Lupe Fiasco

Released: September 21, 2018

Songwriter: Shndō S1 Lupe Fiasco

Producer: Shndō S1

[Intro]
Let me tell you 'bout the 'ting
Come sit 'round the fire
Me tell you where we come from
Me tell you the story

[Verse 1]
Some men wanna live like a banker
Fill up the ship then pull up the anchor
Pay the man dem to come run and take ya
Rassclaat chain in a brainwash nature
Joggin' in y'all clothes to the tailor
Drop leg to di riddim of the maker
Mash up di boat ah di fassyhole sailor
No rain a fall pon a Babylon acre
Zinc fence but me mind is a mansion
Dem a sufferer, we still have a bashment
Him inna cross but im still be a-dancin'
Every ting cook a curry like a champion
In a jam, but the man, him a jammin'
Original, you should come follow fashion
Me already dun seen what the future hold
Nuff gold for the dark hearts and the chasms
So big up your chest
Like a skin teet in a bad man wagon
No fear, me a duppy assassin
Make a wish me a dutchie Aladdin
Wah dem i-sire for dem earthstrong?
Give thanks to the first Gong
Di man word like a bird song
Iya self me a work pon (Fyah!)
Me gon tell ya bout the nation
Gravelicious men in them wicked navigations
Small up the slaves and stuff them in arrangement
We the children of the first generation

[Pre-Chorus]
Fire burn (atat tat tat tat)
Babylon (atat tat tat tat)
Real mumma (atat tat tat tat)
Soon forward (atat tat tat tat)
Fire burn (atat tat tat tat)
Babylon (atat tat tat tat)
Downpressed (atat tat tat tat)
Jah bless (atat tat tat tat)

[Chorus]
All I got is gold, golden memories
When I think about what you meant to me
All I got is gold, golden memories
When I think about what you did to me
When I think about, when I think about (reparation)
When I think about, when I think about
When I think about, when I think about
When I think about, when I think about (respect)

[Verse 2]
Man dem a come down from England
And dem wah commerce for your kingdom
Say 'em got nuff Manilla for the yute
And the gal and the man, would you bring some?
Tallawah and bashy, yuh sight me?
Say him don't want the likkle or the feisty
Say him got nuff bickle for the trip
Nah worry 'bout a thing man, everyone irie
Fuckery, mi nah wan' fi do it
And the samfie man wan mi fi trade pickney
For a quattie, baldhead must think me foolish
Me put a cutlass in this nuisance
Bwoi, wake up from your dream
To the smell and the sound and the screams
And the panic of the captain and the crew
Who don't know what to do as the ship comes apart at the seams
Got 'em, ship gets pulled to the bottom
By a group of men and women holdin' ropes with large hooks
On the ends specifically designed for catchin' boats
Crew in disbelief as they choke
The weight of the chains on the slaves
Pullin' down to what they think are they graves
Afraid as they sink from the surface of the sea
'Til a soft voice in the water tells them, "Breathe"

[Pre-Chorus]
Fire burn
Fire burn (atat tat tat tat)
Babylon (atat tat tat tat)
Real mama (tat tat tat tat)
Soon forward (atat tat tat tat)
Fire burn (atat tat tat tat)
Babylon (atat tat tat tat)
Downpressed (atat tat tat tat)
Jah bless (tat tat tat tat)

[Chorus]
All I got is gold, golden memories
When I think about what you meant to me
All I got is gold, golden memories
When I think about what you did to me

The Chicago born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco first tasted success when he featured on Kanye West’s hit “Touch the Sky”, a track that shortly preceded his real breakout, his 2006 debut album Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor, and he never looked back. He has established himself as one of the greatest urban wordsmiths of all time, with Genius even dubbing him the ‘Proust of Rap’.

While he’s now regarded of one of the 21st Century’s Hip-Hop greats, he wasn’t always a fan of the genre, initially disliking it due to the prominence of vulgarity and misogyny within it. In his late teens, he aspired to make it as a lyricist. In his early twenty’s, he met Jay-Z, who helped him sign with Atlantic Records in 2005. The following year, he released his debut album (Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor), which was met with acclaim from fans and critics alike, as did his sophomore effort, Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool.

The following eight years of his career saw far less output than many would’ve anticipated. This can be partly attributed to his struggles with Atlantic Records. The executives wanted him to sign a 360 deal; however, as he refused to do so they instead shelved his already completed 3rd album, Lasers, and wouldn’t promote him as they had previously. The overseers at the label also interfered with his music (as they had tried to do with his fan-favorite track “Dumb it Down”); subsequently effecting the quality and sound of his third and fourth albums.

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