Lupe Fiasco - Dumb it Down (lyrics breakdown)

[crutt1026]

Great video

[crutt1026]

@shikamarurules12 totally agree in my opinion eminem sold out a long time ago

[XZaRMusic]

NO ONE on planet earth is touching this man lyrically. Hey Lupe fans, like thought provoking lyrics and insane metaphors? Check out my channel, I promise you wont be disappointed.

[KidBengi]

put you on game is a good one. its about the devil

[poteetang]

Lupe and Eminem should do a song together cause their the most intelligent rapper's in the game today in my opinion.

[shikamarurules12]

@poteetang lol @ Eminem being anywhere close to Lupe.

[poteetang]

@shikamarurules12 Yeah but better him then Lil Wayne.

[shikamarurules12]

@poteetang There are so many more intelligent artists than Eminem... and Lil Wayne shouldn't even be mentioned on a Lupe vid.

[FendyyChanel]

nobody is fucin with lu

[Serpmusic]

been listening to his music since almost from the start and i still catch new things to this day hes the best.

[SuperFakeshake]

best visual explanation of the song. thanks.

[sunshinecaligirl]

Smart rapper.none of that illuminati shit.except for the trench coat guy part

[pkilly126]

wonder what % of people bobbin their heads to this actually knew what he was talkin about... i didn't 100%. he's a skilled lyricist

[cheddaro96]

@pkilly126 he talking about how people used to tell him to "dumb it down", because his lyrics were too complex for them.

[pkilly126]

@cheddaro96 oh i know i'm just sayin it took me awhile whereas usually it's pretty much like you don't even need to be figure it out. i love em, and man if hip hop ain't bein dumbed down check out nicki's stupid hoe shit...ridiculous

[iReasonII]

Wow amazing video thank you. this song was a head breaker but I appreciate it! Nice video man. 

[MrDreadedfear]

Someone said lil wayne's raps need a video to understand... LMFAO what for he really isnt saying shit honestly. He just says random shit that sounds appealing and the idiots who dont understand shit like it.

[bergman864]

I hate to say this, but you're wrong on a lot of counts. Some of his lyrics aren't as "lyrical deep" as you made them out to be. They're still cleverly worded but some of your extra references lose the spirit of what he's actually saying.

[RossRose26]

@bergman864 Examples?

[zinzeta]

@bergman864 I totally agree.  Still, you can't really PROVE that what this guy's saying is wrong until you ask Lupe about it... and even then, you'll have to either trust Lupe's answer or not. :p

[SoManyDeadBodies]

funny song is called dumb it down, but ere thing he says goes rite over my head

[MAJESTYOFFICIAL]

@SoManyDeadBodies lol ikr

[TheCorrectViews]

I hate hip hop for EVERY reason outlined in this song. I hate r n b and all of this booty garbage and THIS song is therefore...AWESOME. I am a WHITE GUY and I am sick of the word NIGGA. I am sick of SHAWTY and fucking BOOTY. ASS ASS ASS...fuck ALL of that. Good job Lupe.

Sam

[SHEsubliminals]

The lyrical breakdowns actually prove how much of a genius Lue really is, his word play is amazing. Hes not that rapper who adds a couple metaphoric phrases in a line in his song. The whole thing is subliminal.

[Chingster22]

i always thought it was "the windshield is menstrual; the whole grill is roadkill" like when he crashed the metaphorical car

[hkm9775]

"bishop G, they told me i should come down cousin, but i flatly refuse, i ain't dumb down nothin." one of the biggest G moves i have ever seen in the rap game.

[TehLazieBoi]

Math is hard enough...but understanding this song is on a whole 'nother level

lmao lupe is a genius

[MsPrincessCoco]

I tried to explain this song to my best friend.. It wasn't working so I just showed her the video.

Lol then she was all like "Oh that was so cool! He's so smart!"

I said "You don't get it do you?"

She said "Not even a little.. Can you play this again?"

Cthu! Great job with this though!

[willcook333]

wait how many times did you guys pause and rewind?? it took me 10 min to watch a 4min video lol

[willcook333]

@willcook333 now i gotta watch again!!

[CiyaDe]

Great man, this vid got nearly 100k views. Ive remember when it had like a few thousands views.

Great job

[smokintheblaze]

Damn. Analyzing this can count as a journalist assignment.

[edwardmartian]

i've spent countless hours trying to decipher this song's lyrics by myself.

well, iwas right about 90% of the metaphors so ifeel accomplished. :p

now with that said.

LUPE IS THE F.CKING GREATEST OF ALL TIME!

but you guys already know that.

[lifeismelody11211994]

i dont understand why lil Wayne us sellin more then him or any one in young money

he is genius, >< DAMN wats worng wit pple ??????????? 

[rnfs1]

Freaking awesome....thank u for makin it literal

[Frenchelmo3000]

7 people were bullied in junior high

[MrJJWiz]

Lyrics so deep even Scuba Steve will find it hard to breath!

[memorexbanana]

i'm not gonna lie, i still don't understand this whole song :)

[kidcudiisthebest]

illuminati is all i got to say..it give tooo many clues

[IGotAllOfThat]

@kidcudiisthebest lol

[TokyoChyld]

God given gift bless the game Lupe

[1987foxdie]

WELL DONE!!

[spenseroni]

lupe just blows everyone else out the water. makes all those bullshit rappers look like 3rd graders

[MeZmoRiiZeXx]

i alwys wonder if these things jst com strait to lupes head or does he sit down for weeks to write this???? my god its amazing

[Stev01213]

@MeZmoRiiZeXx He explained his creative process to The Atlantic magazine. According the article, he finds a beat he likes and then writes his lyrics accordingly. Just google "The Atlantic Lupe Fiasco" to read the article. It's quite insightful.

[bently103]

the line pimp c the wings on the underground king can also be said as "pimp see the wings on the underground king" like you see lupe taking off.

[gorillaz539]

lyricism. 

[metafora88]

i did't realize this before but then when I heard again in your video and Lupe said make it plain, it reminded me of the documentary of Malcolm x with the exact same title.

[jamesbakerschool]

great work - nice analysis - these vids take time but are fun to do - I made a remix with Nicki Minaj's verse from Sweet Dreams with some Lil Kim, Biggie, MJ - it's pretty nice. I'll subscribe for more vids like these from you.

[athurman193]

@HueyEscobar56 Agreed this and Failure, most lyrically in depth rap songs I've ever heard

[PjLightDub]

check my remix out

[HueyEscobar56]

I think this is lupe's most lyrical song to date

[Pepsi2543]

I kinda got the flow of the words before when I simply heard the song but this helped a lot to get it into percpective, nice video.

[xxJuanStunnaxx]

I love this! I thought I understood but it's a little more clear.

[blizzared2]

Only rapper that needs a video to explain the rap LOL

[ThePickOfAwesomeness]

@blizzared2 WRONG !!! I need a video to explain what lil wayne is raping about...because I can't understand what the fuck hes sayin

[missbubblegum25]

Love the chorus! And it's so true..me and a fellow Youtuber were debating about how the music industry today is "dumbed down" There is no creativity or substance! No inspiration or motivation. People growing up in the hood think it's cool to be a "gangsta" and uncool to get their diploma b/c they idolizing idiots like Waka who is pretty much promoting kids to drop out of high school (he pretty much said this on an interview) This is the type of music that should be on the radio.

[HaIBeFuckingYourMom]

Lupe Fiasco is one of the best singers ever!

[CRMHFC]

BRAINRAPE

[rmassie11]

LOLOL, my god This dude goes SOO hard on this track........

[TheWarrior2Game7]

America's theme song.

[KayPharaoh]

there also triple entendre" lupe does it all da time and so does jay-z

here's and example of one owwww,hose turn they head like owws 'im the man of the ow (owwww,hoes trun they head like olws ,im the man of the hour)

[martinisthe3rd]

@KayPharaoh i know jay says that is a triple entendre but its not.

[nikeb00ts]

i live in cambodia

[MrCommenterguy]

@MrBluehippo69 no it's not, I hate it when you dudes always relate everything to the illuminati. FFA.

[MrBluehippo69]

This is all about denying illuminati

[MrCommenterguy]

@westendlad SAFE! i just spent the last half an hour looking through it on the website and depicting, now the second time round i can enjoy!

[Agginy]

R.I.P Proof he was a great artist and lyricist

[JBrewer4386]

Lupe is so good that I had to watch this video to fully understand this song METAPHORICALLY, and I heard it back in '07

[westendlad]

@JBrewer4386 I listened to the album loads over 2 years and found something new each time. BTW they decode the meaning of this song so much better on Rap Genius website.

[MisterMolecule]

I know next to nothing about any of this, but I know FNF is not nor has even been short for Final Fantasy

[rtothepandj]

@MisterMolecule were talking about one of the greatest lyrical rappers ever here, yes FnF stands for first and fifteenth, but look how many of his words have double meanings

[khalif088]

TimesNuroman people like you are the people he knew would get it you are a genius SIR

[tubetime3]

Your great i have actually been annotating this song myself im glad that i got most of them right, Damn you for getting more than me though :D good work 

[royal44100]

OH MY GOODNESS

fair F-F-jet in the nest

One of the most indepth little lines ever written

Jet the letter 'N' in the nest or the middle of the letters 'F' FNF rules

[WingsOfCarnage]

i love how the overall message can be dumbed down to " im over your heads"

[dtpheif]

@WingsOfCarnage only a lyrical genious could pull that off

[Ayplus]

I guess nobody noticed how he said "Pimp C The 'Wings' On An Underground King". This album dropped the same month Pimp C died. Additionally u should probably check out 'Hurt Me Soul'. At 3:17 - 3:20 he says something about Obama and Osama. Pretty eerie. May be a coincidence or something may be supernatural about this guy.

[gallis92]

@Ayplus yea it really got to be supernatural ....I DON'T IF ALYUH REALIZE BUT LUPE Fiasco SONG WORDS I NEVER SAID .... AT EXACTLY 28SECS IN DAT VIDEO THE NEWS PAPERS DATE WAS MAY 1 2011...NOW OSAMA DIED ON DAT DAY ...DAT VIDEO WAS RELEASE BOUT A WEEK B4 HE DIED ....SEEIN DAT LUPE IS A MAN DAT SPEAKIN AGAINST TERRORISM, THE MUSIC INDUSTRY AND THE ILLUMINATI TING DATS JUS A HUGE COINCIDENCE IT MAKES U REALLY TINK........y

[Ayplus]

@gallis92 I dont know what the 'illuminati' is but i hear u

[gallis92]

@Ayplus or ok cool u shud do some research its really important u now about it

[mizong84]

In terms of creativity and most intelligent tracks I ever heard this matches up with Alphabetical Slaughter by Papoose, Dr. Carter by Lil Wayne, and Why remix by Jada Kiss. That's what I call keeping it hip hop. Why are artists like Lupe so underrated?

[dalia72592]

such a good song

[JrdArtist]

Crazy!

[muda963]

that dislike is from the dude who tried to get this reported for copyrighting

[Ant718100]

This song is ironically genius cuz it's called "Dumb it Down" and it may be his most complex in terms of lyrics.

[jojo199335]

@Ant718100

if you like this listen to lupe fiasco failure

[dandre20]

i cant even get past 1 minute without being mentally fucked lol wow this nigga is so deep i wish i could like be lupe's apprentice or soemthing i just wanna understand his full mental process (which i dont think anyone does)

[xaxaxaxaxa95]

@dandre20 yo same here or kanye cause they be on some next type level when they think of songs

[stepitoutkid]

No he is saying the whole grill is road kill because he is blind he cant drive

[Rexicity]

@stepitoutkid *facepalm* ... u either need to look up double entendre or ur just trollin'

[ShaolinKitty]

I love his metaphors in this song. Especially the menstrual windshield and the"sphinx"

[gurczak]

I think the line "the windshield is minstrel" is also menstrual as in bloody from all the roadkill

[Rexicity]

@gurczak yup, think it was a triple entendre that one

[bboyquestroc]

FNF is not Final Fantasy dumbass! It's First n Fifteen

[TimesNuRoman]

@bboyquestroc go look up "double entendre" smartass.

[s1ckbro]

@TimesNuRoman yo did you figure all this out by yoself nigga or you using rap genius.com n shit home dog what up westside stand up rasta

[khalif088]

@bboyquestroc i bet you feel stupid now lol

[bboyquestroc]

@khalif088 Naw i looked da shit up n since hes on dat 1st n 15 its double meaning

[HaisDais]

@bboyquestroc shitted on... if you dont know, times is the nicest at this shit... and even if that was a mistake, everything else was on point... u really look like a hater now

[ProjectPalestine]

@bboyquestroc its a double meaning guy its both lupe does that alot

[MrTootall25]

yo thanx for posting this now i understand this song..lupe fiasco = the most intelligent rapper

[Sleightofhandsz]

Im on my level

[Taeway1001]

The way you broke the lyrics down makes Lupe a way way better rapper than Eminem and wayne put together

[mobychoc]

@Taeway1001 whoah hold on there, Lupe is good but not better than Eminem lyrically over th course of their careers. The Marshall Mathers LP was lyrical gold.

[Thunder313]

You're very good at the break down of the lyrics but you aren't 100%

[missbubblegum25]

@Thunder313 that's why it's his interpretation! You may interpret it another way..the only person who knows the full meaning is the person who wrote the lyrics duh!

[kiki8677]

this video is awsome !!!!!!

[MusicandChronic]

I was high when I heard this, and I was like WTF!! nice

[CurtisNugent]

I find new shit every time I listen to this song...

[Turnpikelax]

uhh the part about

"as for the hearing i found it,

it was as far as the distance from the earing to the ground is."

that doesn't mean his fan base is underground, im pretty sure it means that the music wasnt actually reaching the listeners ears it was right below it and so nobody actually heard or understood what his music was about. I could be wrong but that's my opinion.

[TROLLlN]

@Turnpikelax I'm pretty sure you're right.

[DaxPrince1994]

@Turnpikelax Should have said

"as for the hearing its soundless,

Over the hill to where to clouds live"

Just to say that all his rhymes go straight over peoples head, and to go to show that if he dumb it "down" it would actually be heard instead of ignored...you get where I'm coming from here?

[NappyNeek]

Is there anyway that I can get a break down of his lyrics bc I am unable to view youtube the videos at this time. I only login but but the videos wont load.Thanks.

[computerwiz31]

@NappyNeek it might be on rapgenius if not then idk

[MITCHMCELROY73]

This might be one of the best written rap songs in a long time. The way he ties all the shit together is fucking genious.

[Javis586]

@MITCHMCELROY73 ... coming from someone who can't even spell genius right lolol

[BeeHell28]

well done! stuff i didnt know about the lyrics in here

[CodysFavorites3]

great breakdown...i thought failure was his craziest song with all the metaphors and what not but this ones a close second

[CiyaDe]

This is dope, but too bad you had to change the audio.

[kuggle7]

awesome review i think this is the lupe song i listen to the most, not just because of the lyrics but because of my accent it took a while for me to say the worlds without fumbling

[TwinDragons4]

Dumb That Down.. Yeah

[gopack2k]

great breakdown! dont worry about copyright, this is review/critisism/educational and people get away with it even when it isnt in those categories

[swaggajr305]

"ima veer so i dont come near like a chicken or a deer" meaning he will stay out of the spot light cause both deers and chickens freeze when you shine a light on them. and "but i spinks like leon" leon spinks the boxer had his nose broken to the point that he couldnt smell anything when he fought Ali the second time around, but i never knew that part about proof the rapper thats pretty cool. thanks man :)

[Zulluhead]

Thanks a lot,great video (just the black/white change of original gets annoying after a while) but great work!

[TimesNuRoman]

@Zulluhead yeah, it was the only way i could get around the copyright issues, but thanks :)

[embizzell2614]

@TimesNuRoman I actually think it adds to the meaning of dumbing it down. In the black and white scenes its like they have no substance. Can't wait for LASERS!

[Zulluhead]

@Zulluhead oh,in that case I'm 100% happy :D (as I got a GOOD breakdown + you wont get into trouble), oh do more please :D this + your failure is amazing.

[TimesNuRoman]

@Zulluhead haha yeah, there's more to come, for suuure.

[Zulluhead]

@TimesNuRoman GOOD :D