CHECKING THE PULSE OF HIP HOP:LUPE FIASCO AND THE RESURRECTION OF URBAN CULTURAL EXPRESSION

by

Aisha Sara Fukushima

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirementsfor graduation with Honors in Rhetoric and Film Studies.

Whitman College2008

Certificate of Approval

This is to certify that the accompanying thesis by Aisha Sara Fukushima has been accepted inpartial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation with Honors in

Rhetoric and Film Studies.

______________________________________Robert M. Withycombe

Professor of Rhetoric and Film Studies

________________________________Robert C. Sickels

Professor of Rhetoric and Film Studies

Whitman CollegeNovember 30, 2008

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK PROFESSOR BOB WITHYCOMBE, DR. MICHAELERIC DYSON, PROFESSOR GEORGIA ROBERTS, THE BLUE SCHOLARS AS

WELL AS MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS FOR THEIR GUIDANCE ANDSUPPORT AS I CRAFTED THIS SENIOR HONORS THESIS. I WOULD

ESPECIALLY LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE MY MOTHER, DONNA CARPENTER-FUKUSHIMA, FOR HER AMAZING STRENGTH AND WISDOM.

AbstractIs hip hop really "dead"? I explore this question through a rhetorical analysis of criticallyacclaimed and Grammy award winning rapper Lupe Fiasco’s song “Dumb It Down” from LupeFiasco’s The Cool. Using complex wordplay, intertexual metaphors and a style thatsubversively parodies commercial rap, Lupe Fiasco poses a challenge to the mainstreamentertainment industry, uncritical listeners as well as other rap artists who have agreed tocompromise the artistic and intellectual creativity of their music. Drawing from Marxist theoristAntonio Gramsci’s theory of hegemony, I analyze Lupe Fiasco’s role as a cultural andintellectual leader who strives to help awaken a type of national-popular collective will amongmainstream consumers. With the metaphorical livelihood of hip hop at stake, Lupe Fiasco’scounter-hegemonic song offers an innovative approach to what he has called the potential“resurrection” of the genre.

Table of Contents

Title Page……………………………………………………………………………….iCertificate of Approval…………………………………………………………………iiAcknowledgements……………………………………………………………………..iiiAbstract…………………………………………………………………………………ivTable of Contents……………………………………………………………………….vChecking the Pulse of Hip Hop.....……………………………………………………..1

The Death of Hip Hop? ......................................................................................1

Popular Culture Theory and the Co-optation of Hip Hop……………………...9“Hip Hop Means Intelligent Movement”………………………………………13Conclusion and Discussion……………………………………………………..33

Works Cited and Referenced…………………………………………………...………39

I love rap music… But I’m tired of defending it. [. . .] People say that’s not art, that’s notmusic, it’s garbage! [. . .] In the old days it was easy to defend rap music. It was easy todefend it on an intellectual level. You could break it down intellectually. [. . .] And I loveall the rappers today but it’s hard to defend this shit. It’s hard to defend ‘I’ve got hoes indifferent area codes’!

— Chris Rock (my italics)

The Death of Hip Hop?

The legacy of the American music industry includes a long history of the commercialization ofmusic stemming from black urban communities such as the rise of big band jazz in the 40s andthe advent of mainstream R&B in the 70s (Baraka 181; George 3-4). The commercialization ofthese forms of music involves a process of making each genre appeal to mainstream audiencesby downplaying sociopolitical messages and almost exclusively creating music for the purposeof entertainment (Bakara 181-2). Most recently, the commercial “co-optation” of rap is leadingto what the rapper Nas has proclaimed to be the potential “death” of hip hop (Perry 191).According to hip hop scholar Jeff Chang, the commercialization of hip hop began between thelate 90s and the new millennium when the investments of major labels such as VivendiUniversal, Sony, AOL, Time Warner, Bertelsmann and EMI monopolized the music industry(443-4). This shift from independent labels to mainstream corporations is reflective of a broadertransition in the music industry from a “broadcast model” that marketed a “one-size-fits-all” typeof popular culture to a “niche model” that marketed a more eclectic variety of cultural media toan even larger audience of consumers (Chang 415-6). As a result, there has been a growingdivision between “hip hop as biz” and “hip hop as folk expression” (George 218). On one hand,“hip hop as folk expression,” constitutes underground hip hop and message rap that often shedslight on issues faced by marginalized urban communities. On the other hand, the large majorityof “hip hop as biz” or “commercial” hip hop has lost its sociopolitical significance in order toappeal to mainstream audiences. There also are a select number of popular artists such as LaurynHill, Jay-Z, Nas, KRS-One and Lupe Fiasco who speak out in resistance to thecommercialization of hip hop.

In the late 1990s, many hip hop artists found commercial success through music thatemphasized expensive consumerist habits and gangster violence while lacking originality in thelyrical content and beats of the music they produced (Perry 191). The year 1998 perhaps mostclearly marks a turning point for hip hop as it made a major transition from a musical subgenre toa widely-recognized genre of popular music (Watkins 78-84). Despite the growingcommercialization of hip hop, Lauryn Hill’s 1998 solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,became one of the most successful examples of hip hop music with a mass appeal that alsopreserves its cultural and ideological significance (Perry 193). Debuting and remaining at thetop of the Billboard 200 list for an entire month after its release, Hill’s album set record sales for

both men and women in the record industry (Watkins 72). In Prophets of the Hood, Imani Perryclaims that Lauryn Hill “announced the neo-black pride movement for the generation both insubstance and style” (193). As a black female rapper with her own unique Afro-centric sense ofstyle and socially conscious lyrics, Lauryn Hill’s appearances on the covers of magazines andher four Grammy awards evidenced that political hip hop was far from dead. More specifically,the song “Superstar” from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill album typifies Hill’s effort to speakout against the growing corporate influences on hip hop by challenging artists to deliver morecreative and substantive messages in their music. The song opens: “Hip hop started out in theheart, now everybody tryin’ the chart,” and eventually builds up to the chorus and first verse:“Come on baby light my fire / Everything you drop is so tired / Music is supposed to inspire / Sohow come we ain’t gettin’ no higher? / Now tell me your philosophy / About exactly what anartist should be / Should he be someone with prosperity? / And no concept of reality?”

Nas echoed Lauryn Hill’s “Superstar” with the release of his controversial 2006 albumHip Hop is Dead – one of his best selling records since his 1992 debut album I Am . . . . Nas,often called a “veteran” of hip hop, is identified by his carefully crafted, street conscious lyricalmessages that are clearly reflected in his hit single “Hip Hop is Dead” (Mayfield). “Everybodysound the same, commercialize the game, / Reminiscin’ when it wasn't all business,” Nas raps.Harkening back to old school hip hop, Nas takes a stance against the growing corporateinfluences of the music industry that limit popular hip hoppers’ artistic and intellectual freedom.While the album and the hit single song titles proclaim “Hip Hop is Dead” with a darkphotograph of Nas holding a rose over a grave, he uses the phrase “if hip hop should die before Iwake” in the chorus of the song. In this way, Nas is not necessarily declaring the “death” of hiphop as much as he is warning other artists and industry leaders that commercial influencessacrifice the integrity of the music. This bold statement has made the impending “death” of hiphop the central debate of most American hip hop communities since the album’s 2006 release(Perry, 191).

KRS-One’s recent single “Hip Hop Lives” is a direct response to Nas’ 2006 album andsingle “Hip Hop is Dead.” KRS-One has been one of the most consistent and adamant artists inspeaking out against the co-optation of hip hop that has sacrificed the quality of the music. Asthe self-proclaimed father of “edutainment,” KRS-One uses his raps as an effective means ofconnecting with and educating youth (Keyes 85). Along with rappers like Chuck D and SistaSouljah, KRS-One has become one of the most influential artists in establishing a following forpolitical rap (Watkins 240). From his debut album Criminal Minded to his second albumSpiritual Minded and now his most recent CD Hip Hop Lives, KRS-One has been a radicaladvocate for socially conscious hip hop. Furthermore, this advocacy has not been confined tothe recording studio: KRS-One has been at the forefront of the “Stop the Violence” movement aswell as efforts to unify hip hoppers through the Temple of Hip Hop movement (Watkins, 241-2).In his most recent musical campaign, KRS-One counters claims that “Hip Hop is Dead” throughhis song “Hip Hop Lives”:

Hip means to know / It’s a form of intelligence / To be hip is to be up-to-date andrelevant / Hop is a form of movement / You can’t just observe a hop / You got to hop upand do it / Hip and Hop is more than music / Hip is the knowledge / Hop is the movement/ Hip and Hop is intelligent movement / Or relevant movement / We selling the music! /So write this down on your black books and journals: / Hip hop culture is eternal!

Rappers such as Jay-Z, alternatively, have taken a more subtle approach to speaking outagainst the commercial influences that have restricted the intellectual and artistic creativity ofmainstream hip hop. Jay-Z has been recognized as one of the most prolific contemporaryrappers having recorded ten consecutive platinum-plus albums and established his own lucrativeclothing line among other successful collaborative projects (Watkins 77). Before reaching hiphop superstardom, Jay-Z grew up in Brooklyn’s Marcy Projects where he was introduced to theunderground economy run by local street hustlers (Watkins 74). While these early lifeexperiences are reflected in themes of ghetto living and street consciousness in songs like “HardKnock Life” (Ghetto Anthem), Jay-Z also produces music that emphasizes hyper-sexuality,materialism and misogynistic themes in order to tap into the commercial success of mainstreamhip hop (Watkins 77). In this way, Jay-Z’s raps both support and resist the corporate intereststhat shape the majority of commercially successful hip hop. Jay-Z speaks most openly about thecorporate influences that have brought about the decline of hip hop artistry in his testimonialsong “Moment of Clarity” from The Black Album released in 2003:

Music business hate me cuz the industry ain't make me / Hustlers and boosters embraceme and the music I be makin’ / I dumbed down for my audience to double my dollars /They criticized me for it yet they all yell ‘holla!’ / If skills sold, truth be told, I'dprobably be / Lyrically, Talib Kweli / Truthfully, I wanna rhyme like Common sense /But I did five mill' - I ain't been rhymin’ like Common since / When your cents got thatmuch in common / And you been hustlin’ since, your inception / Fuck perception gowith what makes sense (cents) / Since I know what I'm up against / We as rappers mustdecide what's most important / And I can't help the poor if I'm one of them / So I gotrich and gave back, to me that's the win-win / So next time you see the homie and hisrims spin / Just know my mind is workin’ just like them [. . .] / Rims, that is

Talib Kweli, who has also been known to speak out about the “death” of hip hop with songs suchas “Too Late,” has since responded to Jay-Z’s confession on his track “Ghetto Show” from TheBeautiful Struggle:

If lyrics sold, then truth be told / I'll probably be just as rich and famous as Jay-Z /Truthfully, I wanna rhyme like Common sense / Next best thing, I do a record withCommon sense [ . . . ] / I feel the spirit in the dark and hear it in my heart / And alwayskeep my ear to the block ‘til I dearly depart / Hip hop is really the art / We have toexpress the part of ourselves, to make us want to martyr ourselves

This musical dialogue between Jay-Z and Talib Kweli is indicative of an internal critique amongrappers about the “death” of hip hop that has built momentum since artists such as Lauryn Hillgraced the mainstream spotlight.Jay-Z also has shared a long history with critically acclaimed rapper Lupe Fiasco who he calls a“breath of fresh air” for contemporary hip hop and was recognized by GQ magazine as a“Breakout Man of the Year” in 2006 (Methodshop.com; Atlanticrecords.com). Since then, LupeFiasco has been nominated for three Grammies and awarded the “Best Urban/AlternativePerformance” Grammy for his song “Daydreamin” featuring neo-soul singer Jill Scott. He hasalso recently become a member of the rap supergroup Child Rebel Soldiers with two of hip hop’sbiggest celebrities: Pharrell Williams and Kanye West. Lupe Fiasco furthers Jay-Z’s message in“Moment of Clarity” through his unabashed criticism of the co-optation of hip hop in the hitsingle “Dumb It Down” from his 2006 album Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool which debuted at number

one on Billboard’s “Top Rap Albums” chart. Lupe Fiasco is an exception with respect to manyother emerging mainstream hip hop stars because he refuses to conform to the industry’s effortsto dampen the social and political relevancy that has characterized hip hop since its inception inthe 1980s. The non-conformity of Lupe Fiasco’s raps to the music industry’s standards forcommercial hip hop has earned him the label of being “unclassifiable,” and makes it necessaryfor marketers to take creative and strategic approaches to promoting his music (Crosley). “DumbIt Down,” for example, gained a great deal of popularity through viral distribution after beingposted on YouTube which eventually earned the music video airtime on mainstreamentertainment channels like BET and MTV (Crosley). In the song, Lupe Fiasco pinpointscorporate executives’, hip hop artists’ and consumers’ roles in bringing about the decline ofcreative message rap. With lines like “you ain’t winnin’ no awards” and “you’ll sell morerecords if you (dumb it down)” in the song, Lupe Fiasco also points out that his unconventionalstyle has made it difficult for him to get the recognition he deserves within the music industry.

Altogether, songs such as Lauryn Hill’s “Superstar,” Nas’ “Hip Hop is Dead,” KRS-One’s “Hip Hop Lives,” Jay-Z’s “Moment of Clarity” and Lupe Fiasco’s “Dumb It Down”cumulatively form a type of musical stance against the commercial exploitation of hip hop.Using “Dumb It Down” as an artifact for analysis, I will examine Lupe Fiasco’s unique approachto making unconventional and complex message rap appeal to a mainstream audience. On onelevel, Lupe Fiasco’s rap makes a statement against the culture industry that has lead to the “co-optation” of mainstream hip hop that can be related to larger issues of centralized wealth andpower in America’s capitalist system. On another level, Lupe Fiasco’s role as a hip hopintellectual resembles that of one of the most heralded message rap artists of the 1990s: the lateTupac Shakur. Similar to Tupac who “helped combat the anti-intellectualism in rap” through the“profound literacy” of his lyrical style, Lupe Fiasco draws from a large range of cultural textsand uses dense metaphor to challenge listeners intellectually (Dyson 99). Drawing inspirationfrom his street consciousness and his culturally literate background, Lupe Fiasco contributes to asignificant movement towards intellectualizing hip hop in a way that resonates with mainstreamaudiences who have grown bored of humdrum commercial music.While I will differentiate between “conscious” and “commercial” hip hop in the remainder ofthis discussion, it is important to acknowledge the limitations of these terms. On one hand, thoselabeled “conscious” rappers are often categorized as underground artists or “ghetto superstars”who cater to a narrow audience of listeners. Mainstream commercial rappers, on the other hand,are presumed to create more danceable music with a broad appeal deserving of mainstreamattention. As a result of this distinction, those labeled “conscious” artists struggle to share themainstream spotlight. In the song “The Conscious Rapper” KRS-One illuminates his ownexperiences as one of the longest standing “conscious” artists in the industry:

So you wanna be a conscious rapper? / Can you handle the press and they negativechatter? / Can you eat cold platters, and still spit data? / Watchin’ others spit lies and theypockets get fatter / Can you climb up the ladder, and reach the top? / But it still doesn'tmatter, cuz you ain't pop / Can you rock for the love of the art? / Can you drop hit afterhit after hit and still don't chart?

Commercially successful rapper Jay-Z also speaks about this tension between so-called“conscious” and “commercial” rap in the introduction to his song “Ignorant Shit”: “Ya’ll niggersgot me really confused out there. Make ‘Big Pimpin’’ or ‘Give It To Me,’ one of those, you heldme as the greatest writer of the twenty-first century. I make some thought provoking shit, ya’ll

question whether he fallin’ off” (Dyson). Many hip hop artists are therefore faced with thedifficult choice of “selling out” by compromising the hard-hitting messages in their music forcommercial success, or being overlooked for being “too political.” This binary opposition alsofails to take into account the fact that a number of rappers such as Jay-Z and Nas can qualify asboth “conscious” and “commercial” artists.

Although people often reminisce about the political messages of “conscious” old schoolhip hop, I argue that the misogynistic themes and “bling bling” materialism prevalent incontemporary mainstream hip hop is not completely new. As Geologic of the hip hop duo BlueScholars explained in a personal interview:

The hip hop pioneers were all rappin’ about money [. . .] or talking about wishfullyhaving money [. . .] so to say hip hop is ‘dead’ because everybody’s talking about moneyis like (scoffs), everybody been talking about money [. . .] [People say] ‘Oh hip hop is allabout violence,’ well that was also part of hip hop from the beginning.

This is not to suggest that messages about gang violence, materialism, hustling and sexualexploitation in rap stem from hip hop culture. Rather, these themes are a reflection of thepreexisting societal conditions and inequalities that shape the reality and ambitions of many hiphop lyricists. Tupac Shakur echoes this idea in his song “Keep Your Head Up” when he raps “Iwas given this world, I didn't make it.” Since these themes are often inspired by the real livedexperiences of youth from predominantly low-income urban communities, it is often difficult todelineate between which artists should be labeled “conscious” and those who should beconsidered “commercial” artists. With this in mind, while I will use the term “commercial” rap,I also acknowledge that the distinction between “conscious” and “commercial” hip hop iscomplex.

Popular Culture Theory and the Co-optation of Hip Hop:

The Culture Industry, Hegemony and Street EntrepreneurshipThe world lost a luminary recently, its name is hip hop. [. . .] Rap is supposed to have amessage, and that message is ‘it will take a nation of millions to hold us back’ not‘young, black and famous with money hanging out of my anus’! Hip hop, have you lostyo damn mind?!

—David Alan Grier, Chocolate News

While a great deal of work has been done to trace the evolution of hip hop since itsemergence in the 1980s, few scholars have begun to theorize about the political and ideologicalimplications of rappers’ musical resistance to the so-called “death” of hip hop. Drawingpredominantly from Marxist theories about the popular culture industry and hegemony, I willillustrate the ways in which Lupe Fiasco’s “Dumb It Down” challenges both mainstream recordlabels and the consumers who support it unquestioningly. Exploring the ideas of intellectualsAdorno and Horkheimer of the Frankfurt School, I will conceptualize the culture industry as acapitalist monopoly that maintains its domination over the masses through various forms ofpopular entertainment. Then, applying Antonio Gramsci’s notion of counter-hegemony fromThe Prison Notebooks to contemporary hip hop, I will illustrate the ways in which it is possiblefor mainstream rappers like Lupe Fiasco to challenge the hegemony of the culture industry.

Before exploring this Marxist ideological critique of the commercial co-optation of hip hopculture, however, it is important to examine the intersection between race and class that plays amajor role in the commodification of black urban cultural expression for mainstream audiences.According to Mark Anthony Neal, the success of hip hop moguls like Jay-Z and RussellSimmons are dependent on their “perceived proximity to black urban enclaves” as well as theirability to market “authentic cultural artifacts” to consumers (7). This “commodified blackness,”Neal claims, loses its authenticity and instead becomes part of “stylized perceptions of black life,packaged for mass consumption” (8). Other hip hop scholars such as S. Craig Watkins andRobin Kelley, go further, pointing out that the popular commodification or “blaxploitation” ofhip hop culture is central to the way we “(re)produce and experience” the social construction ofrace (Watkins 558; Kelley 77). Moreover, Watkins and Kelley explain that urban youth tend tohave an ironic relationship with the American capitalist system that marginalizes themsocioeconomically while also creating opportunities for street entrepreneurship by marketingforms of cultural expression like hip hop music and graffiti (Watkins 570; Kelley 77). As a workthat rejects and parodies many of the common tropes prevalent in mainstream rap, Lupe Fiasco’s“Dumb It Down” problematizes this notion of commodifying “authentic” black street culture.Adorno and Horkheimer’s perspectives on the role of the culture industry in manipulatingmainstream consumers’ behaviors and ideologies are central to understanding this commercial“co-optation” of hip hop. In “The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception,” Adornoand Horkheimer claim that all products of popular culture are part of a monopoly used todominate the masses (95). In order to maintain their powerful position in the status quo, theleaders of the culture industry produce forms of popular entertainment that “debar” spectatorsfrom thinking independently and being critical of their own consumerist habits (Adorno andHorkheimer 118; 109). As a result, mainstream audiences willingly conform to the dominantideologies of the culture industry and become “eternal consumers” (Adorno and Horkheimer113). The culture industry has achieved this in the context of contemporary mainstream hip hopby reducing commercial rap to often misogynistic, stereotypically racialized and materialisticthemes. Adorno and Horkheimer also claim that art mediated through the culture industry losesits subversive potential and becomes a self-referential advertisement (135). More specifically,they argue that culture becomes “fetishized” and thereby loses its non-commercial meaning(Adorno and Horkeheimer 128). This is perhaps best exemplified by the marketing of blackgangsterism and “ghetto fabulous” living through hip hop icons such as Russell Simmons andJay-Z (Neal 7). Adorno and Horkheimer, however, overlook the ways in which counter-culturalor subcultural movements like those found within hip hop can also challenge the dominance ofthe culture industry.Marxist theorist Antonio Gramsci’s more nuanced understanding of the relationship betweendominant and the subordinate classes, on the other hand, acknowledges the potential for acounter-hegemonic movement led by “organic” intellectual leaders. In his work “The ModernPrince” from The Prison Notebooks Gramsci describes “hegemony” as a process in which themasses consensually submit to the rule of the dominant class rather than being coerced intosubordinate positions. In order to establish hegemony, there is “confrontation and conflict”between classes until the dominant class prevails, “bringing about not only a union of economicand political aims, but also intellectual and moral unity” (Gramsci 182). The ruling classtypically upholds their own private interests and makes minimal compromises with subordinateclasses in order to maintain a cohesive mass following (Gramsci 148; 162). The ruling class

exerts hegemony on material and intellectual levels. Furthermore, the dominant ideology of theruling class is often unconsciously accepted by the masses as “common sense” (Gramsci 324,328, 333; Hebdige 11-13). In the context of the “death” of hip hop debate, the major recordcompanies leading the entertainment industry are a hegemonic power that has gained controlover mass consumers through their own consent.Intellectuals from subordinate classes, however, can challenge the ruling class by organizing themasses into a political party that mobilizes a counter-hegemonic movement (Gramsci 155).Gramsci’s theory of counter-hegemony is fundamentally based on the notion that intellectualismshould not be limited to the bourgeois or the elite; rather those who make up the masses are alsocapable of critical intellectual thought (Gramsci 9). According to Gramsci, these counter-hegemonic “progressive parties” should maintain a system of “democratic centralism” thatrequires the intellectuals to get ideas and inspiration from the masses while also playing aleadership role in shaping the ideologies of the party (155). Many rap artists embody theGramscian notion of an “organic intellectual” who arises from the masses and is able tocommunicate and help lead them through the medium of hip hop. Furthermore, by “disguisingpolitical questions as cultural ones,” mass media and popular culture can be used as tools bythese intellectual leaders to overthrow dominant ideologies and unify the masses as a modernpolitical party without using coercive tactics (Gramsci 148-9). By stimulating intellectualismamong subordinate classes, the masses can eventually develop a “national-popular collectivewill” or a sense of group consciousness that is critical of the ruling class and able to organizearound their own common interests (Gramsci 130-3). Although rappers such as Lupe Fiascowho are leading the critique against the culture industry do not go so far as to try to form aformal political party like the one Gramsci describes, I argue that they help create an ideologicalspace for alternative politics.

“Hip Hop Means Intelligent Movement” :

The Counter-Hegemonic Movement in Hip HopPolice tap my phone and got my songs on speaker / Said he's about the poems, got theirdomes all geeked up / To get back on the throne and become young leaders

Lupe Fiasco “Hi-Definition,” Lupe Fiasco’s The CoolThis section will be dedicated to an analysis of Lupe Fiasco’s song “Dumb It Down” usingGramsci’s theories about hegemony and Adorno and Horkhemier’s conception of the cultureindustry. By closely examining Lupe Fiasco’s complex use of metaphor, signification and inter-textual references, I will illustrate the ways in which his intellectual lyrics challenge hegemonicideologies typically accepted as “common sense” among consumers. I will also explore theways in which Lupe Fiasco transcends and parodies the formulaic guidelines used by the cultureindustry through his non-conformist artistic creativity. Using these rhetorical strategies, LupeFiasco promotes critical and autonomous thinking among the masses so that they may develop a“national-popular collective will” to guide their counter-hegemonic movement.I will begin by analyzing the choruses of the song that personify the role of the culture industryand consumers in maintaining the hegemony of the ruling class. In the second chorus of “DumbIt Down,” Lupe Fiasco characterizes mainstream record labels similar to the way in whichAdorno and Horkhemier describe the ruling class of the culture industry. In the music video awhite actor dressed stereotypically as a businessman in a polo shirt with a sweater neatly tiedover his shoulders recites the chorus. In close-up shots, he patronizingly criticizes Lupe Fiasco’s

intellectual raps and dabs nervous sweat away from his face. The lyrics parody the perspectiveof record company executives:

You’ve been shedding too much light Lu (Dumb It Down) / You make ‘em wanna doright Lu (Dumb It Down) / They’re getting self-esteem Lu (Dumb It Down) / These girlsare trying to be queens Lu (Dumb It Down) / They’re trying to graduate from school Lu(Dumb It Down) / They’re starting to think that smart is cool Lu (Dumb It Down) /They’re trying to ‘get up out the hood’ Lu (Dumb It Down) / I’ll tell you what you shoulddo (Dumb It Down)

Like the culture industry that Adorno and Horkheimer describe, Lupe Fiasco depicts theseexecutives as a group of elites who seek to reinforce dominant consumerist ideologies byproducing popular music that “debars” listeners from thinking critically or autonomously. Thisnotion of “dumbing down” the music for mainstream audiences relates to the central message ofLupe Fiasco’s album: that individuals need to reassess what they are convinced to believe is“cool.” By pointing out that listeners are misled to think that the anti-intellectualism and sexistthemes promoted by mainstream record labels are acceptable, Lupe Fiasco challenges audiencesto be more skeptical of the forms of cultural expression used by the industry to covertly maintaintheir monopoly over subordinate classes.Unlike the second chorus that uses straightforward language to illustrate the industry executives’lack of rhetorical and intellectual creativity, the first and third choruses play on the multipleconnotations associated with the word “nigga” to draw attention to the racialized nature of theculture industry’s monopoly. These sections of the song are told from the perspective of hip hopfans who are depicted in the music video as African American men dressed in street fashion.These consumers pressure Lupe Fiasco to conform to the music industry’s standards formainstream rappers:

You goin’ over niggas heads Lu (Dumb It Down) / They tellin’ me they don’t feel you(Dumb It Down) / Them big words ain’t cool nigga (Dumb It Down) [. . .] / You’ll sellmore records if you (Dumb It Down) [. . .] / You putting me to sleep nigga (Dumb ItDown) / That’s why you ain’t popping in the streets nigga (Dumb It Down) [. . .] / Won’tyou talk about your cars nigga? (Dumb It Down) / What the fuck is Goyard nigga?(Dumb It Down) / Make it rain for the chicks (Dumb It Down) / Pour champagne on abitch! (Dumb It Down)

Through this mocking portrayal of hip hop fans who agree with the record executive’s advicethat Lupe Fiasco should “dumb down” the lyrical content of his songs, he strives to makelisteners more conscious of their role in supporting the hegemony of the culture industry. Sincethe fans’ chorus is introduced in the song before that of the white record company executive, itseems that the consumers are not simply repeating after him, but rather that he is repeating afterthem. In this way Lupe Fiasco illustrates that, as Gramsci describes in his theory of hegemony,subordinate classes consensually submit into their own oppression. Lupe Fiasco furtheremphasizes the irony of subjugated groups’ endorsement of “dumbed down” commercial hip hopmusic by exploring the tension between the multiple connotations associated with the word“nigga.” On one level, the term is often said to be reclaimed when used between AfricanAmericans, perhaps most often within the context of hip hop music. On another level, the chorusof mainstream consumers calling Lupe Fiasco “nigga” while criticizing the complexity of his

lyrics seems to also be used in a derogatory sense, evoking the legacy of slavery and oppressionthat has served as a basis for America’s contemporary capitalist system. On yet another level,the term “nigga” is also associated with stereotypical notions of racial “authenticity” and is usedironically to suggest that Lupe Fiasco may be considered a type of misfit within mainstream hiphop because of his unconventional musical approach. By playing on these various connotationsLupe Fiasco illustrates that despite Adorno and Horkheimer’s beliefs, rhetorical wordplay cancreate a transgressive and subversive space even within the confines of hip hop’s commercialindustry.Lupe Fiasco also uses The Matrix as a metaphor for the hegemonic forces of the culture industrythat promote ignorance among consumers and the prevailing counter-hegemonic party strivingfor intellectual enlightenment through meaningful hip hop. In The Matrix, the protagonist Neomust choose between taking a blue pill that would allow him to live a fictional life constructedby a large computer system that uses the energy of human beings to function (called “TheMatrix”) and a red pill that would allow him to live outside of The Matrix where he may todiscover “truth.” Referencing this scene, Lupe Fiasco raps “took both pills when a bloke in thetrench coat and the locs in the chair had approached him here.” In the context of Lupe Fiasco’ssong, the blue and the red pills become a metaphor for submitting to the dominant ideologies ofthe popular music industry, or seeking to achieve a higher level of intellectual engagement bymobilizing a counter-hegemonic reform among the masses. Since the Matrix in the film is amechanized system run by robots and computer programs, Lupe Fiasco uses this metaphor toillustrate the standardization of mass culture that is used to pacify and subdue the masses. Theprotagonist Neo who chooses to take the red pill and escape from the Matrix, contrastingly,exemplifies individual agency and autonomy. Lupe Fisaco, however, proposes to take both pills,suggesting that he seeks enlightenment through his music while also realizing that he must workwithin the confines of the capitalist music industry in order to communicate with mainstreamaudiences. This ability to see both within and beyond the dominant hegemonic ideologyindicates an escape from the narrow-mindedness fostered by the culture industry.Lupe Fiasco expands on this Matrix metaphor in the second and third verse of the song bydeveloping themes from Greek mythology. Lupe Fiasco discreetly raps the word “sleep” after averse that pokes fun at uncritical fans and rap artists who have compromised the integrity of theirmusic to gain mainstream attention and corporate support. The word “sleep” evokes Morpheus,another principle character from The Matrix named after the Greek god of dreams who has thepower to awaken Neo from the illusory reality of The Matrix and guides him in his journey for“truth.” Lupe Fiasco uses the notion of sleeping to suggest that other commercialized rap artistswho “dumb down” their music remain deluded by the matrix of the culture industry that hasconvinced them to abandon their powerful roles as counter-hegemonic intellectual leaders inexchange for private financial interests. This metaphor of sleeping also highlights the fact thatmainstream audiences unconsciously accept the dominant ideology of the culture industry.Using this tactic, the ruling class is able to repeatedly convince subordinate classes to workagainst their own interests by using popular entertainment as their means of gaining consentinstead of using more coercive practices.In the first verse, Lupe Fiasco distinguishes himself from these other mainstream commercialrappers and passive consumers, claiming: “[I] Awaken at war, ‘til I’m restin’ in peace.” Theusage of the word “awaken” in this passage reinforces the idea that Lupe Fiasco is both a“sleeper” who lives in the Matrix of the culture industry as well as someone who consciously

seeks to transcend the dominant hegemonic ideology in order to come about some higher“truth.” Moreover, he refuses to fall into any type of eternal “sleep” or to become passive in theface of the culture industry until he “rests in peace.” This perpetual quest for enlightenment thatLupe Fiasco advocates is transgressive not only in its message, but in the way the message iscoded with complex metaphor and inter-textual references. In a personal interview, Michael EricDyson explained that “transgression and subversion are not simply politically motivated andoriented toward a specific revolutionary ideal. It’s also about forms, and contents, and genresthat are freighted with such high black intelligence that are not usually given the credit for that.”Correspondingly, Lupe Fiasco’s subversive power lies in his use of hip hop as a highlyintellectual discursive space that challenges passive audiences to become engaged by creatingmusic that encourages them to develop their cultural literacy and critical thinking skills. In otherwords, by creating cross-references between The Matrix and Greek mythology that are codedthrough complex metaphor, Lupe Fiasco goes against the grain of conventional “dumbed down”messages commonly promoted in the mainstream media. His references to both popular cultureand canonical texts are transgressive in that they exhibit a profound cultural literacy that issomewhat unexpected for those who stereotype hip hop as being anti-intellectual.The multiple references to mythology, science-fiction and magic in the song are also used byLupe Fiasco to lyrically transcend the totalizing power of the culture industry. Rather thansignifying a type of escapism through music, these supernatural references are more symbolic ofan intellectual and artistic freedom that has dwindled with the commercialization of hip hop.Using this magical imagery, Lupe Fiasco’s song helps develop what Gramsci calls a “national-popular collective will” among hip hoppers by challenging them to think beyond theconventional street tropes, themes and styles used by hegemonic powers to market mainstreamcommercial music. Rather than promoting a passive consumerist ideology, Lupe Fiasco uses thiscoded magical imagery to awaken more critical thought among the masses. As Gramscidescribes in The Prison Notebooks, the empowerment of intellectuals within subordinate classesis crucial to the mobilization of a counter-hegemonic movement that is critical of the hegemonicpower and able to identify their own collective interests. Ultimately, this usage of supernaturalimagery is used to counteract the efforts of the culture industry to “dumb down” mainstreamaudiences through the deintellectualization of commercial hip hop.In each verse of the song, Lupe Fiasco incorporates an extended metaphor about missing certainphysical features in order to illustrate that the resistance he and other non-conformist artistsexperience within the music industry is dehumanizing. He then uses these magical andmythological themes to illustrate the possibility for ideological transcendence from the dominantideas of the culture industry through critical and imaginative thinking. In the third verse of thesong Lupe Fiasco raps “And I’m brainless / which means I’m headless / like Ichabod Crane is / [.. . ] which makes me saneless.” Ichabod Crane, the protagonist from Washington Irving’s novelSleepy Hollow, is known for being superstitious. While the headless horseman is technically theonly physically decapitated character in the novel, Lupe Fiasco suggests that Ichabod Crane isthe one who is “headless” or “saneless” because of his willingness to believe in the mythical andsupernatural. Lupe Fiasco compares himself to Ichabod Crane because he thinks beyond theconventional standards and commercial reality set forth by the mainstream music industry. Inthis way, he challenges consumers to no longer accept the dominant consumerist ideology of theculture industry as “common sense.” Being “headless” also leaves him neck-less: “[I have] noneck to hang a chain with / which makes me necklace-less / Like a necklace theft / And I ain’t

used my headrest yet,” Lupe Fiasco raps. In this context, being without a neck strangelybecomes a positive attribute that motivates him to relentlessly develop his craft instead of fallingprey to the materialist mentality symbolized by the luxury of using a headrest and lusting overthe chain necklace he describes.This pattern of making an ostensibly negative physical disposition such as being headless into apositive attribute through lyrical “magic” also occurs in the second verse of the song. In thisverse Lupe Fiasco makes an allusion to the voicelessness of “conscious” artists within themainstream entertainment industry when he raps “I’m mouthless / which means I’m soundless.”He later counteracts this notion of silencing complex, non-conformist artists such as himself witha metaphor about Poseidon, the Greek god of water:

Exudes confidence in excess depth / Even Scuba Steve would find it hard to breathe /around these leagues / My snorkel is my tuba, Lu the ruler around these seas / WestsidePoseidon / Westside beside him / Chest high and rising [. . .] / Make it rain [. . .] / Then Ipull the plug and I make it drain / Til’ I feel like flowin’ and fillin’ it up again

Calling himself “Poseidon” or “ruler of the seas” Lupe Fiasco plays on the slang word “flow”used as a synonym for rapping to suggest that he is a leader in hip hop because of the intellectual“depth” of his lyrics. Playing on the idiom “make it rain” that refers to the act of throwing cashinto the air while a stripper dances, Lupe Fiasco recontextualizes the expression to indicate thatinstead of gaining a sense of authority through the objectification of women he finds power inthe ability to craft profound lyrics. This verse perhaps most clearly depicts Lupe Fiasco as aGramscian intellectual who, rising from the populous of Westside Chicago, has becomeempowered by cultivating his intellectual capital and is challenging others to do the same as theydecipher his complicated lyrics. Further, Lupe Fiasco likens his imaginative use of words to thework of street magician David Blaine and proclaims to other rappers “I’m flying on Pegasus, youflying on a pheasant.” The mythological horse Pegasus, Poseidon’s son and the symbol of poeticinspiration for the Greek muses, once again alludes to Lupe Fiasco’s intellectual and creativefreedom. This passage exemplifies Lupe Fiasco’s usage of mythological imagery as a means oftranscending the culture industry’s constrictive norms and reclaiming his voice so that he is nolonger the “mouthless,” “soundless” rapper he describes earlier in the verse.Lupe Fiasco also makes the notion of being “earless” and “eyeless” in the realm of the cultureindustry advantageous rather than debilitating when he raps: “I’m fearless / Now hear this / I’mearless / Which means I’m peerless / That means I’m eyeless / Which means I’m tearless /Which means my iris resides where my ears is.” In these first four lines Lupe Fiascoacknowledges that his unconventional approach to hip hop leaves him “peerless,” setting himapart from most other popular rappers. While being eyeless and earless would ostensiblyincapacitate Lupe Fiasco from being an effective rapper, he describes this loss of sight andhearing as a way of blocking out the entertainment industry’s derogatory vision and thecriticisms voiced by those who tell him to “dumb down” his music. Being “eyeless” also allowshim to be “tearless,” meaning that he does not feel the need to sympathize with the cultureindustry. Moreover Lupe Fiasco’s claims that his eyes have magically been relocated inside ofhis ears (“my iris resides where my ears is”) making it possible for him to see through thegimmicks used in mainstream hip hop to increase profit margins while often compromising theartistic and intellectual integrity of the music.Lupe Fiasco also raises the issue of ghostwriting that typifies the lack of originality andcreativity that is “killing” mainstream hip hop. In the first verse of the song Lupe Fiasco

describes himself to be: “clear as a ghost, so a biter of the throats in the mirror / The writer of thequotes for the ghosts who supplier of the notes to the living.” The ghostly imagery in this excerptalludes to the growing number of mainstream rappers who secretly have their lyrics written forthem by ghostwriters (gelfmagazine.com; hiphopdx.com). In this excerpt, Lupe Fiasco describeshimself as an undetectable phantom-entity because the culture industry has tried to eliminateunconventional rappers from the mainstream spotlight (as illustrated by the road kill metaphormentioned earlier). “Ghost” is also a minor character from The Matrix who participates in therebellion against The Matrix machines as the driver of a hovercraft that, like a phantom, is ableto often move about undetected. This metaphorical invisibility allows Lupe Fiasco to givelyrical material (“quotes”) to the corporate sponsors (“ghosts”) who then covertly pass thesemessages on to mainstream rap artists (“the living”). At first, this passage seems to suggest thatLupe Fiasco has ironically become a ghostwriter for many of the mainstream commercial artistshe critiques. On second look, however, this passage also portrays many mainstream artists andcorporate entities as creatively bankrupt; therefore, the maintenance of their hegemony is alsodependent upon more innovative and original artists or Gramscian intellectuals who are able torise from the masses. In turn, these lesser-known artists also have the power to underminecorporate influences by directing their own intellectual and artistic talents towards redefiningmainstream hip hop. Lupe Fiasco is also calling on fans to participate in this counter-hegemonicmovement by revealing that commercial interests are undermining some of the principalcharacteristics that have defined hip hop since its inception: resourcefulness, creativity andperhaps above all, originality.Lupe Fiasco also uses a metaphorical dichotomy between aerial transportation and land-boundtransportation to call attention to the creative and intellectual limitations of the culture industry’shegemonic ideology. More specifically, Lupe Fiasco illustrates this using a metaphor aboutreckless driving in which the culture industry is symbolized by a car:

Which means I’m blinded / But I’mma find it, I can feel its nearness / But I’mma veer soI don’t come near like a chicken or a deer / But remember I’m not a listener or a seer, somy windshield smear / Here, you steer, I really shouldn’t be behind this, clearly becausemy blindness / The windshield is minstrel, the whole grill is road kill

Due to the commodification of “authentic” black street culture and the derogatory themespromoted in the mainstream music industry, Lupe Fiasco likens anti-intellectual commercial hiphop to a contemporary form of minstrelsy. For this reason, Lupe Fiasco describes himself asfiguratively “eyeless” or “blind” to the commercialist vision of the culture industry that hasproved fatal for more socially responsible hip hop messages. The “road kill” in the grill of thecar represents the elimination of “conscious” or “message” rappers from the mainstreamspotlight. Claiming that he does not want to be a driving force behind the “death” of mainstreamhip hop through the “dumbing down” of his music, Lupe Fiasco tries to pass on the responsibilityof steering. This rejection of the opportunity to drive is symbolic of Lupe Fiasco’s rejection ofthe dominant ideologies imposed onto the masses and mainstream artists in order to maintain thehegemony of the ruling class.Contrastingly, Lupe Fiasco makes allusions to taking other modes of aerial transportation torepresent efforts to bring about a counter-hegemonic intellectual movement that transcends thedominant ideology of the ruling class. In the second verse he claims “Now as far as the hearingI’ve found it / It was as far as the earring to the ground is / But the doorknockers are on the ear of

a stewardess in a Lear.” In other words, his music is so imaginative and complex that it goesover the heads of those who uncritically accept the dominant ideology (like a Learjet). He goeson to rap “my mind is on cloud nine and in her [the stewardess’] mind at the same time.” Thus itis only on a higher intellectual plane that he and conscious hip hop fans such as the stewardesscan begin to hear more imaginative music and think beyond the ideological limitations imposedby the ruling class. Moreover, Lupe Fiasco reinforces this dichotomy between aerial and land-bound transportation in another section of the song when he raps “you make a boat, I make aplane.” In other words, those rappers and fans who uncritically support mainstream commercialhip hop struggle to float above the figurative “depths” of his “flow” while Lupe Fiasco is able tosoar above them on the wings of intellectual creativity. The notion of flying evoked in thispassage also relates to the slang term “fly” meaning cool or hip, that Lupe Fiasco uses toillustrate that his unique style is helping to redefine more traditional conceptions of “coolness”shaped by the culture industry. This imagery of flying therefore symbolizes a movement towardsa less restrictive discursive space in which more creative and unconventional counter-hegemonichip hop can flourish.According to Gramsci, counter-hegemonic movements such as the one Lupe Fiasco proposeswith these allusions to aerial transportation should ideally resonate with and reflect the interestsof the masses. The intellectual leaders therefore have the role of calling attention to theinequalities that the masses have learned to passively accept under the hegemony of the rulingclass and to offer them a sense of direction as they galvanize their forces. Lupe Fiasco points outthat the large majority of contemporary commercial hip hop is no longer a counter-hegemonicforce because artists have begun to produce music that prioritizes profit rather than trying toempower or enlighten its listeners. More specifically, Lupe Fiasco references Pimp C from thesouthern rap group Underground Kingz (UGK) to encourage other rappers to unionize in acounter-hegemonic movement to protect the artistic integrity and the honesty of their music fromrepressive corporate influences.Rapping “Pimp C the wings on the Underground Kingz / Who’s also Klingon / To infinity andbeyond,” Lupe Fiasco pays homage to the late Pimp C for remarks he made in a series ofinterviews not long before his death about the need for mainstream rappers to “unionize” in orderto avoid being exploited by the entertainment industry. Pimp C is also known for coining theterm “trill” which Lupe Fiasco uses in the first verse of the song as he describes himself to be “sotrill and so sincere.” “Trill” is a combination of the terms true and real that is used to describe aperson who is able to speak their mind genuinely and honestly. This notion of “trillness” relatesto the red pill/blue pill metaphor from The Matrix as a term that encourages rappers to speaktruthfully and seek enlightenment through their raps without feeling restricted by the cultureindustry’s formulaic standards. By unionizing, rappers may revive a more “trill” or honestcritique of the entertainment industry and help awaken subordinate classes’ awareness of theideological hegemony used to mislead and manipulate them. In turn, mass consumers may beginto identify and organize around a “national-popular collective will” that reflects their owninterests.In the following verse, Lupe Fiasco uses wordplay to further challenge his listeners’ criticalthinking skills and, by extension, empower them as intellectuals who are collectively morecritical of ideological messages conveyed through mainstream music. Likening himself to LeonSpinks—a boxer who is famous for winning a fight against Muhammad Ali—Lupe Fiasco pointsout that he is continuing to combat the forces of the culture industry even after Pimp C’s death.

In the subsequent verse, Lupe Fiasco describes himself as a “lion in the desert,” playing on thesimilar pronunciation between Leon Spinks’ last name and the Sphinx character from Greekmythology known for perplexing youth with riddles. He uses the term “sphinx” in correlationwith Leon Spinks’ name to highlight the fact that he helps defend creative, non-conformist hiphop with the complex riddles in his lyrics. The sphinx Lupe Fiasco describes also evokes theEgyptian Sphinx of Giza which is considered a type of guardian and is infamous for its missingnose. It is often claimed that the Sphinx of Giza had its nose destroyed by Westerners whodisapproved of its Afro-centric appearance. Pointing out that he is discriminated against by theculture industry because he refuses to play into the “minstrelsy” they promote, Lupe Fiascoillustrates that his struggle is not without resistance. Moreover, echoing other verses in which heraps that he is “eyeless,” “earless,” “mouthless,” “headless,” and “neck-less,” Lupe Fiascodepicts himself without a nose in order to illustrate that he does not support the use of drugs suchas cocaine (an issue which he raises again in the later in the second verse). By playing on thesimilar pronunciation between words such as “Spinks” and “Sphinx” Lupe Fiasco encouragesaudiences to exercise their critical analytical skills rather than becoming accustomed to listeningto music passively. Moreover, Lupe Fiasco is helping to develop a strong line of communicationbetween intellectual leaders and popular audiences by training listeners to become more attentiveto the messages in hip hop which is fundamental to cultivating a “democratically centralized”counter-hegemonic movement.Further, Lupe Fiasco develops a sense of counter-hegemonic hip hop nationalism that becomesthe basis for a “national-popular collective will” among subordinate groups. This notion ofcounter-hegemonic hip hop nationalism is most clearly illustrated by a metaphor in which hedescribes the tensions between “dumbed down” commercial hip hop and non-conformist types ofhip hop as a “war.” On one side, there is a vision of nationalism that upholds the capitalistcorporate interests of the ruling classes whose ideological hegemony is currently mostpredominant in the popular hip hop scene. On the other side of this “war,” hip hoppers arefighting for the succession of a counter-hegemonic nationhood that seeks to confront thederogatory ideas that commercial entities have perpetuated through the mass marketing ofuncreative, “dumbed down” mainstream music.More specifically, Lupe Fiasco describes the counter-hegemonic movement’s efforts to combatmisogyny as he raps “Riveting is Rosie / Pockets full of posies / Given to the mother of thedeceased.” As an American symbol of female empowerment and the defiance of traditionalgender roles, Lupe Fiasco evokes the image of Rosie the Riveter in an effort to depict thefeminist aspect of this counter-hegemonic movement. While the women are helping in theseideological war efforts he acknowledges that as a male-dominated, hyper-masculine genre, themajority of the battle will need to take place between men within the mainstream hip hopcommunity. It is for this reason that he uses gendered language (“mother”) to describe thosewho mourn over the non-conformist rappers who “die” figuratively either because they aredenied the opportunity to gain mainstream attention or they “sell out” and become commercialistrappers. These women are offered “pockets full of posies,” like the herbs and flowers used toprevent the spread of the Black Plague by masking the smell of dead bodies, in order to avoidbecoming causalities in this ideological battle as well. By raising the issues around sexism incontemporary hip hop, Lupe Fiasco illustrates that the counter-hegemonic movement heenvisions will reflect the interests of subordinate social groups regardless of class or gender.Lupe Fiasco also highlights the cocaine epidemic as a central issue in this “war” between the

hegemony of the culture industry and the development of subordinate classes’ counter-hegemonic “national-popular collective will.” According to Michael Eric Dyson’s book KnowWhat I Mean?, pro-drug messages have been used as a divisive tool in hip hop music todisempower subordinate communities (83-85). Lupe Fiasco raps about the cocaine epidemicmost directly in the third verse of the song, rapping: “Rider (or writer) of the white powder /Picker of the fire flowers / spit hot fire like Dylan on Chappelle’s skit.” Playing on the similarpronunciations of the terms “rider” and “writer” Lupe Fiasco references other rappers who usecocaine (“riders of the white powder”) and glorify it in the lyrics of their songs (“writers of thewhite powder”). With this glamorization of cocaine, there has also been a glorification of pimps,hoes, hustling, and gang violence in commercial hip hop. By comparing these commercial artiststo Dylan from The Chappelle Show, Lupe Fiasco highlights the fact that the promotion of druguse is often used to “dumb down” the clever lyricism and creativity of hip hop artists.Lupe Fiasco also illustrates the fact that drug use can undercut the potential of talentedindividuals through his references to Leon Spinks and Pimp C earlier in the song. Leon Spinks,having been cast from stardom after being found in possession of cocaine, and Pimp C, havingbeen killed by an overdose on prescription medication, exemplify the negative influences of pro-drug messages on the mobilization and empowerment of counter-hegemonic intellectual leaders.Lupe Fiasco then distinguishes himself from Pimp C, Leon Spinks and other commercial artistswho endorse drug use as he raps “[I] smell it on my unicorn / Don’t snort the white horse, buttoot my own horn.” The unicorn—a symbol of purity—reinforces the idea that Lupe Fiasco is adrug-free rapper who has reason to “toot his own horn” or brag about his lyrical dexterity likeDylan from The Chappelle Show. By asking consumers to take a stance against the cocaineepidemic that has caused both an artistic death and urban decay in hip hop communities thatindiscriminately support the messages promoted by the culture industry, Lupe Fiasco makes thisanti-drug message a fundamental tenet of the counter-hegemonic movement’s “national-popularcollective will.”Lupe Fiasco’s political critique throughout the song is reinforced by the instrumentation of“Dumb It Down” that rejects commercialized hip hop beats on an aesthetic level as well. One ofthe most powerful tactics of the ruling class that Gramsci as well as Adorno and Horkheimerdescribe is their ability to mentally control consumers by pacifying them with entertainment thatdoes not force them to think or reflect. This “dumbed down” version of hip hop beats thereforeserves the purpose of stimulating the critical consciousness of mainstream consumers throughmusical parody. Many rap producers work “in the red” by developing a technique of recording inthe distortion zone of sound meters in order to create deep, bass beats. The predominance of thebass drum in hip hop music can also be referred to as “leakage,” which forces the bass to pervadethroughout the instrumental track giving it a heavier, grittier sound (Rose 76). Lupe Fiasco’ssong, however, relies primarily on digital drums that parody the low-frequency “in the red”beats. As a result, the song’s instrumentation is somewhat unwelcoming to the ear, making hiphop fans feel inclined to reject this bass-heavy medley that exaggerates the characteristics ofinstrumental tracks made by producers focused on creating profitable music for clubs. Still,since these low-frequency beats are integral to the unique and transgressive sounds of hip hopmusic, I argue that the instrumentation is not necessarily meant to reject the use of these types ofbeats entirely. Rather, by overemphasizing blaring bass sounds, the producer of “Dumb ItDown” simply challenges consumers to be more critical of the uninventive aesthetic appeal ofmainstream music. In this way, the instrumentation contributes to the empowerment of a

counter-hegemonic party by provoking listeners from the masses to take on roles as culturalcritics and intellectuals.The simplistic and uninventive rhythm structures of “Dumb It Down” also parody the cultureindustry’s efforts to dampen hip hop’s subversive rhythmic qualities. In addition to stimulatingthe intellectual capacities of the masses, this instrumentation “disguises political questions ascultural ones” as it acts as a critique of commercial beats as well as the corporate influences thathave been blamed for restricting the subversive artistic creativity of mainstream hip hop. Sincewestern music tends to emphasize the usage of harmony while African music and music of theAfrican Diaspora often emphasize the recurrence of complex rhythmic patterns, the looping ofinstrumental beats can be considered a fundamentally political aspect of black artistic expression(Rose 65). In hip hop, these rhythms are often enhanced by incorporating samples from livefunk, soul, jazz and rock recordings that have a certain quality of sound that is lost with digitaldrums. Much like the cultural references Lupe Fiasco integrates into the lyrics of the song,musical samples in hip hop instrumentals often require a certain breadth of cultural literacy todecipher. By using digital drum recordings with limited variation in the quality of the tones,simplistic rhythm patterns, and virtually no sampling, Lupe Fiasco’s producers at Soundtrakkexaggerate the negative qualities of commercial music used in order to appropriate thetransgressive aesthetic qualities of rap instrumentation. The lack of creativity and inventivenessin the instrumentation also shifts the listeners’ focus to the lyrical message of the song whilesimultaneously emphasizing the mechanized, unimaginative style of commercialized music thathas played a major role in “killing” hip hop. The last verses of the song “They told me I shouldcome down cousin / But I flatly refuse” is rapped a cappella, after a rewinding sound effect thatcuts off the instrumentation. The final line—“I ain’t dumb down nothin’!”— plays in slow-motion as if to suggest that record executives, in disagreement with his music, are literallypulling the plug in the recording studio in an unsuccessful attempt to silence Lupe Fiasco’shonest critique of the industry.

Conclusion and DiscussionCome in hip hop, we’ve come to resurrect you!

—Lupe Fiasco, “I Gotcha,” Food and LiquorUltimately, “Dumb It Down” captures Lupe Fiasco’s unique rhythmic and lyrical style that haswon mainstream listeners’ attention through the use of wordplay, challenging metaphor andmoderately paced rap. The unconventional tropes that he introduces in his raps and likens tostreet culture have also become a hallmark of his distinctive emcee skills and earned him therespect of many popular audiences for taking creative risks. While “Dumb It Down” is notreflective of the entire Lupe Fiasco’s the Cool album, the song does exemplify the mixture ofparody and seriousness that characterizes much of his work and differentiates him from manyother message rappers who take on a much more direct and stern tone in their music. In many ofhis songs, Lupe Fiasco’s wordplay and comedic imitations invite a broad range of audiences todissect his lyrics without compromising the social and political potency of his messages. Thus,while Lupe Fiasco’s rhymes read as a dense literary work, his innovative aestheticinstrumentation and playful use of language make his ideas palatable for mainstream consumerswho, like Chris Rock, want to be able to “defend” and “break down” hip hop on an intellectuallevel once again.While I argue that the contemporary hip hop scene is far from “dead,” I am willing toacknowledge that it may very well be past its high point. Currently, artists such as Jay-Z, Nas,

T.I., Ludacris and Kanye West who have been able to command the mainstream spotlight whilealso slipping some socially conscious messages into their music seem to hold the most power inmaintaining the political potency of contemporary hip hop. Also popular artists such as MissyElliot continue to make unique creative contributions that challenge the conventions of thegenre. Lupe Fiasco is an exception within the entertainment industry as an artist who has gaineda great deal of grassroots fame and respect among mainstream hip hop fans while also blatantlyrejecting many of the corporate influences that have stifled artistic and intellectual creativitywithin the genre. Through songs such as “Dumb It Down” that combine sharp political critiquewith unconventional imagery, Lupe Fiasco has helped contribute to yet another wave of internalcritique among popular hip hop artists. Since Lupe Fiasco’s style does not seem to be nostalgicfor, or reminiscent of the hip hop of the 80s or 90s in the way that artists such as Nas’ music is,he has challenged mainstream rappers to be willing to take hip hop in a radically new direction.Moreover, this notion that hip hop is “dying” does not signify a decline in the legacy of blackurban cultural expression. In fact, the commercial co-optation of hip hop seems to have set upthe conditions for the advent of an outgrowth or an entirely new form of musical expression thatreflects the voices of minority youth from urban areas in a way that of “blinged out” and hyper-sexualized commercial hip hop fails to do. One of the major questions to tackle as this counter-hegemonic “‘death’ of hip hop” discourse develops is whether the most significant resistancewill come from mainstream artists who have been embraced by the industry, or from lesscompromising rappers. In light of the growing number of fans who seem to be disillusioned bythe formulaic approaches that have been used by the culture industry to produce profitablemusic, I believe that more rappers will follow Lupe Fiasco’s strategic Gramscian approach.If the counter-hegemonic revival of hip hop continues to grow, I anticipate that the followingdecades will involve a subcultural or countercultural response to the privatization of afundamentally democratic art form. As Michael Eric Dyson commented in our interview:

[The ‘death’ of hip hop argument] was the internal critique offered by artists in hip hop topolice the boundaries of creativity and to suggest the dead end of some of the themes andsome of the styles of hip hop. And to suggest that we ought to get back to what made hiphop best in the first place: spittin’ on a microphone, talkin’ about somethin’ serious, andusing your creativity and your lyrical innovation as the mark of your majesty, not howmany records you sold or how many people you claim to kill on wax.

Whether it is some form of “neo-hip hop,” or the branching out of a local undergroundmovement that captures national attention in the future, it is likely that this prevailing form ofexpression will be characterized by a type of social commentary, ingenuity and artistic creativitythat has been stifled by corporate influences. I do not think, however, that the transgressiveAfro-centric qualities of contemporary hip hop epitomized by an emphasis on rhythmicpercussion, griot-style storytelling, the usage of metaphor, signification and other artisticinfluences from the African Diaspora will be lost in this transition. Rather, as illustrated bysongs such as Lupe Fiasco’s “Dumb It Down,” this new wave of black and brown urban culturalexpression is likely to be more intellectually challenging to both mainstream audiences and theculture industry through the re-appropriation of these sounds and styles.Hip hop artists can therefore have a major influence in awakening a sense of groupconsciousness among the diverse communities that make up the masses so that they may realizetheir common class interests across racial, ethnic, religious, sexual and cultural lines. The rapper

Immortal Technique powerfully exemplifies artists’ potential to serve as public intellectuals whoawaken a socialist ‘national-popular collective will” in his song “The Poverty of Philosophy,”rapping:

As much as racism bleeds America, we need to understand that classism is the real issue.Many of us are in the same boat and it's sinking, while these bougie mother-fuckers rideon a luxury liner, and as long as we keep fighting over kicking people out of the littleboat we're all in, we're gonna miss an opportunity to gain a better standard of living as awhole.

In the near future, I believe that these types of controversial voices within hip hop will becomeincreasingly influential to the American political scene. The growing prevalence of technology inAmerican lives has also guaranteed the proliferation of popular culture at an unprecedenteddegree. For this reason, hip hop has, and may very well continue to reach its greatest scope ofinfluence since its inception in these coming years. The globalization of hip hop has even beenable to play a major role in creatively mobilizing the masses around issues—such as bringingabout a regime change in Dakar, Senegal—that challenge dominant political ideologies whichhave stifled subordinate classes’ interests (nomadicwax.com). Altogether, although much ofcontemporary mainstream hip hop has been co-opted by the capitalist culture industry, I believethat hip hop has already shaped the ideas of a generation of Americans, and created a space fordisenfranchised groups to be heard in America’s democracy through urban cultural expression.

It is also important to theorize about the potential influences of this counter-hegemonicmovement on America’s capitalist system. In order to engage this question it should first berecognized that not all non-commercial hip hop artists must strive to fulfill the role of a politicalactivist. Second, with the growing arguments about the need to revive “socially conscious” rap itis crucial to acknowledge, as Gramsci’s theory of hegemony suggests, that cultural forms ofexpression have the most influence in bringing about change on moral and intellectual levelsrather than on a material level. As Michael Eric Dyson pointed out during our discussion:

The beauty is that art at its best inspires people to continue on a path of liberation oropens them up to the necessity to think about issues more critically than they had before,but it can’t be the movement itself. And hip hop is caught in that paradoxical assault. Onthe one hand, people say ‘It’s just music, so what are you trippin’ about?’ At the sametime, they act like it’s more than music: ‘Why can’t it save you?’ [. . .] Now we want hiphoppers to change the world!

In other words, mainstream audiences should not expect hip hoppers to take on theresponsibilities of politicians, educators and other public intellectual leaders. Nonetheless, Iargue that non-conformist hip hop music will continue to play an integral role in creating anideological space in which people can question the culture industry, and by extension, thecapitalist system that supports it.

It is also important to keep in mind that while Gramsci’s theory is instrumental inconceptualizing a class-based countermovement against the culture industry, his work does notfully take race and gender into account. For this reason, it is important that future work relatesthe growing body of hip hop scholarship about gender and sexuality to the “death” of hip hopdebate. Along these lines, I believe that future scholarship should explore ways in which artistsfrom genres of music such as neo-soul—the feminist response to hip hop—have posed a uniqueform of resistance to commercial influences and helped mobilize subordinate groups (Chang445-6). Additionally, considering the role of rappers who are not from African American

backgrounds in the “death” of hip hop debate could help reveal new insights about the notions ofracial and ethnic “authenticity” that are commodified for mainstream audiences. Eminem, forinstance, is often heralded as the “marketing man’s dream” because as a white rapper he is moreappealing and accessible to non-minority consumers (Bozza 183, 176). Yet Eminem can also beperceived as an artist who expands the conventional conceptions of hip hop as an exclusivelyblack or brown form of cultural expression. While this type of future research will be integral tounpacking the identity politics of mainstream hip hop and addressing the enduring question: howcan rappers make a counter-hegemonic message appeal to mainstream audiences? A great dealof responsibility also lies with fans who must act on hip hop intellectual leaders’ calls for amovement away from commercial messages in order to challenge dominant ideologies. In otherwords, we—artists and fans alike—each have a role in checking as well as stimulating thecreative and intellectual (im)pulse of hip hop.

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Young Women of Color on Today’s Feminism. Eds. Daisy Hernández and BushraRehman. Emeryville, Seal Press: 2002.

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Appendix A:

Full text of Lupe Fiasco’s “Dumb It Down” from Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool:

[Verse 1:]I'm fearlessNow hear thisI'm earlessAnd I'm peerlessThat means I'm eyelessWhich means I'm tearlessWhich means my iris resides where my ears isWhich means I'm blindedBut I'mma find it, I can feel it's nearnessBut I'mma veer so I don't come nearLike a chicken or a deer

But I remember I'm not a listener or a seer, so my windshield smearHere, you steer, I really shouldn't be behind this,Clearly cause my blindnessThe windshield is minstrel,The whole grill is road kill,So trill and so sincereYeah, I'm both them thereTook both pills, when a bloke in a trench coat and the Locs in the chair had approached him hereAnd he clear as a ghost, so a biter of the throats in the mirrorThe writer of the quotes for the ghosts who supplier of the notes to the livingRiveting is Rosie,Pockets full of posies,Given to the mother of the deceased.Awaken at war,'til I'm restin' in peace (Peace, peace, peace)

[Chorus 1:]You goin' over niggas' heads Lu (Dumb It Down)They tellin' me that they don't feel you (Dumb It Down)We ain't graduate from school nigga (Dumb It Down)Them big words ain't cool nigga (Dumb It Down)Yeah, I heard “Mean and Vicious” nigga (Dumb It Down)Make a song for the bitches nigga (Dumb It Down)We don't care about the weather nigga (Dumb It Down)You'll sell more records if ya (Dumb It Down)

[Verse 2:]And I'm mouthlessWhich means I'm soundlessNow as far as the hearing, I've found itIt was as far as the distance from the earring to the ground isBut the doorknockers on the ear of a stewardess in a LearShe fine and she flyin’,I feel I'm flying by ‘em ‘cause my mind's on cloud nineAnd in her mind at the same timePimps C (or Pimps see), the wings on the Underground KingzWho's also KlingonTo infinity and beyondSomething really stinks, but I Spinks (or sphinx) like LeonOr lion (or lyin’) in the desertI'm flying on Pegasus, you're flying on the pheasantRider (or writer) of the white powder, picker of the fire flowersSpit hot fire like Dylan on Chappelle's skitYeah, smell it on my unicorn, snort the white horse, but toot my own horn (sleep)

[Chorus 2:]

You've been shedding too much light Lu (Dumb It Down)You make ‘em wanna do right Lu (Dumb It Down)They're getting self-esteem Lu (Dumb It Down)These girls are trying to be queens Lu (Dumb It Down)They're trying to graduate from school Lu (Dumb It Down)They're starting to think that smart is cool Lu (Dumb It Down)They're trying to get up out the hood Lu (Dumb It Down)I'll tell you what you should do (Dumb It Down)

[Verse 3:]And I'm brainlessWhich means I'm headlessLike Ichabod Crane isOr foreplay-less sex isWhich makes me sanelessWith no neck left to hang the chain withWhich makes me necklace-lessLike a necklace theftAnd I ain't used my headrest yetThey said they need proof like a vestless chest 'bout the best, fair F-F-jet in the nestWho exudes confidence and excess depthEven Scuba Steve would find it hard to breatheAround these leaguesMy snorkel is a tuba,Lu, da ruler around these seasWestside Poseidon, Westside beside him,Chest high and risingAlmost touching the knees of stewardess and the pilotLucky they make ya fly witPersonal floating devices, tricks falling out of my sleevesDavid BlaineMake it rainMake a boatI make a planeThen, I pull the plug and I make it drainUntil I feel like flowing and filling it up again (Westside)

[Chorus 3:]You putting me to sleep nigga (Dumb It Down)That's why you ain't popping in the streets nigga (Dumb It Down)You ain't winning no awards nigga (Dumb It Down)Robots and skateboards nigga? (Dumb It Down)GQ Man Of The Year G? (Dumb It Down)Shit ain't rocking over here B (Dumb It Down)Won't you talk about your cars nigga? (Dumb It Down)

What the fuck is Goyard nigga (Dumb It Down)Make it rain for the chicks (Dumb It Down)Pour champagne on a bitch! (Dumb It Down)What the fuck is wrong with you? (Dumb It Down)How can I get on a song with you? (Dumb It Down)

[Gemini: talking]Look B, here's my man, my two way, (hey) uh, what should I - ah here take this (hey) thatRight there, fucking my voice all the time nigga, (hey) nigga you hot to me, I like you (DumbIt down)

[Lupe:]Bishop G, they told me I should come down cousin, but I flatly refuse I ain't dumb down nothin’

“Holla!” in this context denotes that the audiences support this music.Talib Kweli is a long standing rapper in the music industry recognized for his political lyrics and his collaborativemessage rap music with Mos Def in their rap duo Black Star.Common is another popular rapper known for his socially conscious lyrics.This metaphor about spinning car rims illustrates that although Jay-Z raps about lavish lifestyles, he thinks heavilyabout how to give back to low-income urban communities and the issues of socioeconomic inequality that they face.This is a reference to the large number of award nominations that he has received but did not win (i.e. three of hisfour Grammy nominations, and virtually all of his BET Hip Hop Award nominations).Excerpt from KRS-One’s song “Hip Hop Lives.”“Lu” is short for Lupe Fiasco.Goyard is an uncommon brand of luggage that Lupe Fiasco uses in other music videos that breaks away from thetypical endorsements of larger companies like Louis Vitton and Burberry by other rap artists.“Make it rain” refers to the action of throwing cash into the air or flaunting money.Locs are an urban brand of sunglasses. The man Lupe Fiasco describes as wearing a trench coat and sunglasses inthis passage is Morpheus, another major character in The Matrix.Scuba Steve is a fictional character from a children’s show in the “Big Daddy” film starring Adam Sandler.The “West Side” refers to section of Chicago from which Lupe Fiasco hails.Pegasus is the son of Poseidon. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Pegasus is “often represented as thefavourite steed of the Muses, bearing poets on their flights of poetic inspiration.”This line is a reference to mythical vampires who are said not to able to see themselves in the mirror.A type of large earring associated with street fashion.A Lear is a type of jet plane.Some fans also argue that Lupe Fiasco raps “pimps see the wings on the Underground Kings,” (my italics) meaningthat pimps want to emulate Pimp C who was known to flaunt material wealth, exude hyper-masculine power and torap about drug use.Lupe Fiasco calls Pimp C a “Klingon” warrior character from Startrek who is “to infinity and beyond,” in reference

to Pimp C’s controversial comment in an interview with XXL hip hop magazine in which he claimed “all them[Houston rappers] that think they stars, guess what, bitch? Ain’t no stars down here. Only stars is in themuthafuckin’ sky” (realraptalk.com). The legacy that Pimp C has left behind has now allowed him to live amongstthe “stars” similar to the characters from Startrek.

It is also argued that Lupe Fiasco raps “lyin’ in the desert,” (my italics) meaning that he is lying in the desert like aSphinx.The term “white powder” is used as a synonym for cocaine.Fire flowers are items from the Super Mario videogames. When the player picks one of these virtual fire flowersthey can use fiery weapons to attack villains in the game. Lupe Fiasco ties this notion of “picking fire flowers” to hisreference to Dylan in the next verse who supposedly “spits hot fire.”Dylan is a person from P Diddy’s reality sitcom, Making the Band, who Dave Chappelle parodied in his comedyshow. In his skit, Chappelle imitates Dylan’s tendency to brag about his ability to “spit hot fire” (rap incrediblywell)—a boastfulness that is shared among many rap artists who have captured mainstream attention. Also,Chappelle’s comedic interpretation of Dylan’s rapping consists of mumbled words and grunting sounds that parodynot only Dylan from Making the Band, but the style of a number of other commercially successful rappers in thecontemporary hip hop industry.The term “white horse” refers to cocaine in this passage.“Horn” is also a colloquial term for nose. Instead of snorting cocaine he “toots his horn.”“Come down” meaning “dumb down” ; this idea of “coming down” is also related to his metaphors about flyingabove many commercial influences.“Cousin” can also be slang for friend; it is used much like the word “homie.”Trippin’ is a synonym for the colloquial expression “freaking out.”

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