Lupe Fiasco albums
- unfishined biography
Lupe Fiasco’s discography is that of a true artist. It is full of supreme highs and supreme lows, partially because he is a risk taker or partially is he came part of a system of corporate promotion and record label greed when that old school business model was fast dying out. As a rap lyricist, his lyrics remain the most erudite and convalescent in the entire history of the genre. As a creator of music and shaper of sounds, he collaborates with some of the best people in the business and always creates a complicated menagerie of sounds. I like when Lupe releases a lot of music, simply because it can hit or miss but what MATTERS are the times its hits, which have left is with some of the finest albums ever made (Food and Liquor, Tetsuo and Youth (2015) and especially the modern classic Drogas Wave which is a candidate for best hip hop album ever made.
Most of all though, I just love how he mixes humor with insight ( ), fast rapping that makes you dizzy ( ) and moments of real emotional truth ( ) each time out, over and over, ever expanding. His newest album is only 8 songs, and most of them are truly great additions to his cannon but I just wish….i just wish it wise twice as long. Because its super literate and addictive in ways most rappers could only dream of. We are witnessing a person who knows he is a master at what he does and he makes it look very easy, think Chappelle or Pryor with comedy, think De Niro or Pacino with classic actors, etc…
He respects and admires other mc’s no matter what their background (his praise of white rapper Aesop Rock is very thoughtful and profound, see below:
early albums reviews pending: Food and Liquor 1 and 2 (2006), The cool (2007), etc
2015
Tetsuo and Youth – 94%
Epic hip hop, and probably Lupe’s rebirth into a rapper of true stature. The length of some of the tracks ("Chopper", "Prisoners", "Mural", each approaching nine /ten minutes) is very impressive because they earn their length and tell engaging stories. “Mural” on its own as the first song puts the listener in a state that anything is possible if you are creative in music, endlessly rapping for what seems like only a moment, definitely one of the greatest hip hop songs ever made. Ditto for the shorter tunes ("T.R.O.N.”, "Blur My Hands" with a soaring chorus by Guy Sebastian that should have been a top 40 hit, "Little Death" with is soulful passages by Nikki Jean) as these are some of the best tunes of the year that have the power to elevate hip hop to a healthier extreme than the mainstream music of today.
It is so refreshing to hear a record that accurately tackles topics as diverse as Obamacare on "Chopper" as each new rapper on the block uses “filet mignon with my food stamps” as a lyrical entry point, where the music and bass line is so oppressive you almost wanna just run away from the speakers. Single mothers trying to raise their sons in a cruel world on "Madonna", truly a moving tune as a sort of hymn sent out to the universe. Youth obsessed with comic books and videogames on the masterwork "Mural", using pizza delivery as a metaphor for ‘peace of mind’ on "Deliver", and trying to maintain relationships in the real world of prison on "Prisoners 1&2", two songs in one form the view of the prisoners in jail and one from the guards at the prison.
Guest vocalists are used subtly throughout the massive album and it never loses track of Lupe's main objective, especially the break-out performer Nikki Jean. Less vulgarity and more articulate than most modern rap, this sets a high standard; if you need proof just listen to the insane flow of "Adoration of the Magi" on its third verse, jazz rap at its best. Only two songs, “Dots and Lines and “No Scratches”, really fail to live up to the greatness around them, and even those are tolerable. The best Hip Hop album of 2015, drowned and forgotten as it was released within weeks of the critically acclaimed To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar. Lupe vented his anger at the time on twitter for being ignored by the press…..and he was completely right in this case. But in all honesty, the truth telling style of Fiasco and his cohorts has no financial hope on a major label (Atlantic) and soon he would leave that label to find his freedom, and create his supreme masterpiece on an indie label, Drogas Wave in 2018.
Best Songs: Mural, Adoration of the Magi, Blur My Hands, Chopper
2017
Drogas Light – 55%
- this was a contractual album obligation for Atlantic records, so yeah its full of left overs and it feels like it.
Best song: Tranquillo
2018
Drogas Wave – 98%
I loved Lupe Fiasco’s Tetsuo and Youth (2015), as it really changed my perspective on life in a lot of ways. After hearing the next record Drogas Light (2017) I was kind of discouraged, as I liked a couple of songs but I felt Lupe had lost his inspiration too and it was a cash grab. But holy crap - this is a 180 degree turn towards Tetsuo and Youth again: smart, lengthy, intricate and entertaining rap music. It's about 100 minutes long and while that should be a daunting task for a hip hop release, he makes it a lot of fun to listen to. The lyrical concept is slavery, whether it be slavery to Atlantic record label, slavery on the Atlantic Ocean hundreds of years ago, slavery to drugs and the pressures of life….etc.
The album is divided in two, as the lyrical "Water" concept is the first part, and in its ambition it is similar to using water as a metaphor for freedom, for equality with mother earth, and being one with the universe. People who were enslaved become powerful as Aquaman on "Down" as they live and speak with fish; "Gold vs. the Right Thing to Do" tackles the worthiness of money; and "Manila" gives a history lesson from the Philippians capital city as fact in order to provide a way to live on to the future.
Three of the greatest rap songs i have ever heard are on here: "Wav Files" with its sort of organic flow and never-ending structural changes prove the versatility of the hip hop language, like a truly creative person will never run out of things to say; "Haile Selassie" which uses the multiple voices effect in new ways whether it be crooning behind the rapping or an overlap of an R&B chorus mixing with the rapping, it exudes a psychedelic feeling; "Alan Forever" in which Lupe imagines a boy who drowned as living a full life, the theme of reincarnation runs strong throughout. Each song has multiple meanings and interpretations, each one fits into the them of the record but also becomes something more- spinning futuristic psychedelic fantasias around Lupe's rap stylings.
The second part of the record is concept album about growing up, and though it begins on the hardship of being poor and surrounded by harsh realities on "Stronger" and "Sun God" where the mood is subdued and “clouded” to reach the ultimate depression, sort of like Jim Morrison or Chris Isaak stuck in a rut. It soon progresses to life lessons learn and making it on your own on "Kingdom" which brings reggae from Damien Marley blending it with hip hop and "Stack that Cheese" which tackles making money with disregards to artistic promise. Being head of a family that relies on you with the jazzy "King Nas", an excellent bass driven rock anthem a la Joe Henry.
Though liberties are taken with the lyrical concepts, the rhyming and rapping Lupe is perfected on here, and the music is varied enough to fall under any musical umbrella ("Cripple" showcases a flute and "Quotations from Chairman Fred" incorporates spoken word). It is not simply hip hop anymore, the rock n roll has truly coalesced in with it as well as jazz and reggae in a new musical blend underneath the rapping. At an Hour and 40 minutes, it's long enough to dare to define the entirety of human existence. That's art. Don't get hung up on literal concepts for real, just enjoy it. Your favorite music should reach your soul and make you feel as if you are hearing it for the first time, so to me this is Album of the decade no contest.
Best Songs: Haile Selassie, WAV Files, Alan Forever, King Nas, Jonylah Forever, Mural Jr.
2022
Drill Music in Zion – 86%
Lupe Fiasco returns after four years since his amazing and complex two hour release Dragos Wave (2018), with an album that does feel like an aftermath to that overwhelming experience. The thoughtful and provocative lyrics are on full display again, in fact some songs are little else than poetry readings he created – “Kiosk” a thoughtful rumination on mall kiosks (seriously) and “Ms. Mural” the third song in his trilogy of songs with the word ‘mural’ in the title that plays as kind of a younger cousin to the other two opuses. ”On Faux Nem” is a somewhat grizzly affair, rambling about the violence that exists in black society while musically he interrupts himself to keep changing the subject to make himself sound more delicate. The best songs are title track “Drill Music in Zion” and “Naomi” blend all these things by existing on an intellectual level unreachable by the other rappers around him. He is very aware of himself stating, “Wow that’s the most interesting diatribe I have heard in a while!”. Ego has its place in hip-hop, I suppose.
Minor nitpick- While the last six songs form a proper follow up to Drogas Wave and Tetsuo and Youth's futuristic jazz-rap (replete with much saxophone work in the background!) it has to be said that Lupe really does have a problem beginning an album. This happens on Drogas Wave as well, the first couple songs not being nearly as lyrically interesting or versatile as what comes afterwards and may turn off some listeners; the exception is “Autoboto” which is obviously meant to be a lead single and comes off better than the other first four. It’s just kind of a maddening frustration, because I know some people won’t dig deep on this record and find its amazing qualities. So I encourage anyone reading this, never write Lupe off. When he tries to appeal to the general population in his career, he can be a bit clumsy and awkward, but when he is himself and manages to merge great music with awe-inspiring lyrics he is the best rapper on the planet. His complex form fusion of rock, jazz, and hip hop is a wonder to behold.
Best Songs: Drill, Ms. Mural, Kiosk
2024
Samurai - 87%
Lupe Fiasco’s discography is that of a true artist. It is full of supreme highs and supreme lows, partially because he is a risk taker or partially is he came part of a system of corporate promotion and record label greed when that old school business model was fast dying out. As a rap lyricist, his lyrics remain the most erudite and convalescent in the entire history of the genre. As a creator of music and shaper of sounds, he collaborates with some of the best people in the business and always creates a complicated menagerie of sounds. I like when Lupe releases a lot of music, simply because it can hit or miss but what MATTERS are the times its hits, which have left is with some of the finest albums ever made (Food and Liquor, Tetsuo and Youth (2015) and especially the modern classic Drogas Wave which is a candidate for best hip hop album ever made.
Most of all though, I just love how he mixes humor with insight (“Number One Headband”, “Samurai”) fast rapping that makes you dizzy (new classic “Mumble Rap”, and catchy closer that will stay in your head for days “Til Eternity”), and moments of real emotional truth (“Palaces” with its two part structure, “Bigfoot” with its eloquence) each time out, over and over, ever expanding. His newest album is only 8 songs, and most of them are truly great additions to his cannon but I just wish….i just wish it wise twice as long. Because its super literate and addictive in ways most rappers could only dream of. Perhaps 8 songs was perfect, maybe he felt he only had so much to say at this point; I imagine a lot of my favorites of his as only the best 8 songs and then I go…maybe this is just right, hmm. We are witnessing a person who knows he is a master at what he does and he makes it look very easy, think Chappelle or Pryor with comedy, think De Niro or Pacino with classic actors.
Best Songs: Til Eternity, Mumble Rap, Number One Headband