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Coulda BeenLupe Fiasco

Released: May 12, 2017

Songwriter: Lupe Fiasco

Producer: Willie Hutch Lupe Fiasco

[Intro]

And they say, and they say
And they say, and they say
They say, they say, they say
A lot of stuff, y'know what I mean?
Don't know where I coulda been
If I wasn't doin' this thing right here, shit, yo

[Verse 1]
If I wasn't rappin', I'd probably be wrastlin'
Hand to hand grapplin' on the corner of Madison
Or real-estating, trying to sell you a mansion
Or rollerblading, doing 360 flatspins
Or I'd probably be flipping a burger
Attempting a murder, or paralyzed, sippin' on Gerber
I could be working at Jewels, chain snatching
Jerking your jewels, homeless, working for food
I might be cleaning your pool, teaching your school, preaching to fools
Leeching, smoking weed to be cool
At DMVs, holding lines up
Or wind up in line-ups, time's up
Full of holes in a hole in a fine tux
Out on parole, out of control, holding your dime up
I could be lazy, sitting on your couch
Or I could be crazy, cussing pigeons out

[Hook] 2x
I could be hustlin' bags
Strugglin' bad
If I wasn't up in the lab
Shit, I just might be cuttin' your grass
Walkin' your dog, pumpin' your gas
Or nothin' at all

[Verse 2]
I could be thanking the academy
A friend of the family, your man delivering bail
Or I could be the man that delivers your mail
Or I could be taking the stand, drinking on L
This could be my third life, on my third strike
On my third wife, or garbage on my first mic
I could've got off easy, that nigga deserved life
Or the Orkin man, searching for termites
I could be sticking up convenience stores
Or twisting up what you fiendin' for
Or getting buck with the meanest whores that been giving up
On top of building, leaning forward, with no wings to soar with
They could've kidnapped my daughters
Been extorted for a couple of portions
I might be drunk from the Mo', stumbling slow
Someone to know, running the show, or shovelin' snow

[Hook] 2x
I could be hustlin' bags
Strugglin' bad
If I wasn't up in the lab
Shit, I just might be cuttin' your grass
Walkin' your dog, pumpin' your gas
Or nothin' at all

[Verse 3]
I could be startin', guardin', or planting a garden, or security guardin'
Or I could be starvin' and eating out your garbage
And found stardom starrin' in sitcoms with Martin
I could've been marchin' with Martin
Handcuff, nullface, over the face with no comment
I might not even be dark-skinned
I might not even be conscious, comatose from an overdose
An R&B singer blowing the notes
A tailor sewing a coat, a sailor rowing a boat
I could've boxed a little, fought for the title
Lost and lost my vitals on the way to the hospital
I could've lost my business
Won the lotto and lost my ticket
I could be the last one to cross the finish
I could be you, I could be him, you could be me, we all got a job to do

[Hook] 2x
I could be hustling bags
Struggling bad
If I wasn't up in the lab
Shit, I just might be cutting your grass
Walking your dog, pumping your gas
Or nothing at all

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.

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