Lupe Fiasco

Songwriter: Lupe Fiasco

Producer: Kanye West

You see it ain't safe pumping weight, it's trouble
So they gotta turn to muscle, like they pumpin weights
Cuz it ain't soft in the turnbuckle, you could get jacked like a pumpkin face
Catch a sleepy hollow, or poke ya head pumping weight
'Specially if you woofin- pumping base
Or you doing dirt looking clean
It could jump off like The Ultimate Warrior- what you laying on the floor of the ring
Or catch cage match after report to the bing
See a muscle give a dap to the vice tag-team
If I could never own it- why would I catch a bullet, dye my clothes and die on it
I warn ya, Shorty
It's corny on the corner, I'm saying my piece
Only turn my back on The West when I pray to The East
[My favorite corner]

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: Before There Were Lasers

From the album

Lupe Fiasco: Before There Were Lasers (2010)

Lupe Fiasco popular songs

On The Corner [Remix]Lupe Fiasco

Lupe Fiasco

Lupe Fiasco: Before There Were Lasers