Customer Reviews

Lasers

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

Let's get one thing straight: this is not a Lupe Fiasco album! Atlantic Records rejected his version of Lasers years ago and he constantly battled with the label over just about every song. In the end, he "acquiesced" (his words) and decided that something (putting the album out, however mangled by corporate interference) was better than nothing (an unreleased masterpiece).

Now that we've gotten that out of the way: Lasers is awful bubble-gum rap interspersed with moments of brilliance. I'm not someone who is a knee-jerk pop music hater, but how anyone can truly enjoy bland pop electronica like "I Don't Wanna Care Right Now" is beyond me. You can hear Lupe's resignation on "Till I Get There" with his monotone flow and the lyrics of the chorus which contain veiled references to his label difficulties. "Out of My Head" is catchy but it's not Lupe. "Beautiful Lasers" sounds tainted because it combines lyrics dealing with his suicidal feelings over a wholly out of place beat. Even the single, "The Show Goes On," sounds forced, although it has Lupe's signature upbeat message for the "kids in the ghetto." (In an interview, Lupe said he was literally told not to go "too deep" lyrically on this track.)

The only tracks that sound like authentic Lupe to me are Letting Go, Words I Never Said, I'm Beaming, and Shining Down (the last two were released some time ago, probably before the label's interference). I hope his next album is better; I'd like to see Eminem add him to the Shady 2.0 roster but I don't think that will happen.

As if it weren't bad enough to ruin our standard of living and our environment, corporations are busy destroying the music of musical geniuses like Lupe Fiasco. He deserves better and so do we.

Most of Lupe Fiasco's fans know that the production of this CD was like going through hell. All of the drama with Lupe & Atlantic Records on how they wanted the CD to be done; Lupe wanted to stick to what he did best, while Atlantic made it more "radio friendly" so to speak. With all that aside, this is one of the best Hip Hop/Rap Albums to come out in the past few years. While this may of not pleased all Lupe fan's, Lupe still managed to make this own and I enjoyed almost every song on "Lasers". Heres my song by song rundown/review:

1.) Letting Go ft. Sarah Green
This album immediatly starts of with the goods. "Letting Go" is a very powerful song and Lupe really tells a story on the struggles of Laser's production. You really get the idea of how frustrated he was within the song's lyrics. The chorus grabs your attention and then Lupe just tears it up. Sarah Green dosen't have a huge part, but her part was good for what it is worth.

2.) Words I Never Said ft. Skylar Grey
Another powerful song here. This is one of two current "hits" on lasers, with Skylar Grey contributing in the chorus, which is just as good as her part in "I Need A Doctor" by Eminem & Dre. One thing that I respect about this song is that Lupe actually rapped about politics and world problems, instead of just talking about something completely pointless. If this would of had Grey's hook and some pointless verse's like we mostly hear on the radio today, this would probably be a #1 hit. I'm glad Lupe didn't do that because this one deserves to be a huge hit in it's own right. One of my favorties.

3.) Till I Get There
This sounds a lot like a Kid Cudi song to me, infact, a little to much. I enjoyed the flow & beat of the song, but I don't think it was Lupe's best work. Per say, if Cudi was actually in this one, it would of made a lot more since to me because it sounds so similar to him, needless to mention that would be a great track. Still, I wouldn't recommend skipping this one, because you might like it more than me; I just wasn't in to it that much.

4.) I Don't Wanna Care Right Now ft. MDMA
This was one of the more controversial song's on this album, because this is where Atlantic took control of the track to make it more "radio friendly", like I mentioned earlier. A lot of people have complained about this being to much of a club song, but you have to ignore the auto-tune and the type of beat and pay attention to the lyrical content. While this is a "club song", Lupe still managed to put some good stuff in here and still made it his own as much as he could. Not to many complaints for me here, but I'm probably a little more positive than others on this one.

5.) Out Of My Head ft. Trey Songz
Now I didn't mind I don't wanna care, but this is one song I just can't stand. Lupe's part isn't bad, but in Songz's chorus, it is really just the same old stuff from him, the stuff we hear 5 or more times a day on the radio. Once again, credit to Lupe, but this was one song I can't and won't listen to again.

6.) The Show Goes On
Arguably the most popular song on "Lasers". This one has recieved quite a bit of publicity, for being used for highlight reels on SportsCenter & NBA All-Star Weekend. Lupe used the beat for "Modest Mouse" and he turned it around and made it his own (like most of the song's on here). The message was mainly directed toward's the kids in the ghetto and the song was not only fun to listen to, but inspiring at the same time. This is definitely my favorite track a long with the next one.

7.) Beautiful Lasers ft. MDMA
Yes, this is indeed my favorite track along with "Show Goes On". In all honesty, I think this is the most underrated song on this album. Despite the chorus being auto-tuned (which also drawed complaints), I really enjoyed it because it captured me in for what was to come next. This is also a very deep song, with Lupe bringing his talents to full circle. This had a nice mix of that rap/rock vibe that was actually worth listening to and I enjoyed all four minutes of it.

8.) Coming Up ft. MDMA
"Don't Wanna Care" was decent and "Beautiful Lasers" was very good, but at this point I was a just a little tired of MDMA. This really wasn't all that great.

9.) State Run Radio ft. Matt Mahaffey
Once again, just another forgettable song here. Lupe's verses were just decent and not his best and this one kind of just annoyed me.

10.) Break The Chain ft. Eric Turner & Sway
This was an improved track from the last two. This one also played on ESPN SportsCenter along with "The Show Goes On". The chorus is very catchy and the producing of this song was brilliant. The beat really hooked me and Lupe's verses were awesome as always. This basically talked about working your way up and getting that chance, so once again, something that hit an inspirational note. Really enjoyed this one here.

11.) All Black Everything
I know I've talking a lot about inspirational lyrics, but this just takes the cake. This had so many good moments and a variety of memorable content such as "racism has no context" and this is just Lupe's point of view of a certain situation (just as Words I Never Said). This is most people's favorite track, while it isn't my favorite, it is something that I could just kick back and listen to all day long. Yes, it is that good and it is that meaningful. True Lupe here.

12.) Never Forget You ft. John Legend
This was far from the best track on Lasers, but I thought it was a good finish to the album. John Legend has one of the best voices and Lupe had great chemistry with him in this song. Length wise, the song ended a little to quick for me; there was nothing memorable, but nothing bad here either.

Download These: Letting Go, Words I Never Said, The Show Goes On, Beautiful Lasers, All Black Everything

All in all, I give a big round of applause for Lupe on this one. After all the Atlantic Record release drama, this one still turned out good. Some of the hardcore Lupe fans may not have been pleased, but in my opinion, I think this is something we can all enjoy. This is the first CD I've bought in three years, so it definitely caught my attention.

Let me start off by saying I'm a pretty diehard Lupe fan. I listen to his pre-Food and Liquor mixtapes all the time. I maintain that F&L and The Cool are two of the most underrated albums in hip hop in the last 5 years. I regularly tell people that Lupe is the most underrated lyricist of our generation, and arguably ever.

But I don't know what happened in this album. The rawness, the realness, the style that makes Lupe Fiasco different from other "pop" rappers... is missing. At first, I was appalled that Amazon categorized this album as "Pop Rap", but they actually got it right, sadly enough. Yeah, Lupe still raps about things other rappers won't touch, but for some reason it now sounds forced. It's like he's trying to be too lyrical over beats that were made for the radio. Lupe used to use great but not overpowering beats to show off his amazing flow (go go gadget flow, anyone?). But Lasers is filled with distracting beats and hooks that almost completely take away from Lupe.

I have no doubt that people will love this album. It might even end up being his best selling one. But it will be from the 50 Cent, Flo Rida, Pitbull etc fans who listen to beats and hooks. It will not be because of the true hip hop heads and old Lupe fans. So yeah, you might like this album, but not if you loved Lupe's last two.

After listening to Lasers a few times through, I just had to play Food and Liquor and the Cool. And damn, those albums are straight fire. NO ONE rapped like he did over those two albums. Sadly, that includes the Lupe Fiasco that showed up to Lasers. To me, Lasers is just another album that will come and go. I can only hope that Lupe makes another hip hop album sometime in the future. But given the success that Lasers will probably have, I wouldn't count on it.

Lupe Fiasco always got more flak than he deserves. Underground hip-hop fans view Lupe as ersatz Mos Def and Talib Kweli, rather than appreciating his unique gifts. Meanwhile, mainstream listeners never got over the "skateboard rapper" stigma that followed Lupe after "Kick, Push" hit the airwaves, and ignored him over the gaudy mindlessness of "Gucci Mane" and "Wakka Flocka Flame". But one only needs to hear tracks like "Hurt Me Soul", "American Terrorist" or "Little Weapon" to witness Lupe's thematic flexibility and multi-layered lyricism that puts many modern rappers to shame (especially the overplayed Drake and Nicki Minaj). Lupe's 'Food & Liquor' continued where Kanye West's "The College Dropout" left off, and is arguably one the best rap albums of the last decade.

For `Lasers', Lupe confronts yet another critic deriding him for being too deep: his label, Atlantic Records. Unfortunately, they have more influence than the disgruntled rap fan expecting club hits. Despite the combined 7 Grammy nominations 'Food & Liquor' (2006) and 'The Cool' (2008) received, the lack of #1 singles disappointed Atlantic, and they urged Lupe to go for mass appeal. Translation: don't be very thought provoking, or "too lyrical", as Soulja Boi insultingly stated about Lupe on Vibe magazine. Well congratulations! You guys got your insipid wish.

Listening through 'Lasers', it's easy to tell where Lupe's persona strains to break through Atlantic's corporate compromise. Singles "Till I Get There" and "Break the Chain" has Lupe complacently uttering half-hearted announcements about his drive to reach a better future. The production replaces the immersive tunes that supplemented Lupe's lyrics before, and instead goes for generic sounds and choruses that hardly differ from the usual radio fare. A few songs go for dance song tempo (again, "Break the Chain"), or for the sports anthem ("The Show Goes On"; big surprise it's now played on ESPN/NCAA promos). As aspirations for pop recognition rises, Lupe's identity slips.

Take "Words I Never Said", featuring Skylar Green. It's going for the appeal of the Eminem/Rihanna duet, "Love the Way You Lie" - Skylar even sounds like a Rihanna expy - but going that route drowns out Lupe's thoughtful lyrics to the catchier, more banal chorus given by the singer. It's a big reason I loathed "Love the Way You Lie" (a weak track in Eminem's otherwise solid 'Recovery'). Adding to insult is Lupe's voice being auto-tuned through the ordeal (thanks, T-Pain).

And then some tracks appear with conflicting guest stars. Trey Songz's lady chasing lyrics clash against Lupe's more chaste opinion towards his female listeners. Meanwhile, when John Legend comes into the album closer "Never Forget You", the result is...peculiar. Before this, never would have I compared Legend to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. No offense to either artist - I've enjoyed works from both - but like much of 'Lasers', the inclusion feels awkward.

And yet, in spite of Atlantic's meddling, 'Lasers' isn't as terrible as it should be. Listeners can still hear Lupe's sociopolitical commentary sprinkled throughout the album. On "Words I Never Said", Lupe attacks mainstream news stations for being flat-out racist (Fox News) or too focused on gossip fodder (CNN), while giving Obama and politicians a big thumbs down. With "The Show Goes On" and parts of "Beautiful Lasers", Lupe raises the spirits of troubled youth who want to escape inner city confinement, while ridiculing everyone who wants to suppress them into a predictable box. "State Run Radio" takes a deserved shot at commercial radio, ringtone rappers, and the corporate machine that fuels the existence of both. In "All Black Everything," Lupe envisions a black America that avoided the chronic suffering that trailed them after being freed, post-Civil War. Too bad that's the sole example of Lupe really going abstract.

Because of 'Lasers' being reduced to a dozen tracks, and because much of Lupe's signature lyrical depth was omitted, it feels incomplete compared to 'Food & Liquor' and 'The Cool'. While I liked 'Lasers' enough the first few playthroughs, it doesn't have the longevity of its predecessors. It's difficult not to be conspiratorial minded about `Lasers', knowing that it wouldn't have even been released, had it not been for rabid fans protesting outside Atlantic's building last year. Lupe clearly had more to say, and if he had the freedom to do LupE.N.D., it would've been marvelous. Legendary, even. Instead, the required five albums on his contract reduced his master plan into churning out the marginalized 'Lasers'.

Lupe himself doesn't completely loathe 'Lasers', though it's easy to see that personal frustration took a toll on him. With all the references of getting knocked down and tempting suicide on "Beautiful Lasers", you can't blame him for feeling exhausted. However, Lupe assures fans that he's not giving up the fight, because kids trapped in the ghetto need to hear a voice that's telling them it's okay that you think differently, and that they deserve better than what they've been given from society. Those are statements worth applause. But for the night clubs bumping 'Lasers's' synthetic beats into the stereo, it's only filler between "Speakers Going Hammer", "Make it Rain" and "Black & Yellow".

Being very involved in the Lasers vs Atlantic despute that was going on. I am very proud to see that Lupe Fiasco's album has finally hit the shelves. As far as embracing the album, I can't fully say that I love it as much as I appreciate it. I remember all of the protesting going towards this album getting released. Now that it's out It dissappoints me, yet surprises me. If you've followed Lupe Fiasco, you know that his music is very different. Touches real issues and gives youa vizualation of that music that many cant do. With Lasers it veers in a different direction. With Atlantic not being satisfied with Lupes sales, they wanted to take this album in a more mainstream direction. Which is understandable. Its when the label tries to do too much. It's obvious that Atlantic did that. They're are a few songs that Fiasco kept his ownt touch. All Black Everything, Beautiful Lasers and State Run Radio (a few others as well) but they're also songs like Outta My Head. These are the songs that make it feel less and less like a Lupe Fiasco album. They aren't necessarily bad, just not Lupes style of music. So I would honestly say that if you are a huge Lupe Fiasco fan for the reason of his style, then you may be a little bit dissapointed by this album as its more mainstream to catch new fans. If you are a new fan though, You'll probably love this album but I wouldn't tell you to expect too much music like this from Lupe Fiasco again.

Let me start this off by saying I have always been a big Lupe Fiasco Fan. I've always said he was the future of the game and amazing. I own everything he as ever put out. All his mix tapes from 1st and 15th series to the Enemy of the State. In support I've purchased every album 3 times. Food and Liquor was my personal album of the year and one of my all time favorites.

Now with that said, this album is terrible. Plain and simple, it is not Lupe. Sure it's his voice on the tracks and at times his genius word play, but it lacks is soul. I could barely make it through one play. I know some of this can be blamed on Atlantic for rejecting the original version and delaying and delaying. I mean it is sad when the pre-release hype songs (Beaming and Shinning Down) are better than anything on the ablum. And the worst part about the situation with Lasers is it debuted at number 1 and was his best selling ablum to date. So finally Lupe is getting the sales he derserved but based off a crap album. So now I don't know if we will ever get the old real Lupe Fiasco back.

It pretty much goes without saying that Lupe Fiasco is one of the best purest MC's currently in hip-hop, but that doesn't save "Lasers" from being a pretty much a bore from start to finish.
The label drama that followed this record around since it was first announced it seems would mean nothing if the songs here were strong, but sadly they just aren't. And even the stale, obvious production wouldn't be too much of a problem if the songs were good, the lyrics well written, the performances strong. But sadly they just aren't here. Lupe sounds to be going through the motions here which, if the press clippings are to be believed, he probably was.
A few of the songs here rise above the murky production and so-so lyrics, but not enough to recommend a purchase of the album. A lot of people seem to be finding out about Lupe these days thinks the single "The Show Goes On". Here's hoping that they take a listen to his first two proper LP's, "Food and Liquor" and "The Cool"' or his excellent mix disc "Enemies: A Love Story", to hear stronger rapping and productions.

There are many other wonderful reviews for this album, and props to those people for giving a breakdown on the songs and what they think of each one. All I will say is that after listening to Enemy of the State NON-STOP for half a year and scraping and scraping every new song I heard from Lupe, AND THEN having my mind blown after listening to "Super Lupe Rap", this album was... "good".

But seriously, can the fans just get an entire album of the introspective super lyrical Lupe Fiasco? I mean, the man is so ahead of his time, after he's been put to rest and laid in the ground, they'll strike oil over his grave (oh, he's so crude!!!).

The point is, this is exactly what Bishop G didn't want, and I'm upset that Lupe couldn't flatly refuse. I've been following the news, so I understand the turmoil with this album. I'm not feeling it though, like a flathead in a Phillips.

When I think of old Lupe Fiasco albums, I think of the story, and I think of how a song can create imagery. Songs like Little Weapon where he uses a perspective of a child in a militant nation, with a nonchalant view on killing his villagers; songs like- hell, I could list the entirety of Food & Liquor.


But the funny thing is that if you look at Lupe's Twitter and what he's been retweeting, apparently the vast majority of the public likes the album (wtf?), and someone stating that the track with Trey Songz is their favorite got a BUNCH of retweets (wtf?).

So ok, get some radio spins, and let Lasers be the gateway drug to Lupe Fiasco land.

I do love about half of this album, and hopefully the more I play it, the more I find to appreciate in it, but I don't see very many of the lyrics flying over my head, needing me to hit another play-through.

So. Uhm. Good job, Atlantic: Mission Accomplished(?). Hopefully we get some better content on LUPE.N.D.

No one is a bigger fan of Lupe then I am, but this label album does not define the Lupe Fiasco that I grown to love and respect. There are a few tracks that I really like such as Letting Go, Words i Never Said, Beautiful Lasers & Lasers (Bonus Track), but this album can not even come close to "The Cool" or "Food & Liquor". With that being said I know this project was not one of Lupe's favorites so I'm not bashing him or this album. This was just a big let down if you know what I mean, but I'm not too down about it because I know Lupe is going to put his heart and soul into the next project.

It's not easy being a conscious hip-hop artist on a mainstream record label. With more music becoming tailored to the club-hopping crowd, artistic integrity is constantly being compromised. Unless you want to stay underground, you have to make radio-friendly hits for the preteens. One artist in particular has managed to stay in the mainstream eye while writing songs from his heart. However, the music industry can prove to be too powerful, even for the highly original Lupe Fiasco.
After battling Atlantic Records for four years, Fiasco was able to release his third album Lasers on March 8th. Before they give the album a chance to soak in, the die-hard Fiasco fans may dismiss Lasers as a crossover attempt to go pop. They wouldn't be entirely wrong; the album does have a lighter sound than his previous two attempts, his debut Food & Liquor, and the follow up, The Cool. It is definitely more radio-friendly than those two. But fans mustn't forget that the original Lasers was rejected multiple times by Atlantic Records, who wanted Lupe to change his style and sound. No, this album is not as good as his first two efforts. Is it a good album? Yes it is. Lupe continues to provide intelligent and thought-provoking lyrics, even if the sound is slightly changed.
The singles "Words I Never Said" featuring Skylar Grey and "The Show Goes On" are rightfully enjoying some mainstream success. "Words I Never Said" is a hard-hitting track about what's wrong with society ("Your child's future was the first to go with budget cuts. If you think that hurts, then wait, here comes the uppercut. The school was garbage in the first place"). "The Show Goes On" is a positive, inspirational message to keep moving on no matter what. Lupe provides a laid-back head-nodder with "Till I Get There."
While not every song is classic material that Lupe is capable of, three songs in particular make the whole album worth it. "Beautiful Lasers (2 Ways)" is perfect and embodies the message Lupe is trying to convey. (LASERS is an acronym that stands for "Love Always Shines Everytime, Remember to Smile). "Break the Chain" continues to deliver the message. "All Black Everything" has Lupe imagining a world where racism doesn't exist, slavery never happened, and everyone lives in peace with each other. It is definitely a track that everyone, no matter their ethnicity, can listen to and enjoy.
There are some obvious setbacks to the otherwise great album. "I Don't Wanna Care Right Now" has Atlantic Records' stamp all over it, as well as "Out of My Head," featuring Trey Songz. They aren't necessarily bad tracks, but by Lupe Fiasco's standards, they could be much better. Clearly, they are songs meant for fans of label mate Flo Rida. They don't flow well with the rest of the album at all.
So Lasers is the product we Fiasco fans get after The Cool dropped in 2007. After a petition was written for Atlantic Records to release it, after Lupe went back and changed it time and time again, Atlantic decided it was mainstream enough to drop. But listeners shouldn't automatically dismiss Lasers. This is still Lupe Fiasco. He didn't completely sacrifice his sound and message to please the music industry. He just had to brighten it up a bit. He is still a man for all the Lasers in the world. As it says on the inside of the CD jacket: "Lasers stand for love and compassion. Lasers stand for peace. Lasers stand for progression. Lasers are revolutionary. Lasers are the future."