Dear Lupe Fiasco

Buy Lasers HERE

It's been well over 3 years since your last album, The Cool. That album was a dedication to hip-hops obsession with... well, being cool. It painted a picture of the game and what's cool as being these destructive, yet enticing entities, that would tempt even the most righteous among us. I suppose that is one of your appealing traits as a rapper: your ability to reveal what we celebrate in this 'game' for the detriment it is. When it was revealed that Lasers would finally be released, I rejoiced, not only as a fan excited for new Lupe, but also because it would be a far cry from your usually pithy tone. No longer would the listener not be subject to the thought of how much we're losing. We're lasers, not losers! We don't have to be all melancholy about the way hip-hop is going! We can protest in front of Atlantic Records and get your album released! We don't have to let the labels decide what we have to listen to! That's what I thought Lasers would champion. It turns out we were wrong. Lasers was a disappointing reminder that no matter how much 'we' push, there's a huge chance 'we' won't get what we want. And you were the first person to learn that, Lu.

I won't get into the fact that you derided the album after it leaked or have been lambasting your own effort. That's for you and only you to live with, given the high standard of work that you usually hold yourself to. As a listener and fan, that happening is a bit disconcerting. Even if you weren't doing that, the album still doesn't live up to the height. It starts with a rousing piano solo on 'Letting Go', then delves into an abyss of half-baked choruses and muddled verses. You spoke a lot about war on this song and did a lot of introspection, but not in a palatable way. It was almost like you were writing an angry letter to yourself about everything that grinds your gears, but the letter had no direction and no point.

Lasers continues with probably the best song on the album 'Words I Never Said', a powerful political statement reminiscent of the Lupe we know and love. The song was persistent, unyielding, and unashamed, reminiscent of what I imagine you wanted the album to sound like. You definitely threw that in second so that you could get it off your chest, and then the album takes a nosedive from there. Between 'Till I Get There' and 'I Don't Wanna Care Right Now' the pop-esque instrumentals seem better suited for Flo-Rida than you. Hell, he might as well have been on one of those songs. This is clearly where Atlantic had their way with you. The Trey Songz feature couldn't have been more misplaced, and the track, 'Out of My Head', had the depth of a Jersey Shore reunion. Given how easily you tended to speak about love on your other albums, this was a huge disappointment. You rapped in circular monosyllables, all about superficial things and not the romantic minutiae that endeared you to the fan (think 'Sunshine'). I felt horrible bopping my head to the song. You and Trey could've definitely collaborated and come up with a better song, though I'm not sure Trey has the capacity to go 'deeper' anymore. Even so, 'The Show Goes On' saved Lasers from the dreaded 'halfway point pause-and-never-play-again curse'. Its uptempo vibe brought the listener in and while you didn't RIP your verses, it was hard not to like them.

After that, the album takes another nosedive. It seems like you were sleepwalking through those next two tracks featuring MDMA, and it was hard for me to keep awake during them. You talked about the future constantly, but had a flow sounding like it was stuck in the mud:

They like 'how come you don't rap that' / Cause that's a backtrack / and I ain't tryna back back

Really, Lu? We're taking it back to preschool? This is coming from the guy that wrote 'Dumb it Down'. What happened to digging deep for conceptual greatness? What happened to challenging the listener? What happened to the type of tracks that make you rewind them dozens of times just to catch one line or metaphor or punchline? It seems like you're faking the funk, or just simply f*cked the funk up. 'State Run Radio' got some brownie points back, but the irony of the track was hilarious considering the puppet strings pulling you throughout the whole album. 'Break the Chain' and 'I'll Never Forget You' were snorefests. By the time I got to 'All Black Everything', I had had enough, regardless of how good a song it was. The damage was done. You had successfully shown how 'conscious' hip-hop could have its manhood taken from it and served on a platinum plaque.

Ultimately, Lupe, Lasers failed because you failed to paint the vivid picture that your manifesto for the album did. Rather than champion 'substance in the place of popularity', you got a #1 spot on the Billboards with what was your least substantive album. Rather than 'think (your) own thoughts', Atlantic spoon-fed you 9 concepts and you choked. Lasers wasn't the revolutionary work of art you promised, and no matter how much you downplay your involvement, it's your album. I'd rather you take ownership for this and come back harder with LupEND or Friend of the People or whatever your next work is (you never know now with you, especially with your precarious label situation). To say this was a bad album is a bit much, yet I can't give this one my stamp of approval. It'd not only be going against my better judgment, but your own words. So, Lupe, enjoy your platinum plaque. Like I said, ironically your best-selling album was your worst content-wise. Lasers or losers, this album proved that it is possible to win and lose at the same time. If that's not enough reason to come back with a vengeance, then this should be your last album just like you said 2 years ago, Lupe...

Lupe Fiasco - All Black Everything

March 8th!! Have you pre-ordered yet?


Lupe Fiasco - All Black Everything

There's something to be said about when a rapper makes what would be called a 'deep' track. Whereas most 'conscious rap' gets compartmentalized because it talks about the same things with the same condescending, 'I hate you n*ggas!' mentality, Lupe tends to not get boring. He finds new and innovative ways to bring light to the ills of the world, and it's most evident in the concepts of his tracks. Lupe called this one of the best tracks he's ever penned, with good reason. 'All Black Everything' is a song that speaks on its namesake, recounting the fallacies, inconsistencies and little tidbits of misconstrued logic that pervade our understanding of Black history. That it's hitting the interwebs in the middle of Black History Month is perfect timing, and Lupe seems to drop more historical gems per bar than most of this year's XXL Freshmen. Whether you love or hate Wasalu, you can't debate that the man's got a good head on his shoulders. Check the rhymes...

Lupe Fiasco - Words I Never Said (ft. Skylar Grey)

Lupe Fiasco - Words I Never Said (ft. Skylar Grey)

There's something that can be said about the idea of holding one's tongue. Sometimes it's for the best, with one's (possibly) hurtful observations being held from the right people. Other times, it's for the worst, keeping people in a lap of beautifully-veiled ignorance. In Lupe's case, it's been the latter for years. Lu's label situation has held a lot of great music back and kept him from saying a lot, hence the title of this next track off LASERS. Quite honestly, if these are the things that Lupe's held back, then imagine what the man's still got cooped up in his noggin. Check the next single and make sure you're not holding any words back today...

Lupe Fiasco - The Show Goes On (Music Video)

LASERS comes out on March 8th, 2011. I repeat: LASERS comes out on March 8th, 2011. What was becoming a Detox-esque wait for stans such as myself, is almost over. That's not to say that this is my favorite song, but sometimes some music is better than none, especially when there's not a lot of good music coming out. Lupe shows the viewer his path to the stage, complete with high-res visualizations and random cronies helping him put on his performance attire. It's a simple video but exemplifies the title of the song as well as the way to alleviate his label woes: by letting the show go on. Check out the visuals and keep waiting for LASERS...

Super Lupe Fiasco - Super Lupe Rap

Super Lupe Fiasco - Super Lupe Rap

Lupe Fiasco went on a Twitter rant (what else is new?) after seeing Soulja Boy say this:

“I don’t want to be super-Lupe-Fiasco-lyrical and n***** don’t know what the fuck I’m talking about,”

Honestly, it doesn't matter what the hell Soulja Boy says because he's pretty stupid when it comes down to it. Lu clearly took offense to the comment and decided to accompany said Twitter rant with a track making light of Deandre's idiocy. The track is nothing short of 6 minutes of lyricism that deserves nothing less than a bunch of rewinds. Lu goes off on a sub-par beat, stuffing it full of wordplay, metaphors and punchlines, and it's hard to debate that he's one of the best rappers out right now. Taking up the persona of Super Lupe Fiasco, Super Lupe Rap is only a tidbit of what we hope will be on 'Friend of the People' and 'L.A.S.E.R.S.'. PLEASE check the track out and remember what real lyricism sounds like, especially since you'll be rewinding it so many times...

Lupe Fiasco - The Show Goes On

Lupe Fiasco - The Show Goes On

Lupe Fiasco recently celebrated his triumph over his label's apathy towards him by announcing that he's got a new mixtape on the way. Of course, I'm beyond excited for that, especially with the really boring state hip-hop is in right now. Apparently, Wasalu is Atlantic's new favorite guy, considering the quickness with which they allowed him to let this new track loose. It would seem as if the loosie is slated to be on LASERS, but with the shenanigans coming out from every which way, who knows? What I am sure of is that Lupe seems a lot happier on this track... Maybe even content? I suppose the title of the song is as truthful as it can get when it comes to the man's situation and with all of the backlash he's gotten from the blogosphere (myself included). Whatever the case, Lu sounds like an uncaged bird on this, which for fans is the best Lupe, isn't it?

Dear Lupe Fiasco

You hear that, Lupe? The industry called.. It wants to know when you're handing your manhood over...


Lupe Fiasco - BMF (Building Minds Faster)

Let me get this off my chest first Lupe: That BMF freestyle was WEAK!!! Now that we've gotten that out of the way, here goes:

It's a sad day in music when a person has to finally admit that their favorite artist, contrary to popular belief, CAN do some wrong. Lupe, You've been my favorite rapper for the latter half of the decade, replacing whatever crap I was listening to previously. For those years of fanhood, I've had to sit through countless hip-hop arguments with people who thought you were lame, convoluted, whiny, overrated, too nerdy, not hood enough, and whatever other knocks they could find on you. For those years of fanhood, I toiled scouring lyrics and songs for instances that you shined. For every Weezy punchline, I had an entire verse that trumped it. For every Jay-Z song that became an earworm, I had a track bumped harder. Yet, for every album you released, I had a complaint. Yes, a complaint, Lu. You see, for an artist as talented as yourself, there always has to be a catch, and with that catch, a complaint from fans:

Your first album, while good, was NOTHING compared to the original, leaked version. From beginning (Theme Music to a Drive-by is one of the best intro's I've ever heard) through the middle ('Trials & Tribulations' and 'Real Recognize Real' still are in rotation) to the end, the ORIGINAL Food and Liquor was damn near a classic. Pulling it, then re-releasing it with wacker versions of original songs and throwaway tracks was a mistake. Your second album 'Lupe Fiasco's The Cool' was also good, but was riddled with tracks that probably should've been B-sides rather than album cuts. I'm not going to lie and say I didn't bump both of them into the ground due to my immense fanhood, but 3 years without a release makes for a rough time as a fan.

It is now 2010, three years since a Lupe Fiasco album, and 6 months since an official Lupe Fiasco mixtape. In today's industry, and to today's fan, that's entirely too long. Your name is out of the loop, people forget about you, and then give you the 'huh?' look when you claim you're the best. As much as it sucks to admit, promotion is EVERYTHING, and you've been lacking in that department for a while now. Now that Lasers is supposedly done, and you're being held from releasing it by Atlantic, you want to whine and complain about label woes and how their not pushing it for you. Lupe, you've got to remember that the industry owes you NOTHING!!! You hear that? NOTHING. The amount of artists who've had their careers chewed up and spat out within the course of a few months is constantly rising. And here you are, signed to a major labor, sporting a large and dedicated fanbase, getting mad because your stuff gets leaked and the label won't do anything about it? Lupe, grow up!

You ever take note of Wayne or Gucci when they went to jail?? No one really missed their presence in hip-hop because they constantly have stuff coming out, whether it's throwaway tracks, mixtape features, or just mixtapes in general. Lupe, in the last year, I think I've heard a total of 10 tracks from you. That's sad. No artist can put out less than a track per month and expect a label to be behind them (except Jay Electronica). Lu, going back to the fans (myself being one of them), there's been a #WeWantLASERS trending topic and petition on Twitter for about a week. Is it just me, or does it look like these fans are going to be tweeting and petitioning for naught? I know you'd like to say no, just so it sounds like you're trying, but we know that the Lupe we love on wax may never find his way back. It's not that you've lost your talent. It's that you got caught up in trying not to be 'the Cool' and stopped putting out what made you in the first place: the music. It's not enough to just sit there complaining about what people aren't doing for you or are doing to you. If you don't try to overcome it by doing what you do best, they win; labels, leakers et. al. Please Lupe, put us fans out of our misery and put out music that's worthy of your imprint, not random freestyles complaining about why you've got no buzz. If you're ever going to 'blow' you'll need a lot more than a subpar freestyle to a Rick Ross track...

Lupe Fiasco - I'm Beamin' (Music Video)

#allblackeverything now, Lupe??

People always seem to have one major point of hatred about Lupe Fiasco: that he's too convoluted, archaic, confusing or 'smart' in his rhymes. Waka Flocka would call that 'dictionary rap'. Lupe, however, never is unwilling to try something different. The video for the first single off Lasers takes the advice of every critic that Lupe's had, and dumbs down the video completely. There are kids with cardboard cutouts acting out Lu's bars and bright, multi-colored lights flashing around him as he raps. Hell, it's like a show on Nick Jr. Whatever the case, it still turns out brilliantly. Lasers is coming closer. I wish he would hit us with a release date though. Enjoy the video....

Lupe Fiasco - 'Love Letter to the Beat' x 'Horn Synth' (Snippet)

Looks like the nuttiest photoshoot ever...


Lupe Fiasco - Love Letter to the Beat (ft. Alicia Keys)


Lupe Fiasco - Horn Synth (ft. Pharrell) (SNIPPET)

Can you feel it in the air? I can. Lupe Fiasco's 'Lasers' is drawing nearer. Today we got two leaks from the new album. The first one, 'Love Letter to the Beat,' is a star-studded lineup, with Alicia Keys jumping on the track, which is produced by Chad Hugo. It's a really jumpy synth beat with a lot of drums during the breakdowns. I think Alicia plays the keys along with her vocals. The second one, 'Horn Synth,' I didn't even want to post, because it was a snippet, and I HATE partial leaks and snippets. But the one minute and sixteen seconds of music that Pharrell and Lupe were so dope that I had to. The beat, the lyrics; EVERYTHING. If this is the caliber of hip-hop music that Lupe's bringing for Lasers, then I for one can't wait. Check both tracks out...