Lupe Fiasco- Bitch Bad (Breaking It Down)

I like Lupe Fiasco for a lot of reasons. Although I think he may be politically extreme, he sends out some legitimate, educational messages to kids. I believe that his rap lyrics are intelligent and that if he elects to cuss, he does it based on appropriate grounds. When somebody like me hears the title of his song "Bitch Bad", one may be initially put off but if one actually listens to it, I think one can't help being impressed, at least a little bit. I'll let you make up your mind about that first.

First of all, I appreciate the fact that he manages to convey his intelligence via in-rhyming and appropriately specific large words while keeping it at the level of cognizance of his target audience. His rhyming is in part, pretty clever. I personally appreciate the rhyme of the last verse: but bitch still bad to her if you say it the wrong way, but she think she a bitch, what a double entendre. Finally, he manages to breakdown the issue of expletive rap and its effect on adolescents in a way that's easy to follow. I identify with his protest so this song hit home. Further analysis is present below. 

Internal Rhymes

Clever Rhymes (Rhymes I haven't hear before in rap)

Vocabulary greater than that of an average 7th grader or greater than 3 syllables

[Intro]
Yeah
I say bitch bad, woman good, lady better
Hey, hey, hey, hey

[Verse 1]
Now imagine there’s a shawty, maybe five maybe four
Ridin’ ’round with his mama listening to the radio
And a song comes on and a not far off from being born
Doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong
Now I ain’t trying to make it too complex<-
But let’s just say shawty has an undeveloped context<-
About the perception of women these days
His mama sings along and this what she says
“Niggas I’m a bad bitch, and I’m bad bitch
far above average”<-
And maybe other rhyming words like cabbage and savage<-
And baby carriage and other things that match it<-
Couple of things that are happenin’ here
First he’s relatin’ the word “bitch” with his mama, comma<-
And because she’s relatin’ to herself, his most important source of help,
And mental health, he may skew respect for dishonor<-

[Hook] Short
Bitch bad, woman good
Lady better, they misunderstood
(I’m killin’ these bitches)
Uh, tell ‘em
Bitch bad, woman good
Lady better, they misunderstood
They misunderstood
(I’m killin’ these bitches)

[Verse 2]
Yeah, now imagine a group of little girls nine through twelve
On the internet watchin’ videos listenin’ to songs by themselves
It doesn’t really matter if they have parental clearance
They understand the internet better than their parents
Now being the internet, the content’s probably uncensored<-
They’re young, so they’re malleable and probably unmentored<-
A complicated combination, maybe with no relevance<-<-
Until that intelligence<- meets their favorite singer’s preference<-<-
“Bad bitches, bad bitches, bad bitches
That’s all I want and all I like in life is bad bitches, bad bitches”
Now let’s say that they less concerned with him
And more with the video girl acquiescent to his whims
Ah, the plot thickens
High heels, long hair, fat booty, slim
Reality check, I’m not trippin’
They don’t see a paid actress, just what makes a bad bitch

[Hook]

[Verse 3]
Disclaimer<-: This rhymer, Lupe’s not usin’ bitch as a lesson<-
But as a psychological weapon<-(slant)
To set in your mind and really mess with your conceptions<-<-
Discretions<-, reflections<-, it’s clever misdirection<-<-
Cause, while I was rappin’ they was growin’ up fast
Nobody stepped in to ever slow ‘em up, gasp
Sure enough, in this little world
The little boy meets one of those little girls
And he thinks she a bad bitch and she thinks she a bad bitch
He thinks disrespectfully<-, she thinks of that sexually<-
She got the wrong idea, he don’t wanna fuck her
He thinks she’s bad at being a bitch like his mother
Momma never dress like that, come out the house, hot mess like that
Ass, titties, dress like that
All out to impress like that
Just like that, you see the fruit of the confusion
He caught in a reality<-, she caught in an illusion<-
Bad mean good to her, she really nice and smart
But bad mean bad to him, bitch don’t play a part
But bitch still bad to her if you say it the wrong way
But she think she a bitch, what a double entendre<-

[Hook]

[Outro]
Bitch bad, woman good
Lady better, they misunderstood
You’re misunderstood
Bitch bad, woman good
Lady better, greatest motherhood
(I’m killin’ these bitches)

P.s. 

Rap Genius also does a good job of explaining the lyrics.