"Poetic Justice" is a song by American rapper

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generat ...

, from his major-label debut studio album ''

Good Kid, M.A.A.D City ''Good Kid, M.A.A.D City'' (stylized as ''good kid, m.A.A.d city'') is the second studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on October 22, 2012, through Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Record ...

'' (2012). The song, produced by American record producer

Scoop DeVille Elijah Blue Molina (born October 15, 1987), better known by his stage name Scoop DeVille, is an American record producer, rapper and DJ. DeVille has produced records for rappers such as Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Nipsey Hussle, 5 ...

, features a verse from Canadian rapper

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

. The song was released as the album's fourth official

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

, due to its positive response.

Background

The song was produced by

, who Lamar had previously worked with on his debut single " The Recipe". DeVille

sampled Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of so ...

Janet Jackson's " Any Time, Any Place." Lamar and DeVille chose to sample the record after it came on the radio during their studio session. In an interview, DeVille recalled several artists wanting the song, including American rapper 50 Cent, before he ended up giving it to Lamar. On January 26, 2013, Lamar performed the song on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

'', as well as his previous single "

Swimming Pools (Drank) "Swimming Pools (Drank)" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on July 31, 2012 as the lead single (second overall) from his major-label debut studio album ''Good Kid, M.A.A.D City'' (2012), by Top Dawg, Aftermath and Inter ...

Music video

In a December 2012 interview, Lamar stated that the

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

would be filmed "soon." Although he expressed interest in having the legendary Janet Jackson herself, who starred in the 1993 film from which the song takes its name, to appear in the video, she did not make an appearance. The music video, directed by Kendrick Lamar under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

The Lil Homie, alongside Dee.Jay.Dave and Dangeroo Kipawaa, was released February 22, 2013. The video features cameo appearances by Lamar’s fellow West Coast rappers

Jay Rock Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr. (born March 31, 1983), better known by his stage name Jay Rock, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Los Angeles. He signed to indie label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), in 2005. Under TDE, Rock secured a rec ...

, YG and

Glasses Malone Glasses Malone is an American rapper from Los Angeles, California. Early life Glasses Malone grew up in the Watts and Compton neighborhoods in Los Angeles County. Malone was a Crip gang member as a teenager, and got into street racing after brea ...

Critical reception

The song garnered critical acclaim. Reviews complimented the performances of both rappers, but most of the praise went out to the sampling of Janet Jackson's hit "Any Time, Any Place". ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'' complimented it as one of the best tracks from ''

''. MTV called the song "flawless" and one of the most anticipated collaborations of the album. While one source has identified "Poetic Justice" as a "false empowerment anthem" for East African girls due to a line in Drake's feature, Lamar has stated in an interview how aesthetic choices for the music video's production involved recognizing the "diversity of beauty" in casting.

Remix

A freestyle over the song's instrumental was recorded and released by American rappers Busta Rhymes and Q-Tip on December 21, 2012, where the two pay homage to Janet Jackson.

Commercial performance

The song debuted at #76 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the album's first week on sale. It has peaked at number 26 as of March 7, 2013. It also charted at #8 on

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

and at #6 on

Hot Rap Songs Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stati ...

. On May 9, 2013, the song was certified Gold by the RIAA.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2012 songs Kendrick Lamar songs Songs written by Kendrick Lamar Drake (musician) songs Songs written by Drake (musician) Songs written by Janet Jackson 2013 singles Interscope Records singles Aftermath Entertainment singles Top Dawg Entertainment singles Song recordings produced by Scoop DeVille Songs written by Scoop DeVille Songs written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis Music videos directed by Dave Free