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 Friths 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 “become the “I” ourselves” (Frith p.277), or for the author to become the character they created to paint a better picture. I feel that Lyfe wants us to think that he is the character in the song in order to make it easier for us to understand, a first-person perspective if you will.
Though I believe that the “I” being used in the song is a narrative one, I can see where it might easily confuse others, and I also can see where other people may feel differently towards who is the “I” in “Stick Up Kid”. As Frith notes, “to sing a lyric doesnt simplify the question of who is speaking to whom; it makes it more complicated.”(p. 278) However with the evidence presented, and after hours of research, including first-hand accounts from Lyfe Jennings himself, I do believe that Lyfe is simply a storyteller with a tale of struggle and jealousy and what it can entice one to do.