The Blacker the Berry - Kendrick Lamar

Everything black, I don't want black I want everything black, I ain't need black Some white some black, I ain't mean black I want everything black [x2]

The song begins with a monologue from Kendrick, describing the struggles of a black person deserving and wanting more for themselves but it's virtually unattainable due to their circumstances.

Six in the mornin', fire in the street Burn, baby burn, that's all I wanna see 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 Black don't crack my ni**a

I'm the biggest hypocrite of 2015 Once I finish this, witnesses will convey just what I mean Been feeling this way since I was 16, came to my senses You never liked us anyway, f**k 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 d**k 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 f**kin' 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 guardin' my feelins, I know that you feel it You sabotage my community, makin' a killin' You made me a killer, emancipation of a real ni**a

Kendrick goes into this verse as if he's speaking directly to society in America and calling out their racism. About how black people have been looked down upon, from their appearance to an entire plan to silence their culture and growth as a community.

[Pre-Hook:] 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

[Hook:] 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 in a chain, cah' we black Imagine now, big gold chain 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 black, just remember that

In the hook, Kendrick speaks about the whole concept of being mistreated due to the colour of his skin.

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 telling me, penitentiary would only hire me Curse me till I'm dead Church me with your fake prophesyzing that I'mma be just another slave in my head Institutionalize 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 CAT scans 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 ni**a

In the second verse, he raps about how being black (and specifically a man) has inevitable outcomes due to the brainwashing and training that society has gone through, zaying he's going to end up incarcerated or in jail. He says that being black and successful is seen as a threat, and the insecure shut this down with institutionalized racism.

I'm the biggest hypocrite of 2015 When I finish this if you listenin' 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 f**kin' Aryan I'm black as the name of Tyrone and Darius Excuse my French but f**k you — no, f**k 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're in love with the 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 want to build and destroy Remind me of these Compton Crip gangs that live next door Beefin' with Piru's, 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 ni**a blacker than me? Hypocrite!

The last verse focuses on his pride of being African American, as well as the hypocrisy he sees in the black community. The Zulu and Xhosa are two tribes that were originally formed as groups to unify groups, but he says how ironic and similar the situation is to gangs such as the Compton Crips and the Pirus, and how only death settles feuds. He talks about celebrating February (Black history month) like it's his birthday, as well as stereotypes about black people.

In the last 3 lines, he calls himself out on his hypocrisy when he mourns the death of Trayvon Martin when he himself has participated in gun/gang violence.