Pride (Kendrick Lamar song)

"Pride." redirects here. For the emotion, see Pride. For other uses, see Pride (disambiguation).

"Pride" (stylized as "PRIDE.") is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, taken from his fourth studio album Damn, released on April 14, 2017. The seventh track on the album (eighth on the Collector's Edition of Damn^[3]), the song was written by Lamar, Steve Lacy, Anna Wise, and Anthony Tiffith, and produced by Lacy and Tiffith, with additional production by Bēkon. "Pride" charted in multiple countries in 2017.

"Pride"
Song by Kendrick Lamar
from the album Damn
Released	April 14, 2017
Recorded	2017
Genre	Hip-hop soul psychedelic[1]
Length	4:35
Label	Top Dawg Aftermath Interscope
Songwriter(s)	Kendrick Duckworth Steve Lacy Anna Wise Anthony Tiffith[2]
Producer(s)	Lacy Tiffith Bēkon (add.)

The song features background vocals from producer Steve Lacy and singer Anna Wise, the latter having previously collaborated with Lamar on "These Walls", which won her a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.^[4] In April 2023, the song was used at the end of the series finale of John Singleton's FX crime drama series Snowfall.

Writing

The song features songwriting collaborations from American singer Anna Wise who, prior to her work on "Pride", won the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in 2016 with Lamar for his song "These Walls", from his third studio album To Pimp a Butterfly.^[4][5]

Production

According to producer Steve Lacy, he created the beat for "Pride" on his iPhone 6.^[6][7] Lacy also said that before the song's release, it was originally titled "Wasn't There" before being renamed to "Pride".^[8]

The song has a tempo of 139 BPM and is in the key of E minor.^[9]

Critical reception

The song has received critical acclaim from fans and critics alike. In a mixed review, Maeve McDermott of USA Today said the song was not that memorable, but its enjoyable mix of influences make it worth listening to. Pride is widely regarded as one of Kendrick Lamar's best songs.^[10]

Lost verse

Shortly after the release of Damn, a lost handwritten verse from "Pride" was released by the co-president of Top Dawg Entertainment, Punch, on his Instagram page.^[11][12][13] The lost verse reads as follows:^[14][15][16]

Pride is my biggest sin

I tried to fight it but I never win

Lay'n myself down in the beds I made

Karma is always knockin with capital K's

It started when I was toss'n my life in the sand

Cross'n the street, momma don't you hold my hand

Time revealing itself

My ways are magnified

Same patterns requiring that I never camouflaged

Looking at me in shock you found my identity

Asking yourself do I have room 4 empathy

Everything is subject 2 change

But not me

Live performances

Lamar performed "Pride" live at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 23, 2017.^[17]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the official Damn digital booklet.^[2]

• Kendrick Lamar – songwriter
• Steve Lacy – songwriter, producer, background vocals
• Anna Wise – songwriter, background vocals
• Anthony Tiffith – songwriter, producer
• Bēkon – additional production, additional vocals
• Derek Ali – mixing
• Tyler Page – mixing, mix assistant
• Cyrus Taghipour – mix assistant

Charts

Chart (2017)	Peak position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[18]	32
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[19]	82
France (SNEP)[20]	91
Ireland (IRMA)[21]	35
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[22]	67
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[23]	34
Portugal (AFP)[24]	25
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[25]	42
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[26]	72
UK Singles (OCC)[27]	49
US Billboard Hot 100[28]	37
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[29]	22

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[30]	2× Platinum	140,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[31]	Platinum	80,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[32]	Gold	45,000‡
France (SNEP)[33]	Gold	100,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[34]	Gold	25,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[35]	Platinum	600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[36]	Gold	500,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.