FEAR.

About this song

The song is built around three verses that revisit fears Kendrick has had at ages 7, 17, and 27. The second verse interpolates Beanie Sigel's track "Die" and is delivered in a deep, monotone voice. Kendrick said in an i-D Magazine interview in October 2017 that the verses are the best he has ever written, and he later described them as completely honest.

What it's about

The first verse recalls fear growing up in the hood with a strict mother. The second follows a teenage Kendrick who fears dying young amid gang activity and police brutality in Compton. The third and fourth verses return to self-doubt and the fear of losing the life he has built, especially at 27, and the fourth serves as a thesis for the album with its recurring question of whether it is wickedness or weakness.

Fun facts

• Samples “Poverty's Paradise by The 24-Carat Black”.
• Sampled in 11 other songs, like “Block Fear by Styles P (Ft. Nino Man)”.
• Covered once, including “Seek Help by Bright Campa”.
• Written by Bēkon, Dale Warren, Kendrick Lamar and The Alchemist.
• Produced by Bēkon and The Alchemist.