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  • - "Rolling Stone" magazine called our next guest

  • "The greatest rapper of his generation,"

  • but he is so much more than that.

  • He is an artist, a poet, a lyrical genius,

  • and the state of California recently honored him

  • for being a positive icon.

  • In a very rare television appearance,

  • please welcome the incredible

  • Kendrick Lamar.

  • [cheers and applause]

  • [Keyboard music begins]

  • - Life is full of up and downs,

  • Twists and turns,

  • But somehow we keep on stepping.

  • [rapping] If these walls could talk,

  • They'd tell me to swim good

  • No boat, I float better than he would

  • No life jacket, I'm not the God of Nazareth

  • But your flood can be misunderstood

  • Walls telling me they full of pain, resentment

  • Need someone to live in them just to relieve tension

  • Me? I'm just a tenant

  • Landlord said these walls vacant more than a minute

  • These walls are vulnerable, exclamation

  • Interior pink, color coordinated

  • I interrogated, every nook and cranny

  • I mean, it's still amazing-- before, they couldn't stand me

  • These walls want to cry tears

  • These walls happier when I'm here

  • These walls never could hold up

  • Every time I come around demolition might crush

  • (women singing) If these walls could talk

  • - Step, step.

  • (man singing) I can feel your reign when it cries

  • Gold lives inside of you

  • - Step. - If these walls could talk

  • - I love it when I'm in it I love it when I'm in it

  • Ah-ah.

  • [rapping] - If these walls could talk

  • They'd tell me to go deep

  • Yelling at me continuously, I can see

  • Your defense mechanism is my decision

  • Knock these walls down, that's my religion

  • Walls feeling like they ready to close in

  • I suffocate, then catch my second wind

  • I resonate in these walls

  • I don't know how long I can wait in these walls

  • I've been on these streets too long

  • Looking at you from the outside in

  • They sing the same old song

  • About how they walls always the cleanest

  • I beg to differ, I'd rather miss them

  • I'd rather call I'd rather diss them

  • I'd rather fall on you, put your wall up

  • Cause when I come around, demolition gon' crush

  • - If these walls could talk

  • - Uh.

  • - I can feel your reign when it cries,

  • - Shot down, step. - Gold lives inside of you

  • - Step - If these walls could talk

  • - Step

  • - I love it when I'm in it - Toe, step.

  • - I love it when I'm in it - [indistinct], step.

  • Uh.

  • And reality is,

  • Sometimes through these ups and downs

  • You gotta know when to lead or to follow.

  • Keep stepping.

  • Shot down.

  • If your walls could talk, they'd tell you it's too late

  • Your destiny, accepted your fate

  • Burn accessories and stash them where they are

  • Take the recipe, the Bible and God

  • Wall telling you that commissary is low

  • Race wars happening, no calling CO

  • No calling your homie to save you

  • Homies to say you're reputable, not acceptable

  • Your behavior is Sammy Da Bull like

  • A killer that turned snitch

  • Walls is telling me you, You pray for appeals,

  • Hoping the warden will afford them

  • - That sentence so important

  • - Wall telling you to listen to "Sing About Me"

  • Retaliation is strong, you even dream about me

  • Killed my homeboy and God spared your life

  • Dumb criminal got indicted the same night

  • So when you play this song, rewind the first verse

  • About me abusing my power so you can hurt

  • About me and her in the shower whenever she horny

  • About me and her in the after hours of the morning

  • About her baby daddy that's currently serving life

  • How she think about you until we meet up at night

  • About the only girl that cared about you when you asked her

  • And how she messing with a famous rapper

  • Walls could talk - If these walls could talk

  • - Hey, yeah.

  • [singing] I can feel your reign when it cries.

  • Gold lives inside of you.

  • Yeah. Hey!

  • I love it when I'm in it

  • I love it when I'm in it

  • [music continues]

  • Yes.

  • [cheers and applause]

  • - Let her up! [laughs]

  • [cheers and applause]

  • I mean-- Okay.

  • First of all, I adore you. - Appreciate it.

  • - You're brilliant. Thank you for being here.

  • I know it's a-- It's an honor to have you here.

  • And you just won the Grammy for the song "I."

  • - Yes. - That I love to dance to.

  • Congratulations on that. - Yes, thank you.

  • [cheers and applause] Congratulations.

  • So-- [cheers and applause]

  • [cheers and applause]

  • What does that mean--when you're honored as a positive icon,

  • what does that mean to you?

  • - It means everything to me, because I know

  • it's a lot of kids in my neighborhood,

  • that's watching TV and saying, "You know what?

  • "I want to be a positive influence

  • just like Kendrick Lamar,"

  • or whoever's out there doing something for the good

  • of the culture and for music, so it's everything.

  • - Yeah. It really is amazing

  • that you are from Compton, right?

  • - Yeah, definitely. - From Compton,

  • and you are so inspirational to so many people, everywhere,

  • but especially there, like you said.

  • - Yeah. - That it is posit--

  • It's possible, and-- more than possible,

  • to get out in a very safe, sober way.

  • - Yeah, yeah, definitely.

  • I'm playing it for my parents, you know.

  • They put something in my heart to do something more

  • than what I was raised around and taking, you know,

  • all my influence, whether negative or positive,

  • and doing it in the right way.

  • - Yeah, you're doing it in the right way,

  • and you're just a brilliant man.

  • I was honored also that you challenged me

  • to the Ice Bucket Challenge.

  • - Yep. [laughs]

  • - It was, like, Samuel Jackson, and Serena and me?

  • - Yep. You actually remember.

  • I was waiting. - Of course! I did it.

  • I did it. I was glad that you--

  • And how did you end up in the "Bad Blood" video

  • with Taylor Swift?

  • - Oh, man, she reached out, you know.

  • Always been a fan of hers, and she was a fan of my music,

  • and she reached out, man, and we got it done.

  • - Cool video. - Yeah, thank you.

  • - Very cool. All right.

  • I'm a--just a huge fan, and I said there's--

  • we have dancing, we have a guy painting,

  • There's so much going on, I don't know where to look.

  • - We got that for you, too, matter of fact.

  • - I was going to buy it, but if you want to give it to me,

  • I'll take it for free. That's brilliant.

  • - Bring it over. - Blue, right?

  • - Yeah. - Let me check it out.

  • - Blue, thank you so much.

  • - You're welcome. [cheers and applause]

  • - Oh, my gosh. [cheers and applause]

  • [cheers and applause]

  • - You gonna sign this for me? - Oh yeah, definitely.

  • - All right, sign that for me. Thank you so much.

  • The name of the CD is "To Pimp a Butterfly."

  • Everyone in the audience, you're going home with a copy.

  • Thank you so much. [cheers and applause]

  • [cheers and applause]

- "Rolling Stone" magazine called our next guest

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