Ever since I started watching this man I been paying attention to rhyme schemes more for better or worse. No reason I should be listening to Blxst or Bruno Mars and tryna dissect how many syllables they ended they lines off with. 😂
Bro I’m just surprised it’s so many people rocking with it! I thought I was fasho too analytical and rap-nerdish for it to catch on lol so I appreciate the support ✊🏾
That wasn’t one of my favs but I think that beat is dope. Soundtrack is def at his best when he’s doing more jazzy production. The sax on this and samurai were dope af
I feel like the story goes: Amy ran into a guy who possessed her. Then she would change from a singer to a battle rapper. She died before fulfilling her destiny. She then either possessed Lupe or gave him Devine inspiration. Thus the album Samurai. You can sense that sometimes its Amy talking, sometimes it's Lupe and sometimes it's both. Every song is fucking fire. One of the best albums of any genre of music that I have ever heard. Put on that No. 1 headband Wasalu. You earned it.
No… It’s Lupe’s “Faust” by Goethe. The guy from behind the bar in the first track is the same guy that vanished in the park after bestowing Amy Winehouse the gift of rap. She reaches the top of rap battle charts with Cake and then the end of the second verse on Palaces we see Lupe has a change of heart and wants to “go back home” - hence the word Palace (sacred) rather than castle or mansion. He’s the number one headband best rapper in the world, though nobody will challenge him because he is unseen like Bigfoot. He has gone home to where he feels more comfortable, making the art he prefers for himself. Lupe, rightly so, feels unseen in rap despite knowing that one day it will be seen that he left the biggest footprint. Bigfoot is only a legend. But the last two tracks on the album ensure the literary quality is being similar to Goethe’s masterpiece, in theme. The first verse on “Outside” is Amy Winehouse’s manager (the same protean guy as from behind the bar and in the park?) tells Lupe to “mull his decision over.” But Carrera Lu is a samurai and is inherently and viscerally at odds with this proposal of his manager who wants Lupe to become his cash cow. Lupe turns the deal down and on the final track Til Eternity, Amy Winehouse’s journey comes to an end. All she’s been through, receiving the gift, reaching the top, having her spiritual awakening, finally being offered the proposal, after turning it down, she gets in a car wreck (verse one on Til Eternity)…but the person that stumbles from the wrecked vehicle, in kind of a psychological thriller moment…is not Amy Winehouse…it’s Lupe Fiasco…he is a wounded Samurai trundling down the dimly lit road all lone, rap never acknowledging him for being the best, him being torn between his desire to be recognized and his desire for privacy and gratitude for the spot he has. The walking down the road alone is also a very Akira Kurosawa-esque image to end on, and is also traditionally symbolic of the Samurai. The end of the second verse on Palaces is the end of Lupe’s time under Atlantic Records. And anyone with half a brain knows that, despite our loving F&L1 and especially The Cool… he didn’t begin his prime until Tetsuo & Youth, the best rap album of all-time (if not Drogas Wave). Yes, I have been a Lupe nerd for twenty years, but never really write or speak on it. This is Lupe’s Faust.
Fire reaction. I always talk about Lu's ability to describe the song IN the song. And I never hear anyone else bring it up. He also did it on AUTOBOTO. I tried to sub and realized I was already subbed 😂 Lu says he still has more left in the clip.
yea man apparently in the amy documentary she was going to start rapping next before she passed away. she was friends with saleem remi & all that. great review as always bruh 🫡
I don't know how you do it but i appreciate the way you pick up things , listened to this album all i got was the vibe but i don't understand anything he be saying😂😂😂 listening to music is also a skill💀
Hahah Preciate that! Yeah I can’t rap to save my life but I been a huge fan of it and I’m pretty analytical in general…but now ive been blessed to have folks support who support so thank you! 🙏🏾
Excellent review! Appreciate your critical assessment and oblivious love of hip hop music. Salute, to Lupe from Chicago and can hear his influence on Chicago indie artists, such as NFO Cyphers Purple Box artists Much love ❤️
Preciate you tapping in!! Man off first listen, I still got a couple rap albums above it. My AOTY so far is Richaxxhatian by Mach Hommy. Then I got super shredder by Mickey Diamond as my number 2. Then it’s a cluster between this album, the schoolboy album, and the roc Marciano album but I do think this album was very dope. You think this joint better than drill music in Zion last year?
@@BSideRapReviews Eh can’t be mad at any of those choice they are all in my top 5!! It’s been a great year and I also got that Nxworries album in there but not necessarily hip hop. I think Drill Music in Zion is better. The concept is more fleshed out and detailed. Lupe catalogue is low key strong if you take out lasers lol
Lupe didn't make up the hook "...I got these, really neat, beautifully alliterated little battle raps for you...". That is a direct quote from a voicemail Amy left on a friends voicemail late a night.
I’ve said this many times but I love your channel bro!!! Happy to see you back in action. Great breakdown as always. This is personally one of my favorite drops this year so far 🔥🔥🔥
Preciate you bro!! How you feeling bout this one? I gotta hear your thoughts on a couple other ones too - I’m just catching up on these recent releases
@@BSideRapReviews I'm pretty confident you listened to Rapsody's and Vince's albums; I'm still listening to both consistently. I thought this was a solid album. The beats did what they had to do, but we're in like a producer golden-era, so I guess the standard is very high. I'm glad it was a shorter album from Lupe, with such a specific concept, I feel like it might have gotten redundant if it was in the 45min - 1hr range (although if anyone could pull it off, it's Lupe). I feel like he's trying to sing some, if not all, of the hooks on here in his best Amy impression. I saw a clip about the hook on the first track: it's a reference to a voicemail Amy Winehouse left Salaam Remi about not being able to stop 'neat battle raps' from floating out of her. Hearing you mention Mean and Vicious sent me back to finding all those Lupe tapes and the insane verses on there: Yoga Flame, Penz and Needlz, Switch, Failure, etc.
This is a great review. I like how well you broke things down sonically and rhyme. Palaces is my favorite from the whole album. The chopsticks thing is that you never rest your chopsticks vertically. It resembles incense sticks which are burned for the dead. So it’s a taboo and considered unlucky.
Your editing and commentary are next level. Youre killing it G. Keep going. Also if you've never heard Amy im jealous. You have a whole journey in front of you.
"7 equals of what?" And then she gets possessed and all of a sudden she turn into Rum Nitty" "Let me find out the possession had some side effects, she got battle rap skills AND.....👀" I've seen enough, subscribed 😂😂😂
There’s stuff from samurai shamploo and Afro samurai too for no 1 headband and the pin grace like Ken shamrock was from old Skool ufc mma when shamrock got beat by hoyce Gracie
Fire review as always. This album was amazing and Lupe continues to show why he is the GOAT lyricist conversation with Black Thought and Nas. I have this as the third best album of the year just behind #RICHAXXHAITIAN and Super Shredder. This year has had a lot of quality music this year.
Preciate you bro!! Crazy you mentioned black thought and Nas cus I was just thinking bout them 2, Lupe, and a few more rappers are making some of the best music of their careers even tho they a couple decades into their career. I think it’s a combination of their love for their craft, plus I think the fact that record labels are having less input plus the ease of putting out music (due to technology) really allowing lyricists to thrive. But back to that goat lyricist convo - that’s big ole facts. I think either of those got a great argument just depending on what era you really focused on
Great video, really good breakdown! When youre talking about alliteration, you actually mean assonance. Alliteration is consonant rhyme on the beginning of words. Assonance is vowel rhyme and similar sounds within words
I actually don’t man - I rarely ever make playlists b/c I think the spotify algorithm does a good job of shuffling music. I might need to work on one tho
Question…was it already established that this was an Amy Winehouse theme? I didn’t even know that but after one listen knowing that will help me decipher on the next listen(s). That’s why I come to you for the emcee cliff notes. 🤣👍🏾✊🏾
I kinda agree with you…at the very least I want him to dial it back. I think soundtrakk was pretty good in the late 2000s but that’s era where the production didn’t age the best in general and I don’t think soundtrakk has evolved enough to keep up. I will say his jazz influenced beats sound pretty good - but even then…a part of me just thinks he could collab with kaelin Ellis again and it would be better. Shoot I think even Lupe’s a better producer at times. But all that said - I ain’t mad at the production here. I got some complaints with some of the beats, but this has better production than say drill music in Zion and even drogas wave.
I aint mad at that. I don’t think Lupe the most replayable artist ever - mostly because of his production choices but I can see myself coming back to this one. I thought this was one of his better produced albums even if it wasn’t nothing earth shattering. Overall I’m higher on this album than you but I get how you’d get to where you are
