there and also consider myself open-minded, I decided to see what all the fuss was about.

Someone whose opinion I trust recommended that I start by listening to “Humble” and see how I like it. So, I did just that. I must say that on the first listen I was kind of nervous, as I am with most songs I am hearing for the first time. But within a minute I was starting to enjoy the “hook” of the song. For me, a song MUST have a catchy beat or else I can’t get into it. You can write the deepest, culturally-significant lyrics on earth, but if the song is not catchy it will not hold my attention. I HAVE to get that beat into my brain. Otherwise it is a deal-breaker for me. So happily, I found that HUMBLE got into my head. I found myself on the second and third listen, singing along to the “lil bitch be humble…be humble” lines. I also liked the way the song unfolded, with the references to syrup sandwiches, playing Tetris and the authenticity of Richard Pryor. Lamar’s lyrics are clever and present great visualization of his keen worldview. He projects an image of a man who is fed up with the nonsense, who knows exactly what he wants and is not afraid to speak his mind.

With HUMBLE, Lamar looks at the world through a pained eye and illustrates a desire for a collective, honest humility and a yearning for a society that can get its values in order. He exudes self-confidence and truly understands WHO HE IS and is not afraid to call out those around him that he thinks are fake, dishonest and not as “real” as he is. Sure, these lyrics can come across as arrogant to some – the words of a guy who is full of himself possibly, and maybe there is truth to that. But I see Lamar more as a street preacher who instead of touting Biblical verses, spouts harsh declarations of truth to [and about his] community. And to do that, your kind of have to be a little full of yourself. Luckily for Lamar, there are countless others out there that come across a lot worse than he does. And unlike many performers in today’s music industry, Lamar has the ability to back up his mouth with true talent. There are not many people that can earnestly say the same. I have heard that this album has two completely different meanings when the songs are played backwards. That is NOT an easy feat to accomplish! I am looking forward to exploring the rest of Lamar’s work from here.

Since this album is very introspective, I thought this chorus could be Kendrick talking to himself...his inner voice. Reminding himself to not forget where he came from and trying to keep himself in check by telling himself to Be Humble. Of course he could be talking to himself AND society as a whole.

I got a task to tell what the lyrics in the song are about. Is there a message or theme?

"A.M. To the P.M., P.M. To the A.M., funk.." Barz right there !

The lyrics convey a sentimental feel of disapproval towards the Entertainment industry & Rap Culture. I Believe Kendrick was voicing out his frustrations on the Renowned Hiphop Culture. "I'm so fuckin' sick and tired of the Photoshop" Yhea Kendrick was definately talking to Kim Kardashian here, Lmao.