Lupe Fiasco, real name Wasalu Muhammud Jaco, can be considered a prince of the modern hip-hop royal court. Introduced to the world by none other than Jay-Z, Fiasco has changed his approach from the 'thug-life; get high; Money-Over-Everything' rappers of todays modern scene to a more graceful and educated form of lyricism. Fiasco (who is a devout muslim) uses his words to preach tolerance and social justice, and has thus been donned a leader of the 'conscious rap' movement, which advocates anti-profanity, intellectualism and social consciousness.
In the song Failure, off the album 'The Cool', Lupe shows off his talent for witty lyricism, double (sometimes triple) entendres and clever punchlines. Almost every line in his poetry has a double meaning or hidden message. The piece samples a track by Idris Muhammad called 'Could This Be Heaven', which was released in 1977.
Lupe received critical acclaim for this piece, having broken a 'record' for the most triple entendres in a single song.
Here is a line by line analysis of his words: (analysis in red)
It's mean, so just
Now let me put the streets down like steam rollers
Lupe starts off with a construction theme about tearing down the streets to rebuild them as his empire. He embellishes this theme throughout the song
With the cats that push 40 ounces through the hood
Comparing drug dealers to 40 oz beer sales
Like king cobra, see me sling soda
King Cobra is a beer that comes in a 40 oz bottle
Cause the extra four in the split is mix
the drugs in this analogy is cut with 4 oz of something else
(It's really 36)
40 - 4 = 36 ; suggesting that there is really only 36 oz. of real booze in the 40 oz.
much like drugs are cut
Used to buy toasters and clips
What drug dealers buy with their profits (toasters are guns and clips are bullet clips)
You can tighten your circle or boa constrict
Another snake reference (King Cobra)
While you was lightin' your purple I was over the scripts
Lupe is a devote religious man; he states he was studying while others were smoking marijuana
See, I couldn't walk the walk
Couldn't really talk the talk
Had to get my talk to properly explain my walk
He needed to be able to explain his actions poetically, lyrically (and man, did he learn how!)
Cause this lack in talk had my walk lookin' off
Now I'm over the limp
At a younger age Lupe could not 'walk-the-walk' or 'talk-the-talk'
Watch how they mugs drop when they see my Verbals able
(that's the Usual)
Reference to 1995 film 'The Usual Suspects', in which the main character, who walks with a limp, goes by the name Verbal
Later in the film Verbal drops his mug in slow motion and looses his limp (hence the previous lines)
When I was po' I was low,
When Lupe was poor he owned Polo shirts
Now me and my chops cop purple label
Now he is rich so he rocks that Ralph Lauren
It's Ralph Lauren on the rap noreat?
Nigg*s brown-nose, they are like alf to him
Alf had a brown nose....duh.
Runners and interscopers not as styled as him
Please don't interscope
It's gonna be a whole lotta IV-ing and respiratin'
If I lean out this window with Irene
Nigg*s as tall as Yao Ming
Will LUP emperor
It's the foundation, I-beams and the antennas
It's so sears-ious every time I write my john hancock
Sears tower verses the John Hancock building
Like, you could damn near see Detroit (I see you)
Nigg*s is scared of heights (see you)
This is saran wrap and aluminum foil
Some potpourri a little machine oil
I stack my paper and throw off my cents
This is top flo', better look out below
Pennys from heaven is the same as a semi from the sect
And I reign supreme
(reign; rain)
Turn your umbrellas upside down
Did you even catch the change in theme?
This is were Lupe shows his real genius. At this point the lyrics have changed from the 'construction/
building blocks' theme to a 'skyscraper empire' theme. During the first verse Lupe has climbed out of
the streets and now sits on the top floor, raining (reigning) pennies (change in theme) down on what he
has built.
(this is gangsta)
Lupe to the F to the I to the A to the S to the C to the O
From the west side of the C to the H to the I CA to the G to the O
(this is gansta, man)
This is gansta, man
Lupe Fiasco; from the west side of Chicago
Verse 2
And them nigg*s ain't watch
Known from him regime, gangsta lean
Hats on tilt like his sneakers ain't drop out the vending machine
You gotta put more money in
And I shake nigg*s up everytime I drop a bar
It's horse in the Porsche, bricks in the box
Like more money them every time I cop a car
You see I'm a roller, right?
So it might be a rover, right?
But every time I drop a 'r' get off the streets
It's over, aight?
drop the 'r' from rover = over
Better being ahead like overnight
Like rollers, right, she the chauffeur, right?
So I keep her sober
She don't get fed-ex like overnight
I am dole the might
All that gas can't help, but Solar might
So just call on son (sun)
Drop a 's' pick up a 'o', you know (u no) , put it all on one (uno)
Then brace yourself like overbite
For that quiet nigg* that relocated down south
Comin' back to floss, nigg* get your molars right
Fix your grill
No plaque but a whole lotta cheese
This the drill, mr. Chill gave me the green light
Like yo the knife
So ima force my will like the force I will
Of course you will
Take my time but wait behind only pertains to that Porsche grill
It's snakes in the hood, gotta watch for that cobra bite
Let me see, there's snakes in the hood
A bird, a horse behind the grill
Some gator on the seat and a fox behind the wheel
No it's not noah's ark (ark), It's just a flower's start
This is Lupe to the F to the I to the A to the S to the C to the O
From the West side of the C to the H to the I CA to the G to the O
Verse 3
For achiever, my procedures proceed at all cost
With no breather
I'm all walk, rain, snow, a fever
I'm all coughs, comin after your teacher
I'm on the ball like FIFA, Feva, Lupe, Diche,
Long live the leaders
I remember I ain't have sneakers, it was welfare
Comin' up for air like whales there
Fila's, but now I'm well here
I'm Shamu with twelve pair
And nigg*s wanna take me back to zero like tear, fair
Well, my scale's clear
Your 'see' world is Braille here
I'm Bumpy Johnson, I stick to the streets
Keep my dawgs out in front of me
See what I'm sayin'? and I push keys wonderfully
