Lupe Fiasco "Lasers" Review

After sitting in limbo for over a year and being pushed back countless times, Lupe Fiasco's forth album "Lasers" finally saw the light of day earlier this year. "Lasers" was supposed to be released in December 2009, but a standoff with Atlantic Records over subject material and Lupe's refusal to make an accessible pop single led to the delay. The hold-up hurt both parties involved as Lupe was not included on MTV's Top 10 Hottest MC List and fans planned to boycott Atlantic Records until the record received a release date. Fortunately, the petition and proposed boycott worked as "Lasers" was finally released and fans were treated to one of the best Hip-Hop records to be released in quite some time.

Upon listening to "Lasers", the first thing I noticed was Lupe's flow and how effortlessly he glided from line to line and how smoothly he rode the beat. His breath work is phenomenal throughout and it brings an extra dimension to his songs because he is in control of the pace the entire time. "Lasers" is also a verse oriented album instead of the typical chorus driven songs the radio always plays and this sets Lupe apart from most other hip-hop artists and shows the world that he is truly one of the best lyricists in the game today.

The best part about "Lasers", is the subject material. First and foremost, Lupe Fiasco is an artist who just so happens to rap and he places a strong emphasis on lyricism and storytelling. Unlike most rap albums, "Lasers" is not filled with club jams or street bravado and instead focuses on messages and communicating the truth to the audience. Lupe is a rebel who tells the other side of the story and his rhymes deal with meaningful things such as social and political issues but in a very creative way. All of the rhymes found on "Lasers" are thought provoking and in some cases the messages in some songs could go over the head if you do not listen carefully enough. I would be very curious to see what "Lasers" would have been like if Atlantic Records did not censor Fiasco and would have let him put out the record he wanted. Still, "Lasers" is a breath of fresh air and an album hip-hop desperately needed to revive it out of the recent trend of mediocrity.

In my opinion, one of the standout tracks on "Lasers" is the second song, “Words I Never Said.” If it is indeed the second single from the record, it is a win for Lupe since it would instantly become one of the realest rap songs to bring awareness to the world since Jadakiss released “Why.” The song touches on many different points and concepts and addresses the problems that are wrong in the world today. “Words I Never Said” is a controversial charged song that opens up calling 9/11 a conspiracy and the war on terror bullshit. Throughout the song, other issues are brought up such as school budget cuts, problems with people abusing prescription medications, the media reporting garbage “a bunch of WTF's!” and people being blinded by it like sheep. We all live in a corrupt world and if it is possible that this song will open people's eyes and realize the truth, Charlie Sheen would not be the only person Winning.

While “Words I Never Said” might be the best song on the record, the rest of the album is just as good at delivering Lupe's intended message. “Beautiful Lasers” is another favorite of mine because it is personal and the emotion Fiasco delivered is clearly felt. The song is about speaking up and standing up for yourself during the darkest most depressing times and it comes across brilliantly on the CD due to Lupe's incredible flow. “All Black Everything” is a song which I feel will get critical acclaim from various publications and for good reason. The song is among the best of the bunch and shows off Lupe's creativity. It is a fantasy song which asks the question of how the face of America  both culturally and economically would be different if slaves got paid in a business transaction faction. “State Run Radio”, is another creative song which touches on Lupe's opinion of the music business and American radio in general. It questions the artists and asks why they refuse to be different and instead succumb to the music company's wishes of the typical dumb catchy formula that the radio plays over and over again all day. Another good song is the first single from the record, “The Show Goes On.” It is inspiring but it is clearly obvious that this is the type of song Atlantic pushed Lupe to create. The songs features a sample beat and is an anthem collar made for the radio.

An interesting thing I noticed, was "Lasers" does not contain a true girl song. Almost every rap CD I ever listened too always had that designated song meant for the women, but this album does not. The closest song would be “Out of My Head,” which features Trey Songz, but after listening to the song a couple of times, I realized the girl that Lupe is rapping about is in fact the formation of a song. The first verse even contains a pretty cool metaphor with a swift delivery of words that changes the complete meaning of the song. The only other time females are mentioned, is during “Coming Up”, which calls for young girls to grow up and be strong and independent. To say the very least, this is very surprising especially in the hip-hop world where it seems every other song is dedicated to the P.Y.T.

To say I enjoyed "Lasers" would be a vast understatement. The record was solid and restored my faith in hip-hop which I felt had been slacking as of late. The sheer creativity on "Lasers" is enough to warrant it a couple of spins. Not only is every song catchy but is also so deep in meaning that it will take a while to fully understand the true point and message Lupe is trying to get across. "Lasers" is filled with positivity and covers every basis while pumping out inspirational vibrations through the speakers. Lupe Fiasco is one of the best and most underrated artists in music today and even if you are not a fan of hip-hop, I'm sure "Lasers" will touch on enough topics to spark your interest and maintain replay value.


Based on the Beavis and Butt-Head System:
3.5 Beavis' out of 5 Butt-Heads

Songs I Recommend:
Words I Never Said, I Don't Wanna Care Right Now, Beautiful Lasers (2 Ways)