Songwriter: Lupe Fiasco

[Intro]

[Verse]
They wanna start again, no arguing, guns in the car for them
Hit 'em while they feet on they ottomans
Off-guard, uh-huh, blow 'em out they cardigans
They case hardening, they at the table bargaining
No time for stuck safeties or shaky targeting
Hit the face, hit the safe and the carpet and
Get the weight, get the cake, get the tape that we starred in
Escape, hit the interstate partying
They guardians is soft frames as jellyfish
Give 'em shirts they can strain spaghetti with
Extra button holes for touching those
They rarely kick, my readiness only matched by my pettiness
Get the change, where the couch at
Pick pocket fleas, please get the cheese off they mousetraps
Remember, they holdin' just like us
Burners under the furniture, 4-4's in floorboards
Murderers, burglars, they game just as hood
And they aim just as good, a little better
Little Berettas with suppressors
And all the etceteras for whatever
We can pole climb, cut phone lines, the whole nine
But we gotta stay together, that's the key to this
Even if it's no longer secretive
They gon' start panicking when they see that you backstage without the laminate
Don't ease up, niggas tend to freeze up
Become mannequins, "What about you?" Don't worry 'bout me
I'm averaging fifty shots a game when it's crackling
Turn the lights off on they ambulance
Just, give me room to operate
They be in operating rooms with wounds to contemplate
Don't speak, no room to commentate
Make sure ya sneakers tied, no shoes to confiscate
Get aways, take cables out they Sables
Slash the tires on they Chryslers, no survivors
Niggas can't make it with MacGyver
Either you get them or they get you
No amount of karate class can keep you out of body bags
So save ya boxing and Ninjitsu
Don't be cheap, bullets is ten cents apiece
Give 'em each a saw buck the instant they reach
Moving on, make sure you know who's who
Who's you, who's not, and who to shoot upon
Friendly fire and hitting innocent standbyers'll
Get your enemy wired and it's bad enough
So don't go gassing 'em up
Leave that for the shells, the 12's from the pumps
If done correct, the condo's on me
Gotta go, rock-n-roll, lock and load on three

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.