Audubon Ballroom

## Song by Lupe Fiasco

"**Audubon Ballroom**" is a song by Lupe Fiasco, released as the fifth track from his album *Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1* (2012). The official music video was uploaded to YouTube on July 4, 2013. It was directed by Alex Nazari and combined into a trilogy with "Lamborghini Angels" and "ITAL (Roses)".

## Reception

*Billboard* wrote, "The song's opening piano line betrays its energy, but the production is self-aggrandizing (we see you, tuba!) and the chorus' vocal distortion makes it that much more obvious that Bruno Mars has priced himself out of Lupe's recording budget." *Pitchfork* added of how the track, along with "Unforgivable Youth" and "ITAL (Roses)," was similar to "the most overwrought of *Lasers*' rafter-clanging productions".

Sharief Easterling, writing for *Huffpost*, said of its visual: "How appropriate it be released on America's Independence Day. What validity does such a holiday have for our people when we're still so heavily influenced by the mental chains? With the "Slave Mentality" so prominent in our community, what freedom is there to celebrate?" He continued, "As the methods used to oppress our people become more sophisticated, so must we. It's imperative that we adapt to the times so the message can resonate throughout every demographic. The social media age makes a music video the perfect vehicle to deliver such a message."

## Credits and personnel

* Brian Gardner – masterer
* Bullit – producer
* Charles "Free Chilly" Patton – executive producer
* Christian Buttner – writer
* Christopher "Brody" Brown – producer, programmer
* Darrale Jones – producer
* Famities – producer
* Joe Peluso – recording engineer
* Marcello Pagin – writer
* Simon "Simon Sayz" Morel – recording
* Thomas Mueller – writer
* Wasalu "Lupe Fiasco" Jaco – vocals, writer, executive producer

## Lyrics

**Lyrics**
[Intro]

God is great!

[Verse 1]

Ghettos, America. U.S. to the izzay

Killa in the citywide sprizzay

Where there's sunshine in the shizzade

Judge won't pull him out the pen like a grenade

For acting out their fears like a charade

'Til they blacking out their tears like it's lights out

Bring 'em out the black like a lighthouse

And wave to em before they wiped out

Lifesaver, threw 'em, hope they catch it

But it's so Titanic to be iced out

That's just scratching the surface like Triple Axels

Want to roll around that Bentley like Crystal Castles

In addition to the chain

That's just to take the attention from the pain

Or is it the mission of the man

Audubon Ballroom, Motel Lorraine

[Hook]

Now white people, you can't say n\*\*\*a

So I gotta take it back

Now black people, we're not n\*\*\*as

'Cause God made us better than that

[Verse 2]

No break, all wake

Little mayhem for your All-State, nay ham, all steak

Get a good ball great like a golf grade

Make the ball break

Just one swing, no putting

That's how I try 'n does things, always

Especially when your past is

Martin, Baldwin, Audubon Ballroom

Turn the glass ceiling to a glass floor

Make a trampoline out of trapdoor

On that gasoline when I was back poor

Loudly crafted out my dream underneath a tap floor

Backpack battle-cat underground rap lore

Anonymous but dominant - what's a Mac to a hacker?

In other words, we lyrical Zuckerbergs

Pimp you may move a mouse, but what's a rat to a cat store

It's like a gig to an app store

I rap Black history, you can only see my past if you fast forward

[Hook]

Now white people, you can't say n\*\*\*a

So I gotta take it back

Now black people, we're not n\*\*\*as

'Cause God made us better than that

[Verse 3]

Black Panthers, black anthems, black blues

With black answers for black stanzas: Langston Hughes

Breaking rules, ain't it cool?

Took it old, and made it new

Black painters, musical black anger

Black mothers, beautiful black anchors

So lets hear it for 'em! Let's hear it for 'em!

Lets hear it for 'em! Lets hear it for 'em!

Black America! Trap America!

'80s Babies! Crack America!

Rap America! Bad as Erykah!

From the era of family tearing up

But we just won big, can't be undid

Form a whole culture in just one kid

Miami dope boys, Oakland militants

Harlem Renaissance it's our deliverance

[Hook]

Now white people, you can't say n\*\*\*a

So I gotta take it back

Now black people, we're not n\*\*\*as

'Cause God made us better than that

## References

1. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco, 'Food & Liquor II': Track-by-Track Review". *Billboard*. September 25, 2012.
2. ↑ Greene, Jayson (September 27, 2012). "Lupe Fiasco: Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1". *Pitchfork*.
3. ↑ Easterling, Sharief (July 11, 2013). "Lupe Fiasco and the Greatest Rap Video of All Time". *Huffpost*.