Lupe Fiasco - Enemy of the State: A Love Story (Mixtape)

[Streets]

Re: Lupe Fiasco - Enemy of the State: A Love Story (Mixtape)

Lupe is the GOAT (hands down my favorite rapper). I've listened to this CD about 30 times since it's so quick.

"Could not move them just with brains
So I had to use some bling"

"If you're not million dollar dreamin' then we opposites
In highschool I was voted "The Most Ted DiBiase-ist""

"Made man, you can call us "clean it up"
I'm OCD, I never think it's clean enough
That's what defines me, I never think it's mean enough
Lines deeper than those waitin on a sneaker cuz
You gon need two heads like the king of clubs
just to figure out the meaning of, I'm just acheivin' buzz
So stay out of son's way like you drinkin' blood"

"I'm not the bomb
I'm the company that got the contract
to to rebuild after the aftermath
Have a blast"

"Your carrer's so short it should be ridin' on a horse
Mine's is a horse, but mine's is the kind you can sneak inside a fort"

I could go all day....

... Actually he could go all day

[ex carrabba fan]

Re: Lupe Fiasco - Enemy of the State: A Love Story (Mixtape)

As clever as the guy is, I really have never been able to get into his music. He's boring. I don't really see the hype about his music but I understand it somewhat. Someone like Lupe will blatantly stand out from his peers.

The mixtape was alright but I will never be in any mood to listen. Lyrically he's one of the best but everything else falls short for me. Also his play on words etc. are good but jesus you would think he was saying some crazy important stuff by the reactions of people. I understand the reception though.

[Streets]

Re: Lupe Fiasco - Enemy of the State: A Love Story (Mixtape)

As clever as the guy is, I really have never been able to get into his music. He's boring. I don't really see the hype about his music but I understand it somewhat. Someone like Lupe will blatantly stand out from his peers.

The mixtape was alright but I will never be in any mood to listen. Lyrically he's one of the best but everything else falls short for me. Also his play on words etc. are good but jesus you would think he was saying some crazy important stuff by the reactions of people. I understand the reception though.

Yeah, obviously, by my reaction I think the guy is everything that's right with Hip Hop. He has a variety of different flows, talks about a wide range of topics, and as you said yourself, he's clever and stands out from his peers (I like that the man takes risks). That said, I can understand why you (or anyone else) would think that he's boring, as his brand of hip hop is quite unique and is definitely not for everyone.

That said, no one said he was saying anything "important" on this mixtape. Most artists who are great lyrically (and as you say, he's "one of the best") usually use mixtapes to show off their lyrical prowess and wordplay rather than to tell a story or express content (Royce, Jadakiss, Fabolous, etc.), which is why you get a lot of people saying "Man, [rapper X] is so much better on his mixtapes than his albums!". Lupe has plenty of songs on and off his albums full of "important" stuff (whatever that means to you). To me, he's a great storyteller and says plenty in his songs, but that's what's great about hip hop. It's so wide ranging that you can have people like Wayne and Lupe, Soulja Boy and Nas, each appealing to their own set of fans. I love the variety that Hip Hop can provide when people take chances, and Lupe does a good job of that.

[Phillmattic]

Re: Lupe Fiasco - Enemy of the State: A Love Story (Mixtape)

As clever as the guy is, I really have never been able to get into his music. He's boring. I don't really see the hype about his music but I understand it somewhat. Someone like Lupe will blatantly stand out from his peers.

The mixtape was alright but I will never be in any mood to listen. Lyrically he's one of the best but everything else falls short for me. Also his play on words etc. are good but jesus you would think he was saying some crazy important stuff by the reactions of people. I understand the reception though.

The thing about Lupe is every time you think you've dug deep enough into a song, or a verse, or even a line you end up finding something more. It's insane how shallow his raps seem on the surface but how complex they really are. there is nothing else in music (not just rap) like it.

The man is a genius.

[ex carrabba fan]

Re: Lupe Fiasco - Enemy of the State: A Love Story (Mixtape)

The thing about Lupe is every time you think you've dug deep enough into a song, or a verse, or even a line you end up finding something more. It's insane how shallow his raps seem on the surface but how complex they really are. there is nothing else in music (not just rap) like it.

The man is a genius.

This right here is what I was referring to Streets.

No offense to you of course Phillmattic, it's just that I happen to disagree with this sentiment.

It's not that anyone says anything "important" in their music, it's just that I can't really jive with the whole "he's a genius, he's this or that and another" label.

I guess what it comes down to is that others get impressed, I don't. No slight again to anyone.

But anyway I do like a handful of Lupe songs so I consider myself a fringe fan.

[WeLLWeLL]

Re: Lupe Fiasco - Enemy of the State: A Love Story (Mixtape)

I'll have to check this out. I like Lupe's older stuff. Then I picked up The Cool about a year or so back after hearing good things about it. I thought The Cool was vastly overrated. I think there were about 3...maybe 4 tracks I liked (and that is a stretch). Hopefully this is better than that.

[Phillmattic]

Re: Lupe Fiasco - Enemy of the State: A Love Story (Mixtape)

This right here is what I was referring to Streets.

No offense to you of course Phillmattic, it's just that I happen to disagree with this sentiment.

It's not that anyone says anything "important" in their music, it's just that I can't really jive with the whole "he's a genius, he's this or that and another" label.

I guess what it comes down to is that others get impressed, I don't. No slight again to anyone.

But anyway I do like a handful of Lupe songs so I consider myself a fringe fan.

That's the thing about Lupe. Either you're going to choose to really look into his music or you won't. You can get out of it exactly what you want. One or two listens of a song wouldn't really justify what you're hearing. I know all of this sounds silly, but honestly it's the truth.

I was a hardcore Hip Hop fan until I heard Lupe. Now I'm a hardcore Lupe fan, because honestly there is nothing like it.

He compares his music to jazz, listening to it is simple, but there is a ton of complex stuff going on within it that most people just don't get.

Dumb it Down is one of the best hip hop songs ever made, I was a hardcore Lupe fan already when I first heard it and even I thought it was just a bunch of jibberish. But after really listening to it many, many times, and breaking it down I could really appreciate how amazing it is.

Sorry that me hyping it up so much turns you off to it, but it's just really hard to explain how good Lupe is. I have this conversation a lot.

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[ex carrabba fan]

Re: Lupe Fiasco - Enemy of the State: A Love Story (Mixtape)

Trust me, I'm not mad at you Lupe fans

I'd much rather have you guys saying this stuff about Lupe than a number of other artists.

[mattlanta]

Re: Lupe Fiasco - Enemy of the State: A Love Story (Mixtape)

FNF UP!!!

[Hassan Darkside]

Re: Lupe Fiasco - Enemy of the State: A Love Story (Mixtape)

Ex carraba fan, take a glance at this:

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http://www.thekoalition.com/lupe-fiascos-failure-breakdown/

This (and Dumb it Down) represent the type of insanity that is Lupe Fiasco's lyricism.

[Streets]

Re: Lupe Fiasco - Enemy of the State: A Love Story (Mixtape)

I guess what it comes down to is that others get impressed, I don't. No slight again to anyone.

But anyway I do like a handful of Lupe songs so I consider myself a fringe fan.

Again man, I understand it. He's not for everyone. I'm a fan of witty wordplay, stories, lyricism, messages, originality, creativity, flow, etc. all things he has in spades. I mean instead of simply saying "I was made fun of growing up" he says "The swans in the pond called my duck ugly". Who thinks like that? The way he puts things is very clever. Lupe obviously impresses me, and I agree that the man is a musical genius (sorry ex). I guess, if Lupe doesn't impress you, I'm wondering

1. Why not?
2. Who does impress you?

I only ask because I'm a huge fan of Hip Hop and really don't see many who are on the level Lupe is on. Joe Budden, Biggie, Royce, Em in his prime (RIP), Nas, Jay on his "A" game, mixtape Jada and Fab, etc. They all have aspects of what it is that makes Lupe great, be it lyricism, charisma, storytelling, depth, flow, etc. I guess I'm just curious as to why he "falls short" in your eyes. Also, you said you like a few of his songs. I'm curious about which ones.

I'll have to check this out. I like Lupe's older stuff. Then I picked up The Cool about a year or so back after hearing good things about it. I thought The Cool was vastly overrated. I think there were about 3...maybe 4 tracks I liked (and that is a stretch). Hopefully this is better than that.

I didn't like "The Cool" either when it first dropped and also thought it was overrated. Food and Liquor was one of my favorite albums of all time and I wanted more of that. The Cool was too different for me, and I was underwhelmed. However, I'm glad I gave it more spins because that album grew on me like no other. I went from thinking it was vastly overrated to being vastly underrated. Lupe spits a lot of gems in his lines, songs, albums, and I'm glad I didn't write off that album.

Also, I caught on to his mixtapes late as hell (like, this year). The Fahrenheit series is up there with Mood Muzik and The Bar Exam as my favorite mixtape series. The man takes songs and just makes them his own (Ex, check out Blood Diamonds, Muhammad Walks). He drops songs on mixtapes that are better than a lot of dudes album cuts (Failure, The Pen & The Needlez, Switch, Happy Industries, etc.)

[Jonesy]

Re: Lupe Fiasco - Enemy of the State: A Love Story (Mixtape)

Great post Streets!

[mattlanta]

Re: Lupe Fiasco - Enemy of the State: A Love Story (Mixtape)

Going a little off topic here, but 'growing on me like no other' reminds me of Kid Cudi's Man on the Moon album... My favorite rappers today are Eminem, Lupe, and Kid Cudi. At first I thought KC was buns, and then I listened to his album again and I was like wow... Can't wait til Christmas... FNF ^ !!!

[BlueNGold]

Re: Lupe Fiasco - Enemy of the State: A Love Story (Mixtape)

^

Yeah, so awesome he's releasing a tape on Christmas. Lupe is gonna be with us all on Christmas, lol. I'm hoping it's a little longer than this tape was but I doubt it will be. He's just feeding us little scraps (but still tasty scraps ) until the album drops.

To be honest, I wasn't on Lupe this much until after I listened to this tape. I'm a newcomer to the Lupe fan club now after hearing it.

I also downloaded Food & Liquor a couple days ago and it's such a tight album. I already had some songs off of it but mainly just the singles like Daydream and Kick, Push. Songs like Kick, Push II, American Terrorist and He Say, She Say (a song I relate to a lot) were ones I'd never heard before and I can't believe I was missing out on them.

Can't wait for his next album now, which is L.A.S.E.R.S. right? I wasn't really anticipating it before, although I still would have gave it a listen when it dropped, but now I can't wait for it to hit.

BTW, thanks for posting that Dumb It Down video, Phillmattic. Never heard that song before either (don't laugh) and I've played it back to back like 3 times now. Loving the video for the song too.

[Streets]

Re: Lupe Fiasco - Enemy of the State: A Love Story (Mixtape)

^

Yeah, so awesome he's releasing a tape on Christmas. Lupe is gonna be with us all on Christmas, lol. I'm hoping it's a little longer than this tape was but I doubt it will be. He's just feeding us little scraps (but still tasty scraps ) until the album drops.

To be honest, I wasn't on Lupe this much until after I listened to this tape. I'm a newcomer to the Lupe fan club now after hearing it.

I also downloaded Food & Liquor a couple days ago and it's such a tight album. I already had some songs off of it but mainly just the singles like Daydream and Kick, Push. Songs like Kick, Push II, American Terrorist and He Say, She Say (a song I relate to a lot) were ones I'd never heard before and I can't believe I was missing out on them.

Can't wait for his next album now, which is L.A.S.E.R.S. right? I wasn't really anticipating it before, although I still would have gave it a listen when it dropped, but now I can't wait for it to hit.

BTW, thanks for posting that Dumb It Down video, Phillmattic. Never heard that song before either (don't laugh) and I've played it back to back like 3 times now. Loving the video for the song too.

You are in for some great music, man. Food & Liquor is my favorite Lupe album to this day and is still one of my favorite albums of all time. Be sure to check out The Cool as well as his single off of Lasers called Shining Down (my favorite Lupe song). Aside from his studio stuff, also check out some of his mixtapes...

Fahrenheit 1&15 Part I (Truth Is Among Us)
Fahrenheit 1&15 Part II (Revenge Of The Nerds)
Fahrenheit 1&15 Part III (A Rhyming Ape)
Lupe The Jedi

When you really get into some of his stuff, I'd love to hear your impressions whether its content, wordplay, the story, a line, whatever...