Poetic Justice

About this song

"Poetic Justice" was released as the fourth single from Kendrick Lamar's major label debut, good kid m.A.A.d city, and it features Drake, who was working on his third album Nothing Was the Same at the time. The single peaked at #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached double platinum status. Producer Scoop DeVille sampled Janet Jackson's 1993 single "Any Time, Any Place," and the title nods to Janet's 1993 movie Poetic Justice.

What it's about

Kendrick has said the song is about a woman he describes as having legs that are like poems, and that it serves as a dedication to a woman named Sherane. He has also said it leads into the closing tracks of good kid m.A.A.d city, completing that album's story.

Fun facts

• Samples “Any Time, Any Place by Janet Jackson”.
• Sampled in 18 other songs, like “Poetic Bullshit by Bryson Tiller”.
• Covered 2 times, including “Poetic Justice (Retrial) by Elli Ingram”.
• Written by Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Scoop DeVille, Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
• Produced by Scoop DeVille.