Lupe Fiasco
Lasers

Written by Ken Glauber. Published: Sunday, March 13, 2011.

Lupe Fiasco has, throughout his career, managed a peculiar feat. Whether drawn in by his intelligent and provocative lyrics, his swagger and stage presence, or any of the number of factors he has that work to his advantage, Lupe’s appeal works for both commercial and underground rap fans. However, with the release of Lasers, a painfully long awaited album that has been in talks for years, the dividing line separating commercial and underground fans has widened significantly. With such a drastic shift to a more radio friendly sound, one is forced to ask if this was Lupe’s doing or the label. Of course, it’s the label.

Lupe’s latest is full of bright, loud, synthy production that is not uncharacteristic of Lupe, but is way overdone on this release. The hooks, most commonly done by Matthew Santos on his other albums, are handled by radio friendly artists like Trey Songz, and the overall feeling of the album is grandiose and somewhat flashy. One can’t help but feel as though this was not Lupe’s first choice and there has been plenty of public evidence that suggests that Lupe was forced to succumb to the label’s wishes.

However, it is still an album to be proud of. Celebrated tracks like “All Black Everything” reminds listeners of the old Lupe, with some Kanye-esque production complete with sweeping strings and a hard, punchy snare and bass sound. While often the bright production will take away from Lupe’s sharp lyricism, it is still in there. His tricky wordplay and love for quick bouts of alliteration is featured on songs like “Letting Go” where he raps, “My self-portrait, shows a man that the wealth tortured, self absorbed with his own self, forfeit a shelf full of awards, worshipping the war ships that set sail on my sea of life.” The disappointing lyrics are on tracks like “Till I Get There,” with a lazy chorus half sung by Lupe: “I’m a keep it cool, and I’m a do me, it is what it is and that’s how it’s gon’ be, until I get there.” For someone who was previously known for his vivid imagery and passionate storytelling, it seems like he took a little break on pieces of this album.

There are a lot of live instruments used on the album, as well as studio tricks and electronic drums and synths. This can only add to Lupe’s notorious live performances, but on the album it sounds oddly foreign. “State Run Radio” features a chorus of crunching distorted guitar strums over a simply sung chorus, but the verses take the guitar way down and focus more on the synths and the drum loops. This kind of contradiction symbolizes the album. There are so many factors that are just butting heads. Lupe raps about the repetition of the radio, while the music behind him sounds like an attempt at creating another radio anthem. Many of the songs remind the listener of other hits, and Lupe is not the type to copy. “I Don’t Wanna Care Right Now” could easily feature the chorus from Nelly Furtado’s “Promiscuous Girl,” and “The Show Goes On” makes no attempt to hide its overplayed sample of Modest Mouse’s “Float On.”

It might not be welcomed by die-hard fans with open arms, but this album will get listened to. Commercialized production versus Lupe’s uber personal signature raps don’t quite gel the way they should, but overall the production is fun and easy on the ears, and (most of) Lupe’s verses still require a fine amount of re-listening and deciphering. People seem to be reacting to this album like they did Kanye West’s 808s and Heartbreaks. Commercial fans aren’t complaining, as it’s a new release from a great rapper. However, super fans were disappointed by the lack of signature sound and the moody singing Kanye attempted, just like Lupe fans are disappointed with the lack of depth and the over-hyped production. However, Kanye made a conscious choice to invent a new sound for his album, while Lupe, as the rapper, not the producer, had less input. Kanye went on to release his “masterpiece” with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and Lupe still has plenty of his career left to make an album that will either reinvent himself, or maintain his previous mysterio-intelligent style. Lasers is not the album to achieve either of those goals, but is still a strong release with enough good songs to keep your average listener content.

$14.99 out of $20.00

-Ken Glauber

Category: Reviews