Drogas Wave by Lupe Fiasco

Reviewed by Antonio Estrada

Lupe Fiasco, a seasoned rapper and lyricist, is back at it again with his seventh studio album, Drogas Wave. This is his first album to be released while not being signed under Atlantic Records. Lupe and Atlantic have had their issues in the past with creative control and he has never been silent on the issue ever since. Now with complete control over his music, Lupe displays his skill at full effect on Drogas Wave; delivering an impeccable flow, lyrics that fly over heads, and a new found confidence compared to his older works. The overall sound is very unique with a ton of old school Hip-hop production (where he shines the most), cultural sounds, airiness and a tad of electronic music on XO ft. Troi Irons. Nonetheless, Lupe has always experimented with other genres of music like his past albums “The Cool” and “Tetsuo & Youth”.

Drogas Wave brings a concept of African slaves, The LongChains, escaping the slave ships and living in the Atlantic or going back to Africa. This concept brings us on an hour and forty minute ride. There’s a lot to decipher when listening to one of Lupe’s concept albums due to his double entendres, metaphors, references and secret messaging throughout each track. Since this album comes in such a huge package, it’s incredibly easy to get lost half way through all the tunes and lyrics. The first half has the more catchy “hits” with extreme replayability while the second half, although it may take a little longer to get used to, ties the project all together with more story based lyrics. One aspect that stands out is the fact that Drogas Wave is an incredibly consistent album despite being so long. Lupe via twitter exclaimed, “I really only did this album for solid Lupe fans.. It’s in no way for new fans, the casual listener, record sales, the year 2018 or radio.” He has really delivered something artistically special and significant. Regardless of Lupe Fiasco’s rocky album past with the critically demolished “Lasers” and “Food & Liquor 2”, he came to prove his point on this album that he is “the man now.”

Rating: 4.4/5 stars

 Stand Out Tracks:

• “Sun God Sam & The California Drug Deals (feat. Nikki Jean)”
• “Manilla”
• “Down (feat. Nikki Jean)”
• “WAV files”
• “King Nas”
• “Haile Selassie (feat. Nikki Jean)”
• “Alan Forever”
• “Quotations from Chairman Fred (feat. Nikki Jean & Bishop Edgar Jackson)”
• “Mural Jr.”