Excellent lyricism with brilliant production
Lupe Fiasco is a lyrical rapper from Chicago. He released his debut album, Food & Liquor in 2006 and since then has released some amazing projects to widespread critical acclaim. He is considered one of the best lyricists in all of rap music. He released his 8th studio album, Drill Music in Zion on June 24th, 2022.
The album starts off with the track “THE LION’S DEEN.” This intro is a powerful message narrated by Lupe Fiasco’s sister. The title is a play on words, referring to both a lion’s den and deen, an Arabic word that means a Muslim way of life. This then transitions to the song “GHOTI” which is a mellow track where Lupe once again showcases his lyrical talent over a drum-heavy beat. The production is beautiful but the highlight of the track is his lyricism. The title also alludes to a joke that GHOTI could be pronounced like “fish” due to the nature of the English language and as such it’s the word that Lupe ends the track on.
“AUTOBOTO” was released as a single. It is a pretty different track from the previous one as not only the production style is different but there is also a chorus in this track and it’s much longer. “PRECIOUS THINGS” is an amazing track where Lupe, literally, brings his hands to life. He talks about heavy subject matters such as corruption, purpose and destruction by anthropomorphizing hands. Each verse is about a different aspect of the analogy he weaves into the lyrics.
“KIOSK” is told from the point of view of a shopkeeper trying to sell jewelry to passersby. It serves as a criticism of capitalism and the emphasis placed on jewelry by rappers. The production on the track is once again amazing, a pretty common occurrence on this project. “MS.MURAL” is the final song in the Mural trilogy, preceded by “Mural” on Tetsuo & Youth and “Mural Jr.” on Drogas Wave. Much like its predecessors, this track is filled with amazing wordplay. It once again cements Lupe as one of the greatest lyricists of all time. It’s also a great example of storytelling.
The next track “NAOMI” talks about betrayal by one’s own people. It’s one of the shorter tracks on the album but still accomplishes its purpose in its runtime. The title track, like “AUTOBOTO”, contains a chorus. It has three verses with the third verse being noticeably shorter than the first two. “SEATTLE” is the track that stands out the most on the album. Its production style is very different than any other track on the album. The chorus is very catchy and the track seems very “radio-friendly” but still maintains Lupe’s level of lyricism.
The outro track “ON FAUX NEM” brings back the familiar production style of the rest of the album. The first verse of this track is one of the shortest but most powerful verses, not only on the album but in rap music in general. The rest of the track is also great. It talks about violence in hip-hop and the numerous deaths that occur as a result.
Overall, this album is an amazing addition to Lupe’s already impressive discography. The production on the album is amazing but the real highlight of the project is Lupe’s lyricism. Already considered by many as one of, if not the best lyricist in rap music, Lupe further solidifies this statement. This album is definitely one of the best albums of the year and is a must-listen for fans of rap music and lyricism.
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