Mean & Vicious

## Song by Lupe Fiasco

"**Mean & Vicious**" is a song by American rapper Lupe Fiasco, released as the third track from his mixtape, *Fahrenheit 1/15 Part II: Revenge of the Nerds* (2005).

## Cultural references

* Frank William Abagnale Jr. is an American security consultant, author, and convicted felon who committed frauds that mainly targeted individuals and small businesses. He was later hired by the FBI as an expert on forgery and document theft.
* Lamaze began as a prepared childbirth technique. The goal is to build a mother's confidence in her ability to give birth, through classes that help pregnant women understand how to cope with pain in ways that both facilitate labor and promote comfort.
* King Arthur is a legendary king of Britain.
* Eldra "El" Patrick DeBargeis an American singer-songwriter and musician. He was the lead singer of the family group DeBarge.
* *How the Grinch Stole Christmas!* is a Christmas children's book by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel. It follows the Grinch, a cranky, solitary creature who attempts to thwart the town of Whoville's Christmas plans by stealing their Christmas gifts and decorations from their homes on Christmas Eve.

## Lyrics

**Lyrics**
[Intro]

He's meaaaan, and vicious

[Verse 1]

(Uh!) I can't believe he's that rude

To those stories, those rhymes, that Jew

Then he put 'em on the floor like cat food

And put 'em on the track like glue

Then put 'em on your head like hat, hey back to you, Lu

Black power, I'm just runnin' with a barrel full of black powder

With a hole in it holdin' it wheezin' deep, breathin'

Runnin' from the fire on the trail I keep leavin'

I can't shake it, I swear it's heat seekin', I keep seekin'

Somewhere to hide from it, duck and dive from it

But it keep keepin' up, just when I think that I've done it

It keep sneakin' up, oh, leakin' barrel of black powder

How that flame keep reachin' us?

Just one of the long-winded, extended metaphors of Lu's

This time I use an example of a fuse to demonstrate

How I can't lose, I would put it down

But I can't due to the glue that I use to fuse

Everything together, well, I spilt some on my hands

And goddamn, I might have to carry this forever

Well I'm crazy to the game till they bury me insane

[Hook]

There once was a boy that grew up on the Westside

Of Chicago, liked his hat to the left side

Wasn't in a gang but he was prone to bang

Doin' his thang, doin' his thang

There once was a boy that grew up on the Westside

Of Chicago liked his hat to the left side

Wasn't in a gang but he was known to bang like

Doin' his thang, doin' his thang

[Verse 2]

Truthfully, I have trouble with second verses

'Cause the first one be so intimidatin', it be bullyin'

Pickin' on it, instigatin', pointin' out all the second one's limitations

Like, "You ain't nothin but a imitation, like, bits o' bacon"

Then he gets the chorus and the beat to get together

Then they all gang up on him and get to hatin'

But then around the eighth bar he tires of their conspirin'

Commiseratin, then he finds his inspiration

To spar, he takes a few seconds of judo lessons

Gets back on beat, then punches the guitar

They stand in awe, like, "When did you write that?"

They ain't even right, black, first verse already happened

So he don't have a chance to fight back, I like that

Abagnale Junior, check me, you gon' respect me

Aight, 'Trakk, listen to him, feelin' himself

Swagger up and a few ad-libs to back it up (woo!)

Let's back it up, I think you've had enough

Give me my mic back, you ain't even write that

Oh, it's like that?, 'Trakk, stop pumpin'

Till this n\*\*\*a stop frontin', yeah, yeah, now right back

[Hook]

There once was a boy that grew up on the Westside

Of Chicago, liked his hat to the left side

Wasn't in a gang but he was prone to bang

Doin' his thang, doin' his thang

There once was a boy that grew up on the Westside

Of Chicago liked his hat to the left side

Wasn't in a gang but he was known to bang like

Doin' his thang, doin' his thang

[Verse 3]

Oh my God, my perils and my odds

I ain't really here, what you hear is a mirage

This ain't the delivery, baby, this is just Lamaze

The ice cream and pickles, the tickle and a massage

The King Arthur, rhythm of the night, El DeBarge

The camouflage water in the distance, flogging a camel

To get there with the quickness, mean and vicious

Grinch Who Stole Christmas and hid it in the garage

That was a collage, a barrage, I brought all things

That seem keen to help this thing start

Jump, jump, my battery charge

I'm bout my green like string beans and beings from Mars

Its a mean thing to be seen with ours

Got that FNF on me, I'm a young lil' thriller

I will resurrect, homie, come back for my killa

In some disheveled apparel with that same leakin' barrel, it's on

[Hook]

There once was a boy that grew up on the Westside

Of Chicago, liked his hat to the left side

Wasn't in a gang but he was prone to bang

Doin' his thang, doin' his thang

There once was a boy that grew up on the Westside

Of Chicago liked his hat to the left side

Wasn't in a gang but he was known to bang like

Doin' his thang, doin' his thang

[Outro]

It's meaaaaan, and vicious