Deliver

Saturday’s Song

Deliver – Lupe Fiasco

Earlier in the year, I wrote about Lupe’s album, Testuo and Youth. I listened to this record pretty much for an entire month once I discovered it because I kept finding new things to appreciate in each of the tracks. This week, I’ve been vacillating between moody blues and Lupe’s record all over again. Maybe it’s the change in weather, or it’s that I know winter is coming again, so I’m reaching for nostalgic triggers to get my mind ready for cold days and long nights. I’m not sure. Either way, this track has been in heavy rotation on my soundtrack.

The lyrics are so politically charged, it’s hard to find any fault with the track. One of the main reasons this track resonates with me so much is because I can understand the struggle. It reminds me of growing up in the hood. Maybe it’s the 2/4 time – I’ve long held the idea that there’s always a bit of music found somewhere in the hood … much more so than in ‘affluent’ neighborhoods that are generally so quiet. It’s like those folks don’t know how to make noise, or they’re scared to. Maybe the most poignant lyric is, “the ghetto was a physical manifestation/of hate in a place where ethnicity determines your placement/a place that defines your station” … this week I’ve been giving much thought to my ‘place’ and my ‘station’ and what I can keep doing to move forward. I guess this lyric reminds me that not only am I not the only one to want to supersede her boundaries, but with the right beat and rhythm, I can make it happen.