One, I really enjoyed The Show Goes On, it’s the album’s only truly uplifting offering. That was the label’s record,” which is awkward on two counts. For instance, he’s essentially disowned Lasers’ lead single The Show Goes On, saying” I didn’t have nothing to do with that record. Every song, every note, every lyric has a question lingering like a shadow behind it: was that Lupe’s decision, or an Atlantic’s? That question colors the entire album, and occasionally produces some strange paradoxes. The effect of all that knowledge is to make listening to Lasers a sometimes paranoia-invoking experience. Another song, another day, another dollar.”) there can be no unknowing, and those who claim some sort of objective analysis are naïve at best and delusional at worst.
But for those of us who know about Atlantic Record’s refusal to release the album, the fan uprising, Lupe’s admission that he compromised the musical integrity he seemingly holds so dear (“Whatever. I’m only going to dirty the purity of your listening experience. So if you have no idea about the circumstances surrounding Lupe Fiasco’s third album Lasers, you might want to stop reading now.
We pulled yours from the dumpster.”įood, film, music, they’re all completely subjective art forms, and how we experience them depends in large part on context. As you exit the restaurant happily, your date in your arm, you mention the soggy tomatoes to the waiter: “I shouldn’t be telling you this,” he whispers, “but we ran out of fresh tomatoes.
You order the roasted chicken with heirloom tomatoes and when it arrives the chicken is moist, the skin is roasted crisply and while the tomatoes are a touch soggy, overall it’s a perfectly nice dinner. You’re seated at the new three star French restaurant everyone’s been talking about, your hot date sitting across the table.