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"Cake" is a song by American rapper Lupe Fiasco, the third track from his ninth studio album, Samurai (2024). It was released through 1st & 15th Entertainment and Thirty Tigers on June 7, 2024, as the album's second single. Production was handled by Soundtrakk, with the outro done by co-producer Kush Baby.[1]
Background[]
Soundtrakk came up with the drum pattern, inspired by Kanye West's "The Glory" (2007), then found a jazz sample to chop up. He gave it to Fiasco 70 percent complete. While Trakk didn't like overproducing compared to his early years, he wanted to make a grand outro. He called up Kush Baby to provide a switch, explaining that in certain tracks on the record, he needed to find places to avoid monotony and add variety by incorporating change-ups and contrasts.[2]
Fiasco had worked on the song over a June 2021 Instagram livestream, showing the process of delivering his vocals over the given beat. He described "Cake" as the victory song for Amy Winehouse after winning her first battle.
Music video[]
The official music video premiered to Fiasco's YouTube channel at 9 A.M. EST, directed by Chris & Blaq. It was shot at Ace Universal Group (The BNKR). The cake was provided by Brown Sugar Bakeries. According to Jonathan Woods-Apuat En Heru, the video shoot only took five takes due to "a host of black film professionals on the set who were so connected."[3]
The visual shows Fiasco on the soundstage delivering bars, while the production crew works around him. It shifts between scenes of what happens behind-the-scenes and what is shown in the video.[4]
Personnel[]
Song
- Charles "Chilly" Patton – mixer, drum programmer, keyboards, sampler, arranger
- Joey Fernandez – mixer, masterer
- Kush Baby – co-producer, drum programmer, synths, additional arranger
- Maxwell Steger – assistant mixer
- Rudolph "Soundtrakk" Lopez – producer
- Wasalu "Lupe Fiasco" Jaco – lead artist, vocals, writer, engineer
- Yuki Tasaka – mixer
Video
- Christopher "Chris" Adams – director, cinematographer
- Hana "Blaq" Mitchell – director, editor
- Courtney Harris – cinematographer
- Jonathan Woods – crane operator
- Mark Bell – audio tech
- Derek Dow – stagehand
- Jamel "Cosmo" Hewitt – stagehand
- Ambrose Horton – stagehand
- Dwayne "Kosmo D" Wriddley – stagehand
- Darren "D-SAP" Millsap – stagehand
- Jorian Harris – stagehand
- Karl Ray – additional camera operator / BTS
- Darryl Rice – additional camera operator / BTS
- Rick Long – additional camera operator / BTS
- Vanessa "VeeFadez" Dickinson – barber
Gallery[]
.jpg "Impakt Studio - Lupe Fiasco (4).jpg (2.51 MB)")
.jpg "Impakt Studio - Lupe Fiasco (5).jpg (2.09 MB)")
.jpg "Impakt Studio - Lupe Fiasco (6).jpg (2.39 MB)")
.jpg "Impakt Studio - Lupe Fiasco (7).jpg (2.61 MB)")
Cultural references[]
- Kurt Vonnegut (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer and humorist known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels.
- The Sealy Posturepedic is a type of mattress advertised to give full support for the body.
- The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel above the city of Athens, Greece.
- Christopher Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), also known as The Notorious B.I.G., is considered to be one of the greatest rappers of all time.
- Kabbalah is one of the oldest spiritual wisdom in Jewish mysticism.
- Optimis Prime is the protagonist from the Transformers franchise, seen as a supreme leader.
- Avengers Assemble is an American animated television series based on the fictional Marvel Comics superhero team, the Avengers.
- RMS Titanic was a British ocean liner that struck an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912. Approximately 1,500 people died.
Lyrics[]
[Intro]
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Yeah
[Chorus]
I've won many things I've done
But this one here, this one takes the cake
(This one takes the cake!)
I've won many things I've done
But this one here, this one takes the cake
(This one takes the cake!)
[Verse 1]
Compliments on my accomplishments
Are only possible due to your involvement, volume level, and confidence
A consequence of stimulating your consciousness
Activating the cognitive structures, I thank all you motherfuckers and opposites
Still play a vital role in my conquering
A combination of confrontation and pondering
Occupation is populating the conference with conversational astonishment
Consuming the comments and then vomiting up the Vonnegut
Ayy, ominous as a monster is
Underneath your Posturepedic, possibly in the closet, it's
An Acropolis, scary how I'm optimistically obstinate
Ain't no domino in my dominance when I'm dropping this
Janis Joplin droplets, it sound like the apocalypse
Mixed with Christopher Wallace's topics on top an obelisk
It's a Kabbalist novelist inside of my esophagus
Rhyme is prime and it's Optimus
And this shit tastes like chocolate cake, cake
[Chorus]
I've won many things I've done
But this one here, this one takes the cake
(This one takes the cake!)
I've won many things I've done
But this one here, this one takes the cake
(This one takes the cake!)
[Verse 2]
This shit taste like winner, chocolate cake for dinner
Birthday cake for breakfast, slice it like a ninja
Pick up all the pieces, assemble like Avenger
Authoring is August, wordplay is December, huh, huh
That mean my pen is in cinders
And my delivery shivers like Superior areas
Shippers slip on the slickest icicles drip from the tip of my scriptures
If you a ship on a trip, don't hit on the tip of my glacier
Swim with the fish and flippers, I finish my pictures
This is what didn't get it, gettin' hit and hittin' the different differs
Well, did he do it or didn't she? Who are you mentionin'?
Lu will do a dual identity, dueling enemies
Do it to 'em, chewin' through 'em without doing it dentally
Superhuman, flew 'em without refueling engines with energy
This chemistry can it be, they Googling endlessly
Even computers losing memory, bending mentally
When they interface with the lyrical ability
[Chorus]
I've won many things I've done (Yeah, yeah, yeah!)
But this one here, this one takes the cake
(This one takes the cake!)
I've won many things I've done
But this one here, this one takes the cake
(This one takes the cake!)
[Outro]
This one takes the motherfucking cake
References[]
- ↑ Epko, Ime (June 7, 2024). "How Lupe Fiasco Flexed His Lyrical Prowess in 'Cake'". Forbes.
- ↑ Gee, Andre (July 5, 2024). "Lupe Fiasco Walks Us Through His Amy Winehouse-Inspired Battle-Rap Album 'Samurai'". Rolling Stone.
- ↑ "Jonathan Woods-Apuat En Heru (@apuat_en_heru)". Instagram. June 7, 2024.
- ↑ Allah, Sha Be (June 7, 2024). "Lupe Fiasco Releases Single 'Cake' from Upcoming 'Samurai' Album". The Source.