Simon Frith
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When determining whether or not the songwriter, Lyfe Jennings, is the same person as the character in the song, I feel it a safe assumption that though he may have had many of the same characteristics of the character in his youth, and it is probably loosely based on his struggles, Lyfe Jennings is not the character in this song. Simon Frith’s piece brought many things to my attention that made it clear that Lyfe is not the character, but rather a storyteller telling a story of hardship and envy, and what it can do to a person.
I believe that “Stick Up Kid” is a piece of work that draws many parallels to the life of Lyfe Jennings. Lyfe lived a very tough life in the streets of Toledo, Ohio, where he used to run with gangs and ended up getting himself into enough trouble to do some jail time. Though it was a blessing in disguise, considering “Lyfe found his love for music again while serving time in prison” (unknown, l.22), I feel that it is safe to assume that robbing people was possibly part of his life or ran through his mind from time to time.
When Lyfe states “I be robbin’ these niggas” (Jennings l.9), most readers would instinctively say that Lyfe is the character in the song. However, Frith points out that “I” in most cases is not actually the lyricist or author, but rather it is used to either entice the reader or listener to