Songwriter: Lupe Fiasco

Producer: Nottz

[Intro]
Yeah, What up, Chi-Town, New York City
Philly, Atlanta, Virginia
They said it was coming back around man
Back to the lyrics man
Come back to people like me, I say...

[Verse 1]
It's mean, soldiers
Now let me put the streets down like steamrollers
With the CATS that push
40 oz. through the hood like King Cobras
See we sling soda
Cause the extra four in the split is mixed
It's really thirty-six
Used to buy toasters and clips
You can tighten your circle or boa constrict
While you was lighting your purple, I was over the scripts
See, I could walk the walk, couldn't really talk the talk
Had to get my talk to properly explain my walk
Cause this lack in talk had my walk looking off
Now I'm over the limp
Watch how they mugs drop when they see my Verbal's able
That's the Usual
When I was po' I was low
Now me and my Chaps cop Purple Label
It's Ralph Lauren on the rap laureate
Niggas brown nose, they are like Alf to him
Runners at Interscope are not as Stoute as him
Please don't Interscope
It's gonna be a whole lot of Iovine and respirating
If I lean out this window with Irene
Niggas as tall as Yao Ming
With L-U-P-Emperor
Is the foundation's, I-beams and the antennas
It's so serious every time I write my John Hancock like
Could damn near see Detroit, I see you
Niggas is scared of heights
This is Saran Wrap and aluminum foil
Some potpourri, a little machine oil
I stack my paper and throw off my scents
This is top floor, better look out below
Pennies from heaven is the same as a semi from the second
And I reign supreme
Turn your umbrellas upside down
Did you even catch the change in theme

This is gangsta man

[Chorus]
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-C-A-to-the-G-to-the-O (That's ganster, man)

[Verse 2]
And them niggas ain't Was nor from his regime
Gangsta lean
Hats on tilt like these Snickers ain't drop out the vending machine
You gotta put more money in
And I shake niggas up every time I drop a bar
(2 for 1)
It's horse in the Porsche and bricks in the box
Like mo' 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 an 'r'
Get off the streets
It's "over," 'ight
Bet I be in the head like overnight
Like rollers, right
She the chauffeur, right
So I keep her sober
She don't get Fed Ex like overnight
I am Dolemite
All that gas can't help you but solar might
Just call on sun
Drop a 's'
Pick up an 'o'
Uno, put it all on "one"
Brace yourself like overbite
"For that quiet nigga that relocated down south
Coming back to floss"
Nigga get your molars right
Fix your grill
No plaque but a whole lot of cheese
This the drill
Mr. Chill gave me the green light like Yoda knife
So I'mma force my will
Like the Force I wield
Of course you will
Take my time
But weight 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
Something gator on the seat
And a fox behind the wheel
No it's not Noah's Ark, Ahk
It's just a flower's start, this is

[Chorus]
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-C-A-to-the-G-to-the-O (That's ganster, man)

[Verse 3]
—verachiever (Yeah)
My procedure's
To proceed at all cost with no breather
I'm all walk, rain, snow, or fever
I'm all coughs coming after your teacher
I'm on the ball like FIFA, Viva
Lupe Duce, long live the leader
I remember I ain't have sneakers
It was welfare
Coming up for Airs like
Whales there
Fila, but now I'm well here
I'm Shamu with twelve pair
And niggas wanna take me back to zero like tare fare
Well, my skill's clear
You Sea World
It's Braille here
I'm Bumpy Johnson I stick to the streets
Keep my dogs out in front of me
You see what I'm saying
And I push ki's wonderfully

This is gangsta, man

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.