Octavis Tate
Staff Writer
“A Fresh cool, Young Lu” Is back” and the critics and listeners can both agree that he was very much missed.
It was so many years ago that he released his critically acclaimed sophomore effort “Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool”. After nearly a decade on Atlantic records, the Windy City MC has finally reclaimed his spot as one of the most intriguing storytellers in the business.
As his first two albums were met with great praise, Lupe went through a controversial period with his label who wanted the lyricist to brand his appeal to a more mainstream audience. Instead Lupe would oppose and therefore became even more passionate and somewhat “political.” Now the original “breath of fresh air” that Jay-Z proclaimed has regained his sound on “Tetsuo & Youth”.
T&Y is framed around two interludes, an intro and an outro that are all titled after seasons. The album starts with “Summer”, a happy instrumental played by violins with the sounds of children enjoying the season.
The three following songs perfectly fit the opening theme as the standout song of this first section of the album is “Dots & Lines”, a track that oddly enough starts out with jovial banjo playing. The chorus sings, “In a line, in a line, in a line, in a line, in a line, Three angels in kind, on time, go straight, don’t sign”, as Lupe warns up and coming artist that they should not sign to a major label because they will attempt to change their music.
The next sector goes into “Fall” with its best track being the lengthy “Prisoner 1 & 2” which spans nearly nine minutes with tales of a prisoner of a correction facility and a prisoner of the music industry.
The Chicagoan sings, “I just wanna be collected when I call God, damn I don’t wanna be accepted; not as all as I am” but then the song transforms into a tale of a corrections officer that hates the prisoners along with his job with the chorus becoming more harsh as he raps, “I Wouldn’t rehabilitate, man, I would just box these n***s and throw away the key”.
As the album progresses, it seemingly gets darker as the seasons change with “Winter” opening up with the uber aggressive posse track “Chopper”, with the remarkable Madonna being the standout of the chilly season.
With “Spring” being the outro to the album, the style of the album shifts mid “Winter” as Lupe gives us “Adoration of the Magi”. During this track, Lupe references the fast life that youths live by referencing a multitude of album covers such as Lil’ Wayne’s “Tha Carter III” by rapping “Why you ready to die? You just a baby, Why them tears up under your eyes? You just a baby”.
“T&Y” proves that it is possible to have sonically pleasing songs like “Dots & Lines” and “Adoration of the Magi” which makes you listen repeatedly. The listener will notice something different every time you hear it.
Lupe’s story telling skills have also come back times ten on the masterpiece “Prisoners 1 & 2” which give “T&Y” a “2pacalypse Now” feel.
Through and through Lupe Fiasco has created his greatest masterpiece to date and has regained his form. Get ready because it’s Tetsuo Season.
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