ALBUM REVIEW: Lupe Fiasco "Lasers"

Lupe Fiasco is a rare breed of rapper who doesn't just rhyme about money and cars and hos. He's more of a deep-thinking lyricist—more Jay-Z than Kanye, but definitely a player in their ballpark. His latest contribution to the Hip Hop genre is the album Lasers. The singles, Hollywood-directed "Show Goes On" and the hauntingly damning "Words I Never Said," which features Skylar Grey, were great examples of the album's balance between upbeat and darker songs.

He delivers a dance-able track with an addictive chorus, "I Don't Wanna Care Right Now," which features MDMA. Trey Songz assists him in romancing the ladies on "Out of My Head." He even mixes genres on the electro-pop track "Break the Chain," which features Swedish songwriter Eric Turner and British rapper Sway. His best guest artist though is John Legend, on the nostalgic track "Never Forget You."

The most lyrically impressive track is definitely "Words I Never Said":

I really think the war on terror is a bunch of bullshit
Just a poor excuse for you to use up all your bullets
How much money does it take to really make a full clip
9/11 building 7 did they really pull it
Uhh, And a bunch of other cover ups
Your childs future was the first to go with budget cuts
If you think that hurts then, wait here comes the uppercut
The school was garbage in the first place, that's on the up and up
Keep you at the bottom but tease you with the uppercrust
You get it then they move it so you never keeping up enough
If you turn on TV all you see’s a bunch of “what the fucks”
Dude is dating so and so blabbering bout such and such
And that ain't Jersey Shore, homie that's the news
And these the same people that supposed to be telling us the truth
Limbaugh is a racist, Glenn Beck is a racist
Gaza strip was getting bombed, Obama didn’t say shit
That's why I ain't vote for him, next one either
I’ma part of the problem, my problem is I’m peaceful
And I believe in the people.

As long as there's corruption in the world, Fiasco will have plenty of material to fuel his creativity, and I look forward to the next eviscerating installment.