Lupe Fiasco

Released: September 19, 2006

Songwriter: Lupe Fiasco

Producer: Brandon Howard

[Intro]
Look at what we did
Came a long way from dirty ghetto kids
Yeah, look at what we did
We came a long way from dirty ghetto kids
You know what it is, haha

[Verse 1]
Well the cops didn't fine 'em for grindin', no
They kinda blew the vibe, figured it was time to go
Plus he had to be at home a long time ago
And he had made like ten dollars off the sign he wrote
It read:
"A lil hungry, and need a lil money
It's for my lil sister and her lil tummy"
Wasn't lying tho, he didn't go buy hydro
Went to the restaurant and bought two gyros
Cause he knew they wasn't cookin' where he live
The kunk-kakunk-kakunks now took him to the crib
A lil hurt from the rail he took into the ribs
Right pass the pushers who couldn't under dig
What's the use of pushin'? You ain't pushin' none of this
If I kick it with y'all I'm just pushin' for a bid
But what was on his mind, and pushed him to the lid
Their best customer wasn't cookin' for her kids
Gets up to pump, so he

[Hook 1] (X2)
Kick, push
Over his shoulders he swore he'd never look
Cause wasn't nothing back there, but the blackness
Life wasn't too attractive
Yeah, uh, and so he

[Verse 2]
Yeah, you see his mom was a crack head
And his father couldn't be contacted
He lived with being different, was combated
Amongst the other things on his young, black head
And see his girl was a white girl
But just cause she was white, see her life wasn't light world
She too had the drama thick
Had a daddy and a mama, but her daddy used to mama hit
Daddy caught something chasin' fatties, made her mama sick
Couldn't afford the medicine, pimped her to the pharmacist
Had suicidal feelings, would ride
Switch over the transition help her conquer it
Pays for mama's pills with a sponsorship
Her cell phone bill and a Honda kit
Uh huh, and that's why she skates with he
Someone to feel the pain and a place to be
That's why, that's why, that's why, she

[Hook 2] (X2)
Kick, push
Over her shoulders she swore she'd never look
Cause wasn't nothing back there, but the blackness
Life wasn't too attractive
Yeah, uh, that's why she

[Verse 3]
Yeah, a traveling band of misfits and outcasts
Nod they heads from Misfits to Outkast
A lot of scars, they did this without pads
A lot of hearts who did this without dads
One's father was filthy rich
Two was middle class, and one was homeless
Add in the paralyzed girl in the wheelchair
Who just liked to watch, and that was the whole clique
I think about 'em every time I see this old flick
That was taken in the park in front of this old bench
They wrote on the back, "You thank for push, kick
Hope you make a video, the beat is so sick"
Well I did, I hope you seen it
It's on MTV, Soundtrakk's a genius
Love from Tony Hawk, beef from the Ice Creamaz
Before we put it out, had to pay the Filipinas
Just to show 'em how you

[Hook 3]
Kick, push
Over ya shoulders you swore you'd never look
Cause wasn't nothing back there, but the blackness
Life wasn't too attractive

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.

more tracks from the album

Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor

From the album

Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor (2006)

Lupe Fiasco popular songs

Kick, Push IILupe Fiasco

Lupe Fiasco

Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor