Songwriter: Lupe Fiasco

I did this, in the memory of a couple of my homies
Couple of your homies. Um, Not acknowledging or glorifying any type of violence or anything type of thing like that
Peace

Hook x7

Yeah, uh uh, uh uh

Southside, Westside, Northside, Eastside
Westside. Haha

Yeah

This one goes out, to the mothers who lost sons, that was just trying to gain family
R.I.P.: Ram, Kato, Frank Niddy

Yeah

I tips my to the left
It's Just the Westside of 'em
Don't ride nothing
But, know plenty people peoples that ride somethin'
Decided. Cousin I should describe the lives of 'em
Some wives drive Chevy's With Gold Daytons and the tires of 'em
First, let me tell you where son grown
Grew up 'round GD's, VL's, Black Souls, and Unknowns
Hat ya' hang, bangin' sacks, slangin' with guns on
Forced to drop the Forks, or you gotta run home
Or you gotta run anyway after you drop the Folks
Because they was really Folks, looking for somebody to jump on
Wars, Lords, shoot up all the corners they hung on
Hear the Squeeze, and aim for my region brother to come home
Violations, Laws, Lessons, Sessions, & Mandates
Picnic Collections, lip side throwing they handshakes
That's where I stayed, drive-bys where I played
GDN in they fades, with a 150 Sittin' Sideways

Hook x7

Uh, I seen 'em
Brawl for it, Write on the wall for, Get Kicked out the Mall for it, Run from the Law for it
Seen things they should've never saw for it
Long as it's, All Well, All Mighty, All Righty, they all for it
Blackhawk fitted, get hit in the jaw for it
Blue and Black Jordans sportin' might get 'cha applaused for it
Peace Treaty for like a Week if Chief & them Called for it
150 deep in ya' street, & saying y'all broke it
But what started that was a shawty walking down the ave in a starter cap
Pops sayin' he ain't want me no part of that
Those happenings with those hats and things
Move me out south, now, all my homies is Latin Kings
Teaching me Spanish, Lowrider Magazines, Black & Gold Bandannas, taggin' crowns up on the scene
That was the age, how kinda Lupe was made, homies from Pax Town to Terror, New Era
Sittin' Sideways

Hook x8

Uh, See from Youth, I wasn't a stranger
Pops schooled 'em to the El Rukn's, plus the P. Stone Rangers
And, as I grew up, knew most of what happened threw up
Disciples loved the Geto Boys because they was talkin' to Hoover
Time Versus Life is all a Process
Drive-Bys, Gang Fights, and Lock Downs had us scared of the Projects
Couple Arab Knights, and Solid Foes I knew, thought that them Moes was cool
They said salam aleikum to..
To my Out of Town Friends, to take off they hat, that they couldn't wear that in the places I was taking them to
My Homies was Breakin' it, so I was Breakin' it, too
If they started chasin' them, then they was chasin' me, too
Probably all got cousins, brothers, sisters, & loved ones that probably died for nothin'
On shakin' up or somethin'
To the mothers that payed, to my homies in the grave, keep a glittered 150 in ya' memory, homie
Sittin' Sideways

Hook x4

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.