Seattle

## Song by Lupe Fiasco featuring Nayirah

"**Seattle**" (stylized in all caps) is the ninth and penultimate track from Lupe Fiasco's eighth studio album, *Drill Music in Zion* (2022). It features guest vocals from Nayirah. To 1Hood Media, Fiasco revealed that he almost gave up on the song, where he went back and things were missing, but he eventually found it and got it done. It was also mentioned of the reference to Seattle SuperSonics, which were an American professional basketball team that won the NBA championship in 1979 and considered a "juggernaut".

## Analysis

The song refers to inner-city neighborhoods with high crime rate. Interestingly, Seattle is not in the top list of cities ridden by crime, upon comparing statistics. Additionally, "the streets" could be a continued narrative to his concept of *The Cool*, where The Streets represents "a female embodiment of an urban area's corrupt allure."

Concerning the first verse, it talks about getting out of the hood, where Fiasco has once mentioned, "You look at the avenues that you really have out: to really go out. [...] But more so to change it. Like, what can I really do to change that or change the perspective of that? Even if I can't go there and build up a palace and have everybody live in palaces, how can I make people change their perspectives of the system and to making the best of what they have?" The chorus mentions 'I'd keep a secret, but I'm honest' which aligns with the next track "On Faux Nem," where he mentions that he wishes drill rappers were lying of the violence, murder, and crime they face/experience. The outro seems to focus on his home city of Chicago, where he talks about artists embracing their history, culture, and resilience, as well as his role to inspire and uplift others.

## Lyrics

**Lyrics**
[Intro: Lupe Fiasco]

Yeah-yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah-yay

Ayy, ay-yeah-yeah

Ayy, ayy

Ayy

[Chorus: Nayirah, *Lupe Fiasco*]

I'd keep a secret, but I'm honest

If I ever go and leak it, may reactors go atomic over me

Yeah, yeah, yeah

I don't believe in nothing solid

But if we are trapped in here, I hope that we go supersonic when we think

Yeah-yeah

I kept my promise to the streets (**Streets, streets, streets, streets**)

I kept my promise to the streets (**Streets, streets, streets, streets**)

*I kept my promise to the streets* (**Streets, streets, streets, streets**)

[Verse 1: Lupe Fiasco]

To develop myself in a fine way

Life is a sine wave, Einstein mind in this time-space

When they try to keep, you gotta climb gates

Escape from a city that's defined by crime rate

Design traits that minimize the grind

Then divide on your mind's states

Find breaks, gaps to recline safe

Resign a sign and rewind tapes

Get your line straight, recite it all right

Even if you gotta do it in nine takes

Be centered, remember where the mind's placed

How many more runners can the shrines take?

The ground don't know how the wine taste

When do n\*\*\*as know to stop buying cakes? Yeah

[Chorus: Nayirah, *Lupe Fiasco*]

I'd keep a secret, but I'm honest

If I ever go and leak it, maybe I'd just go atomic over me

Yeah, yeah, yeah

I don't believe in nothing smaller

But if we will try to heal, I hope we go supersonic when we leave

Yeah-yeah

I kept my promise to the streets (**Streets, streets, streets, streets**)

I kept my promise to the streets (**Streets, streets, streets, streets**)

*I kept my promise to the streets* (**Streets, streets, streets, streets**)

[Verse 2: Lupe Fiasco, *Nayirah*]

To see my vampires in the sunlight

To look my eye, right in the suns

And bring all my knives to the gunfights

One life, live a hundred ways

But never break it down like gum bites

If done right, you'll be unliked, but you'll be unlike

When you gotta run where snares on the drum type

Where they hung whites, psych

Where they hung blacks

Even hung like a black life is a batch, don't come twice

You could light a fire with a thumb swipe but you need a lighter

If you got the motion, but none of the components

Then it's karaoke and it don't really matter if it's sung nice (*Oh, woah*)

[Chorus: Nayirah, *Lupe Fiasco*]

I'd keep a secret, but I'm honest

If I ever go and leak it, maybe I'd just go atomic over me

Yeah, yeah, yeah

I don't believe in nothing smaller

But if we will try to heal, I hope we go supersonic when we leave

Yeah-yeah

I kept my promise to the streets (I kept my promise)

I kept my promise to the streets (Woah, woah)

*I kept my promise to the streets*

[Verse 3: Lupe Fiasco]

Cross my heart and I hope to, cross my arm when I Osu

Add a little dollop of Dali, then sell it all out at the O2

Computers ain't got no souls, but I be giving da'wah to the Pro Tools

Gotta control all your trolls, don't sulk and soak in your socials

Let the punches break like Goju, went from fish sticks to Nobu

I ain't afraid of no ghosts, sticks still pick up fish like the old you

Bibimbap with the soju, Food & Liquor, that's Domu

Stand behind me like Jojo, spirit bomb when I show you

Molotov cocktail, Goku, bottlin' up what I go through

Westside Chicago, Lu', Lu', Lu', Lu' (Lu', Lu', Lu', Lu')

[Outro]

This school here, I— I feel, in our martial art adventures

We— We sorta like, bring our history, our culture

You know, into— to our environment of the martial arts

We— you know, our pain, our suffering as a people

It's all in here, you see

So that's why we try to, like the army says

"Be the best that you can be"

We— We try to be the best of— of artists that we can be

So the arts to me is— is a, uh, is a— is a thing of, uh, upliftment

It— It exhilarates me and it makes me

It makes me become actually who I am

You know, I'm a warrior in spirit and I'm a fighter for my people

And I cannot be a fighter and a warrior

For my people if I did not, uh, condition, train and condition myself

## References

1. ↑ "1 ON 1HOOD with Lupe Fiasco". *YouTube*. November 30, 2022.
2. ↑ Richards, Pete (August 6, 2008). "Interview: Lupe Fiasco On The Hip-Hop Industry, Jay-Z, Chicago, And His Karate Skills". *MethodShop*.