Released: June 5, 2008

Featuring: GemStones Graham Burris

Songwriter: Graham Burris GemStones Soundtrakk Lupe Fiasco

Producer: Soundtrakk

[Intro: Lupe Fiasco]
Carrera (Dumb it down!)
Coolest nigga, what? (Dumb it down!)
F-N-F, up! (Dumb it down!)
(Dumb it down!)

[Verse 1: Lupe Fiasco]
I'm fearless, now hear this, I'm earless
And I'm peerless, that means I'm eyeless
Which means I'm tearless, which means my iris
Resides where my ears is, which means I'm blinded
But I'ma find it, I can feel its nearness
But I'ma veer, so I don't come near
Like a chicken or a deer, but I remember
I'm not a listener or a seer so my windshield smear
Here you steer, I really shouldn't be behind this
Clearly cause my blindness
The windshield is menstrual, the whole grill is roadkill
So trill and so sincere, yeah, I'm both them there
Took both pills when the bloke in the trench coat
And the locs in the chair had approached him here
Made it clear as a ghost or a biter of the throats in the mirror
The writer of the quotes for the ghosts
Who supplier of the notes to the living
Riveting as Rosie, pockets full of posies
Given to the mother of the deceased
Awake and at war 'til I'm resting in peace

[Hook 1: Gemini]
You going over niggas heads, Lu (Dumb it down!)
They telling me that they don't feel you (Dumb it down!)
We ain't graduate from school, nigga (Dumb it down!)
Them big words ain't cool, nigga (Dumb it down!)
Yeah I heard "Mean and Vicious," nigga (Dumb it down!)
Make a song for the bitches, nigga! (Dumb it down!)
We don't care about the weather nigga (Dumb it down!)
You'll sell more records if you (Dumb it down!)

[Verse 2: Lupe Fiasco]
And I'm mouthless, which means I'm soundless
Now as far as the hearing, I've found it
It was as far as the distance from the earring to the ground is
But the doorknockers on the ear
Of a stewardess in a Lear, she's fine and she's flying
I feel I'm flying by 'em, cause my mind's on cloud nine
And in a mine at the same time
Pimps see the wings on the Underground King
Who's also Klingon, to infinity and beyond
Something really stinks, but I Sphinx like Leon
Or lion in the desert
I'm flying on Pegasus, you're flying on a pheasant
Writer of the white powder, picker of the fire flowers
Spit, "hot fiya" like Dylan on Chappelle's skit
Yeah, smell it on my unicorn
Don't snort the white horse, but toot my own horn
Sleep?

[Hook 2: Graham Burris]
You've been shedding too much light, Lu (Dumb it down!)
You're makin 'em wanna do right, Lu (Dumb it down!)
They're gettin' self-esteem, Lu (Dumb it down!)
These girls are trying to be queens, Lu (Dumb it down!)
They're trying to graduate from school, Lu (Dumb it down!)
They're startin' to think that smart is cool, Lu (Dumb it down!)
They're trying to get up out the hood, Lu (Dumb it down!)
I'll tell you what you should do (Dumb it down!)

[Verse 3: Lupe Fiasco]
And I'm brainless, which means I'm headless
Like Ichabod Crane is
Or foreplay-less sex is, which makes me saneless
With no neck left to hang the chain with
Which makes me necklace-less, like a necklace theft
And I ain't used my headrest yet
They said they need proof like a vestless chest
About the best-fed F-F jet in the nest
Who exudes confidence and excess depth
Even Scuba Steve would find it hard to breathe
Around these leagues; my snorkel is a tuba
Lu the ruler around these seas
Westside Poseidon, Westside beside 'em
Chest-high and rising, almost touching the knees
Of stewardess and the pilot, lucky they make ya fly with
Personal floating devices, tricks falling out of my sleeves
David Blaine, make it rain
You make a boat, I make a plane
Then, I pull the plug and I make it drain
Until I feel like flowing and filling it up again
Westside!

[Hook 3: Gemini]
You putting me to sleep, nigga (Dumb it down!)
'S'why you ain't popping in the streets, nigga! (Dumb it down!)
You ain't winning no awards nigga! (Dumb it down!)
Robots and skateboards, nigga?! (Dumb it down!)
GQ Man of the Year, G? (Dumb it down!)
Shit ain't rocking over here, B (Dumb it down!)
Won't you talk about your cars nigga? (Dumb it down!)
What the fuck is Goyard nigga (Dumb it down!)
Make it rain for the chicks (Dumb it down!)
Po' CHAMPAGNE on a bitch! (Dumb it down!)
What the fuck is WRONG WITH YOU?! (Dumb it down!)
...How can I get on a song with you? (Dumb it down!)

[Outro: Gemini]
Look B, here's my main, my two-way
Uh, what should I, ah, here take this
That right there, fuck what my boys'll talk about me, nigga
Nigga, you hot to me! I like you! (Dumb it down!)

[Outro 2: Lupe Fiasco]
Bishop G, they told me I should come down, cousin
But I flatly refuse: I ain't dumb down nothing!

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.