Lovelyish

Who is Lupe Fiasco and why should I care about his opinion? 

@Grtt@xanga - A music artist.

He’s entitled to how he feels.  A million other people feel the same way.

he seems like another one of those people who try to sound intelligent and provocative when in actuality they don’t really know shit. he gets paid to spurt out whatever he wants; I’d like to see him take part in the government or actually do something to make a difference.

@ohforrealson@xanga - It says up there ‘hip-hop artist’. That ain’t music.  Seriously though, I have no idea who this person is, lol. He is, however, entitled to his opinion, but the rest of the world is just as entitled not to listen to it, care about it, or debate it.

good marketing tactic to use controversy regarding obama and terrorism to garner free advertisement attention to his new album and now more people might listen to his latest single to hear what the fuss is all about. don’t fall for it. I won’t listen to it that’s like that stunt that kanye pulled about how bush doesn’t like black people. since he doesn’t have boobs to set off the media radar like khloe then he says some stuff to get attention.

He in no way made the comparison between Obama and Osama. I don’t even know why you would do that. Not only is that ignorant, that leads others to deduce that Lupe was saying that, when he did no such thing.

Talk to Iraqi children, to Afghan children, to Palestinian children and they’ll tell you that the greatest terrorist in the world is whoever is leading the US. To get one man we justified killing thousands of innocents in wars we had no business in engaging. Osama bin Laden was taken out by a team of Navy SEALS, not one of the millions of bombs we bombed into Afghanistan. Couldn’t we have done that without invading other countries?

Lupe is right. It’s our leaders, our foreign policies that lead to future terrorists. In fact Osama bin Laden said that it was the US’ unwavering policies towards Israel that led to 9/11, a fact proven in the 9/11 commission but withdrawn from the actual report. You can watch the videos of the commission saying this but they failed to include it in the official report because we might stub some toes by mentioning Israel.

As for his lyrics, a lot of people worldwide are pretty upset with the US looking the other way when innocent Palestinian children are killed daily. With the way things are going, I’m probably not going to vote in 2012 either because no candidate reflects what I believe in.

I’d like to add, this is no publicity stunt. These have been his political views for a while. In fact he was one of the first musicians fighting to bring light to the atrocities being committed towards the Palestinian people.

What do musicians know about politics?

@Aaliyaan@xanga - Really? If his feelings are genuine and not just to stir up the media..then, it’s something else entirely. Usually a lot of these stars say this stuff to get attention to them..but if he really means it..then, it’s fine I suppose. I won’t think of him as some attention whore or something. 

 It’s okay. I’m not voting either. There is no one that I believe in that shares the same ideals as me. 

@Aaliyaan@xanga - Just wanted to add to this that it’s not just some random opinion, it’s one that if people haven’t heard before they should take it seriously. The research has been done time and time again. E.g. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/10/18/it_s_the_occupation_stupid?page=full

I can’t believe OP just labeled [t]his opinion/statement as “civil disobedience.” Wow.

I don’t like how Lupe ripped off Modest Mouse, but I’d have to say in a lot of ways he’s right… beyond just the Gaza issue. People are in constant terror over the financial crisis that is still plaguing this country, and the President and Congress take weeks off at a time to go on vacations when people are losing their homes, starving to death. Must be nice to earn that salary off taxpayers’ dollars.

i thought bush was the terrorist.. he got hussein killed didn’t he? obama is just picking up the pieces that bush left him when he took office iono why everyone is blaming obama on EVERYTHING HAPPENING NOW but everyone failed to realize what had happened prior to him taking office.. give him a fucking break at least he’s fucking trying.. it’s not his fault.. all the shit that’s happening now is continuation of what took place when bush was in office.. damn ignorant much? that’s just pure ignorance to be using obama as a scapegoat… the u.s. government gave bush WAY TOO MUCH power to be fighting “terrorism”

and as for lupe fiasco… he’s just trying get the spotlight shined on him again cuz he ain’t relevant at this point.. i haven’t heard a song on the radio or a music video on tv.. but then again you never know with celebs if they are sincerely being genuine or not..

i’m confused on his political standing actually.  as a hip hop artist who usually raps about pretty meaningful things, i find this pretty important.  

Disgusting. But he’s entitled to his opinion.

*eyeroll*

Lol what should I expect from xanga? A bunch of people talking about someone they don’t even listen to and generating opinions on him from a single quote. Morons.

@CrAdLe2daGrAve@xanga - Then you haven’t been listening. He had no less than 3 songs from his new album on the radio because of their musical quality and not because of some controversial messages and he’s done fine for himself without pulling any stunts. 

Wisdom is not found in the minds of the disciples of ingrained stupidity.

@ivarahBharavi@xanga - You seem like one of those people that try to sound intelligent and analytical when in reality they don’t really know shit. 

Just sayin’.

@ivarahBharavi@xanga - And how many of his songs have you listened to?

@striemmy@xanga - don’t really know shit about Lupe Fiasco? I’m pretty sure that this quote and the lyrics to his songs tell all anyone needs to know about his political views, which sound like the words coming out of a high-schooler’s mouth. he put them out there and so that’s what people will formulate opinions based off of.

@striemmy@xanga - just a couple, but I’m sure that his views won’t be different in each of his songs. you’re probably offended because you’re a fan of Lupe’s, but you’ve gotta admit that it’s pretty ridiculous to refer to somebody as a terrorist just because you don’t like their policies. like I said, all he does is spurt out words to get paid and live his life. he’s entitled to his opinion but that’s a pretty absurd accusation coming from somebody who probably wouldn’t survive a day in an important governmental role and isn’t actively doing much to make a difference.

@ivarahBharavi@xanga - So, let me get this straight. You’re evaluating a human being’s opinions on as wide a subject as politics on a few of his songs, each of which focus on a small spectrum of his overall views and you think that your view is so complete that not listening to any of his other work could have any impact on your evaluation at all? Are you kidding me? I’m probably offended because I’m an intelligent human being who knows how to not commit the fallacies of biased sample, hasty generalization, and poisoning the well simultaneously. 

Oh, yeah, that is totally ridiculous… unless of course those policies are the very things actively creating and intensifying terrorism on a global scale, in which case he’s correct. In fact, because he’s the commander in chief and authorizes the actions that go on in our war zones, like the strike team that came in and took out Osama, he can be (and is in many parts of the world) held directly responsible for the things our military does worldwide and which would satisfy one of the main definitions of the word “terrorist”. Sorry but I simply cannot take anything you have to say about what Lupe Fiasco does or does not do with any sort of authority when you clearly haven’t even done enough research on him to substantiate your previous points, especially under the consideration that I know for a fact that the man successfully climbed kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in africa, for charity. But all he does is spend his money and live his life and spurt out words that he knows nothing about and doesn’t actively do much to make a difference. It sounds like you’ve never really had cause to have a claim you’ve made on xanga challenged before so allow me to pop your cherry. How about you do a quick google search the next time you get the sudden urge to talk out of your backside?

I. Love Lupe.

@striemmy@xanga - Take it easy on her; she’s only 17 .

Definition of terrorism: “The use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes.” Does the US government order the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce? Arguably yes. Of course, most other governments do too. They argue self defence of course, but so to do many of our enemies we call terrorists (if they aren’t arguing religious bullshit). You may dismiss a rapper’s comments, but could you so easily dismiss an intellectual like Noam Chomsky who pretty much argues the same?

@Axis_of_Doom@xanga - Aggressively ignorant. However, I will take that into consideration in my future commentary.

@striemmy@xanga - he’s an artist who knows his songs are popular and he made that statement knowing it’d get publicized. people are going to identify him by those views and if those ideas weren’t important to him then he wouldn’t put them out there that way. I don’t need to do a thorough research on Lupe Fiasco to comment on what I think about his position on this in particular. it may have sounded from my use of general terms that I’m talking about his political views in general, but I’m only referring to this. so my bad for using general terminology.

okay, you agree with him and that’s great. you’re entitled to your opinion. but a lot of celebrities do charity work. charity doesn’t do anything to make a difference in the way the government works. that’s where I said he isn’t doing anything to actively make a difference. if he feels so strongly about our foreign policy and awful government then he ought to try to do something.

“It sounds like you’ve never really had cause to have a claim you’ve made on xanga challenged before so allow me to pop your cherry.” yeah, I haven’t, because I don’t say things that I don’t feel like I’m in a position to say… like calling people terrorists.

and I’d appreciate it if you’d quit being rude and using personal attacks. thanks.

@Axis_of_Doom@xanga - what does my age have to do with it? even when I’m 50, I’ll disagree with calling someone a terrorist because you disagree with their political views. besides, at least four others agree with me (based on just recs) and I know that two of them are past college.

@ivarahBharavi@xanga - No, but you do need to listen to more than 2 songs. If you had pulled “daydream” and “kick push” you might think that he was some drugged out skater with nothing better on his mind than fun. If you listened to “the coolest” and “the die” you might think that he’s obsessed with street life, money, guns and murder. Of course maybe if you listened to “little weapon” you might pick up that he has his eyes on a global perspective of injustice. If you listened to “dumb it down” perhaps you’d have gotten the impression that he couldn’t even talk about everything that he wants to because it’s not mainstream enough to sell (which is a sentiment that has been put forth by other MC’s before him because it’s the truth). The songs you listen to create a picture and without the other ones it’s an incomplete one and here you are defending your ability to argue from ignorance instead of taking the opportunity to get a clue.

Actually, I don’t agree with him. I do think that what he’s saying is reasonable and that the structure of his argument is sound and that’s why I defend it. I agree with his premises, I just don’t agree with his conclusion. 

I’m sorry, do you not know what charity work does? He clearly has no interest in being a part of the government as he views it as the main source of the problems and is taking action outside of it and working around it to help achieve his aims. False alternative fallacy. Quick, someone call the American Cancer Society and tell them they aren’t making a difference, someone start a grassroots movement to boycott FEMA since it accepts charitable donations and obviously isn’t doing anything with them, and everyone, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, stop giving money to Feed The Children.

Lol then I have no idea why you bothered to open your mouth about this. Personal attacks? Name one thing I’ve said about you specifically that is anything but unbiased truth. You don’t know what rude is, yet. 

@ivarahBharavi@xanga - It was somewhat of an inside-joke between me and Striemmy. We actually had a conversation about when it’s appropriate (and not appropriate) to rip somebody apart. For the record, I think he’s being a little harsh. 

Completely unrelated: There’s a “hit the dictator” game right below the entry and above the comments section on my end, and it’s Galdafi (I think) strapped on a wooden table… and you have to throw axes at him! LOL!

Carry on.

@ivarahBharavi@xanga - I’m one of the people that recommended the entry and I don’t agree with it so you may want to re-evaluate the causal relationship between a political opinion and a mouse click.

@striemmy@xanga - this went way off track of my original comment. my comment was based off of what he said to CBS. I disagree with what he said and stated what impression his comment gave off, with which some people clearly agree. I didn’t attack his character or whatever else he believes so even if you tell me all day about all of the wonderful things he does and how intelligent he is, it doesn’t change what I think of that comment.

I’ve never seen someone recommend a comment unless they agree, though entries can be recommended for the sake of getting people to read them. I’ll take the recommendations at face value.

@Axis_of_Doom@xanga - I’m not offended, actually, nor do I feel ‘ripped apart’. there are some people who are very violent and angry and aggressive in expressing their opinions and others are really civilized and calm. it depends on whether you want to prove others wrong and change their views, or you just want to share yours.

since I’m a fan of Nas, I’m giving this super cute and sexy rapper a shout out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUZIUO1ZZvI&feature=player_embedded

happy friday!:P

@ivarahBharavi@xanga - You know what’s great about the internet? The ability to instantly verify someone’s claim about something they said or did not say. Now, your claim is that you didn’t attack his character but you clearly spoke to his character in saying “he seems like another one of those people…” and in that said something negative. I’m not sure that what you actually said matches what you’re saying you said at the time. See, you said something about his character, ridiculously unsupported supposition though it may be, and it was negative. I believe they call that an attack. You didn’t say that his commentary was ignorant and psuedo-intellectual, which would be stating your impression of his comment. No, you spoke of his character as being one of those people who “try to sound intelligent and provocative when in actuality they don’t really know shit.” I’m wondering if the irony of my mimicry of that part of your comment as my first response to you is finally starting to settle in. I certainly hope it is. The people that agree with you are equally ignorant on the matter, or hadn’t you noticed in this groupthink tornado of vacuous nodding heads? Also, you said “I’d like to see him take part in the government or actually do something to make a difference” which is 1) unrelated and unable to be related to his commentary and 2) obvious nonsense that a 5 second google search would have remedied. Rather than stepping up to the plate and taking the time to educate yourself, you’ve decided to wallow in intellectual mediocrity despite the fact that it seems as though you can do better. The fact that you’ve settled nicely into your ignorance is precisely why I have no intention of trying to change your mind. Not only have I put forth claims that you can easily research that speak to his character and his intelligence but also to the argument that he posed. If you think that someone has said something stupid and you discover them to be incredibly intelligent, the intelligent course of action would be to review whether you’re smart enough to properly evaluate their claim or invalidate their reasoning FIRST and then, only after exhausting that course of action, to determine the intellectual quality of their sentiment. Of course, that is only what an intelligent person would do. I can’t speak for everyone else. =)

I’m sure you’ve never seen a hole in the ozone layer either but I assure you they exist. Air molecules too.

@ivarahBharavi@xanga - Nice little under the table ad hominem, by the way. Of course that’s another false dichotomy and a ridiculous one at that. I challenged what you said by presenting points that should have made you question whether you were properly evaluating his sentiments and you either elected to ignore them or were unable to properly string together the reasoning involved. The onus then for the course of the conversation is not on me, who acted in the interest of rectifying an ignorant stance, but on you, who seems staunchly rooted in it.

@ivarahBharavi@xanga - To which I responded that you didn’t have enough to go off of and still don’t. I believe my first reply to you still stands and this will be my last. 

@striemmy@xanga - I said ‘seems like’, the implication of which is what things seem to be based off that comment. not everyone completes every sentence. if he isn’t what that comment makes him seem then more power to him. and you know, I actually did go google some stuff about him after what you said. like I said, I still think similarly of what the comment makes him seem like. but about Lupe himself my opinion wasn’t formulated and has yet to be so therefore I’m not really ‘staunchly rooted’ in anything except what kind of an impression this comment gives off.

@striemmy@xanga - by the way, I feel compelled to mention that your use of vocab is pretty kickass.

I love how people automatically rule out hip-hop artists as barely literate morons who can’t form a cogent thought despite the fact that hip-hop was sharpened under the very intelligent and very watchful eyes of a post-Black Arts Movement generation of Black Americans ready and capable of following a strong art-as-propaganda dictum. Man, it’s just classic.

@striemmy@xanga - Do you ever not argue? lolol

@CrAdLe2daGrAve@xanga - then we really should be blaming Clinton because he could have easily stopped Osama. Also, we really have congress to blame more than we do any president. And Clinton is the one who allowed banks to give people loans to buy homes and that didn’t work out. 

Clinton: “I should have stopped Osama when I had the chance.” 

@thatsnotarealword@xanga - True, but you can’t deny that much of the hip-hop industry has gone to complete shit. I’m not saying that Lupe Fiasco is wrong because of this fact; I’m just pointing this out as an aside. Just watch MTV and you’ll see what I mean. 

I’m not a fan of his rapping style, so even if his message is a good one in his song, I won’t be inclined to listen to it because I can’t stand his rap style, because the way he delivers the lyrics isn’t catchy or good as tupac:D later~

@Axis_of_Doom@xanga - Well, as with anything, you’re going to get a flush of imitators once it gets profitable. It’s a sad fact, since hip-hop’s proven itself a global force that very easily translates across otherwise unusual cultural boundaries, but that’s just the way things go. Gotta cash in while you can, I guess.

Lupe Fiasco is a legend

@P0RCELA1N_D0LL@xanga - No one will ever be as good as tupac! Haha, I love Lupe though.

@theflowerstem@xanga - Just because he’s a musician, doesn’t mean he doesn’t know about anything other than music. I have a friend who is a musician (not a professional, but still a musician) and he is very interested in politics. In fact, anyone interested in politics has my respect because they know more of what’s going on.

I actually agree with him, it seems as if America is determined to interfere in everyone’s business. They are not the world’s police, not by a long shot. They have no right in barging in and killing millions of innocents when it is quite frankly, none of their goddamned business.
People may dislike my opinion and Lupe Fiasco’s and that’s fair enough, we are all entitled to our own opinions, and I’m not about to verbally attack anyone who disagrees with me, and I hope nobody verbally attacks me either.

@theflowerstem@xanga -  That is pretty asinine to assume musicians don’t care or have knowledge about politics. It would be just as stupid for me to ask “what do you know about politics?”. Stereo typing a persons intelligence of political issues, based on what they do? really?

@Gotiffany - Most musicians really don’t have the time to keep up with current politics. They may be familar with the terms though.

@MasqueradeOfDreams@xanga - That’s true, but Obama didn’t create those foregin policies and honestly a foregin policy doesn’t give someone the right to become a terrorist. They may not like America in their business and that’s fine, but to become a terrorist over it is stupid. Osama Bin Laden blew up the twin towers because he was jealous of the fact that we (back then) used to be a rich country.

great someone is encouraging people to avoid voting

PREACH!

@Aaliyaan@xanga -  “Talk to Iraqi children, to Afghan children,
to Palestinian children and they’ll tell you that the greatest terrorist
in the world is whoever is leading the US. To get one man we justified
killing thousands of innocents in wars we had no business in engaging.
Osama bin Laden was taken out by a team of Navy SEALS, not one of the
millions of bombs we bombed into Afghanistan. Couldn’t we have done that
without invading other countries?”

Did you ever happen to consider maybe some of the blame should go to the thousands of men and women who volunteer to fight these wars and kill all of those innocent people in other countries? Tons of Americans agree with the war so that’s why they leave their families to go fight some meaningless bullshit because “their government said so”. Obama has never killed anyone innocent himself, correct? I cannot see how he can be considered a terrorist then, simply because other mindless idiots feel they need to do everything their government says. Like from the movie V for Vendetta, “People should not fear their government, the government should fear their people.” I blame the Americans who are physically over in other countries killing innocent people.

It’s really weird how everyone is surprised that a musician would have a political stance on something and not speak about it for attention. Regardless if someone is a celebrity, they’re still humans. And most humans have opinions on things like this. Some of them even have well thought out opinions on politics. If anything I’d rather celebrities speak out about things like this instead of just being a puppet for the music industry. Sure some musicians do shit for attention but it’s really not as common as people on here think. Some people will truthfully have opinions that are unpopular or controversial. I kind of understand what Lupe is trying to say although I’m on the fence with the statement.

It was a harsh way of saying it, but I agree with the general statement… 

Those who are saying that he’s just doing this as a publicity stunt most likely don’t know who Lupe Fiasco is. I’m not saying that I know him personally, but I’ve been following this artist for a while, and even though his music just recently went viral, he’s been in the business for the past few years, and has even collaborated with artists such as Kanye West. But his political opinions were evident even back then. If this is just a “stunt”, then he could have used it to his advantage to gain attention back then. Agreed, I probably wouldn’t do anything as quick-minded and “loud” as he has, but as many have said already, he is entitled to his own opinion, and I SURELY would never associate him with Bin Laden. That’s just ignorant. 

I see so much taken out of contest, I would guess this might be the same. If not he is really dumb

I love Lupe and I love Obama. I love Lupe’s music and I love Obama’s mindset and how hard he’s fucking trying for this country. People don’t realize that stupid ass Bush left this country in turmoil and that Obama had to build it up from that state. But whatever, to each his own, I guess. Still got mad love for him. 

Lupe Fiasco is one of my favorite artists, and while I don’t completely agree with him on President Obama…I think Lupe is absolutely right when it comes to the U.S.’s Foreign Policy and the things our government gets away with.

This article, if it can even be called that…neglects to mention that Lupe has always been a political lyricist. Most of his lyrics are some of the most complex and intelligent lyrics in music today.

SMH @ some of the commentators on here trying to say Lupe isn’t intelligent when they’ve never listened to his music or lyrics. The dude is brilliant.

@starcrossedloversdivine@xanga -
How did he rip off Modest Mouse? The producer of “The Show Goes On”
sampled a song by Modest Mouse, sampling happens all the time in music
production.

@ivarahBharavi@xanga - He’s always been a political lyricist, this was not a cry for attention or publicity. 

*Xanga’s Batman Out*

@theflowerstem@xanga - That is incorrect. According to Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, Osama’s right hand man at the time, the 9/11 attack was done only due to the US’ unwavering support for Israel. This was proven in the 9/11 hearings but was kept hush hush as to not offend the politicians that are pro-Israeli.

@Sunny___Skies@xanga - That is absolute and complete bullshit. A lot of people go into the military because they have no idea what their lives have in store for them. For many, its the easiest way out of poverty and to provide for their families. Recruiters lie to young high school students about glory and they don’t realize what it really means to be in the armed forces. A LOT of people go in thinking they’d never have to fight at all, because they’re supposedly guaranteed civilian jobs that support those who are fighting. You cannot blame people who have no other means of supporting themselves or their families for doing what they think is right. I can’t have respect for any American who despises our military… people who ultimately would willingly give their lives to protect scum who don’t appreciate them.

People are dying all over the world and we’re fighting on xanga trying to sound superior to one another…shut up

GAH No one understand that you need to VOTE LOCAL, VOTE COUNTY, VOTE STATE in order to get A VOICE.

It isn’t just about the President.

He’s absolutely right in my opinion, we are terrorists and our big-headed, nose-butting, ‘I will save you little ones by bombing your country without understanding your true problems, needs or desires’ attitude creates so-called terrorists in those countries. Nevertheless it is his opinion and ‘patriots’ will still flame him in the name of their country.

Eh, what is saying isn’t completely off. I wouldn’t say it’s Obama so much as American foreign policy as a whole that promotes terrorism. Oil plays a big part in the whole thing. :/

Apparently, not very many people on here read about what the US is doing in Haiti (recently released documents). The US is not as pretty as it likes to look.

Anyways, Lupe is not the first nor the last artist to use hip hop and rap to make a statement. And making a public statement like that is a huge risk for public figures, which is why it is rare to see artists or actors or other celebrities making statements about very controversial issues. For example, look at what backlash Coldplay’s support for a song has caused. So claiming he said this to get more attention is wrong, because it will generate a lot of bad attention as well. As you can see on here.
There are also many underground artists making statements like him all the time.

@Aaliyaan@xanga - That doesn’t mean that we’re terrorists because we support another country. I don’t know exactly what was going on, but I believe that Osama was terrorizing Isreal and if that’s true then of course another country is going to step in because, think about it, Isreal was being bullied, so why wouldn’t somebody else step in? There are cases where we need to just mind our own business, but this? Not so much.

This is old news, really. .-.

I definitely agree with what Lupe’s trying to say. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m quite sure Lupe is specifically referring to Obama because he, the President, is responsible for representing the country and its actions — not because of his personal actions.

I dunno, but the OP made it seem like Lupe has never said anything like this before. He’s clearly expressed his views in a number of songs, and it’s not like he’s the first artist to state his political stance…

@starcrossedloversdivine@xanga - So I’m supposed to pity people who end up fighting and killing innocent people because they have no other means and weren’t aware of what they were getting themselves into? I can’t have respect for anyone who leaves their wife and newly born baby to go fight for this country because they think it’s the right thing to do. We are human beings, the purpose of us being on this planet is to reproduce and care for our young, not fight and kill each other over nonsense. Then they get themselves killed and that poor child has to grow up without a father because his daddy would have rather fought for other people instead of raising his son and working hard finding a job to support his family where he can live in the same house/country as his family. I know not all soldiers are in that situation, but fighting is not the point of life and anyone who volunteers to risk their life for that is crazy in my opinion.

@Sunny___Skies@xanga - I said nothing about pity. Pity is a disgusting emotion which basically says “I feel bad for you because I am better than you” to the suffering.

I am saying, that you need to see it in the eyes of someone who has no other option in their life, when the military promises an automatic secure income upon join. I’m certain that many of the soldiers who do their job do feel that killing is wrong, but they have a family to feed, and maybe not a wife and kids…. some people have to support their parents and extended family members.  Other service members are told they may never have to fight, as they are doing civilian jobs, but will be used if necessary.  If you have never experienced hardship, then I guess I can understand why you don’t see their reasons behind making that choice.

he’s stupid. stupid people really shouldn’t make statements when they dont fully understand whats going on. 

@starcrossedloversdivine@xanga - so you think it’s okay for them to kill since they’re doing it for money? You’re telling me they can’t get government benefits like welfare and food stamps? Or try to find a job or get multiple jobs? I know people who have gone through hardships and have struggled and would never consider risking their lives or the lives of others in war to put food on the table, there is always a way to make ends meet. Would you agree with someone killing puppies and kittens or children for money because they need it to put food on the table? I would hope not, so I don’t see why people in other countries should be any different.

do people just randomly look up tweets from Twitter and randomly post them on Lovelyish as actual posts?!

@theflowerstem@xanga - 

Musicians have opinions on politics, just like most other people. Here’s a list of some songs:

http://www.newstatesman.com/music/2010/03/top-20-political-songs

There’s a lot more out there if we stop and think about it. We don’t have to be a representative of governmental affairs to understand what we do and do not agree with. Politicians may be on a higher pedestal in political status, but they’re the people with the power trying to push ideals around.

It probably is different once you’re actually in that position, but the people in which you govern still have the right to express their opinions. (depending on the kind of opinions and which country you live in, of course)

I may not hold the same opinions as Lupe Fiasco, even if I’ve enjoyed some of his songs, but I believe that, musically or otherwise, he has the right to say what he said. As the audience, it’s our job on how we handle the information. The media records what it records, and there’s always going to be bias, but that doesn’t mean we should completely ignore another person’s opinion.

It gives a different viewpoint to think about, anyway. It’s also one outside of the politician’s seat.

 While he’s entitled to his opinion, I find it hard to take him seriously when he also admitted that he doesn’t vote too…which you didn’t bother to include in the quote. 

(Before anyone jumps down my throat, I am expressing an opinion, and I DO NOT want to start an argument or debate so

please

don’t reply to my comment with an attempt to)… 

I think Obama being president is the worst thing that has happened to our country. I actually think Bush was a better president, and trust me, I wasn’t too fond of Bush either. I think Obama is turning this country into a socialist economy.

@misslei11@xanga - I would like to hear more about your opinion because I really don’t understand how he’s turning it into a socalist economy, I’m not trying to attack your pov, I just want to learn.

@should_I_Tell_You@xanga - Everyone has an opinion, but, why voice it if you don’t UNDERSTAND what you’re talking about?

@theflowerstem@xanga - Well, I was directly commenting off of your comment. You were asking what do musicians know about politics. He really doesn’t get how foreign affairs work, sure, but he’s trying to point out some injustices outside of the US. The problem is that the words he chooses are more for grabbing attention than explaining his viewpoint. From that much, I can see from his viewpoint. Not everyone is able to convey their thoughts in an effective manner, and the manner of his speech is grabbing an audience, but with the wrong reaction to what he’s trying to do.

It’s not like he’s the only source of information about worldly affairs though. It’s a shame we’re getting more riled up on what he did rather than what he’s trying to talk about, but that comes with the way he’s conveying his message. It’s a message of blame, and of insults. It’s rude, and it’s uncalled for by many people. :/

@should_I_Tell_You@xanga - Honestly, he should have really thought about what he was going to say before he said it, I believe you when he said his main purpose was to grab attention. I believe that when you want to talk about any subject you should convey your thoughts in an understanding manner because if you don’t you may make yourself look like something your not.

i love Lupe Fiasco . he’s a Muslim , and he’s trying to defend Islam. that’s our duty as Muslims. 

@theflowerstem@xanga - For that, I’ll have to point you towards Rage Against the Machine, System of a Down and rapper Immortal Technique. Ya welcome.

@theflowerstem@xanga - hmm.. and what do you know about politics? seems like you jump quickly to the conclusion that musicians (or just those from the hip-hop genre) know absolutely nothing about politics. i wonder exactly what went through your mind when you wrote that comment.

@P0RCELA1N_D0LL@xanga - i guess it’s only a trap if it doesn’t go with your opinion. i guess nothing is real from anyone’s heart if it doesn’t conform to your beliefs since the rest are all just hype and advertisements right?
@ivarahBharavi@xanga - if you look up the actual definition of ‘terrorism’ instead of simply what the media frame as terrorists, maybe you’ll see something different. And i have to disagree with your constant attack that he is getting paid to provoke attention because this album has been rejected and pushed back by Atlantic Records again and again because of its controversial topics.  There was actually a petition for the label to release his music.  It’s not hard to make money in this industry, look at soulja boy.  He wouldn’t have to constantly push to get his message heard in public just to get paid.  I consider that doing something active, to show the public a different perspective whether they agree will them or not.

So many people trying to show they know better and dismiss the opinion of a rapper by:
- not listening to the lyrics
- make judgment based on the one quote
- say they do no care because they do not know who he is
- say lupe fiasco pull this as a stunt simply to make money (but do not know how this album was rejected and delayed repeatedly because the record label is scared of the controversial messages)
              money could be made much easier, but he chose to speak his mind

 it’s many of the xangans here that sound like little kids who cannot reinforce their own arguments.

@theflowerstem@xanga - “most musicians don’t have time to keep up with politics”. hey nice generalization about musicians! why don’t you stem more stereotypes based on race or gender or income level?
@theflowerstem@xanga - Osama blew up the twin tower because he was jealous U.S.’s rich?? Why don’t you look up what U.S. was doing with Israel before 9/11? Oh and how about what U.S. did to cripple Japan before the Pearl harbor bombing. Oh, how about paying more attention to what actually goes around in the world instead of hearing from one source only?

Regarding to who is being bullied, who should save whom.  Conflict is never-ending as long as everyone is self-interested.  Invading another country is simply showing who is a bigger bully and better armed.  Foreign affairs don’t work the same way as playground rules.  By the way, you probably realize the states trillion dollars deficit right? If the ‘leader’ of the globe is handicapped trying to settle conflicts that can never be ceased, do you think the democratic developed country has any more weight or authority to the many other countries out there? With nuclear warfare being an instant stalemate regardless of how advanced you are, and the scarcity of petroleum, this isn’t a white knight on horse fairytale.

@Sunny___Skies@xanga - Your comment against service members is so full of ignorant bullshit. What do you know of the military community and actual warfare other than what you see on the major news networks?

Obama sends his union thugs from the SCIU out to beat up people at TEA parties all the time.  I’d say that’s terrorism.    

@theflowerstem@xanga - 

Perhaps you should find out what’s going on. We, the US, support a country that slaughters and yes I said slaughters, thousands of innocent women and children per year. Our tax money pays for the white phosphorus bombs that are tossed at the Palestinian people every single day. In the case of Israel, the world’s biggest spoiled child, we don’t have to support them. Our millions of dollars per day to them could be used on education in America even work programs but it’s not because we had to go “save” Israel. I don’t want to get into an Israel vs. Palestine debate but the fact remains that if we associate with a country that commits genocide and don’t condemn it, we’re just as guilty.

@theflowerstem@xanga - Yes that is a good point, I personally believe that noone should become terrorists over this either. Both sides have done wrong; America for interfering and killing innocents and Muslims etc for striking back by killing innocents.

“Thats why I ain’t vote for him.” — thats enough for me to discredit and care even less about what he is talking about. Go back to school, please.

I wonder what Lupe would have to say if America/Obama dealt with everything right away, and didn’t let anything happen. I wonder what Lupe would have to say if we didn’t have foreign policies in any countries what-so-ever.

What an interesting world it would be, I think. 

@Aaliyaan@xanga - The U.S. has had relations with Pakistan since 1947 and since then we’ve always provided military assistance to them. So that’s why we’re over there.

@P753159@xanga - I didn’t stereotype musicians with that sentence because I used the word most and it’s true, if you’re involved with furthering your career, then your main focus is going to be on your career. That goes for every career unless it’s related to politics, like maybe a journalist that focuses on politics.

I also never said the U.S. was rich, I know we’ve been in debt for quite a while even back in 2001 we had debt, I said THEY believed that we were rich and I also believe I said I don’t know much about 9/11 or the TRUE story behind it. For 10 years I’ve heard nothing other than stories and opinions that may be lased with facts. As far as looking up info about it? I’ve done that and I’ve never gotten any straight answers, just stories and opinions.

@theflowerstem@xanga - I didn’t say anything about Pakistan. What are you talking about?

@Aaliyaan@xanga - I’m sorry I get those two countries mixed up a lot. The U,S. does have relations with Isreal that plays a big impact in our foregin policy in the middle east, so that’s one reason why we’re supporting them and from what I read on this site: http://www.redstate.com/erick/2011/05/20/there-will-never-be-peace-in-the-middle-east/ the Palenstinain people want to kill the Isreals, so maybe that’s another reason. Also, the Palenstinain’s do strap bombs to some of their citizens (yes kids) and have them walk into crowded areas. I think I said this, but we can’t change how someone chooses to operate their country, if they want to use kids in the military and hurt their citizens then we have to let them do it.

@theflowerstem@xanga - Word of advice, stop going to opinion sites for information. Look up what’s going on with the poor people of Palestine and have a nice day.

@Aaliyaan@xanga - Maybe you should do that because I asked you where you got your information from and you haven’t even tried to tell me. That makes me think you don’t even know what you’re talking about and you’re not even trying to learn.

@theflowerstem@xanga - Where did I get my information from? Sorry, I didn’t see where you asked that. My apologies. I’m Israeli. That’s where I got the information from. I see how our “soldiers” allow settlers to evict Palestinians out of their homes so that Jewish settlers can take over their homes. I see it and stand against it and can’t understand why more people don’t speak out against it.

@Aaliyaan@xanga - Wow, I didn’t even know that. Sorry about that. We don’t hear about a lot of the things that’s going on over there so my knowledge is limited.

@theflowerstem@xanga - No worries

@Sunny___Skies@xanga -  I’m confused by your response and I’d like you to clear it up in case I’m misunderstanding you.  You said:

“I cannot see how he can be considered a
terrorist then, simply because other mindless idiots feel they need to
do everything their government says.”

So you’re saying President Obama should not be considered a terrorist, but the American soldiers instead.  Because they are the ones doing the actual killing?  But wouldn’t that make Osama bin Laden “not a terrorist” then?  He himself was not the one to drive the planes into the Twin Towers on 9/11.  Yeti, using your logic, why should he be considered the biggest terrorist in the world?  He had many henchmen working under him (like Obama has soldiers out in the Middle East doing the fighting) — but Osama is a terrorist, but Obama isn’t?  I feel like I’m missing something here.

On another note — I do see Obama as a terrorist.  And NOT because of his “political views” as one of the commenters mentioned.

P.S….. Here is a youtube clip someone showed me about a few American soldiers confessing to “unjustified killings”.  I won’t give my opinion on this clip, but you can watch it and decide for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N8BHEpes0o

BTW, American news broadcasts can be so biased sometimes… I’m curious to know what the news stations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran show…just saying.

@P753159@xanga - I praised him for good marketing tactics. I’m not a fan and I already said that his rap sucks, so I’m not listening to his songs because of that regardless if it was politically related or not. it would be different if Nas delivered the message just like lupe’s fans stand by him and defend him here, I’d support Nas since I’m a fan of Nas and not lupe I don’t necessarily disagree with his beliefs, just that I can’t stand his music. and he can make a song disagreeing with politics without cussing other people out with f-bombs.

Some interesting opinions here. striemmy@xanga convo…

Bottom line: inflammatory language is obnoxious and ethically wrong. 

Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck are considered by many as extremist, “low level” opinions because they stretch the truth. In this day and age many are suffering from diarrhea of the mouth. 

I am slightly familiar with Lupe Fiasco’s music and like everything I’d heard so far. But he needs to consider the word TERRORIST (that’s a serious charge) and reconsider whether that applies to Barrack Obama. I don’t think it does and majority opinion agrees. 

That being said, thank f*ing god we live in America, where Lupe Fiasco is entitled to express his own personal opinion. Just don’t be surprised that that most don’t agree.

@caligrl11@xanga - Bottom line: summary ethical judgements of language without context of use is intellectually wrong. 

People like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck are considered by many as extremists not because of their gift of gab to affect the hearts and minds of others but because of the specific ideas they promote. Other people such as Doctor Cornell West and Bill Mahr use similarly exciting or angering language to support their viewpoints and are not considered extreme for it. 

I don’t think he needs to reconsider anything. By dictionary definition he is correct as far as the rest of the wolrd considers him and ultimately the label terrorist is just that, a label placed by people of the same opinion to describe how they view a person. Shuold he reconsider the truth because it’s not a pretty one? I don’t agree that Obama’s aims are to terrorize but intentions do NOT make up for results. If I intend to make sweet love to someone and end up raping them, I’m a rapist and not a lover. The real world results of the actions being undertaken by your government and military, of which he is the head, are those that are garnering the title of terrorist. Majority in America is one thing and the majority in the middle east are two different groups of people, each with equally valid views of the world and of our president. Beyond that, how has the majority of Americans ever been representative of intelligence or rational thought? Most people in America are educated enough to do their jobs and are comfortable enough in their ignorance to never explore any further avenues of thought. If we surveyed America how many of them do you think we would find continued to read books after college? What percentage do you suppose it might be? What percentage do you think we’d find are homeless? What percentage would we find are bankrupt or going broke? What percentage might we find have addiction problems that warp their mind into a hunk of jelly? What percentage are cut off from the rest of the world in terms of information because their religious beliefs keep them isolated from the affairs of the world? How many are too mentally or emotionally handicapped to have a well-formulated opinion on this matter? I value the opinion of the majority about as much as I value the opinions of my cats. 

Something tells me that were we in another country he would be a freedom fighter. Just because freedoms are denied does not mean that controversial topics do not get broached. Our country only exists by the efforts of those that would not be oppressed or silenced and faught for what they believed was right. It is inappropriate to pose a sentiment reminiscent of “don’t bite the hand that feeds you” when criticism and dissent are the ONLY forces that keep our society in balance. 

@CrAdLe2daGrAve@xanga - I agree with you!

@ivarahBharavi@xanga - I just want you to know that I completely adore you.

@boxedwine@xanga - awwww! shucks, thanks is it from my arguing on this post? I felt kind of dumb about it afterwards, hahaha.

@ivarahBharavi@xanga - I just like that you stuck up for yourself and what you thought, and I especially liked how you handled the comment made about your age. You rock. 

i like lupe, i fully support the lyrics to this album (besides the voting portion and obama).

“You know the root cause of terrorists is the stuff the U.S. government allows to happen. The foreign policies that we have in place in different countries that inspire people to become terrorists”  is 100% true

@Aaliyaan@xanga - VERY WELL SAID!

@enigmatic13@xanga - Well shouldn’t the actual people doing the killings be seen as more dangerous than the people telling them what to do? Like Hitler, he managed to get others to kill for him, does that make him himself dangerous? If the people following Hitler and Osama Bin Laden had some common sense they wouldn’t have listened and they could have easily overthrown them and stopped their plans, so aren’t they just as dangerous if not more than the actual leaders themselves? If you were someone in another country who would you be more afraid of seeing, Obama or a soldier with a gun?

No president will be perfect. But I hardly take stock in the words of someone who hasn’t stopped being high since 1995.

@boxedwine@xanga - well thanks once again (: you’re so sweet!

When Obama first became President, I would’ve agreed with him. I actually like Obama now. He’s awesome. 

Love Lupe Fiasco! I believe he speaks the truth. I dont even like rap, but him & kid cudi I can listen to ALLLL day. At least Lupe raps about real shit not “shake yo big ass booty in my face, while i smoke this blunt, & watch my 22′s spin”