Album Review: Lupe Fiasco, Drill Music in Zion

Lupe Fiasco

Drill Music in Zion (released June 24, 2022)

Sometimes I think we rap pundits get too caught up in debates about “untapped potential” and don’t slow down to celebrate the potential that WAS realized.

Such is the case of Lupe Fiasco, who in my very humble and always unbiased opinion, should be spoken in the same breath as the Kendrick Lamars and J. Coles of the rap world.

We all know the story – after delivering not one, but two of the greatest albums of the 2000s in Lupe Fiasco’s Food and Liquor and The Cool, the third time proved not to be the charm. Things went sideways with album No. 3, a few bad takes and very public missteps followed and seemingly everything in Lupe’s career afterward was written off.

But, again, let’s talk about the potential that WAS realized.

The much-maligned Lasers album wasn’t the mainstream smash it was propped up to be but, objectively, it wasn’t a horrible album – just a bit misguided.

2017’s Drogas Light aside, much brighter days were ahead for Lupe, including 2018’s dense but the dynamic Drogas Wave and 2015’s vastly underrated Tetsuo and Youth – an incredible body of work that easily would be the best album in a lesser artist’s catalog.

Here’s the lesson, children – Lupe is way bigger than his failures.

Drill Music in Zion keeps Lupe’s hot streak of Super Lupe Lyricism and mind-bending concepts alive, in ways you probably didn’t expect.

Last week this time, Twitter wouldn’t shut up about “renaissances” and Beyonce and Drake’s so-called revival of dance music. Newsflash: Dance never left the building, y’all were just too busy with your vibez and auto-tune to party.

Likewise, Lupe is turning back the clock as well, though a more accurate title for this album might be Jazz Rap in Zion. The jazzy scores that served as the foundation for architects like  Gil Scott-Heron and the Last Poets – and later superstars like the Jungle Brothers and A Tribe Called Quest – find a home here, and they’re the perfect backing for Lupe’s intricate flows.

Lupe isn’t reinventing the wheel here, he’s just taking it for another spin.

After a spoken word intro from Ayesha Jaco, we dive right into things with the short but sweet “Ghoti,” where he reminds listeners not to mistake “sanitation for sanity” and becomes a keen reminder that Lupe is one of the best lyricists to ever grace a booth. First single “Autoboto” may have received a lukewarm reception in some circles due to its understated production but both it and the title track work much better in the confides of this jazzy atmosphere.

But of course, Lupe is more than just a mood. Those bars are moments and that doesn’t change here.

“Kiosk” is another in a long line of brilliant yet totally random concept tracks. In this case, he uses those little booths in the middle of the mall for keen commentary about rappers’ obsession with bling.

“The matching ring chain gon’ look insane when you tuck it/they’ll never know the difference even if you let them touch it” and “You ain’t got a budget for these nuggets/you keep it plain jane or blow out their brains when you in public.”

“Might make you a magnet for the cops,” Lupe warns, “but don’t let them haters drag you from the top.”

“Ms. Mural” serves as the sequel to “Mural,” the crown jewel of Tetsuo & Youth. While it lacks the outright ferocity of the original, it’s just as poignant. The track tells the story of a painter and patron in an art gallery, dissecting artwork as metaphors for life – essentially tearing down beauty standards. In Lupe’s mind, he “professionally accepts what he ethically hates” – “less like putting on some make-up, more like severing a face.”

Of all the tracks here, “On Faux Nem” packs the biggest emotional wallop, with a clearly frustrated Lupe reflecting on the cycle of tragedy that swirls in hip-hop, and the hypocrisy of celebrating a violent culture.

“Facts, I wish they were lying in they raps/how does that transpire? To be so damned by God you want your friends to be goddammned liars?”

Lupe really wishes that gun talk was all fairy tales – for the sake of his friends.

I expect Drill Music in Zion to receive a pretty divisive reaction from the Twitter peanut gallery. Though not as dense and unwieldy as Drogas Wave could be, it’s a heavy, sobering listen about the state of hip-hop, sorta comparable to the weighty themes of Kendrick’s Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers from earlier this year. The mostly-jazzy production also might not appeal to more mainstream ears, even when later tracks like the breezy “Seattle” do a great job of picking up the energy.

Also, shout out to “Naomi” for no other reason but housing my favorite bar of the year:

“When heaven loses a job, Hell Win(d) Staff.”

Let the past stay in the past. Lupe’s story is greater than lost potential. It’s about rebuilding a legacy.

Best tracks: “Drill Music in Zion,” “Naomi,” “On Faux Nem”

4 stars out of 5