American Terrorist

## Song by Lupe Fiasco featuring Matthew Santos

"**American Terrorist**" is a song by American rapper Lupe Fiasco, released as the 13th track from his debut studio album, *Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor* (2006). It features guest vocals from Matthew Santos and samples the 1976 song "The Romantic Warrior" by Return to Forever. The track delves into the history of America, such as its colonialism, racism, and prejudices, questioning who the "terrorist" is in systems of oppression deeply embedded in the foundations of American society and culture.

## Background

He told *MVRemix* of the jazz fusion sample used, "Chick Corea hates hip hop. He doesn't clear any hip hop samples, he doesn't do any of that and when he heard the record, it was the first time he ever cleared a hip hop record".

In 2020, Fiasco mentioned over Twitter that the song "was an attempt to show with actual factuals that Terrorism isn't just exclusive to Islam or [E]astern cultures".

## Cultural references

* Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus, which Indigenous peoples had no immunity to. During Pontiacs Rebellion of 1763, as part of biological warfare, the British military gave Native Americans blankets infected with smallpox.
* American Airlines Flight 77 was a scheduled flight from Dulles International Airport in Northern Virginia to Los Angeles International Airport in California. The Boeing 757-223 aircraft serving the flight was hijacked by five al-Qaeda terrorists on the morning of September 11, 2001, as part of the September 11 attacks. The hijacked airliner crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia.
* Anthrax is an infection mainly affecting livestock. Humans can become infected through direct or indirect contact with sick animals. On a West Virginia farm, a man was suspected of planning an anthrax attack.
* Torahs, Bibles, and Qurans refer to their respective religions Jewish, Christian, and Muslim.
* The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) are an American white-supremacist, far-right terrorist organization.
* Peter Minuit was a Dutch colonial governor of New Amsterdam who bought Manhattan Island from the Native Americans for trade goods worth a mere 60 guilders (estimated to be worth 32.97 USD today as of 2023).
* Al-Qaeda is a pan-Islamist militant organization led by Sunni Jihadists.
* In the bridge, it details actions done by settlers, such as enslaving Black people, giving alcohol to Native Americans, and using Asians (primarily Chinese migrants) to help build the transcontinental railroad.

## Lyrics

**Lyrics**
[Intro: Lupe Fiasco]

Close your mind

Close your eyes, see with your heart

How do you forgive the murderer of your father?

The ink of a scholar is worth a thousand times more

Than the blood of a martyr (Uhh)

Terrorist (Yeah, uhh)

[Verse 1: Lupe Fiasco]

We came through the storm, nooses on our necks

And a smallpox blanket to keep us warm

On a 747 on the Pentagon lawn

Wake up, the alarm clock is connected to a bomb

Anthrax lab on a West Virginia farm

Shorty ain't learned to walk, already heavily armed

Civilians and little children is especially harmed

Camoflauged Torahs, Bibles, and glorious Qurans

The books that take you to heaven and let you meet the Lord there

Have become misinterpretated reasons for warfare

Reread them with blind eyes, I guarantee you there's more there

Rich must be blind 'cause they ain't see the poor there, yeah

Need to open up a park

Just close ten schools, we don't need 'em

Can you please call the fire department?

They're down here marching for freedom

Burn down their teepees, turn their TVs on to teach 'em

And move

[Chorus: Matthew Santos]

The more money that they make

The more money that they make, the better and better they live

Whatever they wanna take

Whatever they wanna take, whatever, whatever it is

The more that you wanna learn

The more that you try to learn, the better and better it gets

American terrorist

[Verse 2: Lupe Fiasco]

Now the poor Ku Klux man see that we all brothers

Not 'cause things the same but 'cause we lack the same color

And that's green, now that's mean

Can't burn his cross 'cause he can't afford the gasoline

Now if a Muslim woman strapped with a bomb on a bus

With the seconds running give you the jitters

Just imagine an American-based Christian organization

Planning to poison water supplies to bring the second coming quicker

N\*\*\*a! They ain't living properly

Break 'em off a little democracy

Turn their whole culture to a mockery

Give 'em Coca-Cola for their property

Give 'em gum, give 'em guns, get 'em young, give 'em fun

But if they ain't givin' it up, then they ain't gettin' none

And don't give 'em all, naw man, just give 'em some

It's the paper, some of these cops must be Al-Qaeda, n\*\*\*a, uh

[Chorus: Matthew Santos]

The more money that they make

The more money that they make, the better and better they live

Whatever they wanna take

Whatever they wanna take, whatever, whatever it is

The more that you wanna learn

The more that you try to learn, the better and better it gets

American terrorist (Terror)

The more money that they make

The more money that they make, the better and better they live

Whatever they wanna take

Whatever they wanna take, whatever, whatever it is

The more that you wanna learn

The more that you try to learn, the better and better it gets

American terrorist (Terrorist)

[Bridge: Lupe Fiasco]

It's like—

Don't give the black man food, give red man liquor

Red man fool, black man n\*\*\*a

Give yellow man tool, make him railroad builder

Also give him pan, make him pull gold from river

Give black man crack, Glock and things

Give red man craps, slot machines

Now bring it back, bring it back, bring it back, bring it back

Bring it back, bring it back, bring it back, bring it back

Don't give the black man food, give the red man liquor

Red man fool, black man n\*\*\*a

Give yellow man tool, make him railroad builder

Also give him pan, make him pull gold from river

Give black man crack, Glocks and ting

Give the red man craps, slot machines

Now bring it back, bring it back, bring it back, bring it back

Bring it back, bring it back, bring it back, bring it back, uh

[Outro: Matthew Santos]

American terrorist

## References

1. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco: Sunday Night Sound Session". *MVRemix*. August 2006.
2. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". *Twitter*. January 28, 2020.
3. ↑ Koster, John (August 15, 2017). "Smallpox Blankets: Myth or Massacre?". *HistoryNet*.