Throwback Thursday: Lupe Fiasco - Dumb it Down

After becoming addicted to Lupe Fiasco's The Show Goes On, I had to re-visit one of my favorite hip-hop albums of all time - The Cool. Lupe Fiasco is on another level, and if you never listened to The Cool, you are missing out on a classic. On this track, Lupe addresses those who would have him sell out to sell more records. Like Jay-Z said,

If skills sold, truth be told, I'd probably be, lyrically, Talib Kweli

Truthfully, I wanna rhyme like Common Sense, but I sold five mil, I ain't been rhyming like Common since.

Dumbed down lyrics sell (see: Crank Dat, This is Why I'm Hot). But Lupe stays true, and always comes out with albums that focus on lyricism instead of catering to radio and the mainstream. Lupe can still come through with a radio banger, but Dumb it Down is no radio track. Watch Lupe showcase his lyrical skills.

They told me I should come down cousin, but I flatly refuse I ain't dumb down nothing