I’ve heard the name Lupe Fiasco for awhile now, but I’ve never known a thing about him. If you’d asked me before today I would have guessed that he was some sort of Latin DJ.
Not quite. Fiasco is actually the stage name of Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, a Chicago rapper who eschews the usual subject matter of drugs and sex, preferring to sing about politics and his Muslim upbringing. He’s one of those “positive” rappers who seem to be increasingly popular.
Today’s song, ‘The Show Goes On,’ was actually released in late 2010, but it seems to have had a surge in popularity this year. It shows up on a few lists of top summer songs.
Fiasco samples the Modest Mouse song ‘Float On‘ that was a big hit in 2004. I bought Modest Mouse’s album at the time and found everything but that song unlistenable. Fiasco hasn’t completely lifted it here — just that busy little guitar lick that pops up throughout his song — and I think I like this better than ‘Float On.’
Alright, already the show goes on
alright, till the morning we dream so long
anybody ever wonder, when they would see the sun up
just remember when you come up
the show goes on!
[Lupe Fiasco Verse 1]
Have you ever had the feeling that you was being had
Don’t that sh-t make you mad
They treat you like a slave, with chains all on your soul,
and put whips up on your back,
they be lying through they teeth
hope you slip up off your path
I don’t switch up I just laugh
put my kicks up on they desk
unaffected by they threats than get busy on they ass
see that’s how that Chi-Town made me
That’s how my daddy raised me
that glittering may not be gold, don’t let no body play me
if you are my homeboy, you never have to pay me
Go on and put your hands up, when times are hard you stand up
L-U-P the man, cause a brand that the fans trust
so even if they ban us they’ll never slow my plans up!
[Lupe Fiasco Chorus X2]
[Lupe Fiasco Verse 2]
One in the air for the people that ain’t here
Two in the air for the father that’s there
Three in the air for the kids in the ghetto
Four for the kids who don’t wanna be there
None for the n-ggas trying to hold them back
Five in the air for the teacher not scared to tell those kids thats living in the ghetto that the n-ggas holdin back that the World is theirs!
Yeah yeah, the World is yours, I was once that little boy
Terrified of the World
Now I’m on a World tour
I will give up everything, even start a world war
for these ghettos girls and boys im rapping round’ the World for!
Africa to New York, Haiti then I detour, Oakland out to Auckland
Gaza Strip to Detroit, say hip-hop only destroy
tell em’ look at me, boy!
i hope your son don’t have a gun and that would be a D-boy
[Lupe Fiasco Chorus X2]
[Lupe Fiasco Verse 3]
So no matter what you been through
no matter what you into
no matter what you see when you look outside your window
brown grass or green grass
picket fence or barbed wire
Never ever put them down
you just lift your arms higher
raise em till’ your arms tired
Let em’ know you’re their
That you struggling and survivin’ that you gonna persevere
Yeah, ain’t no body leavin, no body goin’ home
even if they turn the lights out the show is goin’ on!
[Lupe Fiasco Chorus X2]
Meet Me In Montauk 
I’ve also heard his name quite often but had no information to associate with that name. Thanks for remedying that. As we play the song this morning, it doesn’t seem all that familiar to me, but Daniel is singing along, so I guess it’s been on the radio when I wasn’t listening. This one doesn’t grab me as much as yesterday’s SOTD, but that could be because I’m much more familiar with that one.
You really didn’t get into the Modest Mouse album? It really is a grower if you give it repeat listening. It’s not as immediately accessible as their wonderful predecessor “The Moon and Antarctica” or the more polished “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank,” but it definitely shows a maturity not found on earlier records like “This is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About” (great title btw) or “The Lonesome Crowded West.”
🙂
I may be wrong, but I thought this Fiasco appeared on Colbert or or was it some other “positive” rapper?
Don’t think I’ve heard this song before, but it doesn’t do much for me