From Worst to Best: Lupe Fiasco

The Midwest Lyrical wordsmith's albums will be ranked!!! If you're a long time reader you might know how some of the albums rank already....just enjoy the post.

6) L.A.S.E.R.S. (83)-The Acronym “Love Always Shines Everytime Remember to Smile” is what this album stands for. This isn’t a bad album, but honestly its his worst. The production is somewhat weak; Lupe’s lyrics are nothing special either. There are some great songs here like “Words I Never Said”, “The Show Goes On”, and “All Black Everything”. The latter is like a reverse American kind of song…it’s dope. The album isn’t quite skippable, but for a first time listener to Lupe I wouldn’t recommend this one… Top Tracks: I Don’t Wanna Care Right Now, The Show Goes On, Word’s I Never Said, All Black Everything

5)

Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1 (92)-This was a very odd period for Mr. Fiasco. He was coming off his worst album, and wanted to make a follow up to what some call his best album. F&L 2 is really good, with great lyrics and interesting concepts on most songs. “B*tch Bad” is my favorite song despite the not so flashy beat. The album isn’t all good. Some songs are a bit too much….which I guess would now be known as typical Lupe songs. Overall though it’s a solid album. TT: B*tch Bad, Lamborghini Angels, ITAL (Roses), Cold War, Brave Heart, Strange Fruition.

4)

DROGAS Light (93)-The newest album of the bunch. DL goes hard muf***a! It’s not a whole lot better than F&L 2, in fact it’s plagued by a lot of problems LASERS had. However Lupe executes these modern/contemporary sounding rap songs really well. Some are kind of boring like “Promise” but “Made in the U.S.A.” is lit as is “Jump”. Some of the last songs sound like LASERS 2.0, but again mostly executed better. I’ve got to give this one a little more listens…Top Tracks: Made in the U.S.A., Jump, High, Tranquillo, Wild Child, NGL.

3)

Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool (95)-I gotta admit this album just about as good as F&L, and if you had asked me in 2010 which album I felt was better I’d probably say this one too. However the production isn’t as good…..there’s a tiny bit of filler…that’s it. It’s a dope album with lyrics off the charts. He tells rapper Slim Thug’s story on “Hip Hop Saved My Life”.  HE spits with ease on “Go Go Gadget Flow”. He tells you he refuses to tone it down on “Dumb It Down” and takes you on a trip in “Paris, Tokyo”. TT: Superstar, Paris Tokyo, Street’s On Fire, Hip Hop Saved My Life, Dumb It Down, Go Go Gadget Flow.

2)

Food & Liquor (95)-F&L 1 is just really damn good. There’s not really a weak song here, but obviously some are clearly better than others. He comes off sounding like a new age Nas on this album. What really gets me is how good the production is as well as lyricism. “Kick, Push” and “I Gotcha” are 2 of his best songs. I love “Hurt Me Soul” and “Pressure” features a then retired Jay Z. “American Terrorist” Is my favorite song by far. Its lit bro. TT: Real, Pressure, Hurt Me Soul, Kick Push, I Gotcha, American Terrorist, Daydreamin.

1)

Tetsuo & Youth (100)-That’s right this is his magnum opus…..like Kanye had his MBDTF, this is Lupe’s best album…and its pretty much flawless. He opens with a lyrical assault on “Mural” and it doesn’t let up much from there. The production is really really good too. I think I like “Prisoner 1 & 2” the most. This is the album we should have got in 2011 or 2012. Some songs aren’t stellar like the last one….but that’s about it. I enjoyed the posse cut, “Chopper” and I love the songs with Nikki Jean in the middle of the album. Top Tracks: Madonna, Deliver, Mural, Dots and Lines, Prisoner 1 & 2, Little Death, No Scratches.