Kick, Push

*Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor*This article is part of the Food & Liquor era.Released: September 19, 2006
Label: 1st & 15th Entertainment / Atlantic RecordsCategory

## **from the album *Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor***

### **Label**

* 1st & 15th
* Atlantic

### **Songwriter(s)**

* Rudolph Lopez
* Wasalu Jaco

### **Producer(s)**

Soundtrakk

"**Kick, Push**" is the debut solo single by American rapper Lupe Fiasco for his first studio album, *Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor* (2006). The song was released on April 18, 2006, by 1st & 15th Entertainment and Atlantic Records. It was co-written with producer Soundtrakk and samples the 1980 song "Magtaksil Man Ikaw (Bolero Medley)" by Celeste Legaspi.

The song details a simple love story, where a boy who loves skateboarding finds a girl who shares the same passion. They continue to "kick, push" through obstacles from the authorities who disallow skating, also being a metaphor for navigating through whatever life throws at you. Before its clarification, some listeners believed it was about drug dealing or giving birth. The sequel, "Kick, Push II," appears on the same album. The official remix version features Pharrell Williams, who talks about racial identity in skateboarding. Williams remarked, "Most people think skateboarding is for some kid with blond hair from suburbia. But it's not just that. Skateboard culture is not white or black. Neither is hip-hop."

## Background

The song was recorded in 2005 by Greg "G-Ball" Magers at 1st & 15th Studios and mixed by Craig Bauer at Hinge Studios. Fiasco explained that Ken of the Uprise Skateboard Shop was the inspiration behind the track. He informed *The A.V. Club*, "That song is his life exaggerated with maybe a few stories of a few other people, and then some stuff I fabricated. I just added some of the stuff that I knew from being a skateboarder into it." The original burned CD remains at the shop.

In October 2005 and November 2006, Fiasco was invited by professional skateboarder Tony Hawk to perform at the fundraiser, Stand Up for Skateparks, in its second and third annual year. He was featured on the cover of *Billboard*'s July 2006 issue, where he's on a skateboard. He grew up skateboarding as a hobby, though stopped after a 2007 accident where he might've been killed if he hadn't been wearing his helmet.

In a 2014 interview with *Skee TV*, Fiasco explained how the song was not planned to be a single and was met with little support from the skateboarding community. He noted, "There was some very insecure skaters, Tony Hawk not being one of them, fortunately, who just felt like I was trying to encroach on their territory when I really did the song as a tribute for a skate shop. […] It was for a skate shop called Uprise for a skate DVD and then it just took a life of its own. […] From there all the way up until now, I always try and make things that I'm personally attached to, that have a personal vibration with me that I feel are real and honest and wherever that takes me."

During an Instagram livestream with Joe Budden, Fiasco revealed of how his record label tried to prevent the promotion of "Kick, Push," which played over his hometown's urban contemporary radio station, WGCI. He recalled, "Once it got out, [Craig Kallman] got confronted with the shit—like, 'Yo, the PD at WGCI reached out to us and told us that he got a call from you that said to slow down or stop playing the song.' So, all the A&R staff was there asking Craig, 'Why the fuck would you do that?' And he said so he could give the label more time to catch up. You know why he did it? Because he didn't have nothing to do with 'Kick, Push.' He didn't have any publishing, he didn't have any royalty rights, he didn't bring the producer—he had nothing to do with it." He continued that the label bought the sample song to have partial control over his single, travelling all the way to the Philippines to purchase the rights to "Magtaksil Man Ikaw (Bolero Medley)" by Celeste Legaspi. He concluded, "It's genius. It's cold-blooded... grow it, sell it, and own the pawn shop that n\*\*\*\*s is stealing the TVs and selling the shit back to you so you can sell—genius."

In the seventeenth anniversary of *Food & Liquor*, he stated on Twitter that it is the most impactful song for him, personally, for what it has accomplished musically and career-wise. Originally it was not supposed to be included on the album, merely being a promotional song on a DVD for Uprise, though his manager Chilly believed it was a hit. Fiasco added what made the track "dope" was how it could speak to and resonate with people that have things going on in their life.

## Critical reception and legacy

Nathan Rabin of *The A.V. Club* wrote in his review, "With its cinematic horns and manic drums, 'Kick, Push' soars deliriously on a wave of teen romanticism seldom explored in hip-hop: It's like *Rebel Without a Cause* reconceived as a skateboarding anthem." *Rolling Stone*'s Evan Serpick added, "Fiasco tells the story of a kid learning to ride a skateboard as a metaphor for struggling to find one's way in life and love. It's a creative, well-told tale that Pharrell wishes he could have written, and it sets expectations high." *Pitchfork* called it "joyful," while Andy Kellman of AllMusic commented, "Like nothing else in the mainstream or underground, its subject matter—skater boy meets skater girl."

*Uproxx* wrote in a retrospective article, "[T]here weren't many high-profile Black skateboarders. In fact, Black kids who skated—especially in the hood—were subject to ridicule and outsider status for engaging in an activity that was long held as the domain of beach-blond surf rats in Venice Beach. But Lupe was part of a vanguard of Black artists who changed that, providing representation for those outsiders and throwing open the doors of possibility for generations after." *Okayplayer*'s 2023 list "The 16 Best Lupe Fiasco Songs" placed "Kick, Push" at No. 1, penning, "remains an absolute classic. While it displays the wit and lyrical inventiveness Lupe would later bolster to incredibly high heights, it remains straightforward in an endearing way."

In 2007, "Kick, Push" was nominated for two Grammy Awards in Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Song, though lost to T.I.'s "What You Know" and Ludacris' "Money Maker," respectively. The song was featured in the video game soundtracks *Need for Speed: Most Wanted* (2005), *NBA Live 07* (2006), and *Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam* (2006). Drake created a remix, released from his first official mixtape *Room for Improvement* (2006). Chamillionaire also released a freestyle titled "The Greatest" from his project, *Mixtape Messiah 4* (2008), and Logic remixed the song as "Still Pushin" from his mixtape *Inglorious Basterd* (2023). The song appeared in Season 6, Episode 6 of *The Chi*, which is playing at the after-graduation party. The character Britney freestyles over the song. On YouTube, the "Kick, Push" music video was selected as part of their "Fifty Deep" campaign in celebration of hip hop's 50th anniversary, recognizing its cultural impact.

## Music video

The accompanying music video was uploaded to YouTube on March 31, 2006, and later premiered to Atlantic Record's YouTube channel on October 26, 2009. It was directed by Christopher Adams and Hana McDowell (Chris & Blaq) of Impakt Studio, filmed during the wintertime in front of Madison Terrace with a Panasonic HVX100, and edited in Adobe Premiere Pro. Fiasco recalled people in the video being actual gangsters, where the lead skater was from a rough background. Cops even drove up to the video shoot to shut it down, the police scene being real.

## Accolades

Awards and nominations

 MTV Australia Video Music Awards

Listicles

## Live performances

He performed "Kick, Push" in many of his performances, including on *AOL Sessions* (2006), at the 2008 ESPY Awards, televised concert *MTV Spring Break* (2011), Red Bull Music Festival (2019), and Hip Hop 50 Live (2023). He made a cameo in Season 4, Episode 4 of *One Tree Hill*, where he performed the song along with "I Gotcha" at the fictitious club, Tric.

* AOL Sessions (2006)
* United Center (2017)
* Grammy Jam (2020)
* The Kennedy Center (2020)
* Shout! Factory (2020)
* SiriusXM (2022)

## Personnel

* Charles "Chilly" Patton – executive producer
* Chris Gehringer – mastering engineer
* Craig Bauer – mixing engineer
* Darrale Jones – co-executive producer
* Deborah Mannis-Gardner – sample clearance
* Eric Weissman – sample clearance
* Greg "G-Ball" Magers – recording engineer
* James Auwarter – assistant mixing engineer
* Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter – executive producer
* Rudolph "Soundtrakk" Lopez – writer, producer
* Ryan Neuschafer – assistant mixing engineer
* Wasalu "Lupe Fiasco" Jaco – executive producer, lead artist, vocals, writer
* Will Quinell – assistant mastering engineer

## Cultural references

* Uprise is a skateboarding retail store in Chicago. It was featured in the music video.
* Aerials are a type of skateboarding trick performed on vert ramps, which combine rotation with different grabs.
* Varial flips are a type of skateboarding trick that involves a kickflip with a 180-degree spin.
* Spitfire is a skateboard company.
* Nike SB Dunks are a line of shoes released by Nike in 1985.

## Lyrics

* Single
* Remix

**Lyrics**
[Intro]

Ugh! (Woo!)

What up, y'all? Yeah

(Soundtrakk, what's poppin', baby?)

Woo! (Ugh)

If y'all ain't know

I go by the name of Lupe Fiasco

(Kick, push, coast)

Representing that 1st and 15th, yeah, uh

And this one right here (Woo!)

I dedicate this one right here (Uprise...)

To all my homies out there grinding

You know what I'm saying? Legally and illegally, haha

You know what I'm talking about? (Woo!)

So, check it out, uh

[Verse 1]

First got it when he was six, didn't know any tricks

Matter of fact, first time he got on it, he slipped

Landed on his hip and busted his lip

For a week he had to talk with a lisp, like thisss... (Ugh)

Now we can end the story right here

But shorty didn't quit, it was something in the air (Ugh)

Yeah, he said it was something so appealing

He couldn't fight the feeling, something about it

He knew he couldn't doubt it, couldn't understand it

Branded, since the first kickflip he landed, ugh (Woo)

Labeled a misfit, a bandit

Ka-kunk, ka-kunk, ka-kunk; his neighbors couldn't stand it

So, he was banished to the park

Started in the morning, wouldn't stop 'til after dark, yeah

When they said "It's getting late in here

So I'm sorry, young man, there's no skating here"

[Hook]

And so he kick, push, kick, push

Kick, push, kick, push; coast...

And away he rolled

Just a rebel to the world with no place to go

And so he kick, push, kick, push

Kick, push, kick, push; coast...

So come and skate with me

Just a rebel looking for a place to be

[Bridge]

So let's kick... (Ugh)

And push (Y-Yeah, y-yeah-yeah)

And coast

Uh, uh, uh (Y-Yeah, y-yeah-yeah)

[Verse 2]

My man got a little older, became a better roller

Yeah, no helmet, hell bent on killing himself

Is what his mama said, but he was feeling himself

Got a little more swagger in his style

Met his girlfriend, she was clapping in the crowd

Love is what-what was happening to him now, ugh!

He said "I would marry you

But I'm engaged to these aerials and varials

And I don't think this board is strong enough to carry two"

She said "Bow! I weigh a hundred and twenty pounds" (Woo!)

"Now, let me make one thing clear

I don't need to ride yours, I got mine right here"

So she took him to a spot he didn't know about

Some odd-end apartment parking lot

She said "I don't normally take dates in here"

Security came and said "I'm sorry, there's no skating here"

[Hook]

And so they kick, push, kick, push

Kick, push, kick, push; coast...

And away they roll

Just lovers intertwined with no place to go

And so they kick, push, kick, push

Kick, push, kick, push; coast...

So come and skate with me

Just a rebel looking for a place to be

[Bridge]

So let's kick (Ugh, ugh)

And push, yeah, yeah (Woo, woo)

And coast... (Yeah, ugh!)

(Haha, swanky)

Yeah, yeah!

[Verse 3]

Before he knew, he had a crew that wasn't no punk

In they Spitfire shirts and SB dunks

They would push 'til they couldn't skate no more

Office building lobbies wasn't safe no more

And it wasn't like they wasn't getting chased no more

Just the freedom was better than breathing, they said (They said...)

An escape route they used to escape out

When things got crazy, they needed to break out

They'd head... to any place with stairs

Any good grinds, the world was theirs, ugh!

And their four wheels would take them there

Until the cops came and said, "There's no skating here"

[Hook]

And so they kick, push, kick, push

Kick, push, kick, push; coast...

And away they rolled

Just rebels without a cause with no place to go

And so they kick, push, kick, push

Kick, push, kick, push; coast...

So come roll with me

Just a rebel looking for a place to be

[Bridge]

So let's kick (Ugh, ugh)

And push, yeah, yeah (Woo, woo)

And coast...

Ah-ha, swanky (Mm, mm)

**Lyrics**
[Intro: Lupe Fiasco]

Uh, what up, y'all? Yeah

Soundtrakk, what's poppin', baby?

Y'all ain't know, I go by the name of Lupe Fiasco

Representin' that 1st & 15

Yeah, uh

And this one right here

I dedicate this one right here

To all my homies out there grindin', you know what I'm sayin'

Legally and illegally, haha

You know what I'm talkin' 'bout?

So, check it out, uh

[Verse 1: Lupe Fiasco]

First got it when he was six, didn't know any tricks

Matter fact, first time he got on it, he slipped

Landed on his hip and busted his lip

For a week he had to talk with a lisp like this

Now we can end the story right here

But shorty didn't quit, it was something in the air, yeah

He said it was somethin' so appealing

He couldn't fight the feelin'

Somethin' about it

He knew he couldn't doubt it

Couldn't understand it

Brand it, since his first kickflip he landed

Uh, labeled a misfit, a bandit

Ca-kunk, ca-kunk, ca-kunk, his neighbors couldn't stand it

So, he was banished to the park

Started in the morning, wouldn't stop 'til after dark, yeah

When they said it's getting late in here

So "I'm sorry, young man, there's no skating here"

[Chorus: Lupe Fiasco, *Pharrell*]

And so we kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, coast

And away he rolled, just a rebel to the world with no place to go

So we kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, coast

So come and skate with me, just a rebel looking for a place to be

So let's kick, and push, and coast

(*Yeah, man, yessir, yo*)

[Verse 2: Pharrell]

Push down with the right, lift up with the left

Push down with both feet man, now land that shit fresh

We used to ride around just doin' that

With some used Airwalks and Billabong on my back

Happily because my mom couldn't afford it

When it came to Black validity, I guess they felt shorted

Identity crisis, they scrunched they facial

How we both Black and our kid is biracial?

Okay, let me simplify the story, yo

I was Black but white in the middle like an Oreo

I skateboarded past all the shit I coulda been

I know my dead homies wish they was much gooder then

I mean gooder than, not 'cause I'm better than

See, Airs got hooder man, the blood got wetter, man

I was just tryna bring it home and set a trend

But they would just yawn like it's Late Night for Letterman

I tried to tell 'em ain't no chance it's a fad

But they look at my sad plant like a plant that was sad

These n\*\*\*as count more grants than my dad

From all the cocaine in the grams of a bag

Skateboard P stand for Skateboard Past

All the bullshit that the devil's plans had

He grew up happy, man, that plant wasn't sad

So I put it in Vanity Fair and a Zoo York ad

And I cooked that up to a crystalized dream

Take a puff, don't that taste like ice cream?

My record come out, the store calls your girl

Hate it or love it, n\*\*\*a, I Warholed the world

Yessir

[Chorus: Lupe Fiasco]

And so we kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, coast

And away he rolled, just a rebel to the world with no place to go

And so we kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, coast

So come and skate with me, just a rebel looking for a place to be

So let's kick, and push, and coast

(Yeah, uh, yeah, yeah)

[Verse 3: Lupe Fiasco]

Before he knew, he had a crew that wasn't no punk

In they Spitfire shirts and SB Dunks

They would push 'til they couldn't skate no more

Office building lobbies wasn't safe no more

And it wasn't like they wasn't getting chased no more

Just the freedom was better than breathing they said (They said)

And escape route they used to escape out

When things got crazy, they needed to break out

They'd head (They'd head) to any place with stairs

Any good grinds, the world was theirs, uh

And they four wheels would take 'em there

Until the cops came and said "There's no skating here"

[Chorus: Lupe Fiasco]

And so they kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, coast

And away they rolled, just rebels without a cause with no place to go

And so they kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, coast

So come roll with me, just a rebel looking for a place to be

So let's kick (Uh, uh), and push (Yeah, yeah), and coast

## References

1. ↑ Golianopoulos, Thomas (April 28, 2015). "Messiah Music: Investigating the Hidden Meaning of Lupe Fiasco's 'Tetsuo & Youth'". *Grantland*.
2. ↑ Morse, Russell (September 21, 2006). *Rolling Stone* (*1009*), p. 22.
3. ↑ Lee, Chris (September 29, 2006). "Kick, Push, Coast, Rap". *The Seattle Times*.
4. ↑ Ducker, Eric (January 22, 2013). "Lupe Fiasco: Grindin". *The Fader*.
5. ↑ Rabin, Nathan (October 31, 2006). "Lupe Fiasco". *A.V. Club*.
6. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". *Twitter*. July 3, 2014.
7. ↑ "2005 Tony Hawk Foundation Annual Report". *The Skatepark Project*.
8. ↑ "2006 Tony Hawk Foundation Annual Report". *The Skatepark Project*.
9. ↑ Abbey, Cherie (January 30, 2009). *Biography Today*. *Omnigraphics*, p. 69.
10. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco Said 'Kick, Push' Helped Hip-Hop Embrace Skateboarding". *XXL*. July 3, 2014.
11. ↑ Watson, Elijah (April 7, 2020). "Lupe Fiasco Explains How Atlantic Records Bought the "Kick, Push" Sample to Partially Own His Song". *Okayplayer*.
12. ↑ Fu, Eddie (April 7, 2020). "The Label Allegedly Flew to the Philippines to Acquire a Controlling Portion of the Song's Rights.". *Genius*.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". *Twitter*. September 20, 2023.
14. ↑ Rabin, Nathan (September 20, 2006). "Lupe Fiasco: *Food and Liquor*". *The A.V. Club*.
15. ↑ Serpick, Evan (September 29, 2006). "Food & Liquor". *Rolling Stone*.
16. ↑ Fennessey, Sean (September 21, 2006). "*Food & Liquor*". *Pitchfork*.
17. ↑ Kellman, Andy (September 19, 2006). "Food & Liquor Review by Andy Kellman". *AllMusic*.
18. ↑ Williams, Aaron (October 12, 2021). "Lupe Fiasco's 'Kick, Push' Prompts Belly, Lakeyah, and Other Young Rappers to Consider Skateboarding". *Uproxx*.
19. ↑ Wallace, Riley (February 16, 2023). "The 16 Best Lupe Fiasco Songs". *Okayplayer*.
20. ↑ Singh, Karan (August 17, 2023). "Logic Flips Lupe Fiasco's 'Kick, Push' While Announcing New Mixtape". *HipHopDX*.
21. ↑ Constantine, Brandon (August 11, 2023). "Three Songs That Will Help Make Season 6 of 'The Chi' Unforgettable". *Complex*.
22. ↑ Okon, Wongo (September 8, 2023). "'The Chi': They Go from 'Boys II Men' So Fast in Season 6, Episode 6". *Uproxx*.
23. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco's 'Kick, Push' Video". *Hypebeast*. April 1, 2006.
24. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco "Kick Push" Music Video by Impakt Studio". *Vimeo*. July 10, 2008.
25. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". *Twitter*. July 3, 2014.
26. ↑ "BET Hip-Hop Awards Nominees Announced". *Access*. October 16, 2006.
27. ↑ "Grammys 2007: A List of the Nominees". *Entertainment Weekly*. December 7, 2006.
28. ↑ "Nominees for the 2007 MTV Australia Video Music Awards". *Top40-Charts*. March 3, 2007.
29. ↑ Adaso, Henry (April 15, 2006). "The 100 Best Rap Songs of All Time". *About.com*.
30. ↑ Adaso, Henry (January 29, 2010). "The 100 Best Rap Songs of the 2000s". *About.com*.
31. ↑ Smith, Troy (August 24, 2017). "100 Greatest Rap Songs Since 2000". *Cleveland*.
32. ↑ "The Top 100 Tracks of 2006". *Pitchfork*. December 18, 2006.
33. ↑ Borrelli-Persson, Laird (June 28, 2016). "17 Essential Music Videos for Skate Fans". *Vogue*.
34. ↑ "Top 100 Greatest Songs by an *XXL* Freshman". *XXL*. April 3, 2012.
35. ↑ Benner, Lexa (February 3, 2022). "One Tree Hill: The 10 Best Characters to Only Appear in One Episode". *Screen Rant*.