Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982 in Chicago, Illinois), better … Read Full Bio ↴Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982 in Chicago, Illinois), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco, is a Grammy Award-winning American hip-hop artist and producer. He first became known to the mainstream hip-hop community in 2005 when he appeared on Kanye West's album Late Registration on the track "Touch the Sky." In 2006 Lupe released his debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor on Atlantic Records, and in December 2007 he released his second full length album, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool . His next studio album, entitled Lasers, was released on March 8th 2011 after a protest against Atlantic's decision not to release it.

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.

Gotta Eat
Lupe Fiasco Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

My man said life ain't easy
When niggas gotta eat, that's when shit get greasy
Streets be all like, "Feed me, feed me"
When niggas gotta eat, that's when shit get greasy
My man said life ain't easy
When niggas gotta eat, that's when shit get greasy
Streets be all like, "Feed me, feed me"
When niggas gotta eat, that's when shit get greasy

My man said life ain't easy
When niggas gotta eat, that's when shit get greasy

Hey, he had a whole lotta cheese
Plus he was a mack, had a whole lotta steez
Made a lot of niggas fat, gave a whole lotta Gs
Grams, man, he had a whole lotta these
And he would let you hold, like, a whole lotta keys
Even if you lose some he would give you new ones
Twice the bread, it's like he had two buns
And he had a whole lotta seeds
Even his kids had meals for reals
Some rich small fries wrapped in paper since they was lil
Catch up, nigga

My man said life ain't easy
When niggas gotta eat, that's when shit get greasy
Streets be all like, "Feed me, feed me"
When niggas gotta eat, that's when shit get greasy
My man said life ain't easy
When niggas gotta eat, that's when shit get greasy

He was a heart breaker and a law shaker
If it was bout caking, he was a partaker
International, he would take trips, bon voyage
That's how hard he was fishing for the chips
So greedy he never gave to the needy, that's what some say
The way he shunned all the bums hanging in the subways
He called them fruits, then laughed at 'em
Delivery man on the pick-up drive through and throw a bag at 'em
And it was hard to understand him sometimes
Making a killing the way he had 'em standing in line

My man said life ain't easy
When niggas gotta eat, that's when shit get greasy
Streets be all like, "Feed me, feed me"
When niggas gotta eat, that's when shit get greasy
My man said life ain't easy
When niggas gotta eat, that's when shit get greasy

Lovers call him king, haters call him clown
He would say "bite me, that's the way it's going down"
He was having thoughts that maybe he should retire
Went to church on a Sunday and saw a deep friar
Said he had beef and people want him dead
He loved the hungry ones, was only scared of the feds
He lived the fast life, couldn't get his path right
Friar just told him 'bout the hooters that he had last night
Turned himself in to the paddy wagon, said no
Bacon wouldn't take him, half the pigs on the payroll

My man said life ain't easy
When niggas gotta eat, that's when shit get greasy
Streets be all like, "Feed me, feed me"
When niggas gotta eat, that's when shit get greasy

My man said life ain't easy
When niggas gotta eat, that's when shit get greasy, hey, to be continued

Overall Meaning

Lupe Fiasco’s song “Gotta Eat” speaks about how difficult life can be for those who are struggling to make ends meet, and the dangers that can come with it. The opening lines of the song set the tone, as the singer reflects on his friend’s wise words, “life ain’t easy when niggas gotta eat, that’s when shit get greasy.” This line is significant because it highlights the desperation that comes with being in poverty, and how it can lead to dangerous situations. The singer then goes on to describe how the “streets be all like, ‘feed me, feed me,’” which emphasizes the constant demand for survival.

The next verse speaks about a man who has achieved great success through illegal means, and the singer describes his life of excess, with “a whole lotta cheese” and “a whole lotta steez.” However, the man is also shown to be greedy and heartless, as he “never gave to the needy,” and even made fun of them. The song ends with the man being caught by the authorities, as he turns himself in when he realizes that he can no longer escape his past.

Overall, “Gotta Eat” is a commentary on the harsh realities of life in poverty and how difficult it can be to escape from it. It speaks about the dangers of desperation and the lengths that people will go to in order to survive.

Line by Line Meaning

My man said life ain't easy
My friend said that living is difficult

When niggas gotta eat, that's when shit get greasy
When people are hungry and need food, things become more difficult and messy

Streets be all like, "Feed me, feed me"
The environment and surroundings demand sustenance and resources

Hey, he had a whole lotta cheese
He had a large amount of money

Plus he was a mack, had a whole lotta steez
He had charisma and style

Made a lot of niggas fat, gave a whole lotta Gs
He made many people rich by giving them drugs

Grams, man, he had a whole lotta these
He had a lot of drugs for sale

And he would let you hold, like, a whole lotta keys
He would trust people to hold onto a lot of drugs (keys)

Even if you lose some he would give you new ones
If someone lost some drugs, he would replace them with new ones

Twice the bread, it's like he had two buns
He made double the money, as if he had two sources of income

And he had a whole lotta seeds
He had a lot of potential for future profits, by having many customers

Even his kids had meals for reals
Even his children had real meals, not just fast food

Some rich small fries wrapped in paper since they was lil
His kids were wealthy from a young age and had their meals wrapped in paper bags

Catch up, nigga
Get up to speed with the situation

He was a heart breaker and a law shaker
He broke hearts and broke the law

If it was bout caking, he was a partaker
If it was about making money, he was involved

International, he would take trips, bon voyage
He traveled internationally, saying goodbye for a good journey

That's how hard he was fishing for the chips
He was working hard to get money

So greedy he never gave to the needy, that's what some say
He was so selfish that he never helped those who were in need

The way he shunned all the bums hanging in the subways
He avoided and ignored homeless people in the subway

He called them fruits, then laughed at 'em
He insulted them and found it amusing

Delivery man on the pick-up drive through and throw a bag at 'em
He threw a bag of drugs at a delivery man when picking up his order

And it was hard to understand him sometimes
He was difficult to comprehend at times

Making a killing the way he had 'em standing in line
He was earning a lot of money by having people lining up for his drugs

Lovers call him king, haters call him clown
Some people admire him, while others ridicule him

He would say "bite me, that's the way it's going down"
He was willing to take on challenges and didn't care about the consequences

He was having thoughts that maybe he should retire
He was considering quitting his illegal activities

Went to church on a Sunday and saw a deep friar
He went to church on a Sunday and saw a knowledgeable monk

Said he had beef and people want him dead
He had personal issues with someone who wanted to kill him

He loved the hungry ones, was only scared of the feds
He cared about those who were in need but was only scared of law enforcement

He lived the fast life, couldn't get his path right
He lived a life of excess and could not find a good direction

Friar just told him 'bout the hooters that he had last night
The monk simply talked to him about the bar he went to the previous night (hooters)

Turned himself in to the paddy wagon, said no
He refused to surrender to the police vehicle

Bacon wouldn't take him, half the pigs on the payroll
The police refused to take him into custody, since some of them were bribed