March 8th is coming soon, which means Lupe Fiasco's new album, Lasers, is just around the corner. In my excitement of this new album, I recalled to mind my friend saying "Instead of analyzing poems in class, we should analyze Lupe's lyrics." I, first, reminded him that lyrics are, in fact, lyrical poems, then I began to wonder how well I'd be able to analyze the lyrics I hear playing from my iPod almost everyday. Surprisingly enough, there were many metaphorical comparisons and satirical references in his lyrics. His song "American Terrorist" is a satirical song exploiting all of the corrupt and "shady" acts that we Americans have committed in order to achieve our current status and all of the acts we tend to repeat today. "Go to Sleep," another song of Lupe's, refers to sleep as the "cousin of death" which draws a connection between the two. In addition to his unique, one of a kind style in his raps, he has also been able to add depth and meaning into his songs, which is something that many of today's rappers/lyricists seem to ignore and exclude from their works.
- Nick B.
It was interesting that you addressed this connection between poetry and song lyrics because I was recently thinking about the same exact thing. The poetry that is put into songs are much more meaningful to me because it collaborates the emotions you get from the words themselves and the emotions you get from the tone of the music. Music to me is the essence of poetry.
ReplyDeleteDaniel Hawkins
I also think of this often because after I hear a song initially, I like to listen to it for its meaning rather than the music. Lupe is an excellent example, and I think that musicians like him don't receive enough credit for the artistry that is their lyrics. They can stand on their own without the music as poetry; the music just serves to strengthen the impact of his words by creating a tone and heightening emotion. Danny said that to him music is the essence of poetry, but personally I often find that poetry is the essence of music.
ReplyDelete-Elise P.
I like the connection you made between the poetry and music. I was thinking today as I read a poem about how it is so hard to gain anything from it because of a bias opinion that all poetry is hard to understand and focus on, until when listening to a song I realized that the two were actually very similar. Singing is but a different form of poetry in many cases, containing figurative language, and containing rhythm and rhyme.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you, Elise. Many Mainstream artist achieve fame and success, but their songs tend to lack depth and lyrical content. In my opinion, "This is why I'm hot" repeated several times over is not a good song, sorry MIMS. A truly good song is one that contains strong lyrical content, depth and tone, and a strong sense of personal style implemented into the lyrics. Lupe is definitely one of the more underrated artists in the music industry, and I'm glad I'm not the only person who believes so.
ReplyDelete-Nick B.
I agree with everyone else in that the connection you made between lyrics of a song and a poem was quite interesting. The impact music has on people is much more powerful when a deeper emotional meaning is attached to it in the form of its lyrics. Good job Nick!
ReplyDeleteKelli H.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more with your post. I sometimes look up lyrics and can't help but find the deeper meaning behind it, such as John Mayer's view of government corruption in "Waiting on the Worl to Change". Music, lyrics, and in Lupe's case raps are essential to poetry as it gives a melody to one's thoughts and emotions. More often than not I find myself creating songs out of the poems Mrs. Elliott gives us in class. Essentially poetry and music are one of the same.
ReplyDelete-Jacy W
Songs are my favorite form of poetry. I think it's because the music makes me want to listen to the song over and over again. Though hearing the song so many times, the deeper meaning of what the lyrics mean hits me.
ReplyDeleteLupe Fiasco is one of the best active rappers right now. His beats, which are also amazing, flow perfectly with his rhymes which makes for near perfect songs that contain actual meaning, unlike a lot of the music we hear today. --richard hubert
ReplyDeleteLupe Fiasco beats the stereotypes created by mainstream rappers nowadays. People who dont like rap say, "who wants to listen to them talk about drugs, money, and sex. Thats not real music!" Well Lupe is a shining example of what strong metaphors and similes can do for rap. He's creating a huge fanbase of those who didn't listen to rap before because of his message's.
ReplyDelete- Dominic House
Here's an update on the "Lasers" album status. A few weeks ago, Lupe Fiasco released a single called "Words I Never Said" and the world of conscious hip hop rejoiced. This song was possibly one of the most politically aware songs I've ever heard. It attacks the corruption that exists in today's world and manipulating the English language like it's a rubber band. He scrutinizes all who "complain about the gloom, but when did [they] pick a broom up?" and "complain about the liquor store, but what are [they] drinking liquor for?"
ReplyDeleteLupe Fiasco is the man! Unlike some rappers, his words have meaning, and his flow is ridiculous (in a good way). "Words I Never Said" is a good example of that.
ReplyDelete-Kaylynn B