It’s been quite some time since my last music review, more since my last Hip-hop review, and I felt there wasn’t a lot I could really talk much about within the new music I’ve been hearing lately. Lupe Fiasco certainly changes that. I’d consider him one of my favorite artists within the scene and he’s a voice that I feel is underrated in recent years. Though his early work is held in high regard by most of the music community, his new material is just as good in my eyes. His last album, Drill Music in Zion, was released in 2022 and was certainly one of my favorite albums of that year.

Samurai is Lupe’s ninth full-length album, which is a short listen at around 30 minutes spread across eight songs. The storyline for this work follows a nameless artist and his reflections on the music industry, particularly within the genre of battle-rap, as Lupe utilized a metaphor where the late Amy Winehouse compared herself to the Japanese warrior as a source of inspiration.

The opening song and title track is the most blatant in terms of exploring this unifying metaphor. Lupe delivers a smooth jazzy flow that details the struggles of competing and continually trying to outdo oneself within hip-hop. It’s a catchy tune that certainly sets the tone for the rest of the work.

Next is the song “Mumble Rap,” which I’m not as big a fan of this track despite Lupe’s signature storytelling on display. In “Mumble Rap” Lupe paints a vivid picture of our main character having a strange encounter with a homeless man. This is followed by “Cake,” which not only advances the storyline significantly, however, exhibits some of Lupe’s best wordplay as he weaves clever rhymes together with baking references.

By far my favorite two songs of this work are “Palaces” and “No. 1 Headband.” Both songs exemplify the strengths of Lupe as he delivers mind-bending lyricism and soothing vocal hooks over some cleanly mixed beats. I especially enjoy the piano sample on “Palaces;” there’s also a great beat switch on the end that is executed well. Furthermore, the overall hook for the song states, “We think we’re fortresses of stone but we’re just palaces made out of flesh and bone.” This line evokes the fragility of human life but also illustrates the beauty that can be found within it. This is an important message to always keep in mind especially when you may find yourself feeling down.

The closing half of the album begins with the track “Bigfoot.” This song sets a slow tempo that allows for some passages to feel more like spoken word. Typically I’m not a huge fan of this style but Lupe manages to just pull it off. My interest was constantly maintained through the various chord changes and melodies. “Outside” delivers some more solid verses from Lupe but the chorus hook falls flat for me. Lupe’s vocals sound a little weak here as well – One of the weaker songs for me.

The closing song “Til Eternity” has a great beat filled with some more piano samples and horns. The song certainly does a decent job finishing off the album as a whole, but when compared as a standalone song it didn’t leave much of an impression on me. However, the verses are layered with meaning. Lupe again draws on the culture and imagery of samurai to craft more commentary surrounding the rap/Hip-hop industry, culture, and self-expression through art.

Truly it’s astounding how Lupe is able to consistently include so much hidden symbolism within each verse. This is why his albums are always a joy to listen to as you can always find new messages upon revisiting each song.

As a whole, I did enjoy this album quite a bit, though not as much as Drill Music in Zion. Samurai often retreads similar topics to some of Lupe’s other works though there’s still enough here that is worth your time. Samurai never drags and is a concise, well-constructed jazz rap work that will always be a great late-night listen.

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Samurai

$9.49 - $23.99

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• Great lyrical verses
• Strong metaphors
• Well-crafted jazz beats

Cons

• Similar theming to earlier works