We Are Change

We Are Change (WAC) is a nonpartisan, independent media organization founded by Luke Rudkowski in 2006. Their intention is to "create a community of truth-seekers and peacemakers who share a commitment to nonviolent action.""We Are Change | About" In 2011, Rudkowski interviewed American rapper Lupe Fiasco at the Occupy Wall Street event."Lupe Fiasco Exclusive". YouTube. September 19, 2011.
== Transcript ==
Title 	Date 	Video
"Lupe Fiasco Exclusive"	September 19, 2011	
Luke Rudkowski of We Are Change was recently at the Occupy Wall Street event and noticed Lupe Fiasco hanging out with the crowd of protesters. Lupe wanted to know who Luke was and after talking for 20 minutes about the past work of We Are Change and our mission, Lupe gladly agreed to do the interview. Lupe gets into great detail about solutions to the problems we face today. We thank Lupe for not only his words but positivity and knowledge he shares with millions of people through his music.
Apologizes for the audio cutting out in the last two minutes, we are working with a $10 mic and no budget. Also be aware strong language is used during the interview.
Special Thanks to http://fluxview.com/ for being a cameraman last minute	Luke Rudkowski of We Are Change was recently at the Occupy Wall Street event and noticed Lupe Fiasco hanging out with the crowd of protesters. Lupe wanted to know who Luke was and after talking for 20 minutes about the past work of We Are Change and our mission, Lupe gladly agreed to do the interview. Lupe gets into great detail about solutions to the problems we face today. We thank Lupe for not only his words but positivity and knowledge he shares with millions of people through his music.
Apologizes for the audio cutting out in the last two minutes, we are working with a $10 mic and no budget. Also be aware strong language is used during the interview.
Special Thanks to http://fluxview.com/ for being a cameraman last minute	Luke Rudkowski of We Are Change was recently at the Occupy Wall Street event and noticed Lupe Fiasco hanging out with the crowd of protesters. Lupe wanted to know who Luke was and after talking for 20 minutes about the past work of We Are Change and our mission, Lupe gladly agreed to do the interview. Lupe gets into great detail about solutions to the problems we face today. We thank Lupe for not only his words but positivity and knowledge he shares with millions of people through his music.
Apologizes for the audio cutting out in the last two minutes, we are working with a $10 mic and no budget. Also be aware strong language is used during the interview.
Special Thanks to http://fluxview.com/ for being a cameraman last minute
"Words I Never Said" plays.	"Words I Never Said" plays.
Luke Rudkowski 	This is Luke Rudkowski, I'm here and I finally, thank god, met up with Lupe Fiasco. Man, what are you doing out here?
Lupe Fiasco 	Um, observing, watching, showing support. You know what I'm saying? Put my body on the front line, I guess, you know for something I think is very important, you know.
Luke Rudkowski 	Now, when you came out with "Words I Never Said" and you mentioned Building Seven. I gotta tell you, man, you inspired a lot of people to look up 9/11 and to investigate it. What made you uh what piece of information made you look into 9/11?
Lupe Fiasco 	Um, it was really, you know. One of the things that always stood out for me was Building Seven because it never really got any attention. And it was really just like a question, like I said in the song, it's like "yo, did they really pull it?" 'Cause you watch like certain documentaries and you watch counter documentaries and you watch explanations and counter explanations and stuff like that. And it was just one of those outstanding things that always was like an elephant in the room for me. Um, and it was really like something that I thought other people thought the same thing too, you know, like. Even if you agree with, you know, these were terrorist attacks, completely terrorist attacks, completely had nothing to do with any Black Flag operation anything crazy like that, the phenomenon of Building Seven was something that just kind of stood out on a periphery like, "yo, that's kind of weird," you know what I'm saying, for that to just happen like that. It's something that I just think it was never really a real proper investigation. Any time that you can bring up a question to at least get people you know, people of positions of power, and people with positions of influence to start really taking a proper look at that situation. Especially because of the repercussions that 9/11 had around the world, you know, like millions of people have died behind that, for the sake what. For the price of what, you know, what really happened to cause millions and millions of people to die? If it was just a terrorist attack, then so be it, let that be known, you know. Let that be out and vetted so the public can see it. And I think you'll get more support, you know. I think you'll get more support from Muslim countries, I think you'll get more support if it was just an open and honest kind of thing and less of this kind of cloudy, you know kind of mysterious behind the scenes kind of operation and stuff that goes on. And to see the people that come out and counter argument, you know, to kind of the status quo. They're not like kooks or crazy conspiracy theories and nothing like that. You got people who are, who are firefighters, people who are demolition experts, people who are engineers, people who are politicians. People from all walks of life, you know, and it's like well, where does—what does normal begin, because if they are epitome of normal and just on this one instance, they're the kooks and the crazies, then when do they become normal again, you know? What situation will come about what everybody can agree on? I think it's just something to bring up to get the people that run this place, that run this country, to kind of be honest and open about an investigation about 9/11, and what really happened, you know?
Luke Rudkowski 	I mean, that's what the mainstream media does. The questions are unanswered even by the victim, you know, for the victims' family members. And then anybody who asks questions, you're a crazy conspiracy theorist with a tinfoil hat. Meanwhile, as you said, family members, rescue workers, survivors, all the people who live through here and so much testimony of the bombs and explosions going off and, you know. We try to do that, when we go up to servicing and asking questions, but when he doesn't answer the question he looks like they have something to hide. They indicate themselves, and it's kind of like they're inviting a conspiracy to make everybody question what happened.
Lupe Fiasco 	Well, there's a there has to be a certain level of like—I-I'm a proponent of critical thinking, you know what I'm saying? So I think that everybody should be critical. I think you should be critical of the people who question it, I think you should be critical of the family members, I think you should be critical to people that say they heard bombs. I think that's the part that you need to investigate it, you know. It needs to be investigated thoroughly. There needs to be interviews, there needs to be a commission, it needs to be a whole kind of thing focused on getting to the truth. Not to push one agenda over the other, or not to even recti—if it was something that was justifiable, kind of situation and so be it, you know, if it was a situation where yes, these people really flew these planes into these buildings, this really blew up like this, this is how this collapse and that's how I did and this is why we went to war with this country and this country in this country. If it's proven, then so be it, you know. it's not like I'm trying to, you know. Like everything that the government does is bad or everything that—and at the same time, too, everything that the left does is good. You know, that's—it's not that type of situation for me, it's about critical thinking, you know, and being critical about everything that's going on around you even the people that come up, even the family members, even the supporters, even the firefighters that was building. Everybody you know that was something that I think was never fully vetted and presented to the public and decisions were just made, you know. So, it's an interesting thing. I'm not on any side of the fence on that one. My thing is let's just get to that to the truth, and the truth isn't just held by one side of the argument at the same time too.
Luke Rudkowski 	You've got to look at both sides, and it's not left and right, it's about truth. And don't believe me, don't believe anybody, just go out there, believe your own eyes. And I wanted to bring up the New World Order, what are your thoughts about their New World Order and elites coming together in secret to consolidate power just like the Bilderberg group. Do you have an opinion on them?
Lupe Fiasco 	I don't even think they come together in secret, you know. I think the New World Order is something that's something that's deliberate and it's in the public. I do think that there are certain parts of it that are that are in secret simply because it's not it's a private kind of situation, it's private individuals who hold private stake in certain parts of the world and private stake in real estate and private stake in their companies. So you'd expect things like that to be secret is you you know you don't invite everybody to dinner at your house you know what I'm saying? So, and I don't think it's nefarious as people make it out to be. I think it's a lot of the stuff that we silently allow to happen, you know. I think that we're complicit even this thing here Occupy Wall Street and everything that's going down today. The one question that came up for me was: Well, all the people that we're trying to get to come out and to raise awareness are complicit in it because their pensions, right, are connected to the stock market. You know their 401ks that connect to the stock market retirement plans are connected to the stock market you know these are people when you go in and you see those commercials for like Morgan Stanley and stuff like that and you want to get a portfolio and you want to set up something for your kids or something like that. Or you want to invest in something, you're investing into the stock market, you know. When you get your portfolio back you got a little share of Mcdonald's, a little share of Apple, a little share of this, a little share of that, and that's the majority of people, you know. That's not like some lunatic fringe or that's not like some leftist or rightist, conspiracy, or nothing like that. Those are regular normal people go to work nine to five come home watch TV, watch Dancing with the Stars, lay down go back to work the next day you know. So there's a certain level of like a lot of stuff that we silently admit to and then just what the system is you know. We're system based on capitalism, we're system based on consumerism. Even socialist societies are based on consumerism right and the issue is consumerism it's not capitalism, you're always going to have capitalism. You're always going to have capitalism. Somebody's always going to make more than somebody else, that's just the way it is right. Somebody's always going to own the land and farmers are going to rent it and that's just how it's gonna go down, you're never gonna change that system. But what you can attack and what needs to be questioned, is consumerism materialism right? Our addictions to certain things right. As a people, as you, me, everybody here the people that are not here. The people that are in the offices looking down the people in their houses, the people who are anti-protesting up the street. Everybody at the end of the day is addicted to materialism.
Luke Rudkowski 	And that solution comes within us because as soon as we start taking the money out of the big banks, as soon as we stop supporting the corporations that are doing wrong, they're nothing without our consent. And we're allowing this to happen.
Lupe Fiasco 	Well, at a certain level bro you got to look at the products they produce. Some of the products that I actually produce are the stuff that we need you know. And some of the stuff is stuff that we want and it's a—we blur our own lines between what we need and what we want you know. You ask somebody to say hey man I work it could be somebody who lives in Harlem who works down here and you can say "hey, you know you could just take a bike." And he's like "yo my man I can't take a bike every day, I need a car." But when you get in that car you got to fuel that car so you you're financing Exile Mobile, you're financing Ford, you're financing all whatever car company it is, right? You're financing all these different things right? You're paying you're paying the city because you got to pay for your registration you got to pay taxes so you're financing the system just so you can say hey, I don't want to ride to work every single day because I'ma be tired at the end of the day. So how do you address that situation? When you do you demonize that person because he don't want to ride a bike but it's like are you going to take care of this situation are you really taking into consideration that my man lives in Harlem and he don't want to take a bike or walk all the way down to wall street because he's going to be late for work, he's probably going to lose his job, and he's going to be tired as fuck.
Luke Rudkowski 	Yeah, that's true. I always say positivity is key and we got to change ourselves first before we change the world. And you've been spreading that message. What made you want to spread this message because everybody else in hip-hop is spreading that you need more rims and more jewelry. You're doing the total opposite, saying real wealth is within you. What made you like understand that life is more than just jewelry and, and all the other nonsense that that the mainstream media and consumerism pushes on us?
Lupe Fiasco 	Well, there's a—as I sit here with a Rolex on, you know what I'm saying? There's a certain level of like the things that I allow and the things that I'm complicit in myself and it's things that I fight against you know and the things that I don't do. So I'm not up here like "yo, I'm completely 100 non-materialistic and I'm a Buddhist monk walking around" because that's definitely not the case. There's certain things that certain initiatives and certain things that I see that I can lend myself to or lend my ear to a lend my body to and come out here on the front lines and support, then yes. Are there certain things that are out here that go completely against me? Like I have people if they came up to me and say "hey, why you got that Rolex on?" I'm an elitist pig from, you know, what what have you. So, there's a certain level of like hypocrisy, you know what I'm saying? A certain level of like a little bit of this a little bit of that these two opposing kind of forces coming together to make people who they are right? The duality of mankind right so I accept that, I embrace that right? The core for me is I don't want to be in the in the streets fighting a civil war running down the street with the AK-47 shooting at the national guard.
Luke Rudkowski 	Exactly, negativity is not the answer, and we can't be fighting our brothers and sisters.
Lupe Fiasco 	So for me it's like let me support something peaceful like this yeah right if you're gonna buy Rolex by Rolex, if you're gonna buy Ferrari by Ferrari that's that's if you can afford it then so be it. At the end of the day, you know. My situation is, I don't want—there's such a mass of people that are completely impoverished. There's a mass of people that are completely frustrated, there's a massive people that are completely disillusioned a mass of people that are completely uneducated about how their system works, about themselves. And it's going to reach a point right? It's going to reach a breaking point. And when that breaking point happens, I don't want to be living in the bunker for fifteen years eating dried food and you know, and shooting at people to keep them away from my house and shit like that. I don't want that. So while the opportunity is now, and we have things such as this, and we have things such as the internet, we can propagate the information and I have my celebrity as a musician, I want to push that you know I want to push people to be educated and go out there and read this book and check this book out. Pedagogy of the Oppressed, go get that, read that. You know, like understand exactly what's going on before we act you know and before this shit blows up, you know. Because it's going to blow up, and nobody's denying that, in every venue. That's why they have, that's why every time you turn on Sports Center, there's a fucking commercial for the Navy. You know, and there's a a commercial for the National Guard. Why do you think that medal, like Call of Duty is the biggest game ever? Every time it comes around you got millions and millions of people playing Call of Duty all fucking day, all that. It's not a... it's not something where... the powers that be are naive, too. We shouldn't be naive to it, either. They're prepared way ten times more than we are. So for me, it's like, ya know, as much as we have the opportunity right now to seize the day and kind of seize the minds before it turns into some violent, petty fucking stupid revolution or something like that, then let's do that. That's not a threat, and people know it. That's why you go to Texas, there's guns, everybody got a fucking and everybody say y'all got these guns 'cause of Armageddon. I'm talking about the little old lady down the street to the fucking hick in the woods with twenty-five AK-47s and a whole militia behind him 'cause everybody's expecting something dangerous to happen, something nasty to happen and I don't want that. I don't want my kids to live in that world.
Luke Rudkowski 	And that's been our major message, is to prevent that negativity, that nature and spreading and letting people know we're all in this together. We might as well not to fight each other, the same as the cops, not fighting the military is only hurting us. Meanwhile, the elites are sitting on top of us and they're dividing us and conquering us. And I thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart, for spreading that message because that message is more important than anything right now. More important than revolution, we need an evolution.
Lupe Fiasco 	Yeah. We definitely need an evolution.
Luke Rudkowski 	We need to change ourselves, and I thank you so much.
Lupe Fiasco 	Well I appreciate your words there.
Luke Rudkowski 	Hey, I appreciate you man.
== References ==
Category:2011 interviews
Category:Organizations