The Best Rap Verse of the Month (April 2017)

Kendrick Lamar’s rap career was fated. “Duckworth,” Damn‘s last song, tells the unbelievable story of how T.D.E.’s founder Top Dawg and Kendrick’s father, “Ducky,” first met. Top Dawg’s name rang bells around the Watts/Compton area for his money-gettin ways, and according to the song he had plans to rob the chicken spot Kendrick’s father worked at. But because Ducky was generous and kind, hooking him up with free chicken and extra biscuits, Top didn’t do it.

Years later, Top  goes legit, starts a record label, and it just so happens Ducky’s son raps really fucking well. Now everyone reminisces about the KFC as they laugh all way to the bank and into rap’s history books. No wonder Kendrick believes in God—this was written in the stars. The imagery and detail in this verse, and the passion with which he spits, separates him from the rest of his peers. From the Kid Capri drop to the 9th Wonder beat to the storytelling, this song is hip-hop at its best. This was the best verse on arguably the best rap album to drop so far this year and for that “Duckworth” is April’s verse of the month.

“Oh Lamar, Hail Mary and marijuana, times is hard

Pray with the hooligans, shadows all in the dark

Fellowship with demons and relatives, I’m a star

Life is one funny mothafucka

A true comedian, you gotta love him, you gotta trust him

I might be buggin’, infomercials and no sleep

Introverted by my thoughts

Children, listen, it gets deep

See, once upon a time inside the Nickerson Garden projects

The object was to process and digest poverty’s dialect

Adaptation inevitable: gun violence, crack spot

Federal policies raid buildings and drug professionals

Anthony was the oldest of seven

Well-respected, calm and collected

Laughin’ and jokin’ made life easier

Hard times, Momma on crack

A four-year-old tellin’ his nanny he needed her

His family history: pimpin’ and bangin’

He was meant to be dangerous

Clocked him a grip and start slangin’

Fifteen, scrapin’ up his jeans with quarter pieces

Even got some head from a smoker last weekend

Dodged a policeman, workin’ for his big homie

Small-time hustler, graduated to a brick on him

10,000 dollars out of a project housing, that’s on the daily

Seen his first mil 20 years old, had a couple of babies

Had a couple of shooters

Caught a murder case, fingerprints on the gun they assumin’

But witnesses couldn’t prove it

That was back when he turned his back

And they killed his cousin

He beat the case and went back to hustlin’

Bird-shufflin’, Anthony rang

The first in the projects with the two-tone Mustang

That 5.0 thing, they say 5-0 came

Circlin’ parking lots and parking spots

And hoppin’ out while harrassin’ the corner blocks

Crooked cops told Anthony he should kick it

He brushed them off

And walked back to the Kentucky Fried Chicken

See, at this chicken spot

There was a light-skinned nigga that talked a lot

With a curly top and a gap in his teeth

He worked the window, his name was Ducky

He came from the streets, the Robert Taylor Homes

Southside Projects, Chiraq, the Terror Dome

Drove to California with a woman on him and 500 dollars

They had a son, hopin’ that he’d see college

Hustlin’ on the side with a nine-to-five to freak it

Cadillac Seville, he’d ride his son around on weekends

Three-piece special with his name on the shirt pocket

‘Cross the street from the projects

Anthony planned to rob it

Stuck up the place before, back in ’84

That’s when affiliation was really eight gears of war

So many relatives tellin’ us, sellin’ us devilish works

Killin’ us, crime, intelligent, felonious

Prevalent proposition with 9’s

Ducky was well-aware

They robbed the manager and shot a customer last year

He figured he’d get on these niggas’ good sides

Free chicken every time Anthony posted in line

Two extra biscuits, Anthony liked him

And then let him slide; they didn’t kill him

In fact, it look like they’re the last to survive

Pay attention, that one decision changed both of they lives

One curse at a time

Reverse the manifest and good karma, and I’ll tell you why

You take two strangers, and put ’em in random predicaments; give ’em a soul

So they can make their own choices and live with it

Twenty years later, them same strangers you make ’em meet again

Inside recording studios where they reapin’ their benefits

Then you start remindin’ them about that chicken incident

Whoever thought the greatest rapper would be from coincidence?

Because if Anthony killed Ducky

Top Dawg could be servin’ life

While I grew up without a father and die in a gunfight.”

Chills every time that beat drops, goosebumps each time the beat switches—this should be the song Kenny drops a video fro next. Get Stacy from The Wood to play Ducky.