Debate: Modern music is contributing to the downfall of society.
Side: yes

Because I didn't get dropped as a child.So you were born like this?Sorry I didn't go through the whole song and analyze it but last time I tried putting a lot of effort into a debate with you, you ended up just giving a trite response.I thought it was quite a novel way to argue.Now the first verse (the one you analyzed) is him talking to the fans of hip-hop/rap that he considers ignorant. In the first line he claims he is fearless because the whole song is essentially taking on the established paradigm of rap's subject matter which often is unintelligent and degrading to women (a common theme in Lupe's songs is criticizing those rappers which degrade women).By saying that he is earless, peerless and eyeless he is saying that he can't hear or see the critics (which are represented in the chorus) and that because of this he is tearless...in other words these critics don't bother him. Obviously the peerless part is a double entendre which could mean that he either has no equal when it comes to rap, or that no other rappers are doing what he is doing by criticizing the ignorance of many hip-hop artists.Another interpretation of this verse is that he is talking about blinded fans looking instead of listening ("which means my iris resides where my ears is"). The bullshit that exists in many rap songs is blinding, but Lupe says I'mma veer so I don't come near. The 'chicken or a deer" part is simply a metaphor about how he avoids the BS prevelant in mainstream rap like people avoid animals in the road (although if you can think of an alternative meaning I'd love to hear it...knowing Lupe there might be one).The line about him not being "a listener or a seer" means that he can't see clearly (my windshield smear) because he is the artist and not the audience. He doesn't have the proper perspective to judge his own lyrics and therefore hands over the wheel to the audience though, but they don't avoid what he had to veer away from so "the whole grill is roadkill. Another interpretation of this verse is that he is thinking about giving up the wheel entirely by separating himself from the rap game entirely because it is a "minstrel" show. (If your not familiar with what this is, it was when white people dressed in blackface and acted like caricature of black people. What Lupe is saying is that those people raping the the songs are portraying blacks no better.)In his next line he makes a reference to the matrix by saying he took both pills. What this likely means is that he is living in two worlds at the same time: the BS one created by ignorant hip-hop artists, and the "real" one which is where he believes the truth to lie. He is both a part of the hip-hop/rap world and removed from it at the same time."The writer of the quotes for the ghosts who supplier of the notes to the living" appears to be him saying that he is a ghostwriter for ghost writers.In the final line of this verse he talks about how he is "Riveting as Rosie" which is a reference to the WWII Rosie the Riveter poster. This is a reference both to how good his raps are, and how he is looking to empower women with his rhymes...something not often seen in hip-hop/rap songs. This reference also relates to the rest of the line which goes Awaken at war, 'til I'm restin' in peace which likely means that he will be fighting until he dies to change the hip-hop/rap game for the better.The first Chorus is relatively self explanatory. It represents the pressure put on rappers (and specifically on Lupe) to conform to the standard themes of hip-hop and "dumb down" his lyrics. The first Chorus is mostly concerned with the fact that many of his lyrics are heady, and that most of the uneducated people in the hood don't want to hear that kind of music.I'm going to stop here for the sake of brevity, and because I think I've made my point.You have analysed the lyrics, and yet I am unmoved. I cannot see why they are to be regarded as better than those of New York. I shall go into better detail as to why I dislike them:A) The self-evident meaning behind the lyrics is shamelessly self-promoting, serving to promote the song itself as much as it does to demote the others. Furthermore, the song criticises the fans of other songs. I have always hated this. Because this Lupe fellow dislikes other rap , and feels that it getting more attention than good rap (i.e his rap), it strike me that the lyrics are more of an outpouring of spite and envy than they are a genuine critique. B) Poor grammar. Subjective as the experience is, I take issue with this. C) It is damning of other people's musical preferences.D) It is essentially much ado about nothing. It translates as That rap is shit, listen to my rap. No meaningful commentary at all (at least to me, commentary on rap is meaningless).E) I just don't like rap. If I wanted to entertain myself with words alone, I would read a book.Now, below I shall provide another set of lyrics which I consider to be good:Was a long and dark DecemberFrom the rooftops I rememberThere was snowWhite snowClearly I rememberFrom the windows they were watchingWhile we froze Down belowWhen the future's architecturedBy a carnival of idiots on showYou'd better lie lowIf you love meWon't you let me know?Was a long and dark DecemberWhen the banks became cathedralsAnd the fogBecame GodPriests clutched onto biblesHollowed out to fit their riflesAnd the cross was held aloftBury me in armorWhen I'm dead and hit the groundA love back home unfoldsIf you love meWon't you let me know?I don't want to be a soldierWho the captain of some sinking shipWould stow, far belowSo if you love meWhy'd you let me go?I took my love down to Violet HillThere we sat in snowAll that time she was silent stillSo if you love meWon't you let me know?If you love me,Won't you let me know?If you could analyse that, I would be much much obliged (Violet Hill, Coldplay).Most of which you misinterpreted (not through any fault of your own, I only gave you a portion of the song and I know how hard it is to search "Dumb it Down" Lyrics on google).I implore you only to use irony if it's good irony.He was really saying that he is trying to avoid the BS that rap portrays and how he refuses to dumb down his lyrics for the sake of an ignorant audience.See issues A) and C).Now you could argue that he is being immodest by claiming that his raps are more intelligent than other rappers, but I doubt he'd find a lot of opposition to that point, especially if we are only looking at mainstream rap.Why is his rap better simply because he proclaims it to be?Are you saying that these phrases are only contradictory on the surface (superficially)? If so then I'd say that this isn't a problem since the song is meant to be read on a deeper level.It was not a critical point.Is this a criticism?It was a list of what devices I could see.The language he is using is the language he grew up using in Chicago, and the language that his audience is familiar with. This may be the only part where cultural differences may create an issue in listening. I'm used to listening to this kind of music so it doesn't bother me, but you may have to force yourself to look past it if your going to look at lyrics like these.If you are arguing that coloquilisms in a work of art is a negative, however, then I would ask you to read what many consider to be the single most important piece of American fiction.Again you presume too much (and To kill a mocking bird is better).And he clear as a ghostIrony can now be added to the list.if you insist that they are ill conceived then I would be happy to talk about any specific lines.The windshield is minstrel, the whole grill is roadkill, so trill and so sincere.when a bloke in a trench coat and the locs in the chairYour U2 song on the other hand is relatively straightforward.Hence the absence of an analysis on your part? Don't worry, I won't run away because your argument is a page-or-two long.While it uses one or two lines that are open to multiple interpretations and double meanings, "Dumb it Down" is filled with them. Now this can't be held against "New York" completely because double meanings of rhymes is a huge part of the genre and less so with U2's type of music. Even rap songs I consider to be inferior usually have a couple clever turns of phrase that have meanings deeper than what they first appear to be (one of the reasons I enjoy the genre).A self-mooting point. Novel to say the least.Also, pointing out there's a lot of diversity in New York is pretty weak political commentary. I guess their next song is going to be about how many Christians they see when they go to Church. How edgy.Seems like you completely missed the political commentary to me.In short, while I'm sure that U2 wrote a very nice song about New York, it doesn't hold a candle to "Dumb it Down" lyrically.I disagree.There is a simple reason for this: rap is almost all about the lyrics, and few do it better than Lupe.So at one point you believe most rap is lyrically deficient, and at others you believe it is superior to all other genres, exclusively because of its lyrics.I find it funny though that you use your own lack of ability to understand the lyrics of "Dumb it Down" as a negative. And I find it amusing that you are unaware of your own lack of ability, and wish to point out the irony of that statement. You misinterpreted New York, and now you accuse me of misinterpreting Dumb it Down.I know when I read many famous works of poetry the meaning is not apparent immediately to me, but usually I don't just write the whole thing off as shitty.Again, irony.Otherwise I never would have come to like T.S. Eliot's "The Wasteland" (seriously, if you've never read it before, read through a part of it once and see if you can decipher the meaning).Do you actually wish for me to do that? It is not a brief undertaking to decipher a poem, even a part of it. It can take hours to type, not to mention the point that poems have many meanings, and that it is virtually impossible to be wrong if you back up your assertions. To run through all the interpretations (even my own) is something I am simply unwilling to do.I don't blame you though for not understanding it. I had a serious advantage in that this is a genre I listen to often, and this particular song I've listened to about a hundred times.This seems masochistic to me. What you should realize though, is that while "New York" may make one allusion in the whole song (the one about the titanic) there are more allusions than I can count on both hands (and probably at least one foot).I counted seven in New York. I can understand though if you want simpler songs. They require less thinking, and the meanings are not far below the surface. I wouldn't ask Lupe to do that though because I bet he'd respond with: "I flatly refuse, I ain't dumb down nothing."Your illusions of intellectual superiority neither amuse nor intimidate me. In your contempt for me and my musical predilections, you reveal yourself to be of the same character of Lupe* himself. While dragging oneself out of a ghetto is commendable, I wish that he would leave the idiosyncrasies behind; they are clearly infecting you.