Starting today our site will be breaking down track by track of Kendrick Lamar’s debut album. Day by day we will post a new breakdown, written entirely by myself. Today we begin with Sherane.
Sherane (AKA Master Splinter’s Daughter)
The album opens with some religious chants, possibly alluding to the upcoming divine context in the story. In the first verse, Kendrick recalls meeting the girl known as Sherane. He describes her appearance through the simile that she could have stripped down in Atlanta, thats how good looking she was. Our protagonist had met her at house party, she mentions that she lives on the border of Compton, which is a while away. She seems like a enchantress at this point in the story, because Kendrick can only think about her and wanting to fuck. Kendrick gets her number, and begins to talk to her for the entire summer, and when fall arrives Kendrick has already fallen for her. They begin to learn everything about each other, including the history Sherane’s cousin Demetrius, who is involved in gang activities. Kendrick mentions it made him skeptical, but he brushed it off due to lust for her. He knows this lust could get him into problems, but “fuck it”. And he goes off to see Sherane, at this point in the story it stresses how far away her residence is, and how Kendrick is completely under her whim. Because although he has no gas and he is broke, he still drives that far out. He is so enticed that when she texted him a picture of her breasts Kendrick nearly got into an accident. Lamar also mentions that he has he has 5th of goose in the trunk. As soon as he pulls up, he notices her waving to him across the street. However, there are two men in black hoodies next to her. One of whom is most likely Demetrius. Right as this is happening, Kendrick’s mother calls his phone, asking for the car back. This skit is used as a time reference throughout the album, and a reference to Kendrick’s lifestyle and his family. She also hints at how crazy Sherane really is, and her title as the ‘hoodrat’. Giving us the impression that title of this song is really meant to be.
Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe: Here jump forward and we are currently with the present day ‘Kendrick Lamar’. The artist. Once again using religious subtext alluding to the story’s climax in the lines “I am a sinner, who’s probably going to sin again, lord forgive me, for things I don’t understand” We will understand these lines more once the entire narrative plays out. Kendrick mentions the rise to fame and how everybody just wants to be famous, using him as a dollar sign in “look inside my soul and you can find gold and maybe get rich”. He feels his world changing around him, He is completely conscious of this fact, and its incredible to him how this is all happening and he is being put on stages and people want to see him. He mentions his individuality, mentioning he writes what is in his heart, not what is on the radio. Probably a reference to why he got famous, and why your favorite artists cosign him. The skit that follows this song is not as important to the story, as it is a transition into the next track on the album. They have a beat CD ready, and Kendrick should ‘get his freestyles ready’
Backseat Freestyle:
The setting is now the back of the white truck, they have their Hit-Boy beat CD playing and Kendrick’s vibing along and freestyling to it. Kendrick chants in the chorus ‘All my life I want money and power, Respect my mind or die from lead shower’ which is driving home the point that if you don’t ride with him. You might as well die. Kendrick is feeling good here, like he is on top of the world. He makes YET ANOTHER religious reference, this time he explains that if he was a religious man, he would not need to be rapping. He explains Compton landmarks as he’s riding around with his friends, giving us the impression that this really is, a backseat freestyle. Again Lamar makes the statement that if you disrespect him, you’ll end up on a stretcher. In this last verse Kendrick seems to be riled up as if he’s about to go off on something, and he makes a few references to just that in the verse. “COMPTON my city mobbin’ in the street.
The Art Of Peer Pressure:
This is a true motherfucking story that happened to Kendrick Lamar. His mom told him that the type of activities that are about to ensue would ‘burn him out one day’ Kendrick opens the actual song somely, almost as if he’s watching the all unfold and he is simply narrating it. Completely detached from the situation. He explains that they are all driving around in the White Toyota still, with one pistol. They are looking for girls and to get into trouble, and his clique’s energy sure as hell matches that intention. They have enough bad energy to counteract all of your good karma. Kendrick is now introduced and pressured into smoking a blunt, which is very unusual for him. At this point they pull up to some prostitutes and if they were looking for girls and trouble, we know what to expect next. They’ve been drinking, poppin’ pills and smoking at this point and they are ready to start something. Kendrick is deeply connected with his homies and he’d do anything for them, and they even fantasize on how cool a drive-by would be. “I ride for my motherfucking niggas, do my stuff then hop back in” At this point they’re just driving around fucked up in broad daylight, hungry as hell and he doesn’t care what he eats and looking for some real girls. Just as they are going to talk to some upper class girls, they see some guys in the opposite colors (rival gang members) so they jump them. And then laugh about it, he then stresses the fact that he was never this way, and must be due to ‘peer pressure’. At this point he’s drinking again, and his morals begin to slip away. They are then boasting and bragging about what just happened and they decide to finally rob the house that they have had their eyes on for the past two months. Kendrick is the one who searches the back of the house for all the expensive items, like TVs, Game Consoles and such. They then flee the scene taking various turns to get away. In the middle of this, Kendrick’s mother calls and Kendrick lies to her saying he’s not doing anything. He should have told her, he may be arrested in the next few minutes, but fortunately the cops take a different turn than them, so Kendrick and his clique get away with the robbery. The skit in the outro comments on how Kendrick was smoking for his first time, however, his blunt was laced. Kendrick goes into detail about this later. They then speak on the next act they will do, and after they do that, they’ll drop Kendrick off at his car, because Kendrick wants to fuck Sherane tonight. So this story is prior to what happened on the intro track.
Money Trees (Feat Jay Rock)
TOn this track’s first verse, Kendrick seems to recap some events that took place on the previous song, however here it seems he is less detached. He seems to be describes some thoughts he had, or what he said, for example talking about letting go of Sherane soon by alluding to Let It Burn by Usher, rapping in the backseat was one of one of the only things to free his mind at the time, and why he robbed the house. In the chorus of the song, Kendrick mentions the choices between ‘Halle Berry or Hallelujah” or in other words, pleasures and sin, or salvation. With this choice, comes the lifestyle you will be living, lavishly under a money tree or not. However, when you do corrupt things in order to obtain your money, you could be remembered for the act you committed, but the vicitim will always be honored. Never the less, in the second verse Kendrick recaps a simplier time, back when all he wanted was the good life, with his friends, while bumping whatever was new on the Westcoast, which usually glorified a life of money, fame and power. Which, we learn is all Kendrick wants, after hearing Backseat Freestyle. He speaks again on how his life truely his, and how poor he is living, which is why he just broke into a house with his friends in the previous song. After Anna Wise repeats Kendrick’s rules to life by (at this point in his life) Jay Rock comes in the song to drive home the point of how life is truely tough and how bad everybody really has it. He mentions resorting to selling drugs and addiction, crime and prositution. How everyone in these situations are simply trying to get by and make money however they can, and they hold on to the dream of being rich, without a care.
1 chap/day
the story of AOPP happens before the Sherane track, that was before Kendrick wanted to go fuck her, and he the Laced blunt had him foaming at the mouth in real life, it's a ture story, that's why Kendrick doesn't smoke. and the house they robbed, they studdied at what time it will be empty for 2 months, and most likely 9 to 5 cause that's when people work, so they went in, and unluckily someone was there and called the cops, love how he explains how they turned left at the end, and the cops turned right... one lucky night with the homies! 
respect 
