Kendrick Lamar Freestyles on ‘Big Boy’s Neighborhood,’ Talks New Song ‘i’ [VIDEO]

It's only been a day since Kendrick Lamar dropped his new song 'i,' and the effort has been streamed 2.3 million times and entered the top 5 on the iTunes songs chart. With the buzz about the track floating around the web, K.Dot reveals why he was inspired to sample the Isley Brothers' '70s classic 'The Lady' and the meaning behind the song art.

"I was raised off the Isley Brothers truly," he told Carson Daly on 97.1 AMP radio Tuesday (Sept. 23). "...I actually had to go to St. Louis and get the blessing from Mr. Ronald Isley himself. He gave me his blessings and you can hear him on a few ad libs in the record.”

And if you've been living under a rock for the past 24 hours and haven't heard the track yet, the quick-paced beat and Kendrick's lyrics combine for a rather positive record. This is clearly reflected in the song's cover art, which he says was his intention.

“Where I’m from, there’s a lot of gang culture and things like that so instead of throwing on up gang signs, which we used to, I put a Blood and I put a Crip together and we’re throwing up hearts," the TDE signee explains.

Following the release of 'i,' Kendrick stopped by Power 106's 'Big Boy's Neighborhood' to spit a freestyle (or five). The MC gave shouts to his TDE crew, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog, his beloved hometown and even Big Boy over instrumentals of Beanie Sigel’s 'Roc the Mic' and The LOX’s 'Ryde or Die, Chick.'

"If you come around my city / You will get stomped in / The neighborhood, Watts and Long Beach / Boy, yeah how the week / This is TDE, Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q / We hot, you're not / This a freestyle off top of the dome / Big Boy, city, you know my home / I'ma represent every time I come to the lab / If you wanna see me / Homeboy get your cab / 'Cause you can't ride with me / You can't see the streets / You can't see us / It's TDE," he delivers on the mic.

Now that Kendrick is clearly pushing forward with his sophomore album, fans wonder when it'll arrive. "I"m hoping to push it out before 2015," he told Carson Daly. "I'ma say that. I'm working hard in the studio."

Watch Kendrick Lamar's Freestyle on 'Big Boy's Neighborhood'

See 20 Rappers' Real Names Revealed