Protocol

By Kendrick Lamar

Released on June 3, 2016

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[Verse]

Tire marks, tire marks

Finish line with the tire marks

When the relay starts I’m a runaway slave

Ugh, walking on water and running on waves

God MC Oh my God you gotta see

There’s never no I's in me

Of an Odyssey, I’m a block away

Fire marshal's moving in

Marshmallows inside my pen

Sweet sixteens

Got a sweet sixteen and they deadlier than sin

I’m so appalled

With the prototype with a godly protocol

You an amateur, they wanna pro to call

I damage ya on camera, in Compton, in Canada

I don’t care where ya are

Just blink twice and I’m there where you are

Like a shadow in the dark, you a paddle in the boat

In an ocean full of sharks bout to come up short

Water in the pot, flow crack rock like Bam Bam nigga

Have two grams nigga pay up or blam blam nigga

Had a black Camry, bumpin' Dipset, Killa Cam nigga

I had been around niggas, killas, pimps

You ain’t been around shit but your momma and your bitch

Shoved off the porch when I was like six

Uncle Bobby got the house raided back in 9-6

Kick in the door

K9s all in the kitchen way before I even heard of Mike Vick

Momma in the bathroom poppa at work

Happened on Sunday we shoulda went to Church

Look at my shirt, Polo on it

It’s gon' sell if my logo on it

I fear no opponent

A demon come near and I might throw a spear at the omen

You looking at the 2010 Romans

Empire, Hiiipower HP, in ya face like HD

And I spit like a HK

I’mma shot like a H3, H-U-B-C-I-T-Y, A-B and Y-G

Problem and Hootie nigga

Tell the government come shoot me, nigga

Cause I’m going out with a fist raised

And a fist full of money give it to a fifth grade

Drink a fifth of Hennessy and then take another fade

With a democratic politician from CA

They don’t wanna see a B-L-A-C-K

Making some scratch like a hall of fame DJ

Give us some free J’s put us in PJs

Now we in the county jail calling for a three-way

God-Damn, y'all cold

Mark of the beast wear your god damn bar-code

Stuck in the street where it's dark like Harpo

Black man tell me where your God-Damn heart go

Although I’m in the land of milk and honey

Nobody never gave me shit, when I got my first chain

All the niggas tried to take it from me

I had to fight back and shit

Get it back and shit

And you rap niggas looking funny tryna talk back and shit

Like he back that shit

Acting like you real or something

Nigga ain't popped no steel, ain't popped no collar

Go pop some pills or something

You trying real hard to appeal to someone

I’m being myself, my BFF is a BM-dub

With your BM in it and your stash box glove

And the medicine a doctor gave a nigga won't help

I’m at the limit where I be amazing myself

I bet I finish on a level with a Black belt

I bet I hit it where every rapper get killed, like

Bla bla bla bla where the knife at?

Cut cut cut where your life at?

Your careers over, he’s slumped over

And if I'm off beat know I’m un-sober

That's a new flow

Pl-, Plus Q gave me some Kush and some Nuvo

New dough for the new year and I sumo on a rap peer

Not a rapper, I’m a raptor

That's a T-Rex in a V-neck for the rapture

I’m a factor and your facial

I will fracture to a fraction

No one-half and I hate math

Pastor’s like Eddie long, fucking maricon

Took me mighty long to get here

Nigga, Fuck!