Kendrick Lamar
Introductory Speech (Kunta’s Groove Sessions)
[Backing Instrumental]
My day one motherfucking fans in this building, one time. As I look around-this the shit. I ain't been this intimate in a long time. We might be up here all motherfucking night, I got something. I ain't seen y'all in a minute, real shit. You know I mean it when I say, I been around the world and shit. A whole sea of people. But nothing like coming right here in front of this small group. The people that's been with me since day one. Kendrick Lamar EP. Kendrick Lamar OD. Section-mothefucking-.80. Real shit. This is cool right here goddamn, this is really cool right now. This about real shit, listen up. To Pimp a Butterfly. People said a lot about this album. That'd said album of the year, that' said album of this generation and all that shit. That's cool, but also real shit making this motherfucking album was therapy. Not only for you, but for me, You know what I'm saying? Because within six months of good kid, m.A.A.d city dropping, the life of what I knew, when I knew what it was, thinking I knew, that completely changed within six months. And uh, you going through the motional of the world telling you that you're great. And you trying to make yourself believe that shit, but it's hard because you're institutionalized from where you come from. Still trying to move around and stay the way I like I do. I'm a low-key n***a. And I ain't scared of the world. Me personally, I can't run around with a hundred n***as like I usually do. I don't need to, I don't want to. And that's just been me since day one. So trying to grasp the idea of them telling you who you should run with, it can't cut it. Because like I said on the Kendrick Lamar EP, "I need to be me goddamnit". I think this shit can live forever, but looking at y'all faces y'all just. I got some of the most loyal. dedicated motherfucking fans in the world (?). (?) I could talk all day (?). To Pimp a Butterfly. Y'all allowed this motherfucking album has soared all the way to the top with no motherfucking commercial success. Y'all allowed it to be top-tier without a constant radio single and shit. So that proves to you right there, music is not something you can motherfucking market all the time. This shit belong to you and you only, you know what I'm saying? Some shit that y’all can feel whether you insecure, whether you vulnerable, whether you mad, happy, angry, sad. You pop this motherfucking tape in, you pop your favorite music in, and you love and you live that shit. And you allow artists like me myself to come back to these group of people and perform the shit that I want to perform, you dig what I'm saying? This may be the first and last time I perform To Pimp a Butterfly on this run. Eight of the ten cities. And I made sure New York be one of them cities that I come back to to do this shit. So with that being said, we gon' rock this shit until the casket drop or until, until it all falls down. Let's go