What if...

Lupe Fiasco is considered a lyrical genius of our time.

Wasalu Muhammad Jaco "Lupe Fiasco"

 His surplus of meaning in his lyrics overflows off the page and gathers for the listener to absorb. All Black Everything by Lupe Fiasco is a prime example of Lupe Fiasco's efforts to imagine society without the redundant problems that bother and fill our minds at all times.

Lupe Fiasco suggests the listener to free their mind and dream together with himself of a world without social distinctions.

In Lupe Fiasco's dream which is taking place during the song All Black Everything, problems in today's society are reversed and there are no distinctions in race, color, or ethnicity. By reversing the roles of people in today's society with their opposite role gives us insight into the society that evolved in Lupe Fiasco's dream. Lupe's song All Black Everything expresses backwards world views and distorted illusions of society. 

Another concept that Lupe Fiasco demonstrates in his song includes the aversion of many conflicts caused by inequality and unjust actions. For instance, Lupe's first verse in All Black Everything discusses the possibilities if slavery had never transpired. Lupe Fiasco goes even farther by portraying many of the extremes in society or antonyms, a black woman in charge of the Ku Klux Klan, Bill O'Reilly reads and reports from the Quran, and even President Bush holding power in Iran rather than the United States. Lupe Fiasco uses these absolute extremes to represent the "what if" possibilities that society fails to acknowledge.

Uh, and we ain't get exploited
White man ain't feared so he did not destroy it
We ain't work for free, see they had to employ it
Built it up together so we equally appointed
First 400 years, see we actually enjoyed it
Constitution written by the W.E.B. Du Bois
Were no reconstructions, Civil War got avoided
Little black Sambo grows up to be a lawyer
Extra extra on the news stands
Black woman voted head of Ku Klux Klan
Malcolm Little dies as a old man
Martin Luther King read the eulogy for him
Followed by Bill O'Reilly who read from the Quran
President Bush sends condolences from Iran
Where FOX News reports live
That Ahmadinejad wins Mandela peace prize

Unlike Weinstein's theory, Lupe Fiasco's works are recognized for their successful arguments against the dominant ideology of conforming to the norms of society, and do not get misinterpreted or misread by a vast quantity of listeners. One way that Lupe Fiasco further reveals his philosophies is through graphic musical texts. According to Shuker, "The three forms of text are graphic, musical, and music video"(93). Lupe Fiasco's album cover for LASERS implements Shuker's theory on graphic text; and their ability to display concepts conveyed by the artist.

Lupe Fiasco connects the verses together through the use of his chorus.

You would never know
If you could ever be
If you never try
You would never see
Stayed in Africa
We ain't never leave
So there were no slaves in our history
Were no slave ships, were no misery, call me crazy, or isn't he
See I fell asleep and I had a dream, it was all black everything

Throughout the chorus, Lupe uses words with definite concrete meanings to convince the listener to consider Lupe's vision of a world without anyone being looked down upon. The words, "never, ever, no, all, everything" establish fixed boundaries within the word itself, leaving no room for misinterpretation. On the other hand, the words, "if, try, isn't, dream" create ambiguous restraints allowing possibilities to transfer to the listeners mind.

Lupe Fiasco also mentions renowned rappers Eminem and 50 Cent as he asks the listener what if Eminem was black and 50 Cent was white. Questioning the norms of society provides Lupe with the listeners attention as they are intrigued by the "what ifs". Society knows and recognizes Eminem for his ability to defeat the odds and receive recognition as a rapper while being white. However, reversing the roles, would Eminem have made it if he was black? Or would 50 Cent be able to do what Eminem did if he was white and reach success?

Eminem fitted in but then again he inspired a black rapper tryin to mimic him
And that's what really rose up out of Michigan, the sign of white rapper by the name of 50 Cent, ha!

Lupe Fiasco's song All Black Everything disputes the standard structure of society and additionally asserts the outlook of an unpopular view upon the listener. Despite the evils surrounding fame and success, Lupe Fiasco is still able to produce music untouched by ordinary opinions. Appealing to the underdog is a tactic that continues to work for Lupe Fiasco as his songs enforce ideas of supporting the less favorite.