Released: September 21, 2018

Featuring: Nikki Jean

Songwriter: Lupe Fiasco

Producer: Floss & Fame

[Verse 1: Lupe Fiasco]
Uhh, pen to the pad, metaphors on fleek
Took the words that I heard and I put em' to the beat
Press up my tape then I put it in the street
Upload my files and tweet out my link
I'ma be in ‘em comments just to see what they think
I'ma shoot me a video and put it on the 'tube
I'ma spam IG to get up my views
And DM my favorite artist, say, "I'm gonna be hu-u-uge"
Book me a show that the blogs gonna cover
And they all gon' love it
And the crowd gon' turn up, is anybody out there?
Turn up the mic, we can't hear you out here

[Chorus: Nikki Jean & Lupe Fiasco]
Who, who, who (ay)
Hip-Hop, won't you save me? Rescue all your babies
Who, who, who (ay)
Hip-Hop, won't you save me? I am just a baby

[Post-Chorus: Lupe Fiasco & Nikki Jean]
Said I'm gonna be a rapper when I grow up
Not gonna go crazy when I blow up
Bet they gonna go crazy when I show up
Won't listen to the haters cause I know what
Said I'm gonna be a rapper when I grow up
Said I gonna be slow if I pour up
But I'm gonna be poor if I slow up
So I gotta keep it going, ain't no slow motion in here

[Verse 2: Lupe Fiasco]
Tryna get the tour bus with the studio
It ain't no buts, just bootyholes (uh)
Can't be out here looking like dookie
When you're tryna start a movement and come up on a movie role
Everything's polished
I ain't go to college, I was at the conference
Chopping with the DJs, tryna give my single on replay
And shit up on the game like colonics (colonics)
Hold the phone, take a flick with a fan for me (click)
Hit the strips with a brick of the dance money (strip)
I'm tired, let's switch with the van for me
When I make it by, you'll print the advance money

[Chorus: Nikki Jean & Lupe Fiasco]
Who, who, who (ay)
Hip-Hop, won't you save me? Rescue all your babies
Who, who, who (ay)
Hip-Hop, won't you save me? I am just a baby

[Post-Chorus: Lupe Fiasco & Nikki Jean]
Said I'm gonna be a rapper when I grow up
Not gonna go crazy when I blow up
Bet they gonna go crazy when I show up
Won't listen to the haters cause I know what
Said I'm gonna be a rapper when I grow up
Said I'm gonna be slow if I pour up
But I'm gonna be poor if I slow up
So I gotta keep it going, ain't no slow motion in here

[Verse 3: Lupe Fiasco]
Hold up, light man, turn the lights on
Came a long way from when I was holding the mic wrong
Something for the hood and a whole lot of white songs
Like I evolved to a whole 'nother life form
I'm just tryna make it happen, don't attack that please
Can't find a job, you can rap at least
Cause that's what I did, I was at that league
Right out of high school, tryna stack that cheese
You was tryna do what? Tryna stack that cheese
You wanna flip burgers, wanna stack that cheese
Make American singles, wanna stack that cheese
Make everybody smile, tryna stack that cheese
Tryna do it for a while, tryna stack that cheese
Talking frequent flyer miles how I stack that cheese
Tryna bundle up the money, tryna stack that cheese
Aye Stack, can we stack that please?

[Chorus: Nikki Jean & Lupe Fiasco]
Who, who, who (ay)
Hip-Hop, won't you save me? Rescue all your babies
Who, who, who (ay)
Hip-Hop, won't you save me? I am just a baby

[Post-Chorus: Lupe Fiasco & Nikki Jean]
Said I'm gonna be a rapper when I grow up
Not gonna go crazy when I blow up
Bet they gonna go crazy when I show up
Won't listen to the haters cause I know what
Said I'm gonna be a rapper when I grow up
Said I'm gonna be slow if I pour up
But I'm gonna be poor if I slow up
So I gotta keep it going, ain't no slow motion in here

[Outro: Nikki Jean & Lupe Fiasco]
Who, who, who (ay)
Hip-Hop, won't you save me? Rescue all your babies
Who, who, who (ay)
Hip-Hop, won't you save me? I am just a baby

Said I'm gonna be a rapper when I grow up
Not gonna go crazy when I blow up
Bet they gonna go crazy when I show up
Won't listen to the haters cause I know what
Said I'm gonna be a rapper when I grow up
Said I'm gonna be slow if I pour up
But I'm gonna be poor if I slow up
So I gotta keep it going, ain't no slow motion in here

Lupe Fiasco

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.