Failure - Lupe Fiasco (unfinished)

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