How Much A Dollar Cost

Album: To Pimp A Butterfly (2015)
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Songfacts®:

  • Kendrick Lamar details here an unexpected encounter with The Almighty. After refusing to give a dollar to a homeless man (believing he will spend it on crack), the man reveals Himself to K-Dot to be God.

    Lamar told MTV News this was a true story. "These are moments in my life deeper than just handing somebody a dollar," he said. "These are actually moments of integrity, actually being able to talk to somebody. Me talking to him was simply a thank you from God. And I felt God speaking through him to get at me."
  • James Fauntleroy croons the hook. Faunteloy is best known for his work as a songwriter, having co-written hit singles for Jordin Sparks "No Air" and Ciara ("Love Sex Magic") as well as much of Justin Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience.
  • Ronald Isley of the Isley Brothers croons the reflective outro. To Pimp a Butterfly's lead single "I" also involved the Isley Brothers, incorporating a sample from their 1973 hit "That Lady."
  • According to a list of the first family's best pop culture picks in 2015, this was Barack Obama's favorite song of the year. Michelle Obama chose Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk."
  • Asked by a reporter what the song's deeper meaning is, Lamar replied: "Help as many people as you can, man, if you want to live forever."

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