Hip Hop Saved My Life
| "Hip-Hop Saved My Life" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Lupe Fiasco featuring Nikki Jean | ||||
| from the album Lupe Fiasco's The Cool | ||||
| Released | March 18, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 2007 | |||
| Genre | Alternative hip hop | |||
| Length | 4:03 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters |
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| Producer | Soundtrakk | |||
| Lupe Fiasco featuring Nikki Jean singles chronology | ||||
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"Hip-Hop Saved My Life" is 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. Its music video went viral.[1]
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]
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[5] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ Reid, Shaheem; Rodriguez, Jayson (January 28, 2008). "Mixtape Monday: Lupe Fiasco Plans His Cool Viral Video; Joe Budden Compares Jay-Z To A 'Bully'". MTV.com. Archived from the original on January 30, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
- ^ Pence, Charlotte (2011). The Poetics of American Song Lyrics. Univ. Press of Mississippi. pp. 14–16. ISBN 978-1-61703-156-4.
- ^ Rodriguez, Jayson; Dotiwala, Jasmine (April 11, 2008). "Lupe Fiasco's Latest Single, 'Hip-Hop Saved My Life,' Honors Southern Rap Heroes Bun B, Slim Thug". MTV.com. Archived from the original on April 14, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "American single certifications – Lupe Fiasco – Hip Hop Saved My Life (Feat. Nikki Jean)". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 1, 2025.