From Kendrick Lamar’s Momma:
I met a little boy that resembled my features
Nappy afro, gap in his smile […]
He looked at me and said, “Kendrick you do know my language
You just forgot because of what public schools had painted
Oh, I forgot, don’t kill my vibe, that’s right, you’re famous
I used to watch on Channel 5, TV was tapin’
But never mind you’re here right now don’t you mistake it
It’s just a new trip, take a glimpse at your family’s ancestor
Make a new list, of everything you thought was progress
And that was bullshit, I mean your life is full of turmoil
The ambiguous reference to “ancestor” could be referring to a historical home (Africa), a geographic home (where you grew up), or a mental home (back when things were simultaneously simpler and more complicated). The little boy could be Kendrick’s former self, or a kid just now growing up where Kendrick did, or a kid whose life trajectory branched off from Kendrick’s when K’s ancestors came to America.
In any case, provocative: find what home means to you (for all its good and bad), understand fully where you are at, where you came from, and where you should be headed. A piece of you lingers at every weigh station you spent time at.
A reminder to myself more than anything. Great album.
ammar mian 