Last we heard from Chi rapper Lupe Fiasco, the MC was swearing by a March 8 release for his long-awaited and embattled album “Lasers,” and had apparently resolved his issues with Atlantic.
He’s staying true to his word, as the pre-sale of the set starts today with promises to those who purchase early to receive extra goodies in the meantime.
This, with the launch of his firey new track “Words I Never Said,” out on Tuesday, streaming below.
Despite the title, Fiasco doesn’t mince too many words and goes after wars and terrorism, right-wing talking heads and the politics of the president himself.
[Track and more talk after the jump…]
“I really think the war on terror is a bunch of bullshit / Just a poor excuse for you to use up your bullets / How much money does it take to really make a full clip…”
“Limbaugh is a racist, Glenn Beck is a racist / Gaza Strip was getting burned, Obama didn”t say shit / That”s why I ain”t vote for him, next one either…”
“I think that all the silence is worse than all the violence / fear is such a weak emotion / that’s why I despise it,” he rhymes, as he looks inward at his own tendencies to fear saying what he feels aloud.
No wonder Atlantic had a little fear themselves. While the label has courted controversy in hip-hop before with acts like T.I. and newcomer Wiz Khalifa, rappers on the whole have been positive toward President Obama, for one. Two, Fiasco is a Muslim and his opinions on this track may be less heard-of in the community.
I personally could do without the refrain, which doesn’t seem to do much for forwarding the song’s mission. Alex Da Kid produced and he’s worked with Eminem and B.o.B., who’ve used the strength of their female cohorts’ voices to further tracks onto pop radio (Rihanna on “Love the Way You Lie” and Hayley Williams on “Airplanes,” respectively) so perhaps we know where he got the idea. Not that this is going to be on pop radio anyway.
“Lasers'” first single is “The Show Goes On” and it’s already out.
Lupe last dropped “The Cool” in late 2007. Are you excited to hear what else his 2011 set will bring?