Released: September 25, 2012

Songwriter: Lupe Fiasco Rance

Producer: Brody Brown Rance

[Intro]
"Black panther, black panther, what do you see?
I see a dreaming child watching over me!”
Back, nigga, yeah, hey
Can we get a little break
From the cocaine and the kilos?
Aiight nigga, we know
Aiight nigga, we know
Can we get a break
From the strippers on the p-ole?
Aiight nigga, we know
Okay nigga, we know

[Verse 1]
Hey shawty, ain’t no future in no gang bang
And ain’t no manhood in no bang bang
Ain’t no honor cleaning interstates inside a chain gang
Know some rap niggas put that shit inside your mainframe
Pills make you stupid and liquor do the same thing
'Raris too expensive and they way too hard to maintain
Get yourself a Camry, "nigga said a Camry?"
Watch that hoe depreciate and then you’ll understand me
It’s called being fiscally responsible
Don’t let these lying images up in hip-hop here conquer you
The TV’s not your father, fool, that video’s not your mama
Try your best to be a man and your worst to be a monster

[Hook]
May we have some roses for the ladies
A little appreciation for the gentlemen
And here’s some kisses for the babies
Some peace, humanity for the whole wide-wide-wide world
More patience to the youth then, sympathy for the poor
Empathy for the old, more justice for the downpressed
Treat no liar, ital, iyah

[Verse 2]
I know you’re sayin’, “Lupe rappin’ ‘bout the same shit”
Well, that’s ‘cause ain’t shit changed, bitch
And please don’t excuse my language
Cause I would hate for you to misrepresent
The true expression of my anguish
And by this far I ain’t shocked, upset, or appalled
I’m ashamed, bitch
I can’t listen if you ain’t sayin’ shit
And recognize all this emptiness is dangerous
Ain’t buildin’ up they confidence, we teachin’ ‘em that they ain’t shit
If they ain’t got the latest that they saw on someone famous
Mercy of the Lord on this double-edged sword
Instead of askin’ where the hoes is
Maybe maybe may we have some roses

[Hook]
May we have some roses for the ladies
A little appreciation for the gentlemen
And here’s some kisses for the babies
Some peace, humanity for the whole wide-wide-wide world
More patience to the youth then, sympathy for the poor
Empathy for the old, more justice for the downpressed
Treat no liar, ital, iyah
May we have some roses for the ladies
A little appreciation for the gentlemen
And here’s some kisses for the babies
Some peace, humanity for the whole wide-wide-wide world

[Verse 3]
Called the president a terrorist
Corporate sponsors like, how the fuck you gon’ embarrass us?
Ain’t my fault, I was just repeatin’ this
Professor Emeritus from America
But my tone was like an Afghani kid without a home
Blew that bitch up with a drone
An Iraqi with no daddy, Palestinian throwing stones
The fuck you think they call him? I’mma leave that all alone
Cause this, the focus on this new shit is that hopeless
Place that I was born into systematic brokeness
Took that downpression and developed it to dopeness
It’s that great American rap-rap ferocious

[Hook]
May we have some roses for the ladies
A little appreciation for the gentlemen
And here’s some kisses for the babies
Some peace, humanity for the whole wide-wide-wide world
More patience to the youth then, sympathy for the poor
Empathy for the old, more justice for the downpressed
Treat no liar, ital, iyah

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.