Spotlight: Lasers, Lupe Fiasco
“Passion into progress.” It is something that many people strive for, but few achieve. Lupe Fiasco is achieving progress with his craft. If you haven’t heard of him, his music, or his message, then let this post open your eyes. It is no secret that Lupe is my favorite musical artists. I talk about his music with friends, post about it on facebook and twitter, and jam to it in my car. I find him to be a compelling character, which helps me to grasp both his music and message. Both are unusually complex, but also not hard to comprehend. The timing of this post coincides with his latest album release, L.A.S.E.R.S. To truly understand the album, it is crucial to know the message it is sending, and why it was made. The following manifesto was released by Lupe to describe the message that Lasers was to send to the masses. It is a powerful rallying cry for what the future can and should be. Watch the video version of the manifesto here.
THE L.A.S.E.R.S. MANIFESTO
To Every Man, Woman & Child…
1. We Want An End To The Glamorization Of Negativity In The Media.
2. We Want An End To Status Symbols Dictating Our Worth As Individuals.
3. We Want A Meaningful And Universal Education System.
4. We Want Substance In The Place Of Popularity.
5. We Will Not Compromise Who We Are To Be Accepted By The Crowd.
6. We Want The Invisible Walls That Separate By Wealth, Race & Class To Be Torn Down.
7. We Want To Think Our Own Thoughts.
8. We Will Be Responsible For Our Environment.
9. We Want Clarity & Truth From Our Elected Officials Or They Should Move Aside.
10. We Want Love Not Lies.
11. We Want An End To All Wars. Foreign & Domestic (Violence).
12. We Want An End To The Processed Culture Of Exploitation, Over-Consumption & Waste.
13. We Want Knowledge, Understanding & Peace.
14. WE WILL NOT LOSE BECAUSE WE ARE NOT LOSERS, WE ARE LASERS!!!
Lasers are the opposite of losers. Lasers are shining beams of light that burn through the darkness of ignorance. Lasers shed light on injustice and inequality. Losers stand by and let things happen. Lasers act and shape their own destinies. Lasers find meaning and direction in the mysteries all around them. Lasers stand for love and compassion. Lasers stand for peace. Lasers stand for progression. Lasers are revolutionary.
Lasers Are The Future.
We’re Not Losers…We Are L.A.S.E.R.S.!!!
(Love Always Shines Every-time Remember 2 Smile!)
-LF
A picture I took from Lupe's Steppin' Laser tour last April in KC.
“Its never cyclops, its never I alone. Im telling your story wherever I perform.” – Im Beamin’
As you can see, this isnt your typical hip-hop album or rapper. Lupe is the present and future of music. He believes that this manifesto isnt idealistic, but realistic. Lupe gets it. He knows, that now more than ever, musicians play a huge role in our culture, whether they realize it or care. He knows his responsibility to keep progressing, not only in music, but in his message. That is why I hold his style in such high regard.
L.A.S.E.R.S. as an album is outstanding. His other two albums, Food and Liquor, and The Cool may have been a little ahead of their time, but Lasers hits the nail on the head. Lupe incorporates current topics, poetic verses, and a very rich sound to make this album’s message heard loud and clear. I would implore you consider buying it on iTunes. Here are my favorite songs (so far) off the album:
- Beautiful Lasers feat. MDMA.
- Break the Chain feat. Eric Turner and Sway.
- Never Forget You feat. John Legend.
- Words I Never Said feat. Skylar Grey.
Another thing that makes this album inspirational to me is that Lupe had to battle his own record label, Atlantic, to release it. The album was ready to be released during the summer of 2009, and Atlantic refused to set an official release date even though Lupe had released a single, Shining Down, and was ready to tour. Atlantic sat on Lasers for a year and 3 months without announcing a release date, prompting fans to make a petition for Atlantic to release Lasers, which garnered 30,000 signatures. In October 2010, Lupe and fans staged a protest outside of their offices in New York, called Fiasco Friday. On that day, he finally got his release date for Lasers. Having that much of an impact on fans must mean that Lupe’s message is starting to grow and change opinions on what hip-hop can, and should be about.
"Today, nobody cares. But tomorrow, they will."
As if the previous information wasnt enough to convince you that Lupe is what the music industry should be heading, here are a couple of videos to cement that knowledge.
This video is from when Lupe was named Character Approved by USA Network, and it is a great description of who he is (in his own words). Watch it here.
This clip is from Summit on the Summit, which was a philanthropic effort to raise awareness, and money, for water-born diseases in 3rd world countries. He and many others including Jessica Biel and Kenna climbed to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. He walks the talk. Watch it here.
This is my favorite music video he has done. Dumb It Down is a play on how many record labels told him that his music was too advanced for most people to understand, and that he needed to “dumb it down.” Of course he didnt, and the lyrics in this song are phenomenal. Watch it here.
GQ Man of the Year, and a GRAMMY winner.
Of course, this post wouldnt be complete without a few of my favorite songs that he has produced over the years:
- Kick, Push. (The classic).
- I Gotcha.
- Sunshine.
- Im Beamin’.
- Shining Down.
- Hip-Hop Saved My Life.
- Daydreamin’ feat. Jill Scott.
- Dumb It Down.
- Streets On Fire feat. Matthew Santos.
- Pressure feat. Jay-Z.
So if you asked yourself at the beginning of this post “What does a white, 20-something, sports blogger from Nebraska know about hip-hop?” The answer is complicated, which it probably should be. “Passion into Progress,” however, is not.
Follow Me On