King Kunta è il secondo singolo di Kendrick Lamar estratto da To Pimp a Butterfly, nuovo album pubblicato in Italia lo scorso 16 marzo, un disco che l’artista ha definito come intenso, onesto e sfrontato e quindi “roba buona”.
Dopo il precedente “i“, il rapper americano ha rilasciato il filmato che accompagna questa canzone, in rotazione radiofonica in Italia dal 3 aprile 2015, nella quale si paragona a Kunta Kinte, il protagonista del romanzo scritto da Alex Haley “Roots” (Radici in italiano) e della miniserie televisiva omonima ad esso ispirato, riconosciuta come un misto di realtà e finzione.
Nella canzone Lamar parla della sua ascesa-fuga verso il successo, paragonandosi a Kunta Kinte, che ambiva a tornare libero, a fuggire dalla schiavitù, dopo essere stato catturato dagli schiavisti inglesi. Egli venne infatti catturato in Africa e trasportato ad Annapolis, dove fu venduto ad un proprietario terriero della Contea di Spotsylvania, Virginia.
Il video ufficiale è visionabile da qui, ad inizio articolo. Per gustarvelo su Youtube cliccate sull’immagine in basso, mentre a seguire potete leggere le parole in inglese che compongono la canzone.
Testo King Kunta – Kendrick Lamar (Digital Download)
[Intro]
I got a bone to pick
I don’t want you monkey mouth motherfuckers sittin’ in my throne again
(Aye aye nigga whats happenin’ nigga, K Dot back in the hood nigga)
I’m mad (He mad), but I ain’t stressin’
True friends, one question
[Hook]
Bitch where you when I was walkin’?
Now I run the game got the whole world talkin’, King Kunta
Everybody wanna cut the legs off him, (King) Kunta
Black man taking no losses
Bitch where you when I was walkin’?
Now I run the game, got the whole world talkin’, King Kunta
Everybody wanna cut the legs off him
[Verse 1]
When you got the yams (What’s the yams?)
The yam is the power that be
You can smell it when I’m walking down the street
(Oh yes we can, oh yes we can)
I can dig rapping
But a rapper with a ghost writer? What the fuck happened?
(Oh no) I swore I wouldn’t tell
But most of y’all sharing bars like you got the bottom bunk in a two man cell (A two man cell?)
Something’s in the water (Something’s in the water)
And if I gotta brown nose for some gold
Then I’d rather be a bum than a motherfuckin’ baller
[Hook]
[Verse 2]
When you got the yams (What’s the yams?)
The yam brought it out of Richard Pryor
Manipulated Bill Clinton with desires
24/7, 365 days times two
I was contemplatin’ gettin’ on stage just to go back to the hood, see my enemy and say…
[Hook]
[Verse 3]
(You goat mouth mammy fucker)
I was gonna kill a couple rappers but they did it to themselves
Everybody’s suicidal, they don’t even need my help
This shit is elementary, I’ll probably go to jail
If I shoot at your identity and bounce to the left
Stuck a flag in my city, everybody’s screamin’ “Compton”
I should probably run for Mayor when I’m done, to be honest
And I put that on my Mama and my baby boo too
Twenty million walkin’ out the court buildin’, woo woo!
Ah yeah, fuck the judge
I made it past 25 and there I was
A little nappy-headed nigga with the world behind him
Life ain’t shit but a fat vagina
Screamin’ “Annie are you okay? Annie are you okay?”
Limo tinted with the gold plates
Straight from the bottom, this the belly of the beast
From a peasant to a prince to a motherfuckin’ king
[Hook 2]
Bitch where was you when I was-
*POP*
(By the time you hear the next pop, the funk shall be within you)
*POP*
Now I run the game got the whole world talkin’, King Kunta
Everybody wanna cut the legs off him, (King) Kunta
Black man taking no losses
Bitch where was you when I was walkin’
Now I run the game, got the whole world talkin’, King Kunta
Everybody wanna cut the legs off him
[Outro]
(Funk, funk, funk, funk, funk, funk)
We want the funk
We want the funk
(Now if I give you the funk, you gon’ take it)
We want the funk
(Now if I give you the funk, you gon’ take it)
We want the funk
(Now if I give you the funk, you gon’ take it)
We want the funk
(Do you want the funk?)
We want the funk
(Do you want the funk?)
We want the funk
(Now if I give you the funk, you gon’ take it)
We want the funk
I remember you was conflicted, misusing your influence
