Best Posts: [ALBUM] Lupe Fiasco - Samurai (Out Now)

  1. Ordinary Joel
    Posts: 29,094
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    Joined: Mar 23, 2015

    Ordinary Joel Happiness begins when selfishness ends

    May 15, 2024
    https://shop.season-of-mist.com/lupe-fiasco-samurai-lp

    [​IMG]

    On his new album, Samurai, Lupe retreats inward to give fans one of his most personal albums in his deep catalog. “I sometimes get tagged by my fans as not doing personal records,” Lupe says, “but I always tell people there's me in there if you listen closely enough. This album is one of my more personal records to date. It's not a full biography, but my personal experiences are tied up in all of my music. A lot of the records are me. Some are from the POV of a character. and some are me. The album weaves things from my life as an artist, touching on things other artists go through.” The narrative follows a battle rapper through various moments in his career, starting with how they honed their battle rap skills, following their career through different moments. Musically, the new album finds Lupe delighting in the simple pleasures of assembling assonant syllables into playful and poignant narratives. The 8-track album is smooth, yet cerebral, brimming with ideas, but always radiating Lupe’s pure love for the art of emceeing and committing himself as a servant of the rap game. The album was produced in full by longtime collaborator and friend, Soundtrakk (“Superstar,” “Kick, Push,” “HipHop Saved My Life”), their second time linking up on a full album after 2022’s DRILL MUSIC IN ZION, and is also the first time Lupe, Trakk, and longtime manager Charles “Chill” Patton were in the studio together since Patton’s release from prison in 2023. “It felt great to be back in the studio again as a family,” Lupe says. It’s the first time they’d worked together in the studio since Lupe’s seminal album, The Cool in 2005. “The word ‘samurai’ means to serve,” Lupe says on the album’s title. “My relationship to that word has always meant that you need to be at the service of other people, either in the overall community, or in this instance, the rap community at large that I’ve been a part of for years. You have some duty, some purpose to serve. The title alone is very important to me. Before rap even, martial arts was my whole life, and it still plays a huge role in my life. The album is me, but also inspired by a quote I heard from one of my favorite artists. The overall themes of the album speak to the constant fight and the battle one goes through being in the entertainment industry. Some of the things we need to defend.”

    Side A :
    Samurai / Mumble Rap / Cake / Palaces

    Side B :
    Headbanger / Big Foot / Outside / Til Eternity

    Found this info on r/lupefiasco

    I'm a Lupe stan til the day I die so I'm incredibly hyped for this.
     
    #1
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    Evad, Pazuzu, CavalierTD and 10 others like this.
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    Evad, Pazuzu, CavalierTD and 10 others like this.
    May 1, 2025
  2. Ordinary Joel
    Posts: 29,094
    Likes: 71,648
    Joined: Mar 23, 2015

    Ordinary Joel Happiness begins when selfishness ends

    May 16, 2024


    :rejoice:
     
    #7
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    Worm, henzINNIT, Ripper Roo and 2 others like this.
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    Worm, henzINNIT, Ripper Roo and 2 others like this.
    May 1, 2025
  3. hargydon
    Posts: 8,719
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    Joined: Oct 7, 2016

    hargydon No investigation, no right to speak

    May 16, 2024
    Really enjoyed DRILL MUSIC IN ZION so looking forward to checking this out. I’ll never forget this post from Lupe though:

    upload_2024-5-16_6-5-21.jpeg

    :lmaooo:
     
    #3
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    Ricky, jankland, Chrollo and 2 others like this.
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    May 1, 2025
  4. Ordinary Joel
    Posts: 29,094
    Likes: 71,648
    Joined: Mar 23, 2015

    Ordinary Joel Happiness begins when selfishness ends

    Jun 6, 2024


    Another one
     
    May 1, 2025
  5. hargydon
    Posts: 8,719
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    Joined: Oct 7, 2016

    hargydon No investigation, no right to speak

    May 18, 2024
    I’ve seen him a couple of times have back n forths on Twitter like that only to delete it quickly. Seems like he’s either fried or compromised, probably the latter given his earlier work. These are the only remnants I could find of one of the engagements:

    upload_2024-5-18_6-4-11.jpeg

    upload_2024-5-18_6-4-27.jpeg

    I’m not someone who really cares much about every rapper or individual’s work I consume being part of my political persuasion but I think it just lessens his works when he’s fed-posting & then preaching this conscious rap lol
     
    May 1, 2025
  6. Ordinary Joel
    Posts: 29,094
    Likes: 71,648
    Joined: Mar 23, 2015

    Ordinary Joel Happiness begins when selfishness ends

    May 16, 2024
    I'mma be honest, nothing is off the table but Lupe generally is contemporary enough. I'm interested to see how this track fits into the context of the album.
     
    May 1, 2025
  7. Worm
    Posts: 15,590
    Likes: 61,574
    Joined: Feb 15, 2011
    Location: New Jersey

    Worm Big Perm Big Worm

    Jun 28, 2024
    This is dope
     
    May 1, 2025
  8. Allis Mines
    Posts: 7,982
    Likes: 14,236
    Joined: Jul 5, 2016

    Jun 27, 2024
    Fire album, definitely early Lupe vibes.
     
    #21
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    May 1, 2025
  9. M.I.C.
    Posts: 3,147
    Likes: 6,762
    Joined: Feb 15, 2011

    May 18, 2024
    I agree but it’s just a bit different for me with Lupe because for one he will always be on of my favorite rappers of all time and for two, I know his old music so well and it had such a profound impact on me that I know for a fact he can’t possibly truly think the way he is portraying nowadays lol
     
    #13
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    May 1, 2025
  10. Ripper Roo
    Posts: 24,554
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    Joined: Oct 22, 2020

    Ripper Roo Ripper Raw

    May 18, 2024
    “I’d crush you intellectually” sounds like a s80 user
    :lmaooo:
     
    #12
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    May 1, 2025
  11. M.I.C.
    Posts: 3,147
    Likes: 6,762
    Joined: Feb 15, 2011

    May 18, 2024
    It really sucks considering he used to be the polar opposite of this, someone got ahold of him when he got hooked up with the MIT job, weird stuff

    I asked him on Twitter one time how he went from “I don’t trust America after watching Zeitgeist” to being a spokesperson for the CIA and he said something like “I still don’t trust the government” and deleted it almost immediately
     
    #10
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    Ordinary Joel, jankland and hargydon like this.
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    Ordinary Joel, jankland and hargydon like this.
    May 1, 2025
  12. Pandemic
    Posts: 1,223
    Likes: 1,764
    Joined: Apr 18, 2011

    May 15, 2024
    I had no idea about this. Thx 4 the heads up
     
    May 1, 2025