Lupe Fiasco - Dots & Lines (Lyrical Breakdown)
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- "The future is not a straight line. It is filled with many crossroads. There must be a future that we can choose for ourselves."
There is more to unpack in this song than I've done.
The sources used in this video (especially the outro) are not necessarily direct references, but devices.
![Lupe Fiasco - Haile Selassie ft. Nikki Jean [Produced by Soundtrakk]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/01MMgG7bYBE/mqdefault.jpg)
![Lupe Fiasco - Lupe Fiasco - Mazinger ft. PJ [Produced by SX]](/img/1.gif)
Lupe's mind is decades ahead of other rappers. That's why most ppl can't understand Lupe.
+Joshua McRae decades? as if that is enough time to make current rappers smart
+Joshua McRae listen to the late capital STEEZ
+Joshua McRae
Lupe is Newton reborn
Hell I can't understand him most of the time
Joshua you aint lying. This album goes down as the most intelligent and complex album in history.
"Go straight don't sine/sign" That's scientifically and metaphorically deep with a splash of realness.
And sign as in a sine (WAV) which is a song file, triple entendre in 5 words
@@JesusChristSaves. unreal man and beautiful
Can anyone explain? I have an idea…
@@dillywonka5576a sine/cosine wave will go up and down over time, balancing out the good and bad in life. Going straight would mean to stay steady and not waver up or down but to be in the middle and push forward.
Lupe made sure not a single line in this entire album was filler in any way, and that's what separates him from the rest of music. I'm so thankful for his music because it defines replay value. TimesNuRoman is also a legend, ofc.
Lupe is trying to wake people up through the things he has learned.
Steve Erkel, helmet-thelm it
Respect for the picture
But the cool thing about Lupe as a lyricist is that he can make a catchy song too. The chorus got stuck in my head.
yeah except “odd as egg mcmuffins at night”
Verse by verse Break down:
Lupe talks about himself. He talks about his accomplishments. Lupe explains how he's going against the norm and has upset his superiors, because they are not seeing the success of other artists. Lupe compares himself to Robin Hood. Lupe says that he models his life after his father. He aspires to be a "Master Builder," presumably someone who forges his own path and possibly one for others to follow.
The World works in a pattern or path. Certain patterns are created by others with power. Goes even further into detail explaining patterns within patterns. Basically explaining the world and even the universe. These systems want you to follow that pattern. That is explained in the second verse.
Lupe's pattern he's talking about is his record label. He talks about how this generation and the music is run by Numbers meaning money. Lupe is in this for the art. He is saying if you are represented by material things then you are essentially characterless. If you are going through something similar to him then see his life as an example.
+Willie Robinson Nice breakdown mate.
I loved how he said about people who just are like sheeps and follow anything/anyone that is perceived as "famous" because that's how the media/entertainment industry feeds them. But on the other hand, Lupe ought to deserve the throne, while only artists that do catchy music and has big "numbers" are held on top of others and artists like Lupe are underrated and kept behind.
Especially this line: "If your reflection is a mask, then you're reflective of mass"
close. master builder is who god is called by masons so he's speaking about god not his biological father
+MobileCyris Possibly could be both, as his father I believe was an engineer, but it's definitely a reference to Masons as well.
MobileCyris
Oh Wow that makes perfect sense. I know his father was a Black Panther. I was wondering why he compared to a Master Builder..
+Willie Robinson Seeing how this song is DEFINITELY occultistic (Not what you think it means) in nature, by Master Builder he means he wants to be someone who can give a Heavenly idea, creation, etc. an Earthly form. Look up "22 number of the Master Builder". I'm sure you'll find a nice article on it. :)
That this only has 3k likes in 2024 is criminal. Great job man.
Lupe is the GOAT. End off.
***** lol your pic
***** lol your pic
Lol no
Greatest
Of
All
Time
Lol
Nigga I see u everywhere
Lupe, you'll never get the love, respect, or reverence you deserve on this Earth, but that's okay because your soul is pure.
Thank you for this beautiful peace of art. People like you and expression of higher ideas like this have saved my life more times than I can count.
God Bless you.
Real✊🏾
I think he does through real fans of rap and music in general. He just never hit the mainstream other than a few songs that he was forced to put out and kick push. Lupe is the lyrical goat.
Lupe has always been in my top 5
Mos def , black thought , andre 300, gza , lupe no order
Great Top 5
Lupe has earn my Respect even more with this song.. He is speaking the truth about now n the future-we need more from Lupe Fiasco.. Don't Sell ur soul.. GOD is REAL- don't deny it
This made me lol. Thanks
Shout out to all those who watch this whole video and still dont understand this song
Dawg 😂
Dont sign the contract. All of you who plan to be big stars and celebrities. Especially black people. Go independent. You're Welcome
@@BruceWayne760
You literally did not even scratch the surface of what this song is about
@@danielschnapp6737 he did scratch the surface but it as always with lu is deeper... His music is abstract and he is a wordplay genius so there could be multiple additional meanings depending on how you listen.
Imo
When you are A Child who read everyday learning something new. There's nothing but books as entertainment in your room. No TV all you have is books constantly gain knowledge. Your able to come up with stuff like my man Lupe. Thank you
You, sir, deserve to be recognized by Lupe himself.
Wow this is the pure artistry.
Intricate. Labyrinthine. Complex. Awesome poetry.
To add to the "Golden Mean" idea (from Wikipedia):
"Daedalus, a famous artist of his time, built feathered wings for himself and his son so that they might escape the clutches of King Minos. Daedalus warns his beloved son whom he loved so much to "fly the middle course", between the sea spray and the sun's heat. Icarus did not heed his father; he flew up and up until the sun melted the wax off his wings. For not heeding the middle course, he fell into the sea and drowned."
"go to Harvard to be a Lupe stan"
They don't teach alchemy like this at harvard
Lupe is holding the whole game up all by himself. #bestrapperalive
Dead or Alive
I'd say Curren$y, Joey Badda$$ and a few others can be mentioned.
I'll give him sum help
@@dct124 yep but they will never be on this level in terms of complex lyrics
Aesop Rock and Black Thought too…
I always get goosebumps at the end. Beyond words is Lupe Fiasco.
I can't even describe how talented this dude is. The visual clips added to the lyrics of this song creates a multi dimensional puzzle that could take a life time to assemble. As Engineering being my line of work, i can truly appreciate the level of detail in this master piece. Nice job Lube #dontsign
Lupe really is a genius, hip hop professor, it may go over your head sometimes but I love the challenge
W....what? Wow. I swear the songs I dont pay that much attention to turn out to be way deeper than I thought. Thank you sir. Great work. I hope you do the whole album.
IKNO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bc of media
Dude every Lupe song is like this
I'm 12 years old and I was thinking of being an musical artist when I grow up, but this stuff just gives me a headache. Like for God's sake what hyperbolic time chamber do I have to enter to be as good as this?
You're just a kid, you have time to grow. Study the craft, nobody was born like this!
keep using words like hyperbolic. you'll be fine.
Lamont Gatling Man you got your whole life ahead of you. Stay ahead and read and learn as much ass you can specially in school. Listen to people when they tell you about experiences hey everyone been through. People usually think that dosent matter in music and writing but man it puts you levels above people who didn' t.
F
Practice. I’ve been listening to rap since I was 5 and I’ve been writing since I was 10. I’m 15 now and I can create complex bars. All you need to do is read a lot, get your mind right and have a message (if you want to be a rapper), maybe study a little bit of theory if you want to (it’s pretty fun).
It takes time, you have a lot of it. Good luck and never forget to be proud of your creations, you’re an artist after all.
I think the title Dots and Lines have to do with his "Grand Closing," he mentions in his interview with DJ Skee. He states that JayZ once told him once, while they were in the studio together, that your closing must match your opening meaning having all your I's dotted and T's crossed. Maybe in the hook he's stating when he's free from the record label he will be back in perfect harmony like sacred geometry which are beautiful intricate shapes patterns found in almost everything made w higher powers. So I also assume in the hook that he's reminding himself not to sine/"sin" but move forward in a line in order to get to the ultimate goal. Giving reference to him stating applause and patience of the laws of nature
Man I just discovered these lyrical breakdowns. Powerful stuff. I already felt like the album was an interactive textbook, and this makes it visual. Incredible work. #respect
Joo
It's the first time I see the face of Lupe's father and his professions, props to you for going the extra mile.
His dad was a big time Martial arts guy in Chicago.
"To make gold from garbage
Is not the alchemical point of this math
But truth be told it's the pursuit of gold
That turns the goal of men into trash
The soul's gold and they turning gold into cash"
My favorite track by Lupe. I completely understand the light this brother is speaking of 🙌🏿
From what I see, hes telling youth dont look at what you see, bcause what you see, is only pleasing to the eye, its not worth, tainting and losing your soul, thats why he say dont sign. Meaning of, what gains a man to gain the whole world, but to lose he soul, Lupe saying it aint worth it. Salute
I still frequently catch myself humming this. Lupe is iconic and massively underrated
I FEEL SO STUPID, THE CHORUS AT THE END IS DONT SIGN AS IN THE DOTTED LINE, LUPE INTEGRATES HIS SONGS SO WELL
sorry caps
lol I know exactly how you feel
It's actually "don't sign (the contract)", "don't SIN as in sinus curve - Lupe is talking about flatlining = dying", "don't sin".
That's why this song has the topics of record labels "turning good souls into trash", geomety (sinus curve etc.), virtues (vs. sins) and kind of an underlying theme of death.
Nr4747 thats what i said the dotted line on a contract
Soundcloud.com/Nyziosflow
Yeah, I was just pointing out that there are even more meaning to those lyrics.
Lupe's lyrics make you not wanna miss a single word.
*This is why Lupe Top Five. Subliminal imagery's best*
Yea this is lupe fiasco's channel Im convinced
+Supersaucer32 Exactly. No way some random listener can sit around and pick out these references without being the author of those references himself.
Lupe humbles me with his genius. The human being is indeed capable of magic.
Holy fuck. No one is nearly as complex and clever in his lines as Lupe.
Aesop Rock is more complex, yet Lupe is more layered.
My little feeble mind cannot fathom the amount of thought that has to go into a work of art like a Lupe song. It's unbelievable the concepts that he presents and the references he uses to do so. He is quite simply the best to ever do this.
" Don't sine" means don't sin. On the calculator, sine is abbreviated as SIN.
Actually it's a reference to not signing a record label contract again (that's why songs name is Dots & Lines) and on a deeper level, it's also about death. Somebody in the comment section mentioned that death part
***** Lupe barely ever means one thing only is a verse, he fits as much as he can in one line...
C
F
Go straight means be righteous, honest, and straight forward. To deceive, trick, manipulate, is to be sly, slippery, slick, maneuvering like a fox or snake who don't go along straight paths and snake in the Christian literature is Satan. Interesting people who are SINners; liars, DECEIVERS, etc aren't straight forward people.
So go straight on the line don't Sine has many layers and is actually quite powerful and deep. In the Quran, the "straight path" is the path to heaven to God's favor.
Mathematically, sine is written as Sin which is also the word bad deeds (sin and sinning) which matches with the rest of the layers.
One of his BEST songs
High level IQ, the way he can intertwine very complicated subjects in an artful and pop cultural way leaves me speechless.
U mean "VERY" high level of IQ
Lyric god. I will not be told other wise
Woah!! I had a general grasp of this song but OMG how does one even understand this??
Years of learning and maybe 3 playbacks
To the youngins out there, THIS IS WHAT HIP HOP IS! Never forget!
Will you do more Lyric Breakdowns when DROGAS gets released?
Chase stilllllll waiting for drogas wave
@@jayrichjlr its been out lmao
Timesnuroman, you're doing god's work fam.
I never realized that at 1:59 -- They are definitely making a reference to Siphonaptera, right?? Or one of the variations--
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siphonaptera_(poem)
"Big fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite 'em,
And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so, ad infinitum."
WHICH WAS, GET THIS-- adapted into a meteorology versions that's legitimately just,
"Big whorls have little whorls
That feed on their velocity;
And little whorls have lesser whorls
And so on to viscosity."
I wish Lupe would've acknowledged all our work before he stopped using Twitter. This is amazing. Thank you for everything!
Shalom , Lupe 's Don't Sign! ! Praise Elohim YAH of Yisreal.
It says a lot when your lyrics have to be VISUALLY broken down no words.
This channel has to be Lupe. Its too perfect.
Lmao
(This is for the chosen children)
Spirit (Godhead/you) are sent to live your purpose.
“You look just like how ima be… sacred geometry 📐…in a line in a line in a line in a line in a line….”
Your Divine triangle is your life written out for you to understand the lessons you will face. It is your mirror…
Numbers & shapes were used to access information and answers to help guide you in life.
As above so below
If you know you know.
Reference: “numerology and the divine triangle.” By Faith Javane and Dusty Bunker
DOPE, good job with this bruh !
MONTREALITY you should see the mural video
I’m so ill I’ll have champagne papi spilling more than whine in Cookie counting
My god we need another lupe album this gets better the more time passes
F@X!!!
I hope lupe has seen your work, what a blessing 🖖
What the fuck this blew my mind
This is my favorite youtube video... Can't imagine how long it took.
@TimesNuRoman +TimesNuRoman please create a Patreon account so we can sponsor your work dude. I cant believe how brilliant your work is. If I didnt know any better I would suspect that you worked with Lu on most these vids. We Love them
THIS VIDEO IS AMAZING. you synced the lyrics and video expertly. Bravo. I don't know if ive ever accomplisehed anything as well as you haved this
You have no idea how much I appreciate these videos. Thank you for real.
listening to this channel about lupes art is one of my favourite pass times
One of the greatest
Wow glad I found this channel now all my friends can watch and listen to the song and hopefully understand it fully!
wow its rare a lupe song goes over my head, but I slept on this one. love the chanel and your art of the breakdown keep it up.
Thanks for your time..it's dope to have a visuals to Fiasco's song..tetsuo & youth is beyond explanation. The development the composition true music.
This videos genius
They.resurrect. Over. New. Do that one next
Nigga… I Have A Whole New Appreciation For Just The Chorus After Watching This 😭
It's honestly mind blowing how good this album is.
Who is here after Terrece Howard's interview on Joe Rogan?
Lupe been tryna tell us.
"Can see the bell but don't know the rings
The rings are not sounds, but circles
Wear these on your virtues
See through these circles just live Steve Urkel
Till it's all universal"
This needs to be the official music video.
Its amazing how you can find new shit in his songs 3years later
The greatest lyricist ever
The Greatest Of All Time
This album changed my life
GOAT period. Your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper…
TheyRessurectOverNew PLEEEAASSSEE!!!
its my favourate song on the album + ab-fuckin-soul
PRISONERS 1 & 2 OR BODY OF WORK...I'M STARVING HERE
until the lines die = deadlines IS CRAZY
TimesNuRoman is Lupe bro lol I’m convinced either way thank you my G
This is brilliant content. Great job man.
I WILL BE AT LUPE FIASCO CONCENT IN DALLAS JANUARY 28!!! GOT TO SUPPORT REAL HIP-HOP!!!
He’s talking about not signing to a record label..saying to know your worth and value the music
Im still picking things up the subtle details i didnt notice after the first 5 watches. Great job, i share this with others
Excellent work on the video breakdown as usual TImesNuRoman!!
I’m sorry. I played maybe about 20 seconds of the video and yea that’s a good decipher of the song, but lupes music goes far more deeper than that. And every song he has his words are like triple entendres. His mind and songs are something u can’t just explain. If ur on what he’s on, u will feel it every time 🤯🤫😉
"If your reflection's a mask, then you're reflective of mass"
1. Catholicism
2. Mass media programming
3. The amount of matter in an object
another video brought me baCK here. Lupe is miles ahead of any artist or figurehead,
Such great breakdowns! O.o Those videos had to be hard work, this channel deserves so much more views/subscribers
That Outro was MOTHERFUCKIN EPIC !!!!!!!
You make amazing videos.
Love your videos. Would love to see some on drogas wave
thx for this
.. best song on album imo
respect
I hear you Lupe
Only Lupe can do this
i think the message to his song is how life is universal.. everyone can be mapped out using math.. "math is gods language" an example, sydonia on mars could be mapped the same as the Egyptian pyramids using sacred geometry..is there smarter life out there trying to communicate through math?.. i'm not 100% sure if what his message but i feel like this is definitely one of the many things hes trying to reflect.
F
This is so dope.
This is my favorite song of the album...thank you
I love that you took those Banjos off xD. Do you even know why he placed em in the song? Seems so random, I'd think Lupe would have a specific reason to why he used em.
There are literally levels to this album. It will be the best album this year. I don't see anything coming close
3:33 When you just talked your kids and 5 min later you hear them fighting again.
3:51 When you hear a loud bang from upstairs and go to whoop some ass.
🤣
Amazing work fam.. 💯👌🏽
How do you write like this? Every line is multi layered. Like okay there’s an doubt or triple entendre cool, but this isn’t just that
Like seriously I’m in Love with Lupe’s brain. There’s intellect, there’s critical thinking right? We all have it. It’s like he’s super human or a savant with words like Rain man but like functional. I’m trying to understand what is going on in his brain.
I thought I knew everything and then I’m revisiting this at 42 now.
The rings are not sounds has a third subliminal going at jay-z. Jay had said that he beat michael jordan and bill russell comparing platinum albums to nba championships. Lupe telling him rings are not sales but cirlces wear these on your virtual sale you paid for. Lupe go so hard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! @timesnuroman
Can you do Prisoner 1 &2 and Madonna? I would love to see what you do with those. Peace and blessings