Lupe Fiasco - Tetsuo & Youth (Album Review)

What do I have to say for Lupe except for his phenomenal debut records, The Cool and Food & Liquor are considered one of the very best coming from a socially conscious rapper. With singles such as ‘Kick, Push’ and ‘Superstar’ Lupe has always been one for conceptual lyrics, being political, socially aware and pushing the boundaries of conscious hip-hop in itself. Tetsuo and Youth being his latest effort has me sceptical as his previous work such as ‘Lasers’ & ‘Food & Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album’ have been disappointing to say the least. But I will still give him another try, here is my track-by-track review on Lupe’s new project.

Summer

So this is self explanatory, this track starts with sounds of kids on a beach, playing, laughing having fun, probably the start if a season that Lupe wants the album to kick off with.

Mural

 This record hits you, a nearly 9 minute song that has Lupe rapping his ass off, we’re talking triple entendres every second line. This will have you wanting to read this song up, 3 solid verses, flows are consistent and you will find yourself bumping this and being lost in it. It feels like some sort of spiritual lyrical trance that will leave you wondering what he’s really talking about, you have to keep your ears open and follow as though it is a story, a motion picture that consists of discussion of a broken world. This is Lupe doing what he does best and it is no surprise that people talk about this record in particular.

Quotables:

“Life is not a dictionary, it's a thesaurus

And I feel like a missionary to a clitoris”

“When I was young I had visions of another world

 Sneaking looks at the porn stash of my brother hurl

Incense smoke made vortices and other curls”

“My rap position was black condition and activism

 Ammunition for abolition, missions attacking systems

But they're not apt to listen, unless it's dropping on Activision

Are we apps or are we bodies filled with apparitions

 Operating applications, stuck inside an Apple prison

Chicken hack and download updates that lack religion”

Blur My Hands (feat Guy Sebastian)

Was not looking forward to this record initially as I found Lupe’s and Guys last collaboration to be annoying, plain and pretty much lacking an overall written song. However I am happily surprised by the third track and second attempt as this comes across smooth, the hook is sweet and you can rock to It, it doesn’t come across cheesy although it has radio qualities it has enough to satisfy a listener.

Quotables:

“Sitting in your car, just listening to the bars

 And there’s traffic all around and you feel like falling down

 And the music that I’m spewing out, enough to calm it down

 ‘Fore you know you’re out your car with your briefcase walkin’ round”

Dots and Lines

Don’t let the banjo in the beginning throw you off, this song is well produced and deals with subject matter that involves math and Lupe himself wanting to leave Atlantic Records, a light friendly production with content of closure of previous single failures.

Quotables:

“To make gold from garbage is not the alchemical point of this math

 But truth be told it's the pursuit of gold that turns the goal of men into trash

 The soul's gold and they turning gold into cash”

Fall

Another small instrumental with vocals of children heard makes another interlude into a collection of songs that follow suit.

Prisoner 1 & 2

2 songs in one coming from two perceptions of prisoners, this record has so much depth. The first prisoner is someone who is actually imprisoned within a jail cell whereas the second prisoner is a security guard who is suffering yet in another way. Clever, to say the least. The production is strong and futuristic in its execution.

Quotables:

“Wicked, swung the shank around on a mop string

They had to pull him out the cell with a SWAT Team

That's a cop team, they sent hella cops, to stop, the helicoptering

Man, he thought that he'd fly away, like a kite, take flight

Like a letter on a string, like propellers on a wing

But they can't find the key”

“You a prisoner too, you living here too

You just like us, til' your shift get through

You could look like us, you know shit get through”

Body Of Work (Feat Troi & Terrance Martin)

A record that personifies hip-hop in a body of a woman has been done before but not quite like this, Lupe talks about a woman’s body being drug trafficked as metaphor of what we put in popular culture. Troi is on the hook and does a good job of using his vocals simple, you have Terrance blessing the song with the sax at the end of it.

Quotables:

“Quiet in the court for the courtship

Marriage of the dork and the gorgeous

Took her from the king of the corpses”

Little Death (Feat Nikki Jean)

This is my personal favourite track off the album, simply because the beat is infectious and it grabs you, Nikki does a great job with a hook that is somewhat reminiscent to records on The Cool. I perceive this to be the love song of T&Y, not necessarily a romantic love but one of awareness. Lupe seems to be discussing issues regarding passionate affairs between people, there is a gay marriage reference within the first verse that basically states that there are opinions on love and regardless of what your opinion is on something it will always be deemed inappropriate by others, much is life. The hook supports such a statement.

Quotables:

“Sam marrying Sam

Band pushed upon the finger of Sam's hairiest hand

If that sickens you, you a bigot

If it doesn't well then you wicked”

“How is your memory?

Is it returning like a lemon tree

To bear bitter fruit of what you meant to me

Or was it slippin' like permission am I trippin' like Phil

I feel I'm grippin' but maybe the transmission

Still left out the life, also left out the will, grief

Will cheese never touch your teeth”

No Scratches (feat Nikki Jean)

This sounds like it could be produced for Sade Adu, powerful instrumentation and follows the theme of love but more or less the destruction of it. The hurt from a relationship, which gradually weakens due to a lack of passion on both parties. The whole idea now is to walk away and not leave scars.

“But off in the future, and what it’s finna be

All your memories can become enemies”

Winter

Notice no children playing this time.

Chopper (Feat Billy Blue, Buk Of Psychodrama, Famlay, Glasses Malone, Trae Tha Truth & Trouble)

This track is too damn long and Lupe has even said that, this song has each rapper hitting us with 32 bars. Whew my least favourite though because it can just be a bore to continuously listen to. Some good lines here but it just drags. The beat is ratchet; a new age beat with a hook delivered by Lupe.

Quotables:

“Been servin’ since a jit tryna dodge all the obstacles

My teachers all told me that were probable”

“RIP to the homies but long live the killas

Its why I look at god kinda odd

Cause these are the cards that he deals us”

Deliver (feat Ty Dolla $ign)

This song right here reminds me of the conceptual, lyrical Lupe that plays with ordinary content that actually have a heightened reason as to why he is saying it. He conveys a message through the narrative of a pizza man, Chicago is notorious for violence, and the song basically discusses isolation, there are neighbourhoods and blocks that pizza men aren’t allowed to deliver at simply because the pizza men could be shot dead, and this has happened many of times and still there are many pizza delivery men that have died. There are communities who cannot deliver pizza because of this. It strange when you think about it and Lupe paints that picture.

Ty has nice adlibs throughout he adds a nice touch, the production is smooth and you can for sure rock to it. Catchy and conscious in not an annoying nor preachy way.

Quotables:

“The Ghetto was a physical manifestation of hate

And a place where ethnicity determines your placement

A place that defines your station

Remind you niggas your place is the basement

White people in the attic

Niggas selling dope, White people is the addicts

White folks act like they ain't show us how to traffic”

Madonna [And other mothers in the hood) (Feat Nikki Jean)

Some 808’s influence on here, there is neo soul uses within production., the record discusses mothers, linking to Christianity and the Virgin Mary. Talking about mothers providing for their children, it is a portrait for the women who protect us from various things. I like how Nikki and Lupe harmonize on the hook.

Quotables

“Mama please send a sign to me

What's looking like life?

It's probation and a fire to me

Lawyer said I'd be alright

But I think they be lying to me”

Adoration of the Magi

One of the hottest songs on here, this record has the ability to alleviate you. This encompasses the album and it takes you to a certain direction that helps you understand where Lupe is in his life right now. The hook is smart and the production is consistent to the theme Lupe is going for here. This has to do with the youth and their struggle of growing up quickly and the expectations of those to grow up at such a young age.

Quotables:

“You not the first person

The first person from your first cursin'

To your first cursive

And your curse words is in the curve version

It occurs virgin is the word version

That refers perfect to the first person

In the third verse, who’s really me

In the third person but prefers the first one, that’s me”

“Why you ready to die? You just a baby

Why them tears up under your eyes? You just a baby

Keep your head up in the sky, you just a baby

Quit chasing money, never mind, you just a baby

Why you wanna be born again? You just a baby

Why you playing in the streets? You just a baby”

They.Resurrect.Over.New(Feat Ab-Soul & Troi)

TRON themes here the use of space and time being stated with video game references make this record young. If you wish to play this album in reverse I would suggest it, you’ll find out why. The concept of this album only gets more interesting. A lot of kicks and scratches in this song with a mediocre verse from Ab-Soul, nevertheless a fine track and an appropriate final song or even intro.

Quotables:

“Give them all showers

Tony found the fountain of youth, in the mountain of power

To only find truth in the fountain, drowning in power

Surrounded with dollars”

Spring

The kids are back.