heart pt. 6 – Kendrick Lamar

[Verse 1: Kendrick Lamar]
Load up the Pro Tools and press three
Studio filled with Jack In The Box and Pepsis
Niggas watchin’ WorldStar videos, not the ESPYs
Laughin’ at B. Pumper, stomach turnin’, I get up and proceeded to write somethin’
Ab-Soul in the corner mumblin’ raps, fumblin’ packs of Black & Milds
Crumblin’ kush ’til he cracked a smile
His words legendary, wishin’ I could rhyme like him
Studied his style to define my pen
That was back when the only goal was to get Jay Rock through the door
Warner Brother Records, hope Naim Ali would let us know
Was excited just to go to them label meetings
Wasn’t my record deal, but still, I couldn’t beliеve it
Me and Rock inside thе booth hibernatin’
It was simple math, if he made it, that mean I made it
Everything I had was for the team, I remained patient
Grindin’ with my brothers, it was us against them, no one above us, bless our hearts

[Chorus: Sam Dew & Ink]
Use your heart and not your eyes (Baby, just relax your mind)
If you got time, then I got time (Yeah, yeah)
Free your thoughts and watch them fly
Use your heart and not your eyes (Mm-hmm)

[Verse 2: Kendrick Lamar]
My nigga Dave had a champagne Acura
A bunch of instrumentals I freestyled in the passenger
That nigga wore several hats, a producer, a manager, director, and DJ
A hothead squabblin’, Bloods, Pirus, and Keeways
For this little thing of ours we called TDE
I watched you take some penitentiary chances to say the least
Remember in the county building with MixedByAli
We tried to freak the system just to make a couple ends meet
That’s my nigga for shit sure
He brought Q over, but Q didn’t rap, but he learned from our inspo
We split Louisiana chicken riverboat specials
Sleepin’ next to 02R consoles to be our refuge
He was homeless and I left home
Q said, “Dot, you won’t be slept on, you the nigga to bet on” (Use your h—)
Top had given us dominion in the home he lived in
Hopin’ that we see some millions, God bless our hearts

[Chorus: Sam Dew & Ink]
Use your heart and not your eyes (Baby, just relax your mind)
If you got time, then I got time (Yeah, yeah)
Free your thoughts and watch them fly
Use your heart and not your eyes

[Verse 3: Kendrick Lamar]
Punch played Phil Jackson in my early practices
Strategies on how to be great amongst the averages
I picked his brain on what was ordained, highly collaborative
RET pushed the label the same, amongst the savages
Moose kept my name in the function that he would run in
TEEZ kept the vultures away from me that was comin’
Sounwave let me borrow his clothes for shows as a hype man
To cook up in this room ’til the night ends
Time flies, I’m carryin’ debates of a top five
Buryin’ my opps and allies
But I’d done a half job communicatin’ feelings of being stagnant
Life was gettin’ bigger than just rappin’
The business, what I was lackin’
Top used to record me back when it was poor me
And now we at the round table for what assures me
I guess my motivation was the yearnin’ for independence
Poured everything I had left in the family business
Now it’s about Kendrick, I wanna evolve, place my skillset as a Black exec’
I jog my memory, knowin’ Black Hippy didn’t work ’cause of me
Creatively, I moved on with new concepts in reach
Top, remember all them sessions we would strategize
To hit the streets, then come back, record three records? Ah
To tell the truth, it fucked me up when D-Man passed
The motive was the condolences, but the pride crashed
I had to bypass old mythologies I had
Put my heart on display like it was an iMac
To all my young niggas, let me be the demonstration
How to conduct differences with a healthy conversation
If that’s your family, then handle it as such
Don’t let the socials gas you up or let emotions be your crutch
Pick up the phone and bust it up before the history is lost
Hand-to-handshake is good when you have a heart-to-heart

[Chorus: Sam Dew & Ink]
Use your heart and not your eyes (Baby, just relax your mind)
If you got time and I got time (Yeah, yeah)
Free your thoughts and watch them fly
Use your heart and not your eyes (Mm-hmm)