Dumb It Down

Who it's for

Lupe Fiasco answers people who told him to make simpler music to fit in, and he refuses.

Feelings it meets

• Social Conformity
• Self-Worth
• Masking

What it is

"Dumb It Down" is a track on Lupe Fiasco's 2007 concept album Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, released as a single in 2008 and produced by Soundtrakk. Fiasco wrote it partly as an answer to critics who said he was too lyrical or not street enough and told him to make simpler music for a mass audience. The song rejects that pressure and criticizes hip-hop's tendency to pander to stereotypes.

Where to find it

All major streaming services.

Before you start

Heads up: Some explicit language.

Age: Suggested 13+

Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Self-Reliance”