Lupe Fiasco

Released: March 8, 2011

Songwriter: Lupe Fiasco Needlz Ricky Rutland Saint Cassius

Producer: Needlz

[Verse 1]
Album on hold, whole world on hold
The crowd is like, "HO!", operator's like, "Hold" ("Please hold")
Man, now ain't that cold
I'm just tryin' to talk to my homie that's up in the hole
And homegirl not tryin' to be a ho, even though she on a pole
Can she get a second chance? No
Whoa, like the opposite of go
That ain't how it's supposed to be or butterfly
But for the sake of rhyming, let's just say butterfly-ee
The truth stings like Muhammad Ali
I tell 'em, tell 'em, don't homicide me
I'm just a little old hope with his back against the ropes
Fightin' for his fans and fightin' for his folks
But the boos from the crowd can become so loud
If I can block 'em out then, I could knock 'em out and
Dance around the ring but until then I'll sing

[Hook]
I'ma keep it cool and I'ma do me
It is what it is and it's how it's gon' be
Until I get there
Till I get there
And yeah I got flaws, I know I'm not perfect
But all the ups and downs will soon be worth it
When I get there
When I get there, whoa, oh

[Verse 2]
Doctor, doctor please, the fame ain't painless enough
"That's cause you ain't famous enough
You got a little game but your name ain't ringin' enough"
He said "Take two of these, put some change in my cup"
I said I wasn't poor, he gave me some more
Prescribed me a publicist and pointed to the door
Out, ouch
I'm tellin' you this all from a therapist's couch
"Tell me about your mother, what she's all about"
Prescribed me a interview and then told me to bounce
Damn, jeez
The world is so cold, I'm glad I bought these skis
Went right off of the bunny slopes and right into the trees
Rendered unconscious, they rushed me to a concert
Instead of green jello and maybe chicken soup
They fed me magazine covers and video shoots

[Hook]
I'ma keep it cool and I'ma do me
It is what it is and it's how it's gon' be
Until I get there
Till I get there
And yeah I got flaws, I know I'm not perfect
But all the ups and downs will soon be worth it
When I get there
When I get there, whoa, oh

[Verse 3]
And when I finally make it, I'ma stunt so hard
Evil as Knievel, I'ma jump so far
Way up in the atmosphere, I ain't comin' back
Be a jerk to them jerks, yeah, that'll make 'em hurt
"Huh?" said a young boy in the mirror
A young version of me, so I started to tear up
He said "You need to cheer up, your mind need to clear up
You're already here, just be yourself from here up"
Then he disappeared and I felt something familiar
Somethin' I was taught, somethin' I had lost
If you are afraid or fear that you gon' change some
All you gotta do is just remember where you came from

[Hook]
I'ma keep it cool and I'ma do me
It is what it is and it's how it's gon' be
Until I get there
Till I get there
And yeah I got flaws, I know I'm not perfect
But all the ups and downs will soon be worth it
When I get there
When I get there, whoa, oh

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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