Lu releases his latest lyrical excercise to the masses. This will NOT be featured on his next album Testuo & Youth.
DAILY 03/07
DAILY 09/29
1st & 15th/Atlantic
Released 9/25/2012
Rating: 4 out of 5
Lasers wasn’t part of Lupe’s plan. He made that painstakingly clear before that LP was released. However, given it’s chart performance and gold-plus album and platinum plus singles, it was necessary. Now that Atlantic got that out of him, it was time for him to get back to business. There isn’t much you can preface a Lupe album review with these days. You know that he’s about his music, and the message it contains. His debut, Food & Liquor, was a classic before it leaked, and still excellent after the pre-release tweaks. The sequel, Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, is a two-part sequel after the powers that be shot down the double album idea. Nonetheless, Lu is determined to get this album out, his way.
After one listen to tracks like “Ital (Roses), you get the feeling that he got his way. “Around My Way,” jacks Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth’s “T.R.O.Y.” and despite the friction from Pete Rock about it, it’s not bad at all, especially considering that Lupe got a very strong message across. “Bitch Bad” is an excellent breakdown of the b-word and it’s effect on the minds of young, malleable and perhaps unmentored America. Even deeper is “Lamborghini Angels” which is a little more controversial in nature as it addresses Sex Abuse in the church. I’m pretty sure no one else is touching on issues like this. Another standout, “Form Follows Function,” has Lupe turning his mind inside out over a bluesy track, spitting lyrics with no hook that you’ll be sure to run back a few times. Guest spots aren’t as much of a priority as they’ve been on previous Lupe efforts, but the spots he did offer fit right into the scheme of things. Bilal kills “How Dare You,” and Guy Sebastian makes “Battle Scars” feel like the opus Lu intended, as he gives it the soul someone like Skylar Grey lacks.
The production here is diverse, but fitting for each track, and other than “Bitch Bad,” there is no real standout “singles,” so to speak. The beats go from trap-like, to anthem-like, to soul, to pop. However, the set as a whole is potent. Lupe touches on a ton of issues impacting society as a whole, it should be received as a full set, so you can understand what he was trying to accomplish here. The set isn’t perfect, as Lupe still hasn’t perfected the art of chorus writing, so half the hooks on the LP are disposable or just not that interesting. Despite that, Lupe’s got one with part one of the F&L Sequel series.
DAILY 09/05
05Sep2012
In the midst of exchanging words with Chief Keef via Twitter earlier today, Lupe gave the fans a new joint! F&L 2 is on the way.
DAILY 08/13
13Aug2012
Check out a stream of single #3 from Lu’s forthcoming Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album below! Make sure you cop on iTunes tomorrow!
DAILY 07/25
In what media has deemed the murder capital of U.S., Chicago has been viewed as – if not the most dangerous – but undoubtedly the most violent city in the recent years. So much so that the senseless killings have recently rose 38 percent in 2012 alone, and has been a topic of discussion from the likes of Kanye West, who is a product of the Windy City and who also rapped about these very mind boggling deaths on the Throne’s “Murder to Excellence” (below.)
“And I’m from the murder capital, Where they murder for capital / Heard about at least 3 killings this afternoon.“- Kanye West On “Murder of Excellence” off Watch The Throne.
Earlier today, fellow Chicagoan Lupe Fiasco, who was a special guest on MTV’s Rap Fix with Sway Calloway (with veteran rapper Nature also on the couch), candidly spoke about his old stomping grounds – and in the midst of all the talking about his old block – emotionally, the kid just broke down. He remembers many of the folks in the clip, many of whom are either deceased or incarcerated, and dejectedly refers to many of his fallen comrades as “ghosts.”
“Some of the kids aren’t going to make it out of there.”- Lupe Fiasco < Sad but f-in true.
DAILY 06/28
One thing you’re assured when it comes to a visual from Wasulu – is a emphatic statement – political or message wise. Lu takes the latter stance, with his eyes glowing, and parades around his hometown in the Alex Nazari directed clip for “Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free),” the first single from his heavily anticipated project Food & Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1, which is expected to arrive in stores on September 25th.
DAILY 06/25
25Jun2012
Lu gives us the second idea of what to expect from “Food & Liquor 2 Part I” with this new single. Opinions?
DAILY 05/21
Is the old Lupe finally back? It sure sounds like it as he goes in over a sample of Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth’s T.R.O.Y. “Food & Liquor II” is on the way!
