Feature: Ari Gold, Lupe Says “Please Step Your Game Up”

Don’t think I didn’t see those shots fired at me the other day.

Me and Chang spoke the other day about that Lupe mixtape yesterday before the meeting.  Anybody else download this joint?  Shit is FIRE.  More solar flare than fire but I don’t wanna get accused of dickriding so I’ll stop.  You know how these hip hop journalists are.

Anyway.

I was starting to wonder about Lupe.  Not that I thought he was falling off but his latest releases had been experimental (good) but sporatic (bad).  He’s still on Atlantic, which apparently is a province in “Wack World.” I figured there might be some expensive tariffs or U.S style embargos against droppin’ free music there and in the current music climate (read: we ain’t payin for shit), that’s a problem for fans like myself.

Then that MTV list dropped and Lupe got pissed all of a sudden, my drive back to NYC from Buffalo had a soundtrack.  In short, Lupe pretty much crushed everyone on that list with a 9 track mixtape.  A quick compare and contrast since I’m headed to work:

Wayne:

…My life is a video and the women want their cameo//
I just want them pantyhoes and I’m higher than Geranimo//
and I got them tools, tell them boys it can get mechanical…

Lupe:

…I ain’t the bomb, I’m the company that got the contract to rebuild during the aftermath//
Have a blast//
Goin’ green, only using half the gas, the calming comes through after disasters’ have//
But this calm has the same fury that disasters have//
I should have a class, I’m the son//

Both use extended metaphors and double entendre’s, the combination of which seem to be favorites of hip hop listeners as of late.  But I got so tired of waiting for the talented and popular emcees (Hov) to add SOME aspect of politics or the current economic situation into their lyrics, as a listener I got lazy.  I mean, shit, Wayne, you’re from NEW ORLEANS and you went to college.  I remember those mixtapes right after the Carter II, it sounded like you came out of class and went to the booth.

I’m getting sidetracked but, point is, the Lupe mixtape is fire.  He’s goin’ in on every track, the replay value is ridic! and theres another one dropping on Christmas.