"Backseat Freestyle" is a song by Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar and a track from his sophomore studio album, good kid, m.A.A.d city (2012).[1] The song serves as the third track off of the record and was met with an official release on October 22nd of 2012.[2] The song features production done from former GOOD producer Hit-Boy as well as backing vocals from artist Michael Young.[3]
The song continues the album's story-telling theme by serving as a flashback following the previous track of the album, "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" where the song ends with Kendrick's friend asking him to rap.[4] The freestyle is not something the then present-day Kendrick Lamar truly believes in, but reflects the attitude and beliefs of young people caught up in a corrupt society (i.e. a mad city).[5]
Production[]
The song features a beat done by then-GOOD Music label producer Hit-Boy and runs at a tempo of 78 BPM in the C♯/D♭ key with a major mode.[6] The song features three samples; a vocal sample of the The Chakachas' 1970 song "Yo Soy Cubano", another sample of Roscoe Dash's 2011 song "Good Good Night" and LL COOL J's 1985 song "Rock The Bells".[7]
Background[]
The beat was initially created in 2010 by the producer Hit-Boy. The song was first intended for the R&B singer Ciara.[8] After not reaching back out to Hit-Boy about the beat, the beat would then be sent over to Kanye West and JAY-Z who were both working together on their collaborative album Watch The Throne at the time alongside several other Hit-Boy produced beats, although like the other Hit-Boy beats sent in the beat was unused.[9]
In 2011, Hit-Boy would meet up with Kendrick Lamar in Las Vegas and during the studio sessions which had lasted several days Kendrick would freestyle over Hit-Boy produced beats, all of which were scrapped. Lamar would continue to request beats from Hit-Boy until he was sent the Backseat Freestyle beat, in which he openly told Hit-Boy was going to make the final album.[10] Kendrick would record the vocals for the song on-tour and is rumored to have finished the song after only two recorded vocal retakes.[11]
The song would be met with an official release date on October 22nd as a part of the rest of Kendrick's album good kid, m.A.A.d city. The following year on January 7th, the song had been met with an official music video release.
Music video[]
The song was met with an official music video release over 2 months after the song's release on January 7th and was directed by Kendrick himself alongside Dave Free and Jerome D.[12] Kendrick would openly state the music video taken roughly 2 months to film due to travelling and an abundance of ideas for the music video.[13] In the black-and-white stylized video, Kendrick raps along to the lyrics while switching between footage of his hometown Compton, California and Paris, France, the latter a reference to the song's chorus.[14]
Lyrics[]
[Intro: Kendrick Lamar]
Uh, Martin had a dream
Martin had a dream
Kendrick have a dream
[Chorus: Kendrick Lamar]
All my life, I want money and power
Respect my mind or die from lead shower
I pray my dick get big as the Eiffel Tower
So I can fuck the world for seventy-two hours
[Verse 1: Kendrick Lamar]
Goddamn, I feel amazin', damn, I'm in the Matrix
My mind is livin' on cloud nine and this 9 is never on vacation
Start up that Maserati and, vroom, vroom, I'm racin'
Poppin' pills in the lobby and I pray they don't find her naked
And I pray you n***as is hatin', shooters go after Judas
Jesus Christ, if I live life on my knees, ain't no need to do this
Park it in front of Lueders, next to that Church's Chicken
All you pussies is losers, all my n***as is winnin', screamin'
[Chorus: Kendrick Lamar]
All my life, I want money and power
Respect my mind or die from lead shower
I pray my dick get big as the Eiffel Tower
So I can fuck the world for seventy-two hours
[Post-Chorus: Kendrick Lamar]
Goddamn, I got bitches (Okay), damn, I got bitches (Okay)
Damn, I got bitches (Yeah), wifey, girlfriend, and mistress
All my life, I want money and power
Respect my mind or die from lead shower
[Verse 2: Kendrick Lamar]
I got twenty-five lighter on my dresser, yes, sir
Put fire to that ass, body cast on a stretcher
And her body got that ass that a ruler couldn't measure
And it make me cum fast, but I never get embarrassed
And I recognize you have what I've been wantin' since that record
That Adina Howard had, pop it fast to impress her
She rollin', I'm holdin' my scrotum, imposin'
This voice here is golden, so fuck y'all, I goes in, and
[Chorus: Kendrick Lamar]
All my life, I want money and power
Respect my mind or die from lead shower
I pray my dick get big as the Eiffel Tower
So I can fuck the world for seventy-two hours
[Post-Chorus: Kendrick Lamar]
Goddamn, I got bitches, damn, I got bitches
Damn, I got bitches, wifey, girlfriend, and mistress
All my life, I want money and power
Respect my mind or, n***a, it's go time
[Verse 3: Kendrick Lamar]
I roll in dough with a good grind
And I run that ho with a baton
That's a relay race with a bouquet
They say, "K, you gon' marry mines"
Biatch, no way, biatch, no way
Biatch, no way, biatch, okay
I'm never livin' life confined
It's a failure even if I'm blind
I can tell you who, what, when, where
How to sell your game right on time
Biatch, go play, biatch, go play
Biatch, go play, biatch, I look like O.J.
Killin' everything from pussy to a motherfuckin' Hit-Boy beat
She pussy poppin' and I got options like an audible, I be
C-O-M-P-T-O-N, I win, then ball at your defeat
C-O-M-P-T-O-N, my city mobbin' in the street, yellin'
[Chorus: Kendrick Lamar]
All my life, I want money and power
Respect my mind or die from lead shower
I pray my dick get big as the Eiffel Tower
So I can fuck the world for seventy-two hours
[Post-Chorus: Kendrick Lamar]
Goddamn, I got bitches, damn, I got bitches
Damn, I got bitches, wifey, girlfriend, and mistress
All my life, I want money and power
Respect my mind or die from lead shower
[Outro: Kendrick Lamar]
Let it run, Ali
Martin had a dream
Martin had a dream
Kendrick have a dream
Trivia[]
- The song was played as a part of Kendrick's opening act for Kanye during The Yeezus Tour in 2014.
References[]
- ↑ https://open.spotify.com/track/6fAyRZ0GHuuvSOEIOwi58N?si=f27353646d724b03
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Kid,_M.A.A.D_City#:~:text=Good%20Kid%2C%20M.A.A.D%20City%20(stylized,Dre%27s%20Aftermath%20Entertainment.
- ↑ https://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-backseat-freestyle-lyrics
- ↑ https://open.spotify.com/track/712uvW1Vezq8WpQi38v2L9?si=dc0238d875494764
- ↑ https://genius.com/3573570
- ↑ https://songbpm.com/@kendrick-lamar/backseat-freestyle#:~:text=Backseat%20Freestyle%20is%20a%20upbeat,key%20and%20a%20major%20mode.
- ↑ https://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-backseat-freestyle-sample
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z-gZ1NmbvE
- ↑ https://pillowcase.su/f/ac1679bd9a60d2abbda4f0654e03456e
- ↑ https://www.complex.com/music/2012/10/the-making-of-kendrick-lamars-good-kid-maad-city/
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backseat_Freestyle
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZW7et3tPuQ
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX9sWKJZVQY
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backseat_Freestyle#Music_video