A picture is worth 1000 words, but Lupe prefers his pictures in word form, so Mural is a 1373-word essay. Like an actual mural, Lupe gives us a carefully crafted medley of narratives, themes, motifs and wordplay that foreshadow the greater scheme of Tetsuo & Youth- when played forwards. When the album is played backwards, Mural becomes the culmination, (the "Final Boss") with the option and instructions to either continue the cycle, or break it. The choice is yours.
@@cainification I take it as the obvious reference to mysteries like Scooby Doo, where (usually the antagonist) would peer through a hidden space located behind a seemingly normal portrait on the wall. Usually to spy or sneak. The double being that what Lupe sees and experiences in the world then gets reflected in his own personal oil paintings when he paints in his studio. I hope that helps explain it a bit, cheers!
Hard to think of any work of poetic literature that can compete with this, sure there have been greats poems and anthologies throughout history but surely this stands alone as a titan of wordplay, puns, allusion, and meaning. Truly a gift from Lupe that he has blessed us with the dedication to match his talent, can't thank this man enough for his craft.
@@amanSpawn00I have never heard of Nino Blees, but Aesop Rock must be the greatest lyricist after Lupe. Lupe had a better lyrical verse than Aesop on Pumpkin Seed. Lupe is the greatest on the world in terms of lyricism, it doesn't matter whoever you put against Lupe, Lupe will demolish them all.
10 years later and there's still references, inferences, and similies I've never caught. Lupe is a master craft of lyrics. He bucks the norms and stays in his own lane. We salute him.
Never noticed Clitoris / Taurus before. Taurus and Water Bearer (Aquarius) are opposing so he's adding onto the last sentence with the new sentence. Genius stuff.
Leo is opposing Aquarius (modality both fixed) and Scorpio is opposing Taurus (also fixed). Alleen 4 signs are stubborn. Lupe has a lot of Aquarius and air element in his chart. Thats why hes so lyrical.
This is not Lupe Fiasco, I bet my whole life. I have two reasons. 1. This whole song and album have MUCH more layers and connections that you fans will never catch. 2. If you were aware of this channel, you would've seen that this channel's owner actually re-upload Mural, and deleted the old one. If it was Lupe, he wouldn't have had to re-upload it since Lupe is the only person who knows his concepts entirely.
This was only surface level analyzing but I don't thinks that bad, if you actually wanted to show all the meanings trough pictures and videos you would probably needs to put the song at 0.1x speed
Just a reminder the Lupe, to me, is just on another level. There are so many artists that i think are incredible and extremely talented. But Wasalu is truly the master. The best. Period. And as we fans know, this is yet one amazing song of many. But this mural being "Mural" stands on its own like "WAV files" as just the amazing thought process and THEN execution of Lupe with pen, paper, and microphone.
There's the level of Drakes, Seans, Kendricks, and Coles... Above that is the level of the Black Thoughts, Mos Defs, Talibs, and Jay Elecs and then there's the one above all named Lupe!
Why people tend to leave him off list...too rich in content for most to digest. Brilliant and in my personal top 5...so much intention and attention to detail. The study, desire and audacity to put this together is elite level stuff...hard to think of a comparable track that isn't his own. Salute Lupe
People aren't hungry for knowledge anymore. Knowledge is the greatest human value but like the case with all other values people prefer resorting to temporary pleasure. Lupe is literally an eye opener.
I would like to break smth down right here, I don't like to do it so much, but I will. This whole album, Tetsuo & Youth has 5 different narratives going at the same time. 1. Lupe's life 2. Jesus' life 3. Osiris' life (Osiris is an Egyptian God, if you want to learn about myhtology, start it off with Osiris) 4. Michael Young History's life (Michael Young History is the character that Lupe created in his mind, if you listen to his earlier album such as The Cool and Food & Liquor, you know this) 5. That narrative is directed at young people, hence the name of the album is "Tetsuo & YOUTH*" Mural is the brief of the album, so it has the same layers of narratives that album has, meaning every line on Mural has 5 meanings. Every song on the whole album is actually quintuple layered, excluding some songs just like "Dots & Lines" (sextuple layered), and Prisoner 1 & 2 "(septuple layered), the other songs have 5 different narratives going at the same time. ADORATION OF THE MAGI IS QUINTUPLE LAYERED: 1. Story of Jesus 2. Story of the start of Lupe's life 3. Story of Michael Young History 4. Story of the Virgin Mary (ties with the 1st layer) 5. The video game layer • PRISONER 1&2 IS SEPTUPLE LAYERED: 1. Refers to the Michael Young History layer since we know from his lore that he went to prison 2. Refers to Jesus layer since we was imprisoned and crucified with two other prisoners accourding to the Bible 3. Refers to Lupe's life since he has been in Prison before 4. Refers to Osiris since he was also imprisoned and killed according to Egyptian scriptures 5. Refers to young people potentially also getting stuck in that cycle of imprisonment so it serves as a warning 6. Each song in the album represents one of the 12 zodiac signs, that's why there are 12 songs (excluding the season interludes). Prisoner 1&2 represents the zodiac sign Gemini, and the sign of Gemini is a twin, linking back to the two prisoners in the title/story. 7. Also he said that the song also refers to two of his friends that are currently in prison, including his manager. If you listen to album backwards, Lupe tells you Jesus' life and his problem with Atlantic records, besides the layers that I just broke down for album...
@@Garangnem Don't mention it, man. Dots & Lines could be more layered than a sextuple, and I think that Prisoner 1 & 2 is octuple layered (8 meanings), the addition layer would be "Lupe feeling himself like a prisoner with Atlantic Records".
A manual for Kant or Immanuel Kant meaning Kants critique of pure reason is the most complex book ever written in philosophy, and his songs need a manual to understand just like you need lots of pre philosophical knowledge like the early moderns and David Hume and tons of Kantian commentary to get through that book. In philosophy courses, they dedicate entire semesters to reading that one book, it’s insanely difficult but Kant is the most important philosopher period.
@@mariom8137 That's not the point bruh, the point is double entender is very cool and thoughtful like every single other line in the song for 8 minutes straight
@theghostofchillhop 8 minutes STRAIGHT... every time I show this song to people they always get mind blown by that lmao I'm like yeah no interludes rooms or stops besides a very brief intermission
3:36 My goodness this is just pure genius. The goldie locs fans that like the hip hop/things they consume watered down. We all know who Lupe is talking about. 😅
Thank fuck somebody understood that correctly. It should be obvious as fuck what Lupe talkin about there but you will be surprised to see that people think this is just a Goldilocks and The Three Bears scheme for no reason and with no meaning behind it.
@@SIKICIBIRKANAL Sure why not So @Baldwin is referring to the bar that goes: "Then forge poetry, like a young ornery Morrissey Then spit it to the golden locks thots, who like their porridge all watery Not scorching nor sorbet-y" Lupe says he forges poetry (meaning he creates poetic lyrics) like a bad-tempered and combative Morrissey (singer/songwriter from the Smiths known for writing distinctive lyrics with anti-establishment themes and more). Then Lupe says that he spits the lyrics (raps them) to blonde haired (golden lock = blonde hair) thots (slang for a slut or whore) who like their porridge (porridge is a dish that is similar to oatmeal but more mushy) all watery (watered-down) not scorching (very hot) nor sorbet-y (very cold like sorbet which is a water-based ice-cream). So Lupe is using porridge as a metaphor for raps. The white blonde-haired women that Lupe is rapping to, like their raps water-down (oversimplified) and not hot (not amazing/spicy) or cold (really cool and interesting). They like their raps dumb, boring, and lame. But why does Lupe choose "porridge" and "golden-lock thots" instead of some other way of describing things? Because he is also making a reference to the children fairy tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. If you know the story, its about a golden haired girl who enters the house where three bears live, eats their food, and sleeps in their bed all without their permission. And she is picky about which porridge she likes and which bed she likes. And she does what she wants without a care about the bears who own the house and everything inside. She is a squatting thief basically. But who are these golden-haired whores? Personally, I think Lupe is talking about rapping to the white record executives and how they not only dont belong in the house of rap, but how they dont care about the quality of what Lupe writes and instead ask him/force him to make raps that are boring, dumb, and lame.
"A word game back-up plan that could dam lakes Back up, the word-play ain't playing at the man's stakes Means I can still be the man if the dam breaks And when de-mand breaks, I'm reflectious what they can't face But peer'll still treat the mirror like a fan base" I never got this section fully until you provided the visuals. Breakdown: He's explaining how he has the power to be mainstream in the game (more body of water metaphors lol), but he's actively choosing not to and treating it like a back up plan. "The man's stakes" i believe refers to how artists can't take risks while working under labels, like how employees have to abide by a boss aka "the man". And by going around being mainstream and answering to "the man", he can last longer and still be loved while being more honest to himself and more honest about rappers and the music industry. Then he finishes this part by saying these artists will cling to the facade of having an industry-planted fanbase when they look in the mirror, as the last fan they'll have left is themselves. Lupe being factual about their inability to face this fact is why he's relating himself to the mirror as he is upfront about it. Idk if he meant to say "reflectious" bc when you replace it with "reflecting" or "a reflection of" the bar makes more sense.
There's also a motif of references to France running through the song. The chicken on the barn being a symbol of France, the salty/sel stuff, the top cat chat line but also the fact the last line of the first verse. Lupe only uses the word 'we' three times in this verse. Once in the first line. once at the halfway point and also in the last line: "cause he want what we got like yeah" where we can also be heard as "oui" like yeah. +References to ratatouille and patisserie Maybe there's more french references that I'm missing but I definitely think this thread (or yarn) is there. Is that a stretch?
This is the greatest lyrical display ever in all hip hop from the rhyme schemes to the lyrical schemes to the entendres. The bars just dont stop coming.
shout out to @TimesNuRoman or whoever created the stock photo of the Mural. I just noticed all the pictures in the mural are related to the lyrics within the song. Very nice detail!
1:42 I literally just got this line almost 10 years later. Like I understood the point of playing pool & throwing darts. Like yeah I def have done these things in bars before. But I never thought of it as Rap bars. The album is the party and he’s throwing it in bars. Lupe is so dope man
i've been listening to this song over 5 years and I'm still having "Ohhhh, that what that means" moments...Lupe Fiasco makes life time puzzles in his music.
I would like to break smth down right here, I don't like to do it so much, but I will. This whole album, Tetsuo & Youth has 5 different narratives going at the same time. 1. Lupe's life 2. Jesus' life 3. Osiris' life (Osiris is an Egyptian God, if you want to learn about myhtology, start it off with Osiris) 4. Michael Young History's life (Michael Young History is the character that Lupe created in his mind, if you listen to his earlier album such as The Cool and Food & Liquor, you know this) 5. That narrative is directed at young people, hence the name of the album is "Tetsuo & YOUTH*" Mural is the brief of the album, so it has the same layers of narratives that album has, meaning every line on Mural has 5 meanings. Every song on the whole album is actually quintuple layered, excluding some songs just like "Dots & Lines" (sextuple layered), and Prisoner 1 & 2 "(septuple layered), the other songs have 5 different narratives going at the same time. ADORATION OF THE MAGI IS QUINTUPLE LAYERED: 1. Story of Jesus 2. Story of the start of Lupe's life 3. Story of Michael Young History 4. Story of the Virgin Mary (ties with the 1st layer) 5. The video game layer • PRISONER 1&2 IS SEPTUPLE LAYERED: 1. Refers to the Michael Young History layer since we know from his lore that he went to prison 2. Refers to Jesus layer since we was imprisoned and crucified with two other prisoners accourding to the Bible 3. Refers to Lupe's life since he has been in Prison before 4. Refers to Osiris since he was also imprisoned and killed according to Egyptian scriptures 5. Refers to young people potentially also getting stuck in that cycle of imprisonment so it serves as a warning 6. Each song in the album represents one of the 12 zodiac signs, that's why there are 12 songs (excluding the season interludes). Prisoner 1&2 represents the zodiac sign Gemini, and the sign of Gemini is a twin, linking back to the two prisoners in the title/story. 7. Also he said that the song also refers to two of his friends that are currently in prison, including his manager. If you listen to album backwards, Lupe tells you Jesus' life and his problem with Atlantic records, besides the layers that I just broke down for album...
"chocula counts by the count of 5 refrigerator roof full of animals and monsters incinerator chutes and a manual for contra" I was banging on the table so hard I hope my coworkers didn't hear me wtf🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Will always stop what I'm doing and watch any new lyrical breakdown on this channel. Thanks for another quality upload. Am I loosing my mind or did you previously have a breakdown of this song uploaded
yo goat if you didn't delete it you should leave the old one up or at least the leave the unlisted link in the description! some good discussion and breakdown on that one still!!
A picture is worth 1000 words, but Lupe prefers his pictures in word form, so Mural is a 1373-word essay. Like an actual mural, Lupe gives us a carefully crafted medley of narratives, themes, motifs and wordplay that foreshadow the greater scheme of Tetsuo & Youth- when played forwards. When the album is played backwards, Mural becomes the culmination, (the "Final Boss") with the option and instructions to either continue the cycle, or break it. The choice is yours.
We know this is you Lupe 😂
Yeah aint nobody narrowing this down so much but the one who made it. Whether or not they went to Harvard to be a Lupe fan.
Thank you man, we just need more new Lupe songs from you
IM SO GLAD TO SEE YOU BACK!!!!!!💯💯💯
I asked Mickey Facts about you ... I think he in on it
“I sit back and watch the world through eye-holes in my oil paintings 👀 🖼️ “
I don't get it, what's the double
@@cainification I take it as the obvious reference to mysteries like Scooby Doo, where (usually the antagonist) would peer through a hidden space located behind a seemingly normal portrait on the wall. Usually to spy or sneak.
The double being that what Lupe sees and experiences in the world then gets reflected in his own personal oil paintings when he paints in his studio. I hope that helps explain it a bit, cheers!
I thought he was referencing the Mona Lisa painting!
You know you’re a dope lyricist when your fans’ RUclips comments have better bars than your peers. I swear I get smarter with every song he drops.
Greatest Literature Moment of all Time
Hard to think of any work of poetic literature that can compete with this, sure there have been greats poems and anthologies throughout history but surely this stands alone as a titan of wordplay, puns, allusion, and meaning. Truly a gift from Lupe that he has blessed us with the dedication to match his talent, can't thank this man enough for his craft.
@MysteryMason I want to get part of it tattooed on me, specifically the "wave" section and build up to it
@@MysteryMason Nino Bless and Aesop Rock are also HEAVILY poetic in their music too
And it shows cuz Lupe’s Ms Mural sounds VERY Aesop Rock inspired
@@amanSpawn00I have never heard of Nino Blees, but Aesop Rock must be the greatest lyricist after Lupe. Lupe had a better lyrical verse than Aesop on Pumpkin Seed. Lupe is the greatest on the world in terms of lyricism, it doesn't matter whoever you put against Lupe, Lupe will demolish them all.
Agreed
10 years later and there's still references, inferences, and similies I've never caught. Lupe is a master craft of lyrics. He bucks the norms and stays in his own lane. We salute him.
Never noticed Clitoris / Taurus before. Taurus and Water Bearer (Aquarius) are opposing so he's adding onto the last sentence with the new sentence. Genius stuff.
Leo is opposing Aquarius (modality both fixed) and Scorpio is opposing Taurus (also fixed). Alleen 4 signs are stubborn. Lupe has a lot of Aquarius and air element in his chart. Thats why hes so lyrical.
What the fuck… I can’t believe I’ve never noticed the Kant reference from Lupe holy shit
me neither, it's not on genius either
@quisduby1277 6:07
Jesus fucking christ
🤯
Same here holy shit
At this point, we gotta give it up, TimesNuRoman is GOATED as well. Who else is catching EVERY Lupe reference besides NuRoman?
A man i used talk to
@@ishaking6278 proof?
That's why he's the goat
THE GOAT!!
Say it louder
I was listening to Ms mural yesterday and said this very thing.
This should be common knowledge
This is definitely Lupe fiasco him self no one else can break this salute 🫡
This is not Lupe Fiasco, I bet my whole life. I have two reasons.
1. This whole song and album have MUCH more layers and connections that you fans will never catch.
2. If you were aware of this channel, you would've seen that this channel's owner actually re-upload Mural, and deleted the old one. If it was Lupe, he wouldn't have had to re-upload it since Lupe is the only person who knows his concepts entirely.
This was only surface level analyzing but I don't thinks that bad, if you actually wanted to show all the meanings trough pictures and videos you would probably needs to put the song at 0.1x speed
@@ishaking6278I knew I wasn’t crazy they definitely did a video to this u feel better now lol
@@selfmadesheed k
Just a reminder the Lupe, to me, is just on another level. There are so many artists that i think are incredible and extremely talented. But Wasalu is truly the master. The best. Period. And as we fans know, this is yet one amazing song of many. But this mural being "Mural" stands on its own like "WAV files" as just the amazing thought process and THEN execution of Lupe with pen, paper, and microphone.
I was pleasantly surprised to see this notification.
There's the level of Drakes, Seans, Kendricks, and Coles...
Above that is the level of the Black Thoughts, Mos Defs, Talibs, and Jay Elecs
and then there's the one above all named Lupe!
Nah
Lupe Aesop MF BoySand EL-P Eligh Del
@@mr.nihilz3283 who is eligh
@@Supernovahot Enjoy your journey. You are welcome in advance!
CyHi, King Los, and Daylyt are right there with Lupe
Times Nu appearing every six years like some Scandinavian folk creature
Return of the king
Still one of the most underrated misunderstood songs of all time. Lupe was on another level.
Why people tend to leave him off list...too rich in content for most to digest. Brilliant and in my personal top 5...so much intention and attention to detail. The study, desire and audacity to put this together is elite level stuff...hard to think of a comparable track that isn't his own. Salute Lupe
People aren't hungry for knowledge anymore. Knowledge is the greatest human value but like the case with all other values people prefer resorting to temporary pleasure. Lupe is literally an eye opener.
I would like to break smth down right here, I don't like to do it so much, but I will. This whole album, Tetsuo & Youth has 5 different narratives going at the same time.
1. Lupe's life
2. Jesus' life
3. Osiris' life (Osiris is an Egyptian God, if you want to learn about myhtology, start it off with Osiris)
4. Michael Young History's life (Michael Young History is the character that Lupe created in his mind, if you listen to his earlier album such as The Cool and Food & Liquor, you know this)
5. That narrative is directed at young people, hence the name of the album is "Tetsuo & YOUTH*"
Mural is the brief of the album, so it has the same layers of narratives that album has, meaning every line on Mural has 5 meanings.
Every song on the whole album is actually quintuple layered, excluding some songs just like "Dots & Lines" (sextuple layered), and Prisoner 1 & 2 "(septuple layered), the other songs have 5 different narratives going at the same time.
ADORATION OF THE MAGI IS QUINTUPLE LAYERED:
1. Story of Jesus
2. Story of the start of Lupe's life
3. Story of Michael Young History
4. Story of the Virgin Mary (ties with the 1st layer)
5. The video game layer
• PRISONER 1&2 IS SEPTUPLE LAYERED:
1. Refers to the Michael Young History layer since we know from his lore that he went to prison
2. Refers to Jesus layer since we was imprisoned and crucified with two other prisoners accourding to the Bible
3. Refers to Lupe's life since he has been in Prison before
4. Refers to Osiris since he was also imprisoned and killed according to Egyptian scriptures
5. Refers to young people potentially also getting stuck in that cycle of imprisonment so it serves as a warning
6. Each song in the album represents one of the 12 zodiac signs, that's why there are 12 songs (excluding the season interludes). Prisoner 1&2 represents the zodiac sign Gemini, and the sign of Gemini is a twin, linking back to the two prisoners in the title/story.
7. Also he said that the song also refers to two of his friends that are currently in prison, including his manager.
If you listen to album backwards, Lupe tells you Jesus' life and his problem with Atlantic records, besides the layers that I just broke down for album...
Thank you. I missed everything you pointed out.
@@Garangnem Don't mention it, man. Dots & Lines could be more layered than a sextuple, and I think that Prisoner 1 & 2 is octuple layered (8 meanings), the addition layer would be "Lupe feeling himself like a prisoner with Atlantic Records".
What the hell!?!?
@@BrandonOfJapan Lupe is a genius...
Wow, great work bro, I was always good at analyzing but I see that what I actually lack so I can fully understand lupe is knowledge.
We are blessed once again.
Kids the new breakdown just dropped!
Lupe is a word in human form. Hands down.
These videos are the only reason I don’t lose Lupe debates!!!!
I love your work ❤
A manual for Kant or Immanuel Kant meaning Kants critique of pure reason is the most complex book ever written in philosophy, and his songs need a manual to understand just like you need lots of pre philosophical knowledge like the early moderns and David Hume and tons of Kantian commentary to get through that book. In philosophy courses, they dedicate entire semesters to reading that one book, it’s insanely difficult but Kant is the most important philosopher period.
Philosophy references aren’t new in rap, Canibus literally references Hume in one of his songs.
@@mariom8137 That's not the point bruh, the point is double entender is very cool and thoughtful like every single other line in the song for 8 minutes straight
@theghostofchillhop 8 minutes STRAIGHT... every time I show this song to people they always get mind blown by that lmao I'm like yeah no interludes rooms or stops besides a very brief intermission
What's wild is that he said it's part of his childhood memories. What child is out here reading A Critique of Pure Reason?
@@darrellspencer1809 Lupe 😅😅
"I like my pancakes cut in swirls"
The only goddamn line I didn't have to think about😂
3:36 My goodness this is just pure genius. The goldie locs fans that like the hip hop/things they consume watered down. We all know who Lupe is talking about. 😅
Thank fuck somebody understood that correctly. It should be obvious as fuck what Lupe talkin about there but you will be surprised to see that people think this is just a Goldilocks and The Three Bears scheme for no reason and with no meaning behind it.
@@ImInYourBrains 😂😂 That's the masses for you
Can someone explain it to me? English is not my first language.
@@SIKICIBIRKANAL Sure why not
So @Baldwin is referring to the bar that goes:
"Then forge poetry, like a young ornery Morrissey
Then spit it to the golden locks thots, who like their porridge all watery
Not scorching nor sorbet-y"
Lupe says he forges poetry (meaning he creates poetic lyrics) like a bad-tempered and combative Morrissey (singer/songwriter from the Smiths known for writing distinctive lyrics with anti-establishment themes and more).
Then Lupe says that he spits the lyrics (raps them) to blonde haired (golden lock = blonde hair) thots (slang for a slut or whore)
who like their porridge (porridge is a dish that is similar to oatmeal but more mushy) all watery (watered-down) not scorching (very hot) nor sorbet-y (very cold like sorbet which is a water-based ice-cream).
So Lupe is using porridge as a metaphor for raps. The white blonde-haired women that Lupe is rapping to, like their raps water-down (oversimplified) and not hot (not amazing/spicy) or cold (really cool and interesting). They like their raps dumb, boring, and lame.
But why does Lupe choose "porridge" and "golden-lock thots" instead of some other way of describing things? Because he is also making a reference to the children fairy tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. If you know the story, its about a golden haired girl who enters the house where three bears live, eats their food, and sleeps in their bed all without their permission. And she is picky about which porridge she likes and which bed she likes. And she does what she wants without a care about the bears who own the house and everything inside. She is a squatting thief basically.
But who are these golden-haired whores?
Personally, I think Lupe is talking about rapping to the white record executives and how they not only dont belong in the house of rap, but how they dont care about the quality of what Lupe writes and instead ask him/force him to make raps that are boring, dumb, and lame.
Gonna watch this twenty times
I'm on watch number 7
Done it already
Damn you went and improved on your older vid. You smashed it. Unreal.
No one does it better. TimesNuRoman the goat.
DUDE, I’VE BEEN SHOWING YOUR VIDEOS TO MY FRIENDS LITERALLY THESE PAST WEEKS. GLAD TO SEE YOU’RE BACK, GOD BLESS NUROMAN
"A word game back-up plan that could dam lakes
Back up, the word-play ain't playing at the man's stakes
Means I can still be the man if the dam breaks
And when de-mand breaks, I'm reflectious what they can't face But peer'll still treat the mirror like a fan base"
I never got this section fully until you provided the visuals.
Breakdown:
He's explaining how he has the power to be mainstream in the game (more body of water metaphors lol), but he's actively choosing not to and treating it like a back up plan. "The man's stakes" i believe refers to how artists can't take risks while working under labels, like how employees have to abide by a boss aka "the man". And by going around being mainstream and answering to "the man", he can last longer and still be loved while being more honest to himself and more honest about rappers and the music industry. Then he finishes this part by saying these artists will cling to the facade of having an industry-planted fanbase when they look in the mirror, as the last fan they'll have left is themselves. Lupe being factual about their inability to face this fact is why he's relating himself to the mirror as he is upfront about it. Idk if he meant to say "reflectious" bc when you replace it with "reflecting" or "a reflection of" the bar makes more sense.
There's also a motif of references to France running through the song. The chicken on the barn being a symbol of France, the salty/sel stuff, the top cat chat line but also the fact the last line of the first verse. Lupe only uses the word 'we' three times in this verse. Once in the first line. once at the halfway point and also in the last line: "cause he want what we got like yeah" where we can also be heard as "oui" like yeah. +References to ratatouille and patisserie
Maybe there's more french references that I'm missing but I definitely think this thread (or yarn) is there.
Is that a stretch?
This is the greatest lyrical display ever in all hip hop from the rhyme schemes to the lyrical schemes to the entendres. The bars just dont stop coming.
also the word play
Simply the best from start to finish
I would love to see an emcee or lyricist top this.
He just uses wordplay continuously, its like tying shoe laces together constantly
I considered myself a Rap conisuer but I'm 10 years late on Lupe's lyrical mastery. So proud to call him One of Chicago's Very Own.
I've listened to this song thousands of times and just now got the listening to Bach (bawk) bar. The greatest 🙌🏿
bro
Daaaaaamn
This is a masterpiece
Thanks for making it
shout out to @TimesNuRoman or whoever created the stock photo of the Mural. I just noticed all the pictures in the mural are related to the lyrics within the song. Very nice detail!
Best lyrical masterpiece of all time 😢
1:42 I literally just got this line almost 10 years later. Like I understood the point of playing pool & throwing darts. Like yeah I def have done these things in bars before. But I never thought of it as Rap bars. The album is the party and he’s throwing it in bars. Lupe is so dope man
"The nerd gang form Mandelbrot Sets when we handshake..."
IYKYK 🧠🧠🧠
finding a reference pic for "disloyal changelings" is crazy lmao
Man there’s like 10 more things I missed , thanks for this new upload!!!
This is super impressive
The “Stacy Dash Waterfall” is the spread she did in King magazine under a waterfall.
excellent catch! We need like a database just to store all the connections uncovered.
How did this fly under my RUclips radar!! Let's see if you got Rain the mortal kombat character in this time 👀
I hear that mural jr coming up 👀.
The "chief" bar could be another Native American reference
My credit to the break down the visual makes it untouchable.
FIASCO WINS!!!
He’s the BEST!
thank you for returning. would love a breakdown from a track from DRILL MUSIC IN ZION
Thank you TimesNuRoman. I’ve been watching your Lupe breakdowns for over a decade and I’m still blown away whenever you drop a new one. Salute!
i've been listening to this song over 5 years and I'm still having "Ohhhh, that what that means" moments...Lupe Fiasco makes life time puzzles in his music.
This alone deserves a Pulitzer
The first 10 lines deserve a pulitzer alone
I need an album for ever cold picture he’s painted
I have waited for this for 4 years... Thank you.
Me too
I needed this. Thank you
Standing next to Pac is Lupe.
Yo u gotta keep doing this every 10 years
What an amazing surprise! Welcome back goat 😮💨🔥
Wowwwww that thumbnail is awesome. It has a picture of basically every reference in the song. Tight.
We are not worthy, thank you
Artistry
He came back with a banger y'all
Proceed to next level meaning Mural Jr? Yes please
Learned something new about the references to Egyptian Gods.
.
.
I would like to break smth down right here, I don't like to do it so much, but I will. This whole album, Tetsuo & Youth has 5 different narratives going at the same time.
1. Lupe's life
2. Jesus' life
3. Osiris' life (Osiris is an Egyptian God, if you want to learn about myhtology, start it off with Osiris)
4. Michael Young History's life (Michael Young History is the character that Lupe created in his mind, if you listen to his earlier album such as The Cool and Food & Liquor, you know this)
5. That narrative is directed at young people, hence the name of the album is "Tetsuo & YOUTH*"
Mural is the brief of the album, so it has the same layers of narratives that album has, meaning every line on Mural has 5 meanings.
Every song on the whole album is actually quintuple layered, excluding some songs just like "Dots & Lines" (sextuple layered), and Prisoner 1 & 2 "(septuple layered), the other songs have 5 different narratives going at the same time.
ADORATION OF THE MAGI IS QUINTUPLE LAYERED:
1. Story of Jesus
2. Story of the start of Lupe's life
3. Story of Michael Young History
4. Story of the Virgin Mary (ties with the 1st layer)
5. The video game layer
• PRISONER 1&2 IS SEPTUPLE LAYERED:
1. Refers to the Michael Young History layer since we know from his lore that he went to prison
2. Refers to Jesus layer since we was imprisoned and crucified with two other prisoners accourding to the Bible
3. Refers to Lupe's life since he has been in Prison before
4. Refers to Osiris since he was also imprisoned and killed according to Egyptian scriptures
5. Refers to young people potentially also getting stuck in that cycle of imprisonment so it serves as a warning
6. Each song in the album represents one of the 12 zodiac signs, that's why there are 12 songs (excluding the season interludes). Prisoner 1&2 represents the zodiac sign Gemini, and the sign of Gemini is a twin, linking back to the two prisoners in the title/story.
7. Also he said that the song also refers to two of his friends that are currently in prison, including his manager.
If you listen to album backwards, Lupe tells you Jesus' life and his problem with Atlantic records, besides the layers that I just broke down for album...
@@ishaking6278you should post that as a regular comment and not a reply so more people can see it
@@chinortega3 Yeah, I was thinking about that, I will do that, after copying that lol.
You gotta do Mural Jr. next
I’ve watched your videos so many times. I thought I’d rewatch one today… lo and behold timesnuroman posted a week ago!!’
my favorite part is you catching the Wildwoods bar lol im from Chicago, that was our shit haha
Proceed to the next lv..
Hes backkkkkk!
I appreciate your dedication.
no te puedo agradecer suficiente como esto me hace disfrutar más a Lupe
"chocula counts by the count of 5 refrigerator roof full of animals and monsters incinerator chutes and a manual for contra" I was banging on the table so hard I hope my coworkers didn't hear me wtf🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Its crazy that we are still dealing with this song. Its been almost a decade and lyrics are still loaded with bread crumbs.
Welcome back leadership 🙏🏾 *@TimesNuRoman*
"Face seers need samurais to catch the Ls" WHAT?!?!?!
If k dot rap this someone give him a Grammy right now
This might be the best song in 3 decades. Dont @ me
This is so tight and well made. Some quality content here. Blessed to get this in my algorithm 🙌🙌
The legend is back
thankyou @TimesNuRoman for introducing me to lupe fiasco. your work has changed my life path. thank you so much for existing.
Glad you’re back! But where’s the original video for mural you had on here? Would love to compare
Thats burried livin
Thats barley livin
Thats berry livin
Then proceed with the pack feedin sheesh
STG if I had made this beat, I'd have retired. Job's done. There's no up from here.
Thanks for the breakdown lupe how nice of u to make these lol
Back again after like 10 years! Color me impressed. And thanks. Tetsuo & Youth = Greatest album all time IMO
Bro where tf u been?!? I have some requests lol 🙌
Grateful for you!
Will always stop what I'm doing and watch any new lyrical breakdown on this channel. Thanks for another quality upload. Am I loosing my mind or did you previously have a breakdown of this song uploaded
You gotta break down more Lupe songs!!!!
Think I've listened to this 200 times 🔥💪🏾💪🏾
I applaud you for remaking this and correcting some of the references. Much respect
HOLY SHIT. So glad to see an upload from TimesNu
Hell yea an update 🙌🏼🙌🏼🔥💯💯🫡
Mastery!
I respect you from japan!!!!
HE BACK AT IT LIKE A CRACK ADDICT
yo goat if you didn't delete it you should leave the old one up or at least the leave the unlisted link in the description! some good discussion and breakdown on that one still!!
Omg, the moment has finally arrived!!!
He has been top tier he just saying how lil pump and rappers like him have top hits. He talking about the system.
My brain cant keep up 😢
Love it, this is my go to page to introduce people to lupe!!!