Section.80
HiiiPoWeR
Kendrick Lamar
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
10
End
166
Internal
103
Multi
188
Slant
3
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus: Kendrick Lamar]
Just call the shit HiiiPoWeR✦
Nigga,✦ nothing✦ less than HiiiPoWeR✦
Five-star✦ dishes,✦ food for thought, bitches✦
I mean this shit is
Huey Newton✦ going stupid,✦ you can't resist✦ his
HiiiPoWeR✦
Throw your hands up for HiiiPoWeR✦
[Verse 2: Kendrick Lamar]
Visions of Martin✦ Luther✦ staring at me
If I see it how he seen it, that would make my parents happy✦
Sorry,✦ mama,✦ I can't turn the other✦ cheek
They wanna✦ knock me off the edge like a fuckin'✦ widow's peak, uh
And she always told me pray for the weak, uh
Them demons got me, I ain't prayed in some weeks, uh
Dear Lord, come save me, the devil's working hard
He probably clockin' double shifts on all of his jobs
Frightenin',✦ so fuckin'✦ frightenin'✦
Enough✦ to drive a man insane,✦ I need a license to kill
I'm standing on a field full of land mines✦
Doin' the moonwalk, hopin'✦ I blow up in time
'Cause 2012 might not be a fuckin'✦ legend✦
Tryna✦ be a fuckin'✦ legend,✦ the man of mankind
Who said a Black man in the Illuminati?✦
Last time I checked,✦ that was the biggest✦ racist✦ party✦
So get up off that slave ship
Build your own pyramids,✦ write your own hieroglyphs✦
[Chorus: Kendrick Lamar]
Just call the shit HiiiPoWeR✦
Nigga,✦ nothing✦ less than HiiiPoWeR✦
Five-star✦ dishes,✦ food for thought, bitches✦
I mean this shit is
Bobby✦ Seale makin'✦ meals, you can't resist✦ his
HiiiPoWeR✦
Throw your hands up for HiiiPoWeR✦
[Bridge: Alori Joh & (Kendrick Lamar)]
Every✦ day, we fight the system✦ just to make our way
We been down for too long, but that's alright✦
We was built to be strong, 'cause it's our life, na-na-na✦
Every✦ day, we fight the system,✦ we fight the system✦
We fight the system✦ (Never✦ like the system)✦
We been down for too long, but that's alright,✦ na-na-na✦
[Verse 3: Kendrick Lamar]
Who said a Black man in the Illuminati?✦
Last time I checked,✦ that was the biggest✦ racist✦ party✦
Last time I checked,✦ we was racin'✦ with Marcus✦ Garvey✦
On the freeway to Africa✦ 'til I wreck my Audi
And I want everybody✦ to view my autopsy
So you can see exactly where the government had shot me
No conspiracy, my fate is inevitable
They play musical chairs once I'm on that pedestal
Frightenin',✦ so fuckin'✦ frightenin'✦
Enough✦ to drive a man insane,✦ a woman✦ insane✦
The reason✦ Lauryn Hill don't sing, or Kurt Cobain✦
Loaded✦ that clip and then said bang
The drama✦ it bring is crazy,✦ product of the late '80s
Tryna✦ stay above✦ water,✦ that's why we shun the Navy✦
Pull your guns and play me, let's set it off
'Cause a riot, throw a Molotov
Somebody✦ told me them pirates had got lost
'Cause we been off them slave ships
Got our own pyramids,✦ write our own hieroglyphs✦
[Chorus: Kendrick Lamar]
Just call the shit HiiiPoWeR✦
Yeah, nothing✦ less than HiiiPoWeR✦
Five-star✦ dishes,✦ food for thought, bitches✦
I mean this shit is
Fred Hampton on your campus,✦ you can't resist✦ his
HiiiPoWeR✦
Throw your hands up for HiiiPoWeR✦
[Outro: Kendrick Lamar]
Thug life
Thug life
[Produced by J. Cole]
Technical Breakdown
7.6
Multisyllabic Rhymes9.5
Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)
Internal Rhymes9.5
Rhymes within a line (data-driven)
Wordplay / Double Entendres8.0
Clever language, metaphors, punchlines
Cadence / Rhythm5.5
Flow variation and timing (data-driven)
Vocabulary Complexity8.0
Range and depth of words used (data-driven)
Delivery / Breath Control8.5
Performance and control
Computed Score7.58
Production
— J. ColeBe the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
Kendrick utilizes high-tension internal rhyme structures and sophisticated metaphorical mapping to juxtapose socio-political frustration with personal spiritual crisis, effectively anchoring the track's intellectual weight.
B+
9.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
5.5
Cadence / Flow
8
Vocabulary
8
Wordplay
8.5
Delivery
Internal Rhyme ChainsAllusion to Civil Rights FiguresMetaphorical juxtapositionSyncopated flow
Rhyme Architecture: Complex multi-syllabic end-rhymes paired with consistent internal rhyme schemes, specifically the 'eak' sound in the early section ('cheek', 'peak', 'weak', 'weeks').
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"knock me off the edge like a fuckin' widow's peak"
① Physical hair pattern describing a V-shaped hairline② A metaphor for extreme vulnerability and impending loss of stability, referencing the tragic archetype of a widow
"Doin' the moonwalk, hopin' I blow up in time"
① The dance move made famous by Michael Jackson② The literal act of stepping carefully through a minefield, where 'blow up' refers to both the kinetic explosion of the mine and the metaphorical ambition of achieving fame
Deeply evocative lyrical imagery
High level of technical proficiency with rhyme density
Strong emotional resonance and thematic cohesion
Seamless blending of political critique and individual vulnerability
Occasional reliance on conventional rap tropes that slightly dilute the intellectual focus
The '2012' reference is time-locked and carries less narrative weight in hindsight