Lupe Fiasco

Released: October 26, 2010

Featuring: Jennifer Hudson Common

Producer: No I.D.

[Jennifer Hudson]
Guess I gotta forget all about this issue
And try to live my life just like it is
Whooa
But I want everybody to remember me (everybody)
I will come back 10 years ago (well, hey)
Said I want everybody to remember me
When I go back 10 years and years ago
When I get my second chance

[Lupe Fiasco]
When I get my second chance I’m gon' redeem myself
When I bring myself, me and my team my help
Ain't no “I” in that but I’m in that so I am packed
Like there's ten of me inside of that
Ain't one man army, one man army I am that
Bring it back like a typer-writer, writing that
I attack like a lightning strike with a lions wrath
With a vipers bite come alive with that
Put your life on that
Like everything I do though
All my old wounds have all healed but they still feel like they new though
And everytime I see ‘em I start to think of you yo
First I wasn’t focused, wasn’t willing and my goon’s
So performance was just lackin at those moments that were crucial
Now my heart is razor sharp and confidence is MUCHO
Big, things I can’t forgive, things I can't forget
Things I can’t relive, the agony is asking me, defeat is sweet to sin
But I put that on my city we will never meet again

[Hook]
Never miss the city of the wind that I’m in
City of the wind that I’m in
We can do it now
We can do it now
We can do it now
We can do it we can do we can do it now
Second chance, second win, do it again
Yeah eah, eeeeah

Yeah we do it again
We can do it now
Lets do it again
We can do it now
Do it now

[Common]
The rise of the phoenix, sweat falls
Time has its meaning, I evolve
Hit the ground and bounce back up, just like B-Ball
Muhammad Ali jaw, I knew that I would be all
Far from where I came from, the same place that pain's from
My name hung, from the rafters before an aftermath of a master
Wishing I could have the moment to grab the trophy and glass of champagne
My locker rooms a cold place, LA got no gates
You mighta seen this man cry, that was just my old face
My soul waits redemption and intervention from a higher dimension
Inspire mission, no more hoping or wishing, conditions’ll change
Stickers say Barack on the range
I’m from the Chi’ too, now I’m Barack in the game
Came back and overcame, overstood the rain
More than just the fame, married to the game
Now I hold the reign

[Hook]

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.

more tracks from the album

Extra Lasers

From the album

Extra Lasers (2011)

Lupe Fiasco popular songs

We Can Do It NowLupe Fiasco

Lupe Fiasco

Extra Lasers