Lasers
2011
Atlantic, 1st and 15th
Prod. by Lupe Fiasco, Charles "Chilly" Patton, Darrale Jones, et al
I've had little experience with Lupe Fiasco. He's appeared on a few great tracks by some other excellent rappers, including his excellent verse on Kanye West's "Touch The Sky," but I've otherwise rarely been exposed to this rapper who ostensibly broke out years ago. Lupe's big hit early last year, "The Show Goes On", was my first exposure to a solo track of his, and I was not a fan. Not only did it sample "Float On," one of few songs I literally never want to hear again, it sampled it poorly, and the rap upon it was simply short of impressive.
Of course, discovering now that "The Show Goes On" is the specific song Lupe was forced to place on Lasers by producers is not shocking in the least, and the idea that he was specifically told to simplify his lyrics upon it explains quite a bit about the song. The rest of the album is more focused upon messages and morality than having a good time, and while a few other party tracks certainly pop up here and there, this is not a barbecue record the way one might imagine.
However, Lupe's sermon is not easily received. His lyrics often wander more than one might appreciate, and often I found myself wondering if the chap had said anything significant on a given song. It certainly does not help that his flow is focused upon tightness rather than expressiveness, as it's extremely hard to feel passionate about most of what's on the album. It's certainly an approach to go for keeping an extremely tight rap set where little can be criticized as explicitly poor, but it feels like most of these raps fail to take any risks. When his lyrics are more explicit and the raps become more "intellectual," they're often overwritten and too unsubtle, with "Words I Never Said" being the official track that goes too far. There are a few great lines ("The truth stings like Muhammad Ali") but most of the raps are forgettable to lightly abrasive.
Of course, the fact that most of the raps are forgettable turns out to be in service of the music, which is consistently good. There are a few really great beats on this album, and the rest are all pretty darn good. Those beats that emphasize real instruments over synth lines are definitely the highlights, but the synth lines are strong throughout as well. Lupe's tone is attractive for most of these songs even if it makes it hard to focus on what he's saying, and it makes the album a lot more fun than it might be otherwise. Meanwhile, the focus is largely upon featured artists over samples, with a trio of strong guest appearances by Auto-Tune MC MDMA. However, the hook on "Words I Never Said" proves that Skylar Grey's singing is officially rap poison after the borderline-oppressive "I Need A Doctor" and "Coming Home". I appreciate that she has fans in her pop-folk solo work, but can she keep her vocals out of hip-hop...forever?
The music on this album easily saves what otherwise might be a dull album. While the best songs tend to go in one ear and out the other, they are really fun, and a low-impact album like this one serves an important purpose. The beats are pretty consistently great, and while there might be a couple missteps, they're only boring rather than offensive.
However, "The Show Goes On?" Still one of my least favorites.
3/5
HIGHLIGHTS: "Till I Get There", "I Don't Wanna Care Right Now" (ft. MDMA)
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES: "Words I Never Said", "The Show Goes On", "All Black Everything"
NEXT STOP: "The Adventures of Bobby Ray", B.o.B.
AFTER THAT: "Late Registration", Kanye West
