Ever since early 2008 when I picked up a copy of The Cool, I’ve been a fan of just about everything Lupe has released. Being a fan, I am also highly anticipating the upcoming release of his third album, Lasers, which is scheduled to be released sometime this year (hopefully). In the meantime, Lupe has released a considerable amount of new material to promote the album such as the singles Shining Down an I’m Beamin’ but imagine my surprised when I stumbled across a new freestyle entitled B.M.F. (Building Minds Faster). As soon as I could, I downloaded the new track and gave it a listen. Sadly though, I was not impressed…

There are a number of things working against this track from the outset. Firstly, the beat, which is incredibly simplistic and bass driven, doesn’t seem to fit Lupe at all and because of this, results in a total lack of synergy. Even though I can find the song somewhat listenable on a primal level due to the massive amounts of bass, Lupe’s lyrics and staccato flow seem to be doing whatever they possibly can to ensure that I am kept at arm’s length. Lupe’s slow paced and staggered delivery on this track makes listening to it a chore and the five and a half minute run time don’t make things any easier.

I could forgive staggered, stilted delivery if the lyrics themselves were of good quality. Sadly, this is not something I can give Lupe credit for. The lyrics are simply…bad and downright cringe-worthy at times. Now, I’m a reasonable guy and I understand that even the best of rappers and lyricists stumble at times and Lupe is no different but this song…isn’t just a single stumble. Have you ever seen videos of a person that slips and seems to stumble endlessly before finally falling over? Well, that’s what this song was like…for five and a half minutes. I physically winced when I heard him say “Your s*** meows…My s*** Ah-OOOOOHHs!” (I cringed again just typing it…).

These lyrics (and I am aware that this was a freestyle) are not worthy of Lupe and that’s the primary reason why I am so disappointed by this song. I know from what I’ve heard thus far that he’s better than this. I wanted to like this song, I really did but I realize now that I can only lie to myself for so long before I give in and accept the truth. This is, unquestionably, the worst Lupe Fiasco song I’ve ever heard. But, I’m not giving up hope.

So, here’s hoping Lupe’s future efforts will impress much more so than this song has (read: not at all). Despite this, I am still highly anticipating Lasers and I continue to believe that it will be worth the wait. My criticisms aren’t meant to put Lupe down; far from it. I merely want to encourage him to do better and deliver the high quality material that fans such as myself know him to be capable of.