Say word to the nigga that took the rap for me
Free Chill I will, take rap to where niggas can't conceive
To the point where niggas can't agree on which song is best
And the argument is if I am better than me
Nope, me and school never agreed
So you can see that Lu never degreed
No fool but the promises of America's educational system
Were insufficient enough to convince him
I'd rather take my chances
And hope it's not enough evidence for a conviction (Breathe)
I push ki like Dragonball Z
You see what I'm sayin'
I'm tryna give you a piece of my mind like Hannibal G
And in the midst of it all make paper like tree
On second thought, make paper like mead
It's all in my notebooks
I hang like coat hook 'round gangbang and those who coke push like Tyrese
(My economy) Lemme make it real for you
The roots to my income is somethin'
To those opposed to hustlin'
"Is it solely music?" They question
Till I am embalmed
The end will retire in prom
L.U.P.Empire, F n F productions it's nothin'
Nigga please

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.