[Intro: Kendrick Lamar & ScHoolboy Q] If Pirus and Crips all got along They'd probably gun me down by the end of this song Seem like the whole city go against me Every time I'm in the street, I hear— Yawk! Yawk! Yawk! Yawk! [Chorus: Kendrick Lamar] Man down, where you from, nigga? Fuck who you know—where you from, my nigga? Where your grandma stay, huh, my nigga? This m.A.A.d city I run, my nigga [Verse 1: Kendrick Lamar] Brace yourself, I'll take you on a trip down memory lane This is not a rap on how I'm slingin' crack or move cocaine This is cul-de-sac and plenty Cognac and major pain Not the drill sergeant, but the stress that weighin' on your brain It was me, L Boog, and Yan Yan, YG Lucky ride down Rosecrans It got ugly, wavin' yo' hand out the window – check yourself! Uh, Warriors and Conans, hope euphoria can slow dance With society, the driver seat the first one to get killed Seen a light-skinned nigga with his brains blown out At the same burger stand where *beep* hang out Now this is not a tape recorder sayin' that he did it But ever since that day, I was lookin' at him different That was back when I was nine, Joey packed the nine Pakistan on every porch is fine, we adapt to crime Pack a van with four guns at a time With the sliding door, fuck is up? Fuck you shootin' for if you ain't walkin' up, you fuckin' punk? Pickin' up the fuckin' pump, pickin' off you suckers Suck a dick or die or sucker punch A wall of bullets comin' from AK's, AR's, "Ayy, y'all—duck!" That's what Momma said when we was eatin' that free lunch Aw man, goddamn, all hell broke loose You killed my cousin back in '94, fuck yo' truce! Now crawl your head in that noose You wind up dead on the news Ain't no peace treaty, just piecin' BGs up to pre-approve Bodies on top of bodies, IVs on top of IVs Obviously the coroner between the sheets like the Isleys When you hop on that trolley, make sure your color's correct Make sure you're corporate or they'll be callin' your mother collect They say the governor collect all of our taxes, except When we in traffic and tragic happens, that shit ain't no threat You movin' backwards if you suggest that you sleep with a TEC Go buy a chopper and have a doctor on speed dial, I guess M.A.A.d. city [Chorus: Kendrick Lamar] Man down, where you from, nigga? Fuck who you know—where you from, my nigga? Where your grandma stay, huh, my nigga? This m.A.A.d city I run, my nigga [Bridge: Kendrick Lamar & ScHoolboy Q] If Pirus and Crips all got along They'd probably gun me down by the end of this song Seem like the whole city go against me Every time I'm in the street, I hear— Yawk! Yawk! Yawk!— [Part II: Produced by Terrace Martin] [Intro: MC Eiht] Wake yo' punk-ass up! It ain't nothin' but a Compton thang G-yeah, real simple and plain Let me teach you some lessons about the street (Smoke somethin', nigga!) Hood ('Sup, Cuz?) It ain't nothin' but a Compton thang G-yeah, how we do [Verse 2: Kendrick Lamar] Fresh outta school 'cause I was a high school grad' Sleepin' in the living room of my momma's pad Reality struck, I seen the white car crash Hit the light pole, two niggas hopped out on foot and dashed My pops said I needed a job, I thought I believed him Security guard for a month and ended up leavin' In fact, I got fired, 'cause I was inspired by all of my friends To stage a robbery the third Saturday I clocked in Projects tore up, gang signs get thrown up Cocaine laced in marijuana And they wonder why I rarely smoke now Imagine if your first blunt had you foamin' at the mouth I was straight tweakin', the next weekend we broke even I made allegiance that made a promise to see you bleedin' You know the reasons but still will never know my life Kendrick a.k.a. "Compton's Human Sacrifice" [Interlude: MC Eiht] G-yeah, cocaine, weed Niggas been mixin' shit since the '80s, loc Sherm sticks, butt-nakeds Dip, make a nigga flip Cluck heads all up and down the block and shit One time's crooked and shit Block a nigga in Alondra, Rosecrans, Bullis, it's Compton [Verse 3: MC Eiht] I'm still in the hood, loc, yeah that's cool Shit, the hood took me under, so I follow the rules But yeah, that's like me, I grew up in the hood where they bang And niggas that rep colors is doin' the same thang Pass it to the left so I can smoke on me A couple drive-bys in the hood lately, shit Couple of IV's with the fuckin' spray-can Shots in the crowd, then everybody ran Crew I'm finna slay, the street life I crave Shots hit the enemy, hearts turn brave Mount up, regulators in the whip Down the boulevard with the pistol grip, yeah Trip, we in the hood still So, loc, grab a strap 'cause yeah, it's so real, yeah Deal with the outcome, a strap in the hand And a bird and ten grand's where a mothafucka stand [Verse 4: Kendrick Lamar] If I told you I killed a nigga at sixteen, would you believe me? Perceive me to be innocent Kendrick you seen in the street With a basketball and some Now and Laters to eat? If I mentioned all of my skeletons, would you jump in the seat? Would you say my intelligence now is great relief? And it's safe to say that our next generation maybe can sleep With dreams of bein' a lawyer or doctor Instead of boy with a chopper that hold the cul-de-sac hostage Kill 'em all if they gossip The Children of the Corn, they vandalizin' the option Of livin' a lie, drown their body with toxins Constantly drinkin' and drive Hit the powder, then watch this flame that arrive in his eye Listen, coward, the concept is aim and then bang it and slide Out that bitch with deposit, a price on his head, the tithes Probably go to the projects, I Live inside the belly of the rough, Compton, USA Made me an Angel on Angel Dust - what? [Scratches] m.A.A.d city Compton [Outro] Nigga, pass Dot the bottle, damn! You ain't the one that got fucked up What you holdin' it for? Niggas always actin' unsensitive and shit Nigga, that ain't no word Nigga, shut up! Hey, Dot, you good, my nigga? Don't even trip Just lay back and drink that