Steve Jobs: SLR 3 1/2

"**Steve Jobs: SLR 3 1/2**" is a song by Lupe Fiasco, released on July 22, 2021, as a response to the diss track "Silence of the Lambda" by Royce da 5'9". It was posted only a few hours after, their beef stemming from earlier tensions on their shared podcast, and encouragement from fellow MCs of a rap battle and who would win.

The thumbnail Fiasco used is of Steve Jobs, the 2006 photograph shot by Albert Watson at Apple HQ in Cupertino, California. This aligns with Fiasco's lyrics 'What's Siri to Steve Jobs?' and 'Come and fuck with us, nerds.'

## Background

On June 25, 2021, the two discussed over an Instagram livestream the criteria for "best rapper," with Fiasco responding whoever won the End of the Weak MC Challenge. He remarked that Osyris Antham is currently the best rapper alive, who won the last EODUB competition. Royce disagreed and told Fiasco to "hop his highly intelligent ass on the URL stage" to battle him because he was "talkin' too spicy."

This was brought up again during a livestream with engineer Young Guru, Mickey Factz, Loaded Lux and Murda Mook. They talked about appearing on the Ultimate Rap League platform, with Murda Mook and Loaded Lux arguing who would win between Royce and Fiasco. Fiasco asked why people kept bringing that up, and said, "I'm not really interested in battling Royce but don't get it fucked up. That don't mean I won't cook n\*\*\*as if n\*\*\*as keep pushing buttons. I don't wanna do that shit personally but if you wanna make a professional fool of your motherfucking self running up against a demon, go 'head." After a heated exchange, it ended with Royce stating, "Get in the motherfucking ring then bitch if you got a motherfucking problem. Who you think you fucking talking to, n\*\*\*a? You playing too much. Take some of that bass out your voice." This led to Fiasco doing a 15-minute freestyle over his own IG live, taking subtle shots at Royce.

## Aftermath

After their diss tracks, Royce took to Twitter: "I won't attack Lu personally. I'm a real one with control of my emotions though desperate times call for desperate measures.. You gotta talk reckless when you know you can't check all them boxes Tried to tell him, I'm different." Over an Instagram livestream the same day, Royce said that Lupe "can get everything he's lookin' for if he wasn't so angry" and added, "I can't write no whole record disparaging Lupe, I don't have those kind of feelings for him in my heart. [...] A lot of people sayin' it's healthy competition, but is it healthy for him?"

The next day on July 23rd, Lupe announced that their podcast, *The Lupe and Royce Show*, was over due to it "becom[ing] an untenable situation." He elaborated, "It's not something that my heart was 100 percent in the podcast, and I think we just reached the state now where it's an untenable relationship, so I appreciate the last episode went up today. I think sometimes it's good to just go out on top. It's not something that's done out of ill will. This is something that's kind of been building for a little bit. And again, my heart wasn't 100 percent in the podcast with Royce, without Royce, by myself on my own."

On July 26th, Mickey Factz jumped into the ring with "Wraith," shots aimed at Royce. Lyrics included 'All this chatting for hours is really silly n\*\*\*a, with no rapping / I swear you gotta be backwards, no matter how many flowers you try to give a n\*\*\*a, it's like they only want them on top of their casket, damn, pay the price for acting ladylike / We rarely see black Eminems, kinda shady right?'

On July 28th, Fiasco said on an Instagram livestream that he and Royce were no longer friends. He believed that there were lines crossed in Royce's diss, particularly for threat of violence (Fiasco also mentioned Jonylah Watkins, a baby who was fatally shot in Chicago from gun violence). Royce lamented the same day, "I love to rap, but I don't love drama" and added that there could've been a "right way" where "there wouldn't have been no feelings if everybody would've been intentional with making sure that we're clear on how everybody feel."

On August 9, 2022, Royce told *The Breakfast Club*:

>
> Building a relationship with him was kind of like a case study, man. The challenge to me is building a relationship with somebody, coexisting with somebody, who you know you might have conflicting ideologies with. It's somebody who you may not necessarily have a relationship with if it weren't for the music space. I'm intrigued by that, 'cause I think he's such an incredible lyricist and I think he's so different from me.
>
>
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> But I think that through music we can find the neutral things that we agree on, and we can also learn to agree to disagree on the things we don't agree on, without having to try to change how each other feels. And to me, that's the ultimate way of building solidarity.
>
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Regarding calling Lupe a "bitch," he replied:

>
> Do I regret it? I don't know if 'regret' is the right word, but I'm not happy about saying that, 'cause I don't think he's a bitch. I don't think we should speak to each other that way, but I do understand why I said it, 'cause it was just a reaction.
>
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> It was a point that I got pushed to, and I feel like I gave a lot of warning points. I gave a lot of lead into it, and that's me knowing myself. If it gets to a point where I start getting upset, I'ma just react and then I'ma go outside of my body. I'ma vibrate lower, I'ma start doing shit that's not really reflective of the way I wanna evolve.
>
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> I don't feel good about it. I think I would regret it if he had apologized, then I definitely would apologize, and then it would go down as a regret. But as of right now, like the way that everything got kinda summed up, it is what it is, but I don't feel good about it.
>
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>

## Lyrics

**Lyrics**
[Intro]

Say yeah, 'Trakk

I apologize man, it was uh, last minute

So, me ask for this in advance

SLR, yeah

Said they lean on me

N\*\*\*as tried to dream on me

Told that n\*\*\*a he can lean on me

Fall asleep and have a dream on me

N\*\*\*a, yeah yeah yeah yeah

[Verse 1]

You see, it takes n\*\*\*as weeks

They need a comfort zone and some beats

Lollygaggers to poly matters that go over responses

Get all layered and technical in they content

Press record, then I bring the receipts

Lambda Lambda Lambda, I think that shit was sweet

I wish I could just kiss you on the cheek

Nerds have they hands in everything

Gangsters won't even touch the police

Won't you tell your n\*\*\*as get that

Take some of those cool fullies and go and get some of our shit back

Your problem is that you ain't never have no impact

Kit-Kats and chit-chat and syntax won't make up for how much you sit back

I think that n\*\*\*a scared

He never leave Heaven 'cause he already dead

Damn, n\*\*\*a are you insane?

What's the point in knowing how to point and aim

If the n\*\*\*as you gon' bang look exactly the same?

That ain't motherfucking cool, that's a motherfucking shame

This ain't no motherfucking game

That's why I think you are a motherfucking lame

We both wear glasses, the difference is

I was in school thinking it was cool, you was thinking of skipping classes

Listening to your track record, I could see you were skipping classics

I did it on my first one and delivered to the masses

Your songs are immemorable, your verses are impenetrable

I ain't even listen to that diss record

I only fuck with you 'cause your interviews

I ain't even trip when you called me a bitch

I was like, "Look at Salem, calling me a witch"

Look at how they made him, look how much they gave him

Look at all the assists, n\*\*\*a, if it wasn't for Premier

You wouldn't be, if it wasn't for, if it wasn't for

If it wasn't for, if it wasn't for, n\*\*\*a, I got a dozen more

Hov think I'm Hov, Nas think I'm Nas

That's the trick, you ain't gotta think when n\*\*\*as already think you are

Muah!

Your story crooked and your book too, pass the dumb shit

But you would shoot somebody's son holding Sun Chips

I wish they would've left Biz here, and fucking took you

And all your hyper-technical hypotheticals

In life, I've never met with you, from a distance, I accepted you

From the podcast, I've been kind of skeptical

This ain't our first clash, this is just one of the several

I ain't trying to bash, but it was like you was off your schedule

You was throwing more than jabs, I was like, "This n\*\*\*a's incredible"

We had to fucking edit you

I don't know what vegan Detroit vegetable Dr. Sebi diet infected you

To think that we share the same metrics or somehow I was less than you

And I was the type of n\*\*\*a that you could get really disrespectful to

I ain't never lectured you, I get energetic and joke

But in real talk, n\*\*\*a, I ain't never disrespected you

I'ma punch you in your fucking face and we all think it's silly

I'm thinking like "Won't this bitch n\*\*\*a clean up his fucking city?"

I mean you got all of the clout, know how to bring all them n\*\*\*as out

You can walk the walk, I mean, we seen you walk all over your house

But me and Mickey is geeks because you got some heat

Like I didn't go to the closet and put guns all over the couch

Your mental health hotline, I think that shit is grown up

But you're the very last n\*\*\*a that should be picking that phone up

I spit your verse to get immersed inside my enemy

And to remind you n\*\*\*a, I got to go through you just to get to me

Subtle subordination

Perpetual sidekick, n\*\*\*a sort of a station that you used to

So you ain't got to get all extremely too personal on your albums

When you not surrounded by bigger artists to fucking boost you

N\*\*\*a, you called me, I didn't recruit you

But no regrets, I take it as a test

You said, "Lupe, you gotta have some grace

Not be so haphazardly to put the truth all in they face"

Now that I think about it, that's kind of half-and-half

If a n\*\*\*a asked you for the strap, why would you keep it in the stash?

If you ran the world, we'd get defeated in a flash

You really gonna be the boss, can't keep secrets from the staff

I learned that in the streets, n\*\*\*a sweeping trash

Keeping my city clean while you was talking 'bout beating a n\*\*\*a's ass

That shit is wack, long live backpack rap

Fuck these Monster-drinking, new-age conscious-thinking

Farrakhan today, gangster tomorrow

One foot in they sorrow, another foot in the trap

Killers who easily triggered by a little n\*\*\*a's attacks

Who have the audacity to ask rappers to rap

Facts!

[Bridge]

Mickey!

Ayy, ayy, listen, I ain't done, n\*\*\*a

Check this shit out, look, ayy

[Verse 2]

In seven minutes he did it, if he knew how to freestyle

He could've rented Heaven for seven minutes

And been done what needed to be done by the second sentence

All these extra innings may come across as master

But my impression's apprentice

Your penmanship has the fingerprints of a gimmick

And affection and the intimacy of impressions of that n\*\*\*a you friends with

I ain't gotta say it to say it

I can't even blame you, the n\*\*\*a's one of my favorites

Fuck that, back to my status

All icy, talk spicy like the House of Atreides

Inwardly successful, and outwardly I've made it

Clearly, if I was a regular rapper, you wouldn't even come near me

This n\*\*\*a think he Siri, the answer to your queries

What's Siri to Steve Jobs? A Budden to Tahiry?

I'm excessively cheery, promote my n\*\*\*as' theories

What's an alien to a Pentagon report? I see your brother tryna cheerlead

That's what he's supposed to do

And everybody that's fucking close to you

'Posed to support, push you forth

And calm your black ass down 'cause they ain't put you in *The Source*

You chose violence

I just wanna know when you gon' respond to Osyris

And go to E.O.Dub, battle in front a judge

Instead of hitting Smack and tryna entertain the thugs

Come and fuck with us, nerds

## "Silence of the Lambda"

**Lyrics**
[Intro]

*Let the beat play, Broady*

[Verse 1]

Uh, solidarity like that muscle we refuse to flex

That synergy that these n\*\*\*as just refuse to tap into

In our disparity, match our hustle, we exude success

Attack us mentally, that's that energy kings get trapped into

Therefore I'm done promoting the dumb shit

I'll put a hole in your son while he holding your Sun Chips

While you're over there with a chip on your shoulder

Like you Hova or some shit

Your flow is redundant, I'll separatе your body from soul

Now your body is cold, spiraling out of control

Now you're over therе, body odor is pungent

For coming out of your body over assumptions

Look at all this passive aggressive pussying

All the past neglectful positions these pussies put me in

We them cool n\*\*\*as bringin' food, liquor and fullies in

They do all the yelling then accuse Nickel of bullying

Cruelty to MCs is intellectual vibrato

Run up full speed to hit n\*\*\*as with the message like Wallo

I bleed mint leaf if I grieve mentally

In sync with Ne-Yo and Stevie's sensory

I squeeze 'til this Eagle completely empty

I'm 3 Dimen-try, now feed me MCs, I'm greed and envy

Carlito, watch me go repo y'all sweetie's Bentley

I skid mark through these thoughts with a narc's commit larceny

I live hardly, to incarcerate me is to kill softly

Either/or, it's me or it's Bill Cosby

They tryna kill a Lord online premature as Biz Markie

Can't expect you to like me more than you love rap beefin'

You respect White people more than you love Black people

Shit, I let you waste where the apes ate

I SMH, I let you nay-say, y'all legends ain't safe

I'll desecrate Flex, I'll decorate Sway

I'll estimate a hundred left, I'll let the Kay slay

I don't carry suitcases on big runs to malls deep

I don't carry big guns to a small beef

I don't really care what Mickey Factz has to say, add Lupe

That's touche, I don't care for big gums and small teeth

You know the gold all froze if I'ma purchase bling

Just so you know, not a soul walkin' the Earth this mean

Bow before the king, kiss the "GOAT" all-purpose ring

While the God poses like a Bow/Soulja "Verzuz" meme

Y'all with all the jokes, laugh hard but y'all ridiculous

I'm with all the smoke, Matt Barnes, Sha'Carri Richardson

Proving rap pays through the Wraith's cache

I'm the dude who they threw the case at like 8-track tapes

Blew eight stacks at Peter Luger's 'til it's your faith at stake

Who waves at the Louis haters through the new Maybach drapes

We gon' do this for Kanye, if you can relate, that's Drake

We come shootin' for Conway, Ruger your face back straight

A hundred and seventy on the dash

All the felonies and the demonic acts

With devils like Vlad always selling me all of the trauma back

I speak to cabarets as a deviation of drama

Pastors in wave caps as a recreation of honor

Glad to appreciate Black abbreviations of genres

Battle me A$AP, that's for PDA with Rihanna

These male betas with crying attitudes, I ain't mad at you

My kind of fabric is well tailored to a Byron Allen suit

[Bridge]

You are, you are a superstar, a superstar

[Verse 2]

But usually, I'm choosing peace of Heaven or Taxstone

From using celery ranch to moving into a new elegant ranch home

A true MC, y'all doing them regular degular dance songs

You losin' your teeth, moving like using Kevin Durant comb

We sheddin' light whenever the mic and drums get blacked on

The bed of knives, the never polite and young relaxed on

Here comes the Thundercats song, karate beef, Miyagi

Keep it completely boxer brief, don't da-dun da-dun get waxed on

And that's the Ritz

I'm staying tonight for writing the scripts that last long

I like my crackers dead and white just like them shits that Shaq own

Call me Big Cialis, if she stalk then switch my address

Give Viagra dick diagonal, lick her walls and it's Niagara

This androgynous fly actress I'm involved with is my Astra

Lick my ass, and if y'all askin' if I'm gaspin', it's my asthma

Y'all listenin' to the master whose been talking to the masses

Whose been listening to thy master through this targeted diaspora

Y'all get awards to get in wars, I spit water dilution

I'm ballin', I hit record, I'm gettin' courted by Lucian

The Lord abuses the blacker culture with actors like Rapaport

Rap your chorus, distract you boys just to lower the nooses

The more important the news is, more distorted the views is

Vax all, they employ Lou to exploit the movement

To know it's cops killing Blacks, God is a mortal nuisance

Hole in your top, that's the last straw like quarter juices

The more exclusive, Dior or Gucci? Imported boosters

It's still more juvies and 42s that the court accuses

I wish Nick Cannon the testicular fortitude

To forty new stepchildren to inject him with the cure to lupus

Pain ain't even frequent, just evil teasing the godly

It ain't even inside me, it's just weakness leaving the body

I flipped my heritage, redefined it to die in jail

Buy and sell for my clientele but without the Mayans' help

Ryan, big alliances, clique of lions that's eyein' elk

Built the giant pyramids in alignment with Orion's Belt

Well, you ain't gotta lie you a hostile guy

Like you about to ride with new entourage but you not too wise

You been ostracized, you used to rock with Nas

You was hot, July, but look at you now, you just Afu-Ra

Loaded Lux said if we battle then he gon' sit with Lu'

I told him, "You're dead if we battled, now who gon' sit with you?"

I'm the great MC, all the ladies see, y'all the latency

In HD and 1080p and this shit for publicity

You and Mick couldn't mix your written

And spit good as a pic of me

Stop it or sit with the Doc or quit with the hickory dickory

This Oscar de la Renta cloth is on a Kunta Kinte

Tutor for the school of pen play, offering a fool the template

It's hard to differentiate O-Dog or who Larenz Tate

Judas from Ingrate, who the students from who the sensei

The car, the mascot far as moving packs on a back block

Nobody argue with Shaq while rooting Dikembe

Take your momma out on a date at the Barclay's

Like I'm Drake on the parquet, call the Uber soon as the rent paid

When it's the last shot with a second left

The second bests-es and RJs need to get used to moving with MJ

Everybody Bron'in' or Allen Iverson cornrows

Heavy grindin' on every island out of the Congos

I have not encountered violent exchange through a convo

So I don't holler, I do the bodies, Janes and John Does

We can kick it, be specific or meet with my Timberland sole

Y'all timid and bold, y'all feminine trolls pretending it's smoke

Got bitches sniffin' Armenian blow, I'm Benny, I'm Kenny and Cole

I'm Bimmy and Po, I'll hit my enemy and chalk any opposed

If Umi said you really the GOAT, who tryna hit 'em the mos'?

I'm hollering that we outside like my n\*\*\*a King Los

I hardly hear you be outside 'less y'all be whispering low

"We back outside", quit lying, ho, you sound like Remy and Joe

No, watch the reactions of your kids

Masculinity ain't what's toxic, the absence of it is

I'm Jill Scott playin' Gil Scott Heron

With Preem, H.E.R. and D'Angelo, queen serving me cantaloupe

Hammock low, swerve Lambs on Atlanta roads

Earl "Animal" Manigault, furs lamb or the nana goat

The pearl handle where ammo go

Answer war with your girl, nana or aunt'll go

Cancel cultures annual, Santa Po is the anecdote

Cancer don't take for granted no family though

The streets won't hand us no manual so we go Hansel Emmanuel

You forgot the dude who about the Chi whose was locked inside

Without him, you'd be dead, probably dread standing beside you

Fed salmon and lied to, while the red camera disguise you

You violent but where was that for the Craig Kallmans and Kysers?

Nine minute freestyle about me, I had to make fun of bro

I got plenty problems, my n\*\*\*a, rappin' ain't one of those

Rappin' ain't one of those

## References

1. ↑ Powell, Jon (July 22, 2021). "Royce da 5'9" and Lupe Fiasco send for each other on diss tracks". *Revolt*.
2. ↑ "Albert Watson (@albertwatsonphotography)". *Instagram*. April 7, 2018.
3. ↑ Brown, Preezy (July 22, 2021). "Lupe Fiasco and Royce 5'9" Trade Diss Tracks in Lyrical Battle". *Vibe*.
4. ↑ Watson, Elijah (July 2021). "Lupe Fiasco and Royce Da 5'9" Begin "Feud" with Lengthy Diss Tracks". *Okayplayer*.
5. ↑ Singh, Ashish (July 22, 2021). "Beef Alert: Why did Royce Da 5'9" and Lupe Fiasco diss each other? Fans hope it stays friendly". *MEAWW*.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Gee, Andre (July 29, 2021). "What's Really Going on Between Lupe Fiasco and Royce Da 5'9"?". *Complex*.
7. ↑ Moore, Evan (July 26, 2021). "After highly publicized diss records, Lupe Fiasco and Royce Da 5'9" joint podcast ends". *Chicago Sun Times*.
8. ↑ Powell, Jon (July 27, 2021). "Mickey Factz jumps into the Lupe Fiasco/Royce da 5'9" fray with "Wraith"". *Revolt*.
9. ↑ Walker, Joe (August 10, 2022). "Royce da 5'9" Admits He 'Doesn't Feel Good' About Calling Lupe Fiasco a 'Bitch'". *HipHopDX*.