Lupe Fiasco – DROGAS Light

Wow, this is surprising. I remember that he canceled this album a while back, but I’m glad to see it actually dropped. At this point I’ve realized that Lupe is gonna put out whatever the hell he wants to with whoever he wants to, and I respect his frequent change in production style/overall sound. And it’s obvious that he’s gonna keep killing verses regardless if we listen or not. Doesn’t matter what the project is, there are guaranteed to still be at least some fire tracks. Simply put, you gotta peep every new Lupe album. That’s a rule around here.

Before listening, I expected this to be a fun record with experimental production and some hype/turn-up lyrics. After checking out the LP I’d say my prediction was rather accurate, but with a little more experimentation than I predicted on the beats. There was a heavy electronic vibe on DROGAS Light, and Lupe also dabbled in pop/R&B a ton. Being blunt, I didn’t love this all the way through. I pride myself as a longtime Lupe fan and I do enjoy him going over beats of an unusual color. On this album though, the music felt somewhat drawn out at times. That being said I did enjoy quite a few tracks. About half the album’s worth. I tried to like more – ‘Pick Up the Phone,’ ‘NGL’ and ‘Law’ come to mind – but they just didn’t click like others.

I try to look at the glass half full. Like I said, I enjoyed half of this thing. ‘Dopamine Lit,’ ‘Made in the USA,’ ‘Jump’ and ESPECIALLY ‘Tranquillo’ were all spectacular tracks to me. Some of the freshest Lupe I’ve heard in years. On my other favorites (which you can find below), I was impressed by his use of funk, distorted druggy vocals and even earnest lyrics about his mother. A few of these songs will definitely be added to the already astounding catalog of memorable hip hop from Fiasco – to me that means the album serves its purpose. Now it’s time to bring on the full DROGAS!

Purchase Drogas Light here.

 

Favorite Tracks: Tranquillo, Dopamine Lit (Intro), Made in the USA, Jump, More Than Your Heart, It’s Not Design, High (Interlude)

 

Rating: C+ (59/100)

 
 

image via Lupe Fiasco and 1st & 15th Productions

 
 
 
 
 
 

– Benny P