"Hip-Hop Saved My Life" is a viral video,[1] and the second single from Lupe Fiasco's second album, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool. The track features vocals from Nikki Jean, the lead singer of Nouveau Riche.

Content

The single is a heartfelt song that tells the story of an underground rap artist, his personal problems, and his struggle and desire to achieve success. The rapper composes a song with a doggerel structure and a hook, "Somethin', somethin', somethin' / Stack that Cheese", street slang for making money. Author Charlotte Pence argues that Fiasco achieves simple complexity in the song, rebelling against simplistic lyrics while simultaneously exploiting them.[2]

It was revealed on MTV that the song was partially based on the life and career of Southern rapper Slim Thug and dedicated to Bun B.[3]

Music video

The music video, directed by Houston's own Dr. Teeth, was released on March 18, 2008. The video recounts the story of a young up-and-coming rapper and the obstacles he struggles to overcome. The video includes appearances by Slim Thug, Willie D, Nikki Jean, K-Rino, Paul Wall, and Bun B with Lupe Fiasco. In one scene towards the beginning of the video, a clip from the video for "Superstar" (another one of Fiasco's songs) can briefly be seen playing on a television set.

Chart performance

It has first appeared on Billboard as of May 31, charting at #25 on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart, then peaking at #20 a week later.[4]

References