L.E.S. Artistes Lyrics
What I'm searchin' for
To tell it straight, I'm tryin' to build a wall
Walkin' by myself
Down avenues that reek of time to kill
If you see me keep goin'
Be a pass by waver
Build me up, bring me down
Just leave me out, you name dropper
Stop tryin' to catch my eye
I see you good you forced faker
Just make it easy
You're my enemy you fast talker
[Chorus]
I can say I hope it will be worth what I give up (Oh, oh)
If I could stand up mean for the things that I believe (Oh, oh)
I can say I hope it will be worth what I give up (Oh, oh)
If I could stand up mean for the things that I believe
[Verse 2]
What am I here for?
I left my home to disappear is all
I'm here for myself
Not to know you
I don't need no one else
Fit in so good the hope is that you cannot see me later
You don't know me
I am an introvert an excavator
I'm duckin' out for now
A face in dodgy elevators
Creep up and suddenly
I found myself an innovator
I can say I hope it will be worth what I give up (Oh, oh)
If I could stand up mean for the things that I believe (Oh, oh)
I can say I hope it will be worth what I give up (Oh, oh)
If I could stand up mean for the things that I believe
[Bridge]
Change, change, change
I want to get up out of my skin
Tell you what
If I can shake it
I'ma make this
Somethin' worth dreamin' of
[Chorus]
I can say I hope it will be worth what I give up (Oh, oh)
If I could stand up mean for the things that I believe (Oh, oh)
I can say I hope it will be worth what I give up (Oh, oh)
If I could stand up mean for the things that I believe (Oh, oh)
[Outro]
I can say I hope it will be worth what I give up (Oh, oh)
(Change, change, change, I want to get up out of my skin)
(Tell you what, If I can shake it I'ma make this)
If I could stand up mean for the things that I believe (Oh, oh)
(Somethin' worth dreamin' of)
About
“L.E.S. Artistes” was written after Santi White moved to New York City. The song “is playing on the fact that everyone tries to make things fancy and it’s really pretentious” and “about being accosted by the New York scene and the scenesters and hipsters, who are really not artists and are just pretending to be. They’re all about just being seen.” The title stands for New York’s Lower East Side. “It’s not a French thing,” White stated in an interview with PopJustice. On MTV’s FNMTV, Santigold stated that the title literally meant Lower East Side Artists.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
In 2018, NPR ranked this as the #110 greatest song by a female or nonbinary artist in the 21st century, saying:
When Santi White moved to Brooklyn in the early 2000s, she was already Santogold (now spelled Santigold), an alternative hip hop artist with a too-cool voice made for hoppin' lounge rooms and reggae-rock beats that could rival The Police. She was also a Philly native weary of Lower East Side (or L.E.S.) artists, the artificial scenesters who were using music for the sake of social gain. So she lays it out for them on this 2008 track: Art is worth the hard work and the sacrifice, whether or not it’s on everyone’s lips, because it’s ‘something worth dreaming of.’
- 1.L.E.S. Artistes
- 3.Shove It
- 4.Say Aha
- 5.Creator
- 6.My Superman
- 7.Lights Out
- 8.Starstruck
- 9.Unstoppable
- 10.I’m a Lady
- 11.Anne
- 13.Your Voice
