Where Politics And Video Games Collide

I don't think Lupe Fiasco is pushing a pro- or anti-game message. Rather, he's presenting an interesting parallel of the meaning and usage of weapons and guns in different circumstances. Some use weapons to steal for monetary gain; others for a cause; another as a form of empowerment. Yet these three examples suggest they share a common thread in that they are motivated by a personal reason.

The last two examples rapped by Lupe Fiasco are a little more complex - the child soldier fights because he has been desensitized to violence and trained since young to become a tool of war. Yet he's fighting a war that he doesn't really want to participate, as seen by his wish for more childish toys for a soccer ball and him eating candy to give him courage.

The line "Imagine if I had to console the families of those slain I slayed on game consoles.." reminds me of the first Austin Power movie where the movie showed on screen the families and friends of the evil henchmen that were killed by Austin. Likewise, Lupe Fiasco plays on the word 'console' to remind players of how we're so accustomed to violence in videogames that we don't give a second thought about killing a person or character in a game.

I don't really understand the rap bashing in this thread. Sure most of the time rap can be degenerative crap, but Lupe Fiasco's rap songs are more meaningful that the dreck out there.