What's The Real Meaning Of Humble By Kendrick Lamar? Here's What We Think
When Dr. Dre agreed to perform for the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show, he decided to deliver something that will surely go down in show business history. Dr. Dre will be joined on the global stage by his friend and peer, Mary J. Blige, pupil and collaborator Eminem, Snoop Dogg — who Dre has also known for ages — and another star who considers Dre a mentor of sorts: Kendrick Lamar. With a group this epic — one that has released more hits over the years than we could imagine — it may be hard to choose a favorite track. However, there's no doubt that Lamar's "Humble" would be among the top picks. Released back in 2017, the song immediately hit the #2 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 before making its way to the top spot, per Genius.
While talking about the song with Rolling Stone in August 2017, Lamar opened up about writing it, saying, "All I could think of was [Marley Marl's] 'The Symphony' and the earliest moments of hip-hop, where it's complex simplicity, but it's also somebody making moves." He added, "That beat feels like my generation, right now. The first thing that came to my head was, 'Be humble.'"
That may have been what inspired and motivated the song, however, what he's saying in the lyrics is just as significant and just as meaningful.
Kendrick Lamar addresses his success and status
With its incredible beat, it can be easy to just throw on Kendrick Lamar's "Humble" and enjoy the sound which is undeniably pure fire. However, stop to take a listen to the lyrics and you'll realize that he's used the song to open up about his life, including where he came from and how things have changed so drastically.
"Ayy, I remember syrup sandwiches and crime allowances / Finesse a n**** with some counterfeits," Lamar raps in the first verse, according to Genius, addressing a time when money was tight (or even fake). But then things take a turn when he continues, saying, "But now I'm countin' this / Parmesan where my accountant lives." Of course, parmesan is a type of cheese, which means money. He then compares D'USSÉ — the alcohol brand partially owned by Jay-Z — to Kool-Aid, and gloats, "Girl, I can buy your ass the world with my paystub."
Obviously bringing up how successful he now is and how much money he's made at the same time, Lamar adds, "If I quit your BM, I still ride Mercedes, funk," and points to his status in the rap landscape, adding, "If I quit this season, I still be the greatest, funk." While there's no doubt that he's doing well, this star also has some blatant advice. However, you may be surprised by who Lamar is trying to warn in this song.
'Humble' is a 'mirror' for Kendrick Lamar
"Who that n**** thinkin' that he frontin' on Man-Man? ... / Get the f**k off my stage, I'm the Sandman," Kendrick Lamar raps in the second verse of "Humble," according to Genius, still pointing out his status. "Man-Man" is a reference to his own childhood nickname, per Rolling Stone, while the Sandman, a.k.a. tap dancer Howard Sims, famously not only used salt on the ground when he performed (hence Sandman) but was also famous for ridding the stage of flopping performers at the legendary Apollo Theater, which Lamar has mimicked. Clearly not a failing act himself, Lamar then keeps up his boasting, also referencing his famous 2016 meeting with the then-commander-in-chief, "Obama just paged me, ayy / ... I stay modest 'bout it, ayy..." That modesty is actually the focus of the chorus, when he says again and again, "Sit down / Be humble."
Although this could be taken as a warning to anyone, when asked by Rolling Stone in 2017 if the chorus was meant to speak to himself, Lamar revealed, "Definitely. It's the ego. When you look at the song titles on this album, these are all my emotions and all my self-expressions of who I am." He further reflected, "That's why I did a song like that, where I just don't give a f**k, or I'm telling the listener, 'You can't f**k with me.' But ultimately, I'm looking in the mirror."