Rap star Lupe Fiasco’s last two albums have left a lot to be desired. While 2011’s “Lasers” was commercially successful, it was not a product of the super-lyrical Lupe that used to be the subject of ire from the likes of the not-so-lyrical Soulja Boy. His next release, 2012’s “Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1,” shared much of the disappointment “Lasers” brought. The result was more akin to a political think piece than a rap album and came nowhere close to living up to its namesake — the incredible “Food & Liquor,” Fiasco’s debut.
“Tetsuo & Youth” — his latest record with Atlantic — seems to have found the sweet spot between mainstream accessibility and social consciousness. The album has its quirks, like the four seasonally-named instrumental interludes interspersed throughout the album and songs which occasionally drag on. However, the LP is a great display of Lupe’s unique ability to make conscious rap sound as good as anything else on the radio.
Lupe has always been as witty and clever as any rapper, but at his best his songs carry a weight in a pop-like form which very few rappers can even begin to approach. The tracks on “Tetsuo & Youth” are absolutely examples of him at his best. At times, the album certainly sounds like a lecture from an eccentric Professor Fiasco. Overall, it is so superbly produced, a listener tends not to notice.
The album explores complex political and social issues without focusing too much on the politics itself. One such example is his take on gun control in the standout track “Chopper,” which clocks in at over nine minutes long but is well worth the time. Many of the album’s lyrics seem as though they were meant to be printed off and analyzed like an academic text. Their deep and intellectual nature requires a thorough listen and maybe even a trip or two to Rap Genius.
The best instance of this is the brilliant “Mural,” a nine-minute long, chorus-less, existential free flow. On the best track on “Tetsuo,” Lupe shows off what makes him unlike any other artist creating content right now. Lyrics like the opening lines, “We’re all chemicals, vitamins, and minerals / Vicodin with inner tube, wrapped around the arm / To see the vein like a chicken on the barn,” display the clever, almost humorous way Lupe approaches odd and complicated topics.
The record starts much stronger than it ends, with the first three non-interlude tracks being three definite highlights. This run of “Mural,” “Blur My Hands” and the delightfully strange “Dots & Lines” should be more than enough to intrigue a listener.
The album does have its flaws though. Fairly monotone, some parts of the album depart from quirky into, frankly, weird territory, especially towards the album’s conclusion. Songs like “They.Resurrect.Over.New” and “Adoration Of The Magi” are lyrically outstanding, but are examples of the downside of taking risks with production.
While it may not have the engrossing appeal of “Food & Liquor” nor the pop stylings of “Lasers,” “Tetsuo & Youth” is true conscious rap in a digestible form — unfortunately a rare thing. The album has some unusual tracks and the best songs on the album probably stretch on too long — but if one can look past some off-putting moments, what remains is a wonderful album which dramatically improves on its predecessor.
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