Mission

"Mission"Promotional single by Lupe Fiasco featuring Chef Tone
Released	May 19, 2014
Genre	Hip hop
Length	4:31
Label	1st & 15th Atlantic
Songwriter(s)	Wasalu Jaco
Producer(s)	Chef Tone Soundz
Media

"Mission" is a song by Lupe Fiasco, released as a single on May 19, 2014, for Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C), of which he was the celebrity ambassador for. The song features Chef Tone with additional vocals from Greg Porn and Charlie Wilson. Paris "PJ" Jones has uncredited vocals on it.

A remix version was released, featuring fellow Chicago natives Jennifer Hudson and Common, titled "Remission." Hudson sang the chorus, while Common added a verse about his own father, who battled cancer. The trio performed it live for SU2C's televised special that year, before being aired and digitally released on September 5, 2014.

Background

Fiasco's own grandmother passed away from cancer, where he described it as "very sudden" rather than slow progress. He also had very close friends to him who were affected by the disease, including Professor Ronald "Kwesi" Harris from Chicago State University, who also inspired the track. Back in 2013, Harris and the Black Star Project collaborated for the "Mass Black Male Graduation and Transition to Manhood," where he brought in Fiasco as the keynote speaker. Harris would eventually pass away in 2016 from the disease, where Fiasco paid his respects. Fiasco told MTV News, "His reaction to it was he was gonna fight it, and fight it in a very bold, aggressive, vigorous kind of manner. And it was the first time I had ever seen a close friend of mine battling with cancer." Fiasco also played the record for patients at Chicago's Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center to gauge their reaction. He added, "I didn't want it to come across as a sad, make-you-cry song. I wanted it to be like an uplifting, powerful and almost ratchet."

In a press statement, he said, "'Mission' is a song near to my heart from both personal experience and of those close to me. We are on a mission and hope others will join in our efforts." The track includes narratives from a women with breast cancer, a young child with lymphoma, and a man who discovers his diagnosis in its late stage. It was thought to be the lead single from his upcoming album, Tetsuo & Youth, though was a standalone single instead.

On Sway in the Morning, he revealed that producer Chef Tone did not want to sing the hook, wanting to bring in someone like Beyoncé, though they were not able to afford it, so they asked Chef to remain on the track. Charlie Wilson came into the studio to do another record, though resonated with "Mission," and jumped on it.

Cover art

The cover artwork was designed by Hebru Brantley, depicting a young man disappearing "into the air". Brantley also had close ones to him who battled with cancer, including his mother. In the press release, it said, "The art is inspired by people's will to fight cancer head on, with the color black representing the disintegrating disease and blue and yellow representing hope."

Gallery

Lyrics

• Single
• Remix

"Mission"

[Intro]
"What's up, this is Charlie Wilson a.k.a. Uncle Charlie
I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2008, still fighting it
I'm a winner, not a loser, I'm gon' win the battle
That's right, I'm cancer free"
"What's up, this is Greg Porn and I beat kidney cancer, true story"
"Hello, my name's Michael, I'm a cancer survivor four years in remission"
"My name's Bernadette and I beat stage 1 triple negative breast cancer"
"I'm Angela, I'm 50 years old
And I've been through 9 surgeries in 3 years
Fuck you cancer, you may have taken my breasts and uterus
But you can never take my heart"
"My name's Ann Marie, and I'm living with stage 4 lung cancer"
"My name's Kourtney and I beat thyroid cancer"
"Hi, this is Kathy Phillips and I beat the living shit out of breast cancer
Cancer definitely picked the wrong bitch to mess with
Fuck you cancer! Woo-hoo! I'm a survivor baby! Yeah!"
"Hey my name is Charles Porter, I had stage 4 Hodgkin's Lymphoma
I went through a year of strenuous chemo then I had a bone marrow transplant
Where they gave me salvage chemo, and five days twice a day
Full body radiation to basically bring my immune system down to nothing
And uh, so literally died to stay alive, umm
Come April, I'll be in my third year of remission
And it was a team effort, all the friends and family I had came together
And uhh, I had to keep that mental strong
But umm, we got through it
Uhh, some fallen soldiers went as I fought
Uhh, but they'll always be heroes, peace!"

[Hook: Chef Tone]
If I had a dollar for every time they counted me out
And my back was up against the wall
I could have died but I came out fighting, fighting
Could have died but I came out fighting
Could have died but I came out fighting
Could have died but I came out fighting, fighting

[Verse 1: Lupe Fiasco]
Yeah, uh
With a breast full of lumps, man she ain't no punk
Say she gonna ride on it like a chopper in a trunk
Pink ribbon woman, she gon' live forever
Even though the doctor say she only get a month
Said it's my life and you only get it once
These flowers smell too damn good to be living in the funk
So I finna get it in and I finna get it crunk
And I finna get the living, ah-ah-ah
Eyes on remission from the jump
Breast cancer can't hold me back
That's the answer when they told me that
It can knock me down but I'm gonna be back
Strong, down for whatever
Exceptional and I don't know how to quit
And I never said never you can have that hair
Cause real talk bitch, I think I look better
Let's do it (do it), fighter, with everything inside her
Reportin' live from Death Row, drop the charges, be a lifer
Cell phones and your lighters, need you to put them up higher
So many candles on her birthday cake, might set that thing on fire, hey

[Hook: Chef Tone]
If I had a dollar for every time they counted me out
And my back was up against the wall
I could have died but I came out fighting, fighting
Could have died but I came out fighting
Could have died but I came out fighting
Could have died but I came out fighting, fighting

[Verse 2: Lupe Fiasco]
Yeah, seven years old with stage four
This what champions were made for
Only so much fundraisers paid for
So I guess the rest is just all on me
That will to live against what's out here
Killin kids, well kiss my ass
It ain't killin' me, got things to paint
I got places to go, I got things to see
Wanna see my momma grow up, hold up, hold up
Wanna see my daddy grow up, hold up, hold up
I'm baldheaded and bravehearted, I'm small
But I'm a hundred feet tall, try to stop me, biopsy after biopsy
Chemo, but I'm a king though
I shake everything off me, lymphoma can't hold me back
It can knock me down but I'm gon' be back
Throw some SpongeBob in my Hot Wheels track
I'm a made man, made wishes
I ain't scared, I ain't flinching
Sorry momma but I gotta say it
But where I'm from they don't make bitches
Let's do it

[Hook: Chef Tone]
If I had a dollar for every time they counted me out
And my back was up against the wall
I could have died but I came out fighting, fighting
Could have died but I came out fighting
Could have died but I came out fighting
Could have died but I came out fighting, fighting

[Verse 3: Lupe Fiasco]
Yeah, feel it
Went undiagnosed then untreated
When they finally found it, told him
Too far along and he couldn't beat it
But he couldn't see it, miss me with that dead talk
Miss me, my legs walk
And my heart beats and my wife witness
So fuck cancer, my life with me
And if I died, it die with me
Let's do it, fighter, with everything inside ya
Reportin' live from Death Row, drop the charges, be a lifer
Cellphones and your lighters, need you to put them up higher
So many candles on that birthday cake, we might set the thing on fire, yeah

[Bridge: Charlie Wilson, PJ, Both]
We might set that thing on fire, yeah
Yeah we might set that thing on fire, yeah
Yeah, we might set that thing on fire
Set that thing on fire, set that thing on fire, yeah

[Outro: Chef Tone, PJ, Charlie Wilson]
If I had a dollar (if I, if I) (Oh yeah)
And my back was up against the wall
Back was up against the wall (My back was up against the wall)
Come out fighting, yeah (Come out fighting)
I could have died but I came out fighting (Oh yeah)
Could have died but I came out fighting
Could have died but I came out fighting, fighting

"Mission"

[Hook: Jennifer Hudson]
If I had a dollar, for every time they counted me out
And my back was up against the wall
I could have died but I came out fighting, fighting
I could have died but I came out fighting
I could have died but I came out fighting
I could have died but I came out fighting
Fighting

[Verse 1: Lupe Fiasco]
With a breast full of lumps, man she ain't no punk
Said he gonna ride on it like a chopper in a trunk
Pink ribbon woman, she gone live forever
Even though the doctor said she only get a month
Said "It's my life, and you onle get in once"
These flowers smell too damn good to be living in the funk
So I finna get it in, and I finna get it crunk
And I finna get to living, ey-ey-ey-eyes on remission from the junk
Breast cancer can't hold me back
That's the answer when they told me that
It can knock me down, but I'm gon' be back, strong
Down for whatever, exceptional and I don't know how to quit
And I never said never, you can have that hair cause real talk bitch
I think I look better, let's do it

[Bridge 1: Lupe Fiasco]
Fighter, with everything inside her
Reporting live from Death Row, drop the charges see you life uh
Cellphones and your lighters, need you to put 'em up higher
So many candles on her birthday cake, might set the thing on fire

[Hook: Jennifer Hudson]
If I had a dollar, for every time they counted me out
And my back was up against the wall
I could have died but I came out fighting, fighting
I could have died but I came out fighting
I could have died but I came out fighting
I could have died but I came out fighting
Fighting

[Verse 2: Common]
My daddy say he got it in his prostate
When I went to see him, he had lost weight
Trying to find the words in a lost state, of mind
Pictures on the wall that remind
Me of the times that we once had
Had to take my daughter to see granddad
Pop, pop, nothing's impossible, you never been logical
I know what doctor's do, I know what God can do
Abdominal pain, hard to explain
For you to get better, it starts in your brain
Life ain't a game, the fight it remains, dance in the rain
When it first came, I was like damn
Then I start thinkin', then I start praying
Spirits went up, count went down
You gon' live forever, how you living now

[Bridge 2: Common]
Fighter, definition of a rider
Got all that ishh about you, with what you got inside ya
Cellphones and your lighters, put them things up higher
Even when you tired, you keep me inspired

[Hook: Jennifer Hudson]
If I had a dollar, for every time they counted me out
And my back was up against the wall
I could have died but I came out fighting, fighting
I could have died but I came out fighting
I could have died but I came out fighting
I could have died but I came out fighting
Oh

[Verse 3: Lupe Fiasco]
Went undiagnosed and untreated
When they finally found it, told me too far along and he couldn't beat it
But he couldn't see it, miss me with that dead talk
Miss me, my legs walk and my hearts beats and my wife witness
So fuck cancer, my life with me, and if I die, it die with me

[Bridge 1: Lupe Fiasco]
Fighter, with everything inside her
Reporting live from Death Row, drop the charges see you life uh
Cellphones and your lighters, need you to put 'em up higher
So many candles on her birthday cake, might set the thing on fire

[Hook: Jennifer Hudson]
If I had a dollar, for every time they counted me out
And my back was up against the wall
I could have died but I came out fighting, fighting
I could have died but I came out fighting
I could have died but I came out fighting
I could have died but I came out fighting
Fighting