There's that cliche, a picture is worth a thousand words. It's no coincidence then that

Lupe Fiosko's 2015 song mural, His musical picture, contains well over a thousand words,

one thousand three to be exact.

By comparison, the average hip-hop song has about 400 words.

And according to hip-hop by the numbers,

57% of those words are unique, meaning they're only used once, and 61% of Lupe's words rhyme.

This in a song that's nearly nine minutes long and contains no hook. True, vitamins and minerals and fiker than with in the tubes wrapped around the arm.

To see the vein like a chicken on the bond.

True to its namesake, the sheer scale of Lupe's mural inspires awe, with each of its

densely constructed 157 bars brimming with multiple entendres, punchlines, metaphors, parallel narratives, references, and

rhyme schemes.

No doubt it's among the greatest achievements in the history of hip-hop, representing a lyrical

master at the peak of his powers,

what Lupe at the time compared to a recital,

showcasing, quote, everything he's learned so far.

Honestly, preparing to analyze this piece

felt like staring at the summit of Mount Everest from its base or like

facing the final boss in a video game but as we'll come to realize the difficulty

of mural is part of its point critical to the message it ultimately conveys. It takes discipline and

endurance but the most fulfilling things in life are often on the other side of

hard and those who choose to accept the challenge will be sufficiently rewarded

with wisdom with personal growth perhaps

...