Meaning of “How Much a Dollar Cost” by Kendrick Lamar (ft. James Fauntleroy and Ronald Isley)

There’s this verse in the Bible that says something like if a random-needy person asks you for help, you shouldn’t just turn around and dis them because, unbeknownst to you, said individual may actually be an angel in disguise.

There are some incidents in the Good Book, such as when the Most High decided to visit Abraham and Sarah, whereas such a thing is actually recorded as having transpired, i.e. angelic beings disguising themselves and humans and proceeding to interact with people who are none the wiser.

And letting the cat out of the bag early, such an idea also serves as the surprise twist of the featured narrative on Kendrick Lamar’s “How Much a Dollar Cost”.

By the end of the first verse, it becomes apparent that the titular question is a rhetorical one, in a manner of speaking.

The Story

The story begins with Kendrick taking on the role of a character who is engaged in some hard chillin’, thoroughly enjoying his come-up from a humble background. We know that he comes from a humbler beginnings because we witness the vocalist ruminating on his past – when for instance a certain guy named Marcellus used to pick on him – while currently filling his “luxury car” with gas at a petrol station.

But now concerning the likes of Marcellus, they can actually learn a thing “or two” from Lamar in terms of how to make racks. Or put otherwise, the vocalist came out better off than those who used to persecute him.

So being that he’s well paid and all as opposed to those he came up with, the character at hand believes that he has a sound idea as to the worth of a dollar.

Then, while making his way out of the gas station, a homeless man, apparently from Africa, asks the vocalist for “10 rand”. When this track was dropped in 2015, that would have only been about 80 cents, or let’s say, roughly speaking, 1 US dollar.

Furthermore, it reads as if this narrative is actually set in South Africa, i.e. the country that actually uses a currency called Rand. Kendrick visited South Africa in 2014 and furthermore went on to note that the experience had a profound impact on “To Pimp a Butterfly”, i.e. the album “How Much a Dollar Cost” is derived from. So we can take it that the character he’s portraying is a reflection of himself.

“He begged and pleaded
Asked me to feed him twice, I didn’t believe it”

And as you can see, in the grand scheme of things, the amount of money this beggar is asking for is totally insignificant to someone as paid as Lamar. Dude seems to be ‘begging and pleading’ for dough to buy food. But what Kendrick has surmised is that the panhandler actually intends to use it to purchase cra-k, and he will not allow himself to be party to such a purchase.

The Chorus of “How Much a Dollar Cost”

Afterwards comes the brief, three-line chorus. And most simply interpreted, it serves the purpose of reminding the listener that money is a frill, so to speak. In other words, “all you need” in actuality is “the air you breathe”, i.e. that sorta stuff that is actually essential to being alive, that any human being would physically die if such were taken from them for some time.

So besides for air, James Fauntleroy, the renderer of the chorus, also mentions the likes of “water, sun and love”. And ultimately, what’s being implied via this passage is that since money is, literally speaking, non-essential, then it’s preferable to pursue higher goals, such as “feed(ing) your mind”, rather than chasing dough.

“It’s more to feed your mind
Water, sun and love, the one you love
All you need, the air you breathe”

Verse 2

Usually, upon shunning a beggar, they either leave you alone or persist with the begging. But in this case, the other party proceeds to simply stare at the vocalist. However, the power of his gaze is such that initially, it makes Kendrick angry. After all, Dot is from the ‘hood, and in the ghetto, someone staring at you is generally taken as a sign of disrespect.

So for the moment there the rapper even contemplates making a response related to that understanding, i.e. “throwing a bat at” the beggar, if only one was readily at hand.

But the stare freezes Lamar in his tracks. He can see that this panhandler is a serious one, if you will. Yet and still, Kendrick sticks to his established position of not giving in to beggars. And what’s implied in the process is the vocalist being one of those types of people who doesn’t respect others who ‘beg for goods’ as opposed to working or hustling for them.

But the other pertinent point being made here is this man’s stare being so powerful that Kendrick simply can’t drive away from it.

“Have you ever opened up Exodus 14?
A humble man is all that we ever need
Tell me, how much a dollar cost?”

Eventually, the eye locking is broken when the beggar finally speaks, asking the rapper a question. And that is “have you ever read Exodus 14”, followed by the statement “a humble man is all that we ever need”.

As for Exodus 14, it features one of the most-famous stories in the entire Bible, that of the Israelites, while fleeing from the Egyptians, being miraculously led across the Red Sea by Moses. And as for the “humble man” the beggar mentions, that may also be a reference to Moses, who is actually identified in another part as being the humblest dude in the world.

The second verse ends as with, with Kendrick once again posing the question, “how much a dollar cost”?

Verse 3

That said, the lyrics never specify what that question and statement has to do with the panhandler’s interaction with Lamar. And as we have pointed out numerous times in the past, once a song gets to including biblical references, doing so usually opens the door to a number of different interpretations.

And likewise, there have been a few reasonable theories posted as to why that chapter and subsequent “humble man” quote are included.

But as illustrated at the beginning of the third verse, what Kendrick takes away from it is the beggar trying to imply that he’s selfish. And he can’t really resist that argument, with K-Dot rather acknowledging that indeed, ‘selfishness is what got him here’. Or interpreted alternatively, he would not be rich and successful if he were not also, at least to some degree, egotistical.

“My selfishness is what got me here”

But in defending his decision not to help the bum, the vocalist also drives home the notion that he’s not privy to giving money to panhandlers, being under the belief that they’re “hustling” rather than truly being in need.

Or let’s more frankly say that the way Lamar sees it, dude is out here begging and boozing when he should rather be working taking care of himself. And besides that, the vocalist also admits that he’s straight-up that he personally is “insensitive and… lack(s) empathy”. Or phrased more squarely, he simply doesn’t care.

So going back to the intro of this post, to make a long ending short, what eventually transpires is Kendrick proving so hardhearted towards helping this man that the latter is eventually compelled to reveal that he is in fact the Most High.

And in answering “how much a dollar cost(s)” the beggar, who is actually an angelic being, reveals that for the vocalist that small amount of money represented his admission into heaven, basically.

Or put macrocosmically, the main character Lamar is portraying is so selfish that he will not be received favorably in the afterlife.

The Real Cost of a Dollar

Charity, of course, is a practice heavily espoused by books like the Bible. So taking the title of this song back into consideration, what K-Dot is ultimately saying is along the lines of some people being so preoccupied with cash that they lose sight of some of the more important things in life, such as helping their fellow man.

Indeed, that same “dollar” he used to buy a fancy car could’ve instead been dedicated to paying his admission into Heaven, if you will.

By the time all is said and done, it is classic soul singer Ronald Isley who closes out this piece with a short yet compelling outro. He portrays the same type of character that Kendrick does, i.e. someone who believes that religious rituals, such saying grace or what have you, are adequate enough to please God.

But now his folly is exposed, coming to realize that he was not put on this Earth solely to cater for himself.

And in the grand scheme of things, let’s say that no one can actually force you to do charity, nor can they really condemn you for not doing so. But that said, the vocalist has still come to realize that he has some improving to do in the name of being a better human being.