“squabble up” is the second track on Kendrick Lamar’s surprise album ‘GNX.’ In the song, Kendrick stands his ground, proud, and asserts his dominance in the rap game while also reminding everyone not to step within his boundaries.
Kendrick Lamar released his sixth studio album ‘GNX’ out of nowhere on November 22, 2024. The album trailer was released on the rapper’s Instagram just thirty minutes prior to the album release. The album contains features from SZA, Roddy Ricch, PeySoh, and AzChike.
The term ‘squabble up’ refers to a standoff or a fight in LA slang. In the song, Dot talks about the pains he went through to build the fortitude he has built in the hip-hop game. He wants no one knocking at its door.
Listen to “squabble up” by Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar “squabble up” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review
In the first verse of the song, Kendrick Lamar reminds his haters that he never fell off his game. Some claim that Dot has been on a downtrend in the last few years. The infamous feud with Drake might have proven otherwise as he was able to squabble up with the likes of Drake even on the radio. Dot also reminds us that he owns everything he create, insinuating that some popular rappers have no writing credits on their own songs.
In the second verse of the song, K Dot talks about the friends and enemies he made along the way.
I got friends, I got foes, but they all sitting ducks
‘Sitting ducks’ is a reference to his enemies being easy targets to beat. Dot could be talking about Drake or other competitors in general. Most considered Drake’s disses weak compared to the aggressive all-out disses Kendrick brought to the fight. It is also interesting that Dot puts his friends in the same group as well — tells us that he has grown wary of his so-called friends as well.
In the third and final verse of the song, Dot is heard going harder at his enemies. He claims that he works harder than anyone else in the industry to be where he is right now. He did not get hand-downs like some others.
Tell me why the f*ck you n*ggas rap if it’s fictional?
Kendrick has always been a big believer in keeping his craft grounded and closer to the truth. This is one reason his outrageous allegations against Drake were taken quite seriously. Kendrick goes off on the rappers who create fictional stories in their rap to gain mainstream attention. If they have nothing of substance to speak about, they might as well keep it shut.
Kendrick ends the verse by saying that he has been a dog all this time but it has come to the point of releasing the wolves. This hints at a much more dangerous version of Dot being unleashed throughout the ‘GNX’ album.
Let us hear what you think about this song in the comments below. Read the complete lyrics to the song on Genius.