My favorite lupe songs, in order.

So here is MY list of favorites, though there are soooo many to choose from.  The reason for this posting is threefold. First, I was asked what my favorites were by a friend, second, I didn't feel like explaining over and over again to others, and third, well, I was in a Lupe music-type mood. Included for each song is my favorite line or simple analysis of the song, maybe both. Feel free to disagree, but I feel that these selections show both the creativity and complexity that Lupe delivers, but also the variations in style that make him my favorite, and possibly one of the best. Hes in my top 3 =)

1. The Coolest (The Cool)
1. This is the song that made me first LISTEN to Lupe.  Before this, I heard, I didnt listen. The one line that made me into a fan of his poetic form was
1. And if the rain stops/and everything's dry/she would cry/just so I can drink/the tears from her eyes. (This line is also an analysis of the "streets" or the hood-when there are issues in the community, people drink their issues away, as the "Streets" cries Hennessy...)
   
2. From a purely poetic standpoint, it was one of the best lines I had ever heard. Then going into more detail, I learned that this song was one of the narrative focal points of the CD The Cool. It breaks down into the stories of 3 characters, The Cool/Michael Young History, The Streets, and The Game.
3. Here are the "Bios" of each character, taken from the Website. Once you understand this, it opens up the second and third wave of metaphorical prose:
4. Michael Young History
   Born: March 2006
   Birthplace: Every Hood, USA
   
   Biography: Since his early childhood days, Michael Young History was conflicted. Raised by a single, hard-working mother, History never really knew his father, a man who abandoned both History and his baby sister. This lack of paternal guidance turned an otherwise intelligent, promising boy into a drug-selling, money-grubbing Scarface-wannabe. Starting off as merely a petty crook, History’s torrid affair with his mentor’s (Game) wife, The Streets, sent him on a downward spiral of greed, deception, and, ultimately, death.
   
   Cool Point
   - An unabashed atheist, History anointed his own “holy trinity”—himself, Streets and The Cool.
   
   The Cool
   Resurrected: Amongst the undead since September 2006
   Birthplace: Six feet under the Earth’s surface
   
   Biography: The Cool is the physical manifestation of History’s debt to humanity. Payback for every user abused and every family torn apart by History, The Cool walks amongst the living as a zombie. “He” – that term used lightly, considering The Cool isn’t human – reeks of death, an ironic contrast to his polished three-piece-suit appearance. Searching for his purpose, The Cool haunts The Streets.
   
   Cool Points
   - His only possessions—two diamond earrings, a gold chain, and a letter from History’s eight-year-old sister.
   - Despite the long-finished settling of rigor mortis, the sharp sensation of three bullets constantly causes aching in The Cool.
   - Only one thought plays in his head like a broken record – “Hustler for death, no heaven for a gangster.”
   
   The Game
   Born: Given life the moment the snake suckered Adam and Eve
   Birthplace: The Garden of Eden
   
   Biography: An immortal, soulless entity, The Game scours city blocks and country landscapes with equal menace. Scheming from morning until night, he changes targets like the wind – hustlers, politicians, celebrities, and impressionable youth have all succumbed to his charms. His most valued accomplice is his wife, The Streets. Together, this “Bonnie and Clyde” duo have affected the lives of every man, woman, and child. The victim closest to their affections, however, was Michael Young History, a tortured man seeking acceptance through fame and fortune. Of course, nothing from The Game comes without a price.
   
   Cool Points
   - Quite convincing, his foolproof method of touching minds is through blunt fingertips.
   - Through his wire-tapped ears, he’s able to hear the approaching of any enemy.
   - When not hovering over common society, he lives behind bars, plotting ways to see his son, Heroine, and secretly conversing with his marital lover, The Streets.
   - Despite carrying out such heartless actions, The Game does have a blood-pumping system – an amplified system pumping beats through woofer-like veins.
   
   The Streets
   Born: Conceived thousands of years ago, when the first paths and roads were paved.
   Birthplace: Unknown
   
   Biography: A temptress like none other, The Streets possesses an uncanny knack for seduction and betrayal. An equal opportunity heartbreaker, she exudes an allure irresistible to both men and women. Some have accused her of pedophilia, having lured people into her tangled web at ages as immature as eight years old. The word “love” isn’t in her vocabulary –although The Game is her admitted soulmate. Yet, The Streets has always felt a peculiarly strong connection with Michael Young History.
   
   Cool Points
   - Often referred to by her condemners as a “demon in a dress.”
   - No stranger to loss, she’s tattooed the names of her murdered ex-boyfriends across her breasts.
   - Her ambitions are clear upon eye contact, with dollar signs in the place of her pupils.
   - Witnesses to History’s slaying reported seeing brown, almost Hennessy-colored tears roll down The Streets.
   
   
   
   

   Source(s):

   http://childrebelsoldier.wordpress.com/2007/11/13/lupe-fiasco%E2%80%99s-the-cool-cast-of-characters/
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Even further after this, each character is, in themselves, a personification of the literal "streets" the literal "game" and the literal essence of what is perceived as "cool"; as he uses their name, he is telling the story of life in the streets, the struggles that are fought against every day, and how difficult it is to break the "love triangle" of the 3(while weaving a song with 3 layers). Whew. That was the hard one...there is still much more to say, buuut the fun in listening is finding your own ears =)
   
2. Real (Food and Liquor)
1. "Life/aint meant to come around twice/yeah, that's why I/gotta get it right/they said I got it honest/now i gotta give it light/but sleep on it/thats why God give you night/I mean I had a dream that God gave me flight/too fly for my own good/so God gave me plight..."
2. Some of the realest, most simply complex words spoken.
   
3. Switch
1. This song basically displays the versitility that I love =)
2. "You you you, yes let the words woo you/Till you woozy/ Let the lyrics subdue you/Massage and sooth you/Move you till conscience/lose you/Lu now rules you/ You do what Lu do and/you'll do beautiful/Switch"
4. Clean (Dont know what its really called or where its from)
1. "Its more than just rhyming/I'm doin bout nine things..." "And this ain't fair/I'm barely on my lean, homie/or puttin my all into it like a washing machine homie/double loader/you just watchin me clean, homie/wait til i start doing dirt/ oops i spilled some 1st and 15 on it/and that stain mane."
   
5. Mean and Vicious (Fahrenheit 1/15:Revenge of the Nerds)
1. Truthfully I have trouble with second verses/Cause the first one be so intimidating/It'd be bullying and picking on it instigating/Pointing out all the second ones limitations/Like you ain't nothing but an imitation 
6. Jedi Mind Tricks (Fahrenheit 1/15:Revenge of the Nerds)
1. Plus if they get caught how you gonna keep your heart fatigue/The hustler's diet/is the enemy of health/give you heart disease (uh)/Arteries hard but it's hard to leave the bread alone/Aren't we hard headed/headed for harm/but don't threat it home/ From the twist tied to the butt/We be rippin' it up 
7. The Cool (Food and Liquor)
1. This is the first time we meet Michael Young, and witness his "resurrection" as the cool. 
2. "He used his mouth as a shovel to try and hollow it/and when he couldn't dirt spit/he swallowed it/ working like a/reverse archeologist/except/his burred treasure was sunshine/so when some shine through a hole/that he had drove/it reflected of the gold/and almost made son blind"
1. While again, you can feel the literal story of a man digging out of the grave, look deeper into the wordplay as well as the symbolism =)
   
8. Popular Demand (Enemy of the State)
1. "No, you ain't ready for the heavy/so I'll keep it light as jogging gear/I don't want the throne/i want the helicopter rocking chair/Jay gave me a co-sign like i was RocaWear/but be clear/I am not the heir(air)/I'm the water/fire/and earth/that means I'm doing dirt/spitting flames/and quenching thirsts/and plus the REAL God has been on my side/since birth
   
9. The National Anthem (Enemy of the State Mixtape)
   
1. "School of hard knocks, I dean it/I done it/as well as a celebrated alumnus/I donate to the campus/and my names on the arenas/but you cant bring it to my court/not even with subpoenas/cause you cant play my sport/but you can still cheerlead us/and you cant sit there/that sections for the seniors/and the sexy senoritas so just move up to the bleachers/how you gonna school me when/I grew up with your teachers"
2. "How you gonna make hip-hop/without all the ingredients?/a lot of mouths to feed/plus a lot of greediness/and all that greed/outshines the neediness."
3. The sad part is, there is sooo many more DECENT lines, I almost typed out the whole thing lol.
   
10. WGCI freestyle
1.  The whole thing is on lol, not gonna type a verse since its only like a minute long
   
11. I Gotcha (Food and Liquor)
1. "Have my mind movin faster/than that hog in the hedges/welcome all of yall/to my dark recesses/this is where I keep the bars/like bathtub edges/my Ivories and my Doves/My Levers and my Zest's/it takes half of your bubble bath/to match the freshness"
12. Comin from Where I'm From(Fahrenheit 1/15 Part 1)
    
1. "But, but it's beautiful here/There's nothing like the feeling when you do it from here/You ain't have to move or pack/You ain't have to shoot a gat/And you still took your mama/And you moved her from here/You ain't dropped out when we figured the world out/Can survive without any will/Learn to do it in here"
13. I Dont Feel So Good (Fahrenheit 1/15 Part 3: A Rhyming Ape)
1. When that bullet came through a wall, did she feel it?/When he stopped and he dropped when he died, did he feel it?/When his momma closed his eyes, did he feel it?/When she couldn't take the pain, did she feel it?/When the dope flows through her veins, does she feel it?/When she took off all her clothes, did she feel it?/When she slid down that pole, did she feel it?
   
14. Outty 5000(Fahrenheit 1/15:Revenge of the Nerds)
1. "His flow is like the Klu Klux versus the Panthers/Hahaaaaaaaa!/Hit the track like a heart attack/Cancer cancer/boogie man on the mic/ and the band of Santas/and the easter bunny/is the back up dancer/They faintin in the stands/gotta fan the fans uh/Panties on the stage/and the pampers are grandmas/cuz they love the way that I/pamper the grammar"
   
15. Yoga Flame (Enemy of the State Mixtape)
1. "Melt the change and make a ring/take that ring and make a bracelet/take a bracelet make a chain/Look how far my necklace hang/connect that chain up to a crane/pull the game up/by the brains/could not move it just with brains/so I had to use some bling."
   
16. Put You on Game
1. This is an installment of the "mind" of The Game.  It could also be understood and evil or the Devil. Scares the crap out of me, but at the same time, its too real and makes perfect sense from an ignored perspective.
2. "I taught them better than that/i taught them aim for the head/and hope they never come back/I'm glad your daddy's gone, baby/hope he never comes back/I hope hes with your mother/with my hustlers/high in my trap."
   
17. Swang on Em (Bun B)
1. I came from the left/but I'm downright fresh/Speak on/how you on a song Bun B on/Complete 180 how crazy-ass/he gone/How strong is the brand of D that he on?/How come he do what he want/and never do what we want?/I'm Rick James, in this game/There's a wide leather couch for me to plant my feet on
2. Gotta love the style switch as well as the cockiness showing that he CAN be that dude, he just does what he wants first.
   
18. A Bathing Harry (Catch me I'm ballin) (Fahrenheit 1/15 Part 3: A Rhyming Ape)
    
1. "The word play is work but pimping is easy/So catch me I'm balling/I'm sick too if you ain't catch me like coughing/Back when I said you should catch me like Rawlings/It's cool, cause most cats that I bump into can't catch me that often"
   
19. Theme Music to a Drive By
1. "since a lil nigga hang/ with the killers and distributors of cane/they dismemberers of swishas then refill it with the jane/then they tilt it and they lit with a flame/then they took a pull of killer to the brain like (inhale noise) ah"
2. "Cuz I can't feel a field nigga chains/though I covet mine, so I covered mine in bling/then I bumped into a bum and covered mine in shame/then I bumped into a hun and uncovered mine again (uh)"
20. Conflict Diamonds(Fahrenheit 1/15:Revenge of the Nerds)
1. Didnt have a clue that the rapper was helping the rapers/raiders of the villagers/pillagers of the schools/Shooters of the innocent/torturers of the witnesses/burners of the businesses/And my bracelet was the fuel/Uhh, i aint pushing an agenda homie/Im just pushing the facts/Fuck Bush/Cuz theres people doin worse on this earth/and they're black/I took it there/now let me bring it back
   
21. And He Gets the Girl(Fahrenheit 1/15:Revenge of the Nerds)
1. "We ain't in the same crowd/Always see you with the hoopers/But we got the same lunch/You might see me with the cooler/That's cause I don't eat pork/You can never be sure of"
2. The love story-Nerd style
   
22. The Instrumental
1.  "Everything he sees/he absorbs and adopts it/he mimics and he mocks it/really hates the box/but cant remember how to stop it"
   
2. The media takes over your mind, and you dont even realize it. When you try to stop it, you ant remember what life was like without it. In addtion, since media is EVERYWHERE, you repeat what you believe to be factual and true, thus "Never lies" because YOU never have an original idea or thought (never said anything at all)
   
23. Gotta Eat (The Cool)
    
1. "Lovers call em King/Haters call em clown/he would say bite me/that's the way its goin down"
2. The GREAT part about this song is its duplicity, like so many other songs on the Cool. The overall theme of the song is a dealer who "gotta eat" as in make his money, his "bread" or "cheese", which is the first metaphor. But the deeper meaning, or possibly more obvious meaning once you "hear" it, is that the community kills its itself, though eating fast foods and things that clog us up instead of clean us out.  
3. The King and the clown- Burger King, Ronald McDonald.
4. The chorus also gives into the concept of the character of "The Streets", not only meaning the streets as in the hood life, but the character of the streets.
   
24. Sittin Sideways- 
1. "Hanging hat, banging sack, slanging with guns on/ Forced to drop the forks or you gotta run home/Or you gotta run anyway after you drop the folks/ 'Cause they was really folks looking for somebody to jump on"... 
2. "I seen 'em brawl for it/ right on the wall for it/ Get kicked out the mall for it/run from the law for it/See things they should've never saw for it/ Long as it's all well/ almighty/alrighty/ they all for it, uh.

Honorable mention
Fire
Diamond in the Back

The Champ is Here

Lupe the Killer(Fahrenheit 1/15:Revenge of the Nerds)
Coulda Been 
Intruder Alert  
I'm Coming
Sunshine
GEEZ EVERYTHING lol. And I am probably missing one of my faves in the main list, ugh. Too much great ish!
But, comment, add, lemme know what you think!