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Kendrick Lamar · S5 E8
The Obama White House
The President of the United States says 'How Much a Dollar Cost' is his favorite song of the year
December 2015. A reporter asks Barack Obama for his favorite song of the year, and the President names a Kendrick Lamar track about meeting God at a gas station.
Kendrick Lamar & SZA, All the Stars (official music video, 2018). TPAB's cultural impact made Kendrick the obvious choice to curate the Black Panther soundtrack, the biggest cultural film event of the decade. This video, directed by Dave Meyers and the Little Homies, is the proof of where To Pimp a Butterfly took him: from Compton to Wakanda.
All the Stars, Kendrick Lamar & SZA (2018)
Built on a shimmering synth bed and SZA's soaring hook, this is Kendrick at his most cinematic. The production blends orchestral swells with trap drums, creating something that feels both intimate and massive. Listen for how Kendrick's verses contrast with SZA's chorus: he raps about doubt and imposter syndrome while she sings about destiny. The tension between those two feelings runs through everything Kendrick made after TPAB.
Sources
Kendrick Lamar & SZA. "All the Stars." Top Dawg Entertainment / Aftermath / Interscope, 2018.
Black Panther: The Album, 2018.
The Arrival
TPAB made zero concessions to radio: no pop hooks, no crossover features, no songs designed for clubs. It debuted at number one anyway. And when the most powerful person in the world named his favorite song of the year, he didn't pick "Alright" or "King Kunta." He picked a deep cut about a homeless man who turns out to be God.
Sources
Billboard 200 chart history, March 2015
People magazine, Barack Obama interview, December 2015
“If I had to choose just one, it would be 'How Much a Dollar Cost' by Kendrick Lamar.”
— Barack Obama, sharing his favorite song of 2015, People magazine, December 2015
TAP TO REVEAL: What is "How Much a Dollar Cost" actually about?
How many Grammy Awards did Kendrick win at the 58th Grammy Awards in 2016?
How Much a Dollar Cost, Kendrick Lamar ft. James Fauntleroy & Ronald Isley (2015)
The song Obama chose. Kendrick tells the story of encountering a homeless man at a gas station who asks for a single dollar. What unfolds is a moral parable about greed, compassion, and the cost of turning your back on someone in need. Ronald Isley's vocals on the chorus give the track a warmth that makes the gut punch of the ending hit even harder.
How Much a Dollar Cost, Kendrick Lamar ft. James Fauntleroy & Ronald Isley (2015)
Read the lyrics while you listen. The story unfolds in three verses: the encounter, the refusal, the revelation. Kendrick's shame in the final verse is palpable, and the moral is left for the listener to carry. Pay attention to how the homeless man's words shift from pleading to prophetic.
TPAB: The Final Count
To Pimp a Butterfly proved Kendrick could make art that presidents and protesters claimed as their own. Now he disappears for two years, and when he comes back, the first word out of his mouth is a gunshot. Next season: DAMN.
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