Lupe Back

## Song by Lupe Fiasco

"**Lupe Back**" is a song by American rapper Lupe Fiasco. It was released as the second track from his mixtape, *Friend of the People: I Fight Evil* (2011). It samples the 2011 song "Doomsday" by NERO.

## Critical reception

Adam Fleischer of *XXL* summarized, "follows Zinn's lead with a sharp critique of the state of the industry, where he encourages rappers to form a union and wags his lyrical finger at 360 record deals, radio, and fires at those who 'Spit a lot of meh over jams of the year'". *Consequence*'s Adam Young observed, "begins with a news clip regarding the Occupy Wall Street protest at University of California Davis, where students were pepper sprayed. Fiasco connects this to the state of the music industry". He added that the sample used matched the song's tone, but "distracts from his known lyrical finesse. The same can be said of the title track, which finds him hidden in a rock riff". Jayson Greene of *Pitchfork* wrote in similar sentiments, feeling Fiasco's choice of beats was not a strength, which "allows UK bro-step goons Nero to assault us with endless, bowel-loosening bass drops. Fiasco sneaks in some eyebrow-raising rap-industry jabs—producer deals, B.D.S., 'only as hot as your last beat'—but they disappear in the chaos".

## Cultural references

* "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" is a children's song and nursery about a farmer and his animals.
* Jacob Black was a werewolf in Stephenie Meyer's *Twilight* book series. Fiasco created the song "Solar Midnite" for the *Twilight: New Moon* film.
* Chicago Bears are a professional American football team.
* The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team. Fiasco co-signs Curtis Granderson.
* Anderson Cooper is an American broadcast journalist and political commentator.
* Louis Vuitton and Gucci are luxury brand fashion houses.
* Shaka kaSenzangakhona was ruler of the Zulu Empire, regarded as formidable conqueror.
* Fugu is a Japanese delicacy made from pufferfish. Preparing this food requires training and obtaining a license, as pufferfish are poisonous, containing a neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin (TTX).
* Broadcast Data Systems (BDS) is a service that keeps track of song airplays on radio, television and internet.
* ProActiv is an American brand of skin-care products, mostly known for its anti-acne solution.
* Kurt Cobain (February 20, 1967 – c. April 5, 1994) committed suicide, where he admitted in his note, "I haven't felt the excitement of listening to as well as creating music along with reading and writing for too many years now. I feel guilty beyond words about these things."
* Thanksgiving, based on the celebratory feast between the Pilgrims of Plymouth and the Wampanoag people, is often misunderstood as them having a perfectly harmonious relationship. Rather, Europeans colonized the Native American population, bringing along diseases Native peoples were not immune to. It is often a day of mourning for Native tribes.

## Lyrics

**Lyrics**
[Intro]

[Verse 1]

Yield, to the forces of darkness

I bring you the torches of our shit

Reinforced with hardness of Wolverine's

Arms with the harshness and overall sharpness

Now how far do the arms get?

My n\*\*\*a, from the stars to the starfish

From the baby to the Bar Mitz

It's a whole lot of light and a whole lot of arm length

My arms long, but I'm lawless

A strong arm, I can lift up all this

You gon' have to build a bigger farm fence

To keep them wolves out of Old MacDonald barn, bitch

Yeah, Team Jacob

We're long armed, put my hands on a lear

Everytime I put my hands in the air

Watch the throne as I dance in the chair

Throw my crown in the crowd, hope it lands on the heir

The weak n\*\*\*as like to pass interfere

Spit a lot of meh over jams of the year

That act like the man up in here

That don't count when your only real fan is a mirror

That's subliminal to any n\*\*\*a that he feel he is too

But you don't stand a chance, playa

I am there, Chi-Town, fan of the Bears

Love where they dance in the square

Yeah, Yankees too, but only cause Granderson there

And now wears khaki pants on La Brea

We all friends, why your man lookin' scared?

Turning whiter than Anderson hair

Came out the garage like he saw a phantom in there, huh

[Verse 2]

Old shit alert, Louis clothes

Callin' women bitches, Louboutins and Gucci shows

Well, I guess there goes my Louis shows

More old shit, if your role model's a movie role

And if you live your life like it's a studio

Talkin' to us like we mics, a bunch of you ain't do befo'

Electric fences for a urinal

Also keep a toaster in my jacuzzi, yo

Shaka Zulu, call me Wasalu II

Oh shit, man these record labels prostitute you

Strap them to sushi bars, and feed em lots of fugu

Catch a bad piece

You can stick that 360 between your asscheeks

Artists let's mobilize and unionize like the athletes

Radio is making our craft weak

Forced to repeat the same dumb shit that work

Only as hot as your last beat

And rappers, they relating to that last piece

Album never leave they desk if you don't got no BDS

Sacrifice your publishin', they said you really need a hook

And they ain't gon' pay you, said that you received a look

And what's stupid real, is what producers feel

Twenty placements or you stuck in that producer deal

And R&B chicks so get it the wildest

All they money goes to hairdressers and stylists

Gotta keep up with that image

Label lose they mind if they ever see a blemish

ProActiv and peels, airbrushers and trainers

Managers suggest you fuck a n\*\*\*a to be famous, huh

But it's all entertainment

Wonder when Cobain blew out his brains, did he blame it?

And if those snakes in the industry helped him aim it

Started pressing up records before the bullet left the chamber

I fight evil, everyday I'm livin'

Rest in peace to men, women and the children

And middle fingers to the Pilgrims that killed 'em

Friend of the People, happy Thanksgiving

## References

1. ↑ Fleischer, Adam (November 29, 2011). "Lupe Fiasco, *Friend of the People*". *XXL*.
2. ↑ Young, Alex (December 8, 2011). "Album Review: Lupe Fiasco – Friend of the People Mixtape'. *Consequence*.
3. ↑ Greene, Jayson (January 18, 2012). "*Friend of the People* by Lupe Fiasco". *Pitchfork*.
4. ↑ Mishan, Ligaya (December 4, 2020). "The Appealing and Potentially Lethal Delicacy That Is Fugu". *The New York Times*.
5. ↑ Hoskin, Maia (November 24, 2022). "The Real History Behind Thanksgiving". *Forbes*.