Mural

"Mural" is a song by American rapper Lupe Fiasco, the second track from his fifth studio album, Tetsuo & Youth (2015). It was released on January 17, 2015, as a promotional album single.Okocha, Tobe (January 17, 2015). "Lupe Fiasco - Mural". Hypebeast. It samples Cortex's 1975 song "Chanson D'un Jour D'Hiver" and is the first installment of his 'Mural' trilogy, followed by the future songs "Mural Jr." (Drogas Wave, 2018) and "Ms. Mural" (Drill Music in Zion, 2022). On the website Genius, it is his most-viewed song with him as the lead artist."Lupe Fiasco | Genius"
The track is often praised by fans, showing off the rapper's lyrical prowess and dexterity. According to HipHopNumbers on Twitter, they analyzed that the track contains 153 bars and 1,373 words, of which 785 words are unique."Hip Hop by the Numbers (@HipHopNumbers)". Twitter. September 6, 2018. The song itself is presented as a mural, containing no hooks and is delivered as a stream of consciousness directly over an instrumental.
== Background ==
On September 17, 2014, Fiasco named his track "Mural" as "the philosophers stone.""Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". Twitter. September 17, 2014. Similarly, on October 17, 2014, Fiasco tweeted in response to Joe Budden praising his lyrical abilities, "Wait till you hear #Mural brethren…""Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". Twitter. October 17, 2014. On January 17, 2015, Fiasco leaked the song, three days prior to the LP's official release.Coleman II, C. (January 17, 2015). "Lupe Fiasco "Mural"". XXL.
== Critical reception ==
Paste wrote, "Lupe presents a towering wall of words, rapping for nearly seven minutes straight with few pauses and zero hooks, bridges or refrains. It also lacks a central topic, with the sheer breadth of the song seeming to be its main subject. As it stretches on, the somber instrumental and Lupe's unstrained voice meld together, becoming one sound. It's really not a particularly exciting song. In fact, despite its rich content, it is performed with a notable tranquility, a disinterest in excitement. This should undermine the song, but it actually strengthens it. Lupe wants to takes self-expression to its limits, so he commits to it fully, sacrificing even his own passion."Kearse, Stephen (February 3, 2015). "Lupe Fiasco: Tetsuo and Youth Review". Paste.
XXLs Kellan Miller described it as "a concrete reminder of the man's deft lyrical stronghold,"Miller, Kellan (January 22, 2015). "Lupe Fiasco's 'Tetsuo & Youth' Is a Return to Form". XXL. while HipHopDXs Justin Hunte likened it as "'Dumb It Down' on performance enhancers."Hunte, Justin (January 20, 2015). "Lupe Fiasco - Tetsuo & Youth". HipHopDX. PopMatters called it a "dizzying track" that, being the introduction, leads the album "down into a almost a King Crimson-like level of progressive complexity."McCarthy, Sean (February 6, 2015). "Lupe Fiasco: Tetsuo & Youth". PopMatters. In a 2023 retrospect when naming Fiasco's "16 Best" songs, Okayplayer editor Riley Wallace remarked of the track, "a nine-minute master class in crafting intelligent, lyrically elite bars stripped of mainstream conventions."Wallace, Riley (February 16, 2023). "The 16 Best Lupe Fiasco Songs". Okayplayer.
== Personnel ==
* Bob Horn – mixer
* Charles "Free Chilly" Patton – executive producer
* Chris Gehringer – masterer
* Devan "Quality Kid" Hampton – writer, producer, drums
* Jamal Johnson – recording
* Kyle "Keyz" Davidson – writer, producer, keyboards, recording
* Simon "Wiz Buchanan" Johnson – writer, producer, arranger, programmer
* Wasalu "Lupe Fiasco" Jaco – executive producer, lead artist, vocals, writer
== Cultural references ==
* Top Cat is an animated sitcom, while Cat Chat was the first Internet / JANET talker, created in 1990.
* Johann Sebastian Bac was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period.
* Gambit is a fictional character in Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. His skills include card throwing. 
* Rain Man is a 1988 film directed by Barry Levinson. Reindeer are part of the Santa Clause legend, who pull his sleigh.
* British rock band Queen made the songs "Killer Queen" and "Bohemian Rhapsody," while Queen Elizabeth II is iconic for her wave, also wearing white gloves.
* Stacey Dash is an American actress who appeared in Kanye West's music video, "All Falls Down."
* Barbasol is a brand of shaving cream.
* Mally Mall is an American producer who received a nearly three-year jail sentence for being involved in a prostitution ring.
* Macaulay Culkin plays the lead role of Kevin McCallister in the American comedy film Home Alone.
* The Virgin Mary is the mother of Jesus, who is a central figure in Christianity and is also mentioned in the Quran.
* Three variations of 'OJ': orange juice, OJ da Juiceman, and O. J. Simpson.
* Toucan Sam is the mascot of Kellogg's Froot Loops and Uncle Sam, a national personification of the federal government of the United States or the country, was conceived on recruitment posters for soldiers in WWI and II.
* Count Chocula is part of the monster breakfast cereals line by General Mills Corporation.
* Contra is a run and gun video game, published by Japanese company Konami.
* Chinese chalk, also known as ant chalk, is an insecticide.
* Chicano is an ethnic identity for Mexican Americans, originally used as a slur but was later reclaimed in the 1940s.
* American actress Alyssa Milano portrayed Samantha Micelli in the sitcom television series Who's the Boss?
* Michael Dudikoff is an American actor and martial artist who had a lead in the 1985 film American Ninja.
* Obi-Wan Kenobi is a character in the Star Wars franchise, who is a Jedi Master.
* Shinobi is a hack-and-slash video game published by Sega. The original series' premise focuses on Joe Musashi, who works to become a respected ninja of his clan. Sub-Zero is the title of two characters from Mortal Combat, depicted as two Chinese ninja brothers. Raiden is a cyborg ninja from the stealth video game Metal Gear.
* The Hidden Leaf and and The Hidden Sound Villages are two of the several ninja villages in Naruto, with the former being the titular protagonist's home.
* 'Saṃsāra,' meaning "wandering," is associated with the karma theory of transmigration/reincarnation. 'Nirvāṇa' is a concept in Indian religions, believed to be the highest achievement in some meditation disciplines; the supreme state of enlightenment.
== Gallery ==
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== Lyrics ==
== References ==
Category:2015 songs
Category:Explicit songs
Category:Lupe Fiasco songs
Category:Promotional singles
Category:Songs
Category:Tetsuo & Youth