[Verse 1: Kendrick Lamar]
Lifestyles of a kid that never had shit
Livin' off that bad shit, that shoot shit, that stab shit
Rock a flag and don't give a fuck about U.S. flag shit
George Bush got some nerve, fuck a war, we tryna serve
Motherfuckin' eight balls 'til we live at the pool hall
And knock billiards out of your business, ya bitch
That's my surroundings in Compton, have common sense
Smell death in the air, around here, that's a common scent
You know the gunpowder
You know when your homie barely blink, he just done powder
Only at seventeen
You know the common statistic inspired by hoop dreams
Now hired by street schemes of gettin' blood money
I try my best to stay focused and hope the city love me
Pray it's not lust, 'cause if it is, I'll be dead in a month
Lord forbid, for the good kid
They took his life
She want her baby back like a cooked rib
But that's just life where I'm from

[Chorus: Kendrick Lamar]
If there's a shining star
Hope my city's not too far
So we can live again
See, where I come from is hard
Hope all over, we can start
So we can live again, so we can live again
[Verse 2: CurT@!n$]
I seen this youngin' on the train, I had to pick his brain
He said he on his way uptown to get a brick of 'caine
He said he needed a come-up, 'cause sellin' nicks was lame
He needed a chain, so I gave him fifty cent
He looked at me like I was crazy, I said "Listen, man
I'd rather give you my last to see you live again
Just 'cause you change what you pitchin', don't make the difference
You gotta get off the mound, and put the game down
Petty thoughts could keep your brain down
I leave you with that jewel, go get the chain now
And put it together"
See, comin' up, we ain't have shit to keep our mind focused
I love Mike, but it was a hassle tryna buy Jordans
My n***a hustle all day in front the corner store
To get a pair, n***as killed him right in front the mall, huh
So all that hustlin' for nothin', then
I threw my pair on the light pole because of him
Like fuck it, man

[Chorus: Kendrick Lamar]
If there's a shining star
Hope my city's not too far
So we can live again
See, where I come from is hard
Hope all over, we can start
So we can live again, so we can live again
[Verse 3: ScHoolboy Q]
Tryna move forward, though it never stops
A mother’s son dead, was killed by some kid's pops
Shots, they back and forth
Murder for murder, the beef recycled, it's vital
No idols, bunch of unread Bibles
Allies that turned to rivals, n***as turned street disciples
Smokers get high as Eiffels
Addicted to being fiends
'Cause of the feds as we pledge to let our plague spread
Tiny this and if and that, they bangin' back
'Cause they'll adapt to being black
Straps and gang tats, look
Rats get mouse traps
Can't afford tuition
But hit a lick, I bet I earn crack, I heard that
Lookin' at the sky, just hopin' that a light'll shine
Daylight savin' time all the time on this block of mines
All the time with this Glock of mines
Swear to God, man, it ain't a rhyme, I grind for a piece of mine
Co-sign

[Chorus: Kendrick Lamar]
If there's a shining star
Hope my city's not too far
So we can live again
See, where I come from is hard
Hope all over, we can start
So we can live again, so we can live again
[Outro: Black Ice]
When you look at my brothers, what's your first impression?
Does the sight of us leave you guessin', or do you understand the stressin', the aggression?
The look of no hope on my n***as' faces
Like the Lord overlooked us when He handed down His graces?
See, embraces fall short on the numb tips of street entrepeneur fingers
Stuck in the walls of the project halls where the coke smell still lingers
External blingers is all we can be
'Cause on the inside we been given nothin' to shine on
And the gig is harder to get than coke, so n***as get their grind on
'Cause the TV tells us "Aim high, n***a, make all goals lateral"
But that takes paper that we don't have, so n***as put their souls up as collateral
Now, some n***as reclaim 'em, some blame 'em
Makin' excuses to sell 'em
But when a n***a goes from not doin', to doin'
What can you tell him? Not to be a n***a?
Shit, I gots to be a n***a, that's how I pay the bills
And I'ma do that whether I gotta sling this coke or exploit these rhyme skills

[Chorus: Kendrick Lamar]
If there's a shining star
Hope my city's not too far
So we can live again
See, where I come from is hard
Hope all over, we can start
So we can live again, so we can live again