Lupe Fiasco is known for his outspoken political attitude. The rapper has been known to rant about his views, and most recently wrote for Kanye West's racially charged track "Black Skinhead". Fiasco got a chance to speak to some recent graduates this weekend at the 2013 Mass Black Male Graduation And Transition To Manhood Ceremony, where he was able to speak about his issues with the American education system.
Lupe began his speech with a critique of the U.S. school system. “Congratulations, you have graduated from one of the most terrible, substandard school systems in the entire world. You have just spent the last...12 years receiving one of the worst educations on earth. You are at least four, five steps behind people in other countries that are younger than you,” he declared.
The rapper then spoke more generally about the transition to manhood, and the meaningles of such a ceremony."Transition to manhood is the most important thing that’s going on right now. The caps and the gowns and your tassels and your honorary blah blah blahs don’t mean nothing. That’s just dress. That’s just some clothes. Meaningless clothes, too, because they have no real purpose in life. They don’t keep you warm. What do they do? They just represent to someone else that you’ve achieved something. But then when you look back at it, what have you achieved?” He continued, “For young Black men...it is one the last things that we have . . . and one of the last things that we can control. Manhood is connected to humanity.”
Lupe apparently offered each of the 150+ grads that heard his speech one hundred dollars in cash.
While Fiasco's words were strong, event organizer Philip Jackson had nothing but praise for the rapper's speech. “[Lupe Fiasco] gave the young people their first real dose of reality."
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