The Around My Way (Freedom Ain't Free) Songfacts reports that Fiasco’s first single off his fourth studio album, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1 debuted on May 21, 2012. On "Around My Way (Freedom Ain't Free)," he spits rhymes about aspects of modern American life he doesn’t like such as "Suicide bombers and prosperity gospels, emaciated models, with cocaine and blood pouring out their nostrils” as well as socio-political problems in Ghana and the invasion of Iraq.
Lupe released his fifth studio album Tetsuo & Youth on January 20, 2015.
Lupe's 8th Studio Album DRILL MUSIC IN ZION was released on June 23rd 2022
Lupe has previously been on label Epic with his group Da Pak and then signed a solo deal with Arista. His years at Arista only led to the 2003 promo single "Pop Pop" as well as guest appearances on singles from Tha' Rayne (2002's "Kiss Me" and 2003's "Didn't You Know") and K Fox (2003's "This Life"), then Arista folded in 2004 and Lupe was signed to Atlantic Records.
Dead Presidents
Lupe Fiasco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chi-Town, First-N-Fifteenth, F-N-F, Ghostwriter wat up?
[Verse]
No question, you ain′t gotta A-S-K
I fly dope, pocket full of J-F-K's
I rise tote, the occasion like toast
Wit tote′s on the waist, I flood ya watch flooded like a basement man
You and my main foes fold like clean clothes
Pinky mac ring like the song that Peedi Crack sings, "I Propose"
Don't make me stand up, told you, you ain't gotta have ya hands up
I was like "screw paper"...
Then I ran ′round touched money, changed my mind
Mind on my change so I tucked money hands down
Now, in addition to the semi
There′s paper on the waist like Henry
And niggaz ain't seeing what I′m keeping concealed
They wanna be it, chill; you would leak it if the secret's revealed
Peep it, might leak it to polices and squeal
Then you gotta hide money... like,
Fresh or witness protect
Went from, best to business execs in less than Four!
You can get it in the chest like Fresh
Anything not next to Tec is hidden in the floor
So act like u Denzel or Rudy Ray Moore
Wait, there′s more:
Let me, catch you tappin' my floor like Savianna Moss
Hope u like the sound of hollow i got more
I black out like boss, How u gonna back out?
There′s no back doors, like Porshe
Or course, it's the Boss, Tony Danza of Stanza
Springsteen of sixteens...
It's nothin′ sweet, it′s Lupe
I am white people's Kool-Aid, it′s mean
The balla wit the goggles like Kareem
From Chicago wit the models on the scene
Duck fellas,
Betta get down like duck feathers
A rhyme or a crushed pepper
A grinder yeah that's much better
You a, dice game I′m a casino man
Hustla for life, u hear the lingo and
Find me covered in ice like Encino Man
Only one missing is Pachino man... Get it? HA-HA!
The song "Dead Presidents" by Lupe Fiasco is a classic hip-hop single that deals with themes of money, power, and success. In the song, Lupe talks about his rise from nothing to being a successful rapper with money to burn. He boasts about his riches, referencing President John F. Kennedy's image on the $100 bill several times. He speaks of how he has "paper on the waist" and how he's "flood[ed] [his] watch flooded like a basement man," all a testament to his hard work and commitment to success.
Lupe also raps about how he's dealt with adversity and conquered it. He says, "I rise tote, the occasion like toast/ Wit tote′s on the waist." In this line, Lupe is essentially saying that he's always prepared for any situation and that he's never caught off guard. He also touches on the fact that he used to make music strictly for art but then realized he wanted to make money, saying "I was like 'screw paper'.../Then I ran ′round touched money, changed my mind." This shows how Lupe has grown as an artist and person who is now focused on making money.
Overall, "Dead Presidents" is a song about a successful rapper who has reached the top of his game through hard work, dedication, and smart decisions. Lupe's lyrical prowess and his ability to paint a clear picture with his words are why he's such an intelligent and formidable artist.
Line by Line Meaning
No question, you ain′t gotta A-S-K
It's obvious, don't ask me to explain
I fly dope, pocket full of J-F-K's
I am really rich and have lots of money
I rise tote, the occasion like toast
I'm always ready for anything
Wit tote′s on the waist, I flood ya watch flooded like a basement man
I have guns and I will threaten you
You and my main foes fold like clean clothes
You and my enemies easily give up
Sub-machine holes the size of Shaq rings in between ya eyes like nose
I will cause you serious harm
Pinky mac ring like the song that Peedi Crack sings, "I Propose"
My jewelry is valuable
Don't make me stand up, told you, you ain't gotta have ya hands up
I am not going to hurt you right now
I was like "screw paper"...
I didn't care about money before
Then I ran ′round touched money, changed my mind
But now I care about money a lot
Mind on my change so I tucked money hands down
I always keep my money hidden and safe
Now, in addition to the semi
Along with my gun,
There's paper on the waist like Henry
I also carry my money with me
And niggaz ain't seeing what I′m keeping concealed
No one knows how much money I actually have
They wanna be it, chill; you would leak it if the secret's revealed
People are jealous and would tell others if they knew
Peep it, might leak it to polices and squeal
They might even tell the police
Then you gotta hide money... like,
Then I would have to hide my money more strictly
Fresh or witness protect
I make sure to protect myself
Went from, best to business execs in less than Four!
I went from being poor to being a successful businessman in a short amount of time
You can get it in the chest like Fresh
I will hurt you badly if I need to
Anything not next to Tec is hidden in the floor
I hide my other belongings around the room
So act like u Denzel or Rudy Ray Moore
Act like someone who knows how to handle situations
Wait, there's more:
But there's even more to know
Let me, catch you tappin' my floor like Savianna Moss
Don't touch my things or be sneaky like a spy
Hope u like the sound of hollow i got more
I have a lot more guns with me
I black out like boss, How u gonna back out?
I will violently hurt you if you try to leave the situation
There's no back doors, like Porshe
There's no way out of this situation
Or course, it's the Boss, Tony Danza of Stanza
I am the leader of the situation
Springsteen of sixteens...
I am a great rapper
It's nothin′ sweet, it′s Lupe
I am serious and tough
I am white people's Kool-Aid, it's mean
I am popular and entertaining
The balla wit the goggles like Kareem
I am really cool and powerful
From Chicago wit the models on the scene
I am from Chicago and am surrounded by beautiful women
Duck fellas,
Be careful and stay out of my way
Betta get down like duck feathers
You better get out of here and hide
A rhyme or a crushed pepper
I am really good at rapping and hurting people
A grinder yeah that's much better
I am even better at my skills now
You a, dice game I′m a casino man
You are small-time compared to me
Hustla for life, u hear the lingo and
I am a professional at what I do
Find me covered in ice like Encino Man
I have a lot of fancy jewelry
Only one missing is Pachino man... Get it? HA-HA!
I am really cool and funny
Contributed by Camden B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Thomas Thomas
No question, you ain't gotta A-S-K
I fly through, pocket full of J-F-Ks
I rise to, the occasion like toast
With totes on the waist
And I flood your watch flooded like a basement man
You and my main foes fold like clean clothes
Sub-machine holes the size of Shaq rings in between your eyes like nose
Pinky mac ring like the song that Peedi Crack sings, I Propose
Don't make me stand up, told you
You ain't gotta have your hands up
I was like, screw paper
Then I ran round touched money, changed my mind
Mind on my change so I tucked money hands down
Now, in addition to the semi
There's paper on the waist like Henry
And niggas ain't seeing what I'm keeping concealed
They wanna be it, chill; you would leak it if the secret's revealed
Peep it, might leak it to polices and squeal
Then you gotta hide money like
Fresh or witness protect
Went from, best to business exec in less than 4!
You can get it in the chest like Fresh
Anything not next to Tec is hidden in the floor
So act like you Denzel or Rudy Ray Moore
Wait, there's more:
Let me catch you tappin' my floor like Savion or Morse
Hope you like the sound of hollow, I got more
I black out like DOS, how you gonna back out
There's no back doors, like Porsche
Or course, it's the Boss, Tony Danza of Stanza
Springsteen of sixteens
It's nothin' sweet, it's Lupe
I am White people's Kool-Aid, it's mean
The baller with the goggles like Kareem
From Chicago with the models on the scene
Duck fellas
Better get down like duck feathers
A rhyme or a crushed pepper
A grinder yeah that's much better
You a, dice game I'm a casino man
Hustler for life, you hear the lingo and
Find me covered in ice like Encino Man
Only one missin' is Pacino, man
Get it, ha ha
HybridHalfie
"I black out like DOS" I am a computer science major in college and I dropped my jaw hearing that. this dude Lupe has the craziest references that require knowledge.
Jermaine Johnson
In 2016 this bar became a double entendre when Thomas Doss released a song called “blackout”
Kyle R
ppl really don’t understand how many lvls above the majority of famous rappers lyrically it’s not even close
NoobSlybot
I really thought it was a triple because "I black out like Doris" like from finding Nemo
Virgil Hakwins
Greatest lyricst of all time no question. He is now officially a professor a MIT
Nurmuh ammad
@Tyson yup this was before the 4 door panamera came out. amazing
freshprince58
is it just me or does Lupe have one of the nicest flows ever?
Feras Al Taoam
This is lyricism at the highest level, I salute you!
General Jemz
It sure is👍
Freddy Sanchez
It takes a while to decipher this guy's lyrics. But once you do, you realize his true genius. Pure truth. POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!