Kick, Push

"Kick, Push" is the debut solo single by American rapper Lupe Fiasco for his first studio album, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor (2006). The song was released on April 18, 2006, by 1st & 15th Entertainment and Atlantic Records. It was co-written with producer Soundtrakk and samples the 1980 song "Magtaksil Man Ikaw (Bolero Medley)" by Celeste Legaspi.
The song details a simple love story, where a boy who loves skateboarding finds a girl who shares the same passion. They continue to "kick, push" through obstacles from the authorities who disallow skating, also being a metaphor for navigating through whatever life throws at you. Before its clarification, some listeners believed it was about drug dealing or giving birth.Golianopoulos, Thomas (April 28, 2015). "Messiah Music: Investigating the Hidden Meaning of Lupe Fiasco's 'Tetsuo & Youth'". Grantland.Morse, Russell (September 21, 2006). Rolling Stone (1009), p. 22. The sequel, "Kick, Push II," appears on the same album. The official remix version features Pharrell Williams, who talks about racial identity in skateboarding. Williams remarked, "Most people think skateboarding is for some kid with blond hair from suburbia. But it's not just that. Skateboard culture is not white or black. Neither is hip-hop."Lee, Chris (September 29, 2006). "Kick, Push, Coast, Rap". The Seattle Times.
== Background ==
The song was recorded in 2005 by Greg "G-Ball" Magers at 1st & 15th Studios and mixed by Craig Bauer at Hinge Studios. Fiasco explained that Ken of the Uprise Skateboard Shop was the inspiration behind the track.Ducker, Eric (January 22, 2013). "Lupe Fiasco: Grindin". The Fader. He informed The A.V. Club, "That song is his life exaggerated with maybe a few stories of a few other people, and then some stuff I fabricated. I just added some of the stuff that I knew from being a skateboarder into it."Rabin, Nathan (October 31, 2006). "Lupe Fiasco". A.V. Club. The original burned CD remains at the shop."Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". Twitter. July 3, 2014.
In October 2005 and November 2006, Fiasco was invited by professional skateboarder Tony Hawk to perform at the fundraiser, Stand Up for Skateparks, in its second and third annual year."2005 Tony Hawk Foundation Annual Report". The Skatepark Project."2006 Tony Hawk Foundation Annual Report". The Skatepark Project. He was featured on the cover of Billboards July 2006 issue, where he's on a skateboard. He grew up skateboarding as a hobby, though stopped after a 2007 accident where he might've been killed if he hadn't been wearing his helmet.Abbey, Cherie (January 30, 2009). Biography Today. Omnigraphics, p. 69.
In a 2014 interview with Skee TV, Fiasco explained how the song was not planned to be a single and was met with little support from the skateboarding community. He noted, "There was some very insecure skaters, Tony Hawk not being one of them, fortunately, who just felt like I was trying to encroach on their territory when I really did the song as a tribute for a skate shop. […] It was for a skate shop called Uprise for a skate DVD and then it just took a life of its own. […] From there all the way up until now, I always try and make things that I'm personally attached to, that have a personal vibration with me that I feel are real and honest and wherever that takes me.""Lupe Fiasco Said 'Kick, Push' Helped Hip-Hop Embrace Skateboarding". XXL. July 3, 2014.
During an Instagram livestream with Joe Budden, Fiasco revealed of how his record label tried to prevent the promotion of "Kick, Push," which played over his hometown's urban contemporary radio station, WGCI. He recalled, "Once it got out, [Craig Kallman] got confronted with the shit—like, 'Yo, the PD at WGCI reached out to us and told us that he got a call from you that said to slow down or stop playing the song.' So, all the A&R staff was there asking Craig, 'Why the fuck would you do that?' And he said so he could give the label more time to catch up. You know why he did it? Because he didn't have nothing to do with 'Kick, Push.' He didn't have any publishing, he didn't have any royalty rights, he didn't bring the producer—he had nothing to do with it." He continued that the label bought the sample song to have partial control over his single, travelling all the way to the Philippines to purchase the rights to "Magtaksil Man Ikaw (Bolero Medley)" by Celeste Legaspi. He concluded, "It's genius. It's cold-blooded... grow it, sell it, and own the pawn shop that n****s is stealing the TVs and selling the shit back to you so you can sell—genius."Watson, Elijah (April 7, 2020). "Lupe Fiasco Explains How Atlantic Records Bought the "Kick, Push" Sample to Partially Own His Song". Okayplayer.Fu, Eddie (April 7, 2020). "The Label Allegedly Flew to the Philippines to Acquire a Controlling Portion of the Song's Rights.". Genius.
In the seventeenth anniversary of Food & Liquor, he stated on Twitter that it is the most impactful song for him, personally, for what it has accomplished musically and career-wise. Originally it was not supposed to be included on the album, merely being a promotional song on a DVD for Uprise, though his manager Chilly believed it was a hit. Fiasco added what made the track "dope" was how it could speak to and resonate with people that have things going on in their life."Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". Twitter. September 20, 2023.
== Critical reception and legacy ==
Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club wrote in his review, "With its cinematic horns and manic drums, 'Kick, Push' soars deliriously on a wave of teen romanticism seldom explored in hip-hop: It's like Rebel Without a Cause reconceived as a skateboarding anthem."Rabin, Nathan (September 20, 2006). "Lupe Fiasco: Food and Liquor". The A.V. Club. Rolling Stones Evan Serpick added, "Fiasco tells the story of a kid learning to ride a skateboard as a metaphor for struggling to find one's way in life and love. It's a creative, well-told tale that Pharrell wishes he could have written, and it sets expectations high."Serpick, Evan (September 29, 2006). "Food & Liquor". Rolling Stone. Pitchfork called it "joyful,"Fennessey, Sean (September 21, 2006). "Food & Liquor". Pitchfork. while Andy Kellman of AllMusic commented, "Like nothing else in the mainstream or underground, its subject matter—skater boy meets skater girl."Kellman, Andy (September 19, 2006). "Food & Liquor Review by Andy Kellman". AllMusic.
Uproxx wrote in a retrospective article, "[T]here weren't many high-profile Black skateboarders. In fact, Black kids who skated—especially in the hood—were subject to ridicule and outsider status for engaging in an activity that was long held as the domain of beach-blond surf rats in Venice Beach. But Lupe was part of a vanguard of Black artists who changed that, providing representation for those outsiders and throwing open the doors of possibility for generations after."Williams, Aaron (October 12, 2021). "Lupe Fiasco's 'Kick, Push' Prompts Belly, Lakeyah, and Other Young Rappers to Consider Skateboarding". Uproxx. Okayplayers 2023 list "The 16 Best Lupe Fiasco Songs" placed "Kick, Push" at No. 1, penning, "remains an absolute classic. While it displays the wit and lyrical inventiveness Lupe would later bolster to incredibly high heights, it remains straightforward in an endearing way."Wallace, Riley (February 16, 2023). "The 16 Best Lupe Fiasco Songs". Okayplayer.
In 2007, "Kick, Push" was nominated for two Grammy Awards in Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Song, though lost to T.I.'s "What You Know" and Ludacris' "Money Maker," respectively. The song was featured in the video game soundtracks Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005), NBA Live 07 (2006), and Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam (2006). Drake created a remix, released from his first official mixtape Room for Improvement (2006). Chamillionaire also released a freestyle titled "The Greatest" from his project, Mixtape Messiah 4 (2008), and Logic remixed the song as "Still Pushin" from his mixtape Inglorious Basterd (2023).Singh, Karan (August 17, 2023). "Logic Flips Lupe Fiasco's 'Kick, Push' While Announcing New Mixtape". HipHopDX. The song appeared in Season 6, Episode 6 of The Chi, which is playing at the after-graduation party. The character Britney freestyles over the song.Constantine, Brandon (August 11, 2023). "Three Songs That Will Help Make Season 6 of 'The Chi' Unforgettable". Complex.Okon, Wongo (September 8, 2023). "'The Chi': They Go from 'Boys II Men' So Fast in Season 6, Episode 6". Uproxx. On YouTube, the "Kick, Push" music video was selected as part of their "Fifty Deep" campaign in celebration of hip hop's 50th anniversary, recognizing its cultural impact.
== Music video ==
The accompanying music video was uploaded to YouTube on March 31, 2006,"Lupe Fiasco's 'Kick, Push' Video". Hypebeast. April 1, 2006. and later premiered to Atlantic Record's YouTube channel on October 26, 2009. It was directed by Christopher Adams and Hana McDowell (Chris & Blaq) of Impakt Studio, filmed during the wintertime in front of Madison Terrace with a Panasonic HVX100, and edited in Adobe Premiere Pro."Lupe Fiasco "Kick Push" Music Video by Impakt Studio". Vimeo. July 10, 2008. Fiasco recalled people in the video being actual gangsters, where the lead skater was from a rough background. Cops even drove up to the video shoot to shut it down, the police scene being real."Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". Twitter. July 3, 2014.
== Accolades ==
;Awards and nominations
Year	Award 	Category 	Result	
2006	BET Hip Hop Awards 	Hip-Hop Video of the Year	 	"BET Hip-Hop Awards Nominees Announced". Access. October 16, 2006.
2007	Grammy Awards 	Best Rap Solo Performance	 	"Grammys 2007: A List of the Nominees". Entertainment Weekly. December 7, 2006.
2007	Grammy Awards 	Best Rap Song 	 	"Grammys 2007: A List of the Nominees". Entertainment Weekly. December 7, 2006.
2007	MTV Australia Video Music Awards	Best Hip-Hop Video 	 	"Nominees for the 2007 MTV Australia Video Music Awards". Top40-Charts. March 3, 2007.
;Listicles
Publisher	Listicle 	Year	Result	
About.com	"The 100 Best Rap Songs of All Time" 	2006	72 	Adaso, Henry (April 15, 2006). "The 100 Best Rap Songs of All Time". About.com.
About.com	"The 100 Best Rap Songs of the 2000s" 	2010	6 	Adaso, Henry (January 29, 2010). "The 100 Best Rap Songs of the 2000s". About.com.
Cleveland	"100 Greatest Rap Songs Since 2000" 	2017	41 	Smith, Troy (August 24, 2017). "100 Greatest Rap Songs Since 2000". Cleveland.
Pitchfork	"The Top 100 Tracks of 2006" 	2006	15 	"The Top 100 Tracks of 2006". Pitchfork. December 18, 2006.
Vogue 	"17 Essential Music Videos for Skate Fans" 	2016	Listed	Borrelli-Persson, Laird (June 28, 2016). "17 Essential Music Videos for Skate Fans". Vogue.
XXL 	"Top 100 Greatest Songs by an XXL Freshman"	2012	7 	"Top 100 Greatest Songs by an XXL Freshman". XXL. April 3, 2012.
== Live performances ==
He performed "Kick, Push" in many of his performances, including on AOL Sessions (2006), at the 2008 ESPY Awards, televised concert MTV Spring Break (2011), Red Bull Music Festival (2019), and Hip Hop 50 Live (2023). He made a cameo in Season 4, Episode 4 of One Tree Hill, where he performed the song along with "I Gotcha" at the fictitious club, Tric.Benner, Lexa (February 3, 2022). "One Tree Hill: The 10 Best Characters to Only Appear in One Episode". Screen Rant.
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== Personnel ==
* Charles "Chilly" Patton – executive producer
* Chris Gehringer – mastering engineer
* Craig Bauer – mixing engineer
* Darrale Jones – co-executive producer
* Deborah Mannis-Gardner – sample clearance
* Eric Weissman – sample clearance
* Greg "G-Ball" Magers – recording engineer
* James Auwarter – assistant mixing engineer
* Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter – executive producer
* Rudolph "Soundtrakk" Lopez – writer, producer
* Ryan Neuschafer – assistant mixing engineer
* Wasalu "Lupe Fiasco" Jaco – executive producer, lead artist, vocals, writer
* Will Quinell – assistant mastering engineer
== Cultural references ==
* Uprise is a skateboarding retail store in Chicago. It was featured in the music video.
* Aerials are a type of skateboarding trick performed on vert ramps, which combine rotation with different grabs.
* Varial flips are a type of skateboarding trick that involves a kickflip with a 180-degree spin.
* Spitfire is a skateboard company.
* Nike SB Dunks are a line of shoes released by Nike in 1985.
== Lyrics ==
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== References ==
Category:2006 songs
Category:Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor
Category:Lupe Fiasco songs
Category:Remix songs
Category:Singles
Category:Songs
Category:Songs with music videos