Lupe specifically details to Angela Yee how Lyor & Atlantic sabotaged his career cause he aint wanna sign a 360 deal.

[EndDomination]

Kanye was also far more talented than Lupe and had superior pop sensibilities. Do I agree that Atlantic is a terrible label for rap and Lyor is a cancer? Yes. But at the end of the day Lupe did what they wanted - record those terrible pop reference track singles - whereas Kanye made pop rap songs that were actually good and stood the test of time. Part of the bitterness Lupe has is that he played the mainstream label game and couldn't last, and then got replaced by a generation that did all of that better than him. Sideline Story and Take Care came out about 6-8 months after Lasers. GKMC came out the following year.

I don't disagree, but Kanye also had more control that Lu did on Atlantic.

And pairing him with a different set of producers (I know he loves Soundtrakk, and they've made some great music together), would have put Lasers, F&LII and Drogas LIGHT into a different league entirely.

Even worse, some of his mixtapes have better songs than his albums.

 

[Rice N Beans]

I don't disagree, but Kanye also had more control that Lu did on Atlantic.

And pairing him with a different set of producers (I know he loves Soundtrakk, and they've made some great music together), would have put Lasers, F&LII and Drogas LIGHT into a different league entirely.

Even worse, some of his mixtapes have better songs than his albums.

I always felt like Lupe mailed it in with Lasers and F&L2 just to get to his last contractual album. Not that either are bad, but I think they are his weaker albums in my opinion.

Def right about the mixtapes. Mixtape Lupe is immaculate.

 

[vdfebduderocks]

thing is that it's hard as hell to leverage the independent route to become a global superstar. It takes a ton of work to do that. If you think you can build a niche following of 20-30k fans who're willing to pay $15/album, then good for you. But it's hard.

 

[Ziggiy]

Lasers was the Atlantic record that they handed him - and it was a very popular album; the first single went double platinum

The other two songs we know Atlantic handed him went like 6x and 3x platinum: Airplanes and Nothin On You

He wouldn’t have gotten any publishing on those two songs. He doesn’t get publishing on Show Goes On or the other songs Atlantic forced on him. Thats why he hated those songs and sounds almost lifeless when you hear his version of Airplanes and Nothin on You.

Atlantic was fukking him over BAD. Lupe’s story has never changed or switched up regarding how he fell out with Lyor Cohen and Atlantic at large.

 

[Ziggiy]

Kanye was also far more talented than Lupe and had superior pop sensibilities. Do I agree that Atlantic is a terrible label for rap and Lyor is a cancer? Yes. But at the end of the day Lupe did what they wanted - record those terrible pop reference track singles - whereas Kanye made pop rap songs that were actually good and stood the test of time. Part of the bitterness Lupe has is that he played the mainstream label game and couldn't last, and then got replaced by a generation that did all of that better than him. Sideline Story and Take Care came out about 6-8 months after Lasers. GKMC came out the following year.

Lupe’s issue is that he was doing just fine pop-wise WITHOUT those prepackaged bullshyt singles before they approached him with the 360. Kick Push was a hit song. Superstar was an even bigger song and pop hit. His sales were increasing as well. We all know he got screwed over with the F&L leak but The Cool sold 145k first week on its way to platinum. He also was tight with Pharrell and Kanye and went on the hugely successful Glow In The Dark tour with them. I’ve always been convinced that all Atlantic had to do was let Lupe do Lupe and Lasers would’ve been commercially successful without the prepackaged songs but they didn’t and his career became what it became.

But we not gonna sit here and rewrite history like Lupe couldn’t write a hit song. He was VERY good at writing catchy songs that still retained his artistic integrity.

Kanye was allowed to be Kanye after College Dropout proved he was a superstar, mostly because he had Jay and Dame’s support and Hip Hop Since 1978 managing him. Lupe’s sole support system was Chilly, who was incarcerated, so he had to face the devil that was Lyor Cohen on his own.

 

[ReasonableMatic]

Dude a straight up cartoon character stereotypical corporate villain

 

[Piff Perkins]

Lupe’s issue is that he was doing just fine pop-wise WITHOUT those prepackaged bullshyt singles before they approached him with the 360. Kick Push was a hit song. Superstar was an even bigger song and pop hit. His sales were increasing as well. We all know he got screwed over with the F&L leak but The Cool sold 145k first week on its way to platinum. He also was tight with Pharrell and Kanye and went on the hugely successful Glow In The Dark tour with them. I’ve always been convinced that all Atlantic had to do was let Lupe do Lupe and Lasers would’ve been commercially successful without the prepackaged songs but they didn’t and his career became what it became.

But we not gonna sit here and rewrite history like Lupe couldn’t write a hit song. He was VERY good at writing catchy songs that still retained his artistic integrity.

Kanye was allowed to be Kanye after College Dropout proved he was a superstar, mostly because he had Jay and Dame’s support and Hip Hop Since 1978 managing him. Lupe’s sole support system was Chilly, who was incarcerated, so he had to face the devil that was Lyor Cohen on his own.

He certainly had two hit songs outside of the Atlantic template, and that's worth not forgetting. But Lupe's ideas for Lasers singles were Shining Down (which bombed and wasn't on the album) and I'm Beaming - both of which are bad. I don't fukk with Atlantic but Lasers bombs without the template singles they picked. So sure he had two earlier hits but my point is that he didn't have the pop sensibilities to extend his career long enough alter his situation. By the time we got to F&LII his single choices were even worse and that was basically the end of his career commercially.

Being on a label is hard, especially when you aren't southern and are conscious. And especially when you're on Atlantic. But he's knocked guys who came after him in 2011/2012 and all of those dudes had better pop sensibilities and ears for beats.

 

[Ziggiy]

He certainly had two hit songs outside of the Atlantic template, and that's worth not forgetting. But Lupe's ideas for Lasers singles were Shining Down (which bombed and wasn't on the album) and I'm Beaming - both of which are bad. I don't fukk with Atlantic but Lasers bombs without the template singles they picked. So sure he had two earlier hits but my point is that he didn't have the pop sensibilities to extend his career long enough alter his situation. By the time we got to F&LII his single choices were even worse and that was basically the end of his career commercially.

Being on a label is hard, especially when you aren't southern and are conscious. And especially when you're on Atlantic. But he's knocked guys who came after him in 2011/2012 and all of those dudes had better pop sensibilities and ears for beats.

Shining Down and I’m Beamin bombed because he was in the midst of fighting the label and they weren’t promoting the singles. He paid out of his own pocket for the I’m Beaming video and got it played on MTV only because he knew and was cool with one of the programming directors. Atlantic was literally hanging him out to dry.

And I HIGHLY disagree that I’m Beamin is a bad song. Fans LOVED that joint when it first leaked. If Atlantic would have put some marketing muscle behind both songs they could have made noise.

 

[CHICAGO]

BEAMIN WAS fukkING FIRE



​

 

[Piff Perkins]

Shining Down and I’m Beamin bombed because he was in the midst of fighting the label and they weren’t promoting the singles. He paid out of his own pocket for the I’m Beaming video and got it played on MTV only because he knew and was cool with one of the programming directors. Atlantic was literally hanging him out to dry.

And I HIGHLY disagree that I’m Beamin is a bad song. Fans LOVED that joint when it first leaked. If Atlantic would have put some marketing muscle behind both songs they could have made noise.

Gotta agree to disagree, I hated both those songs lol. You're right they didn't get a push but neither sounded like hits to me. I may dislike Words I Never Said and the Show Goes On but they sound like radio tracks.

 

[Omerta]

Lasers wasn't that bad, just have it a spin a week or two ago and it was absolutely an overhated album.

Even worse - it sold well and had a really popular single. The other single criticized the U.S. support of Israel's attacks on Gaza, 9/11, environmental policy, and the Obama administration - easily one of the biggest anti-establishment records of the last 15 years and one that got him in actual governmental trouble

Ding ding ding.

“G*za strip was getting bombed, Obama didn’t say shyt” got Lupe in a lot of trouble that is only now surfacing. Funnily enough, this is coming out in the leftist political space more than any hip hop space about how much the Obama administration ‘punished’ Lupe. I don’t think Lupe will talk about it extensively any time soon.

The criticism of Lasers is weird, considering Lupe told y’all what it was. You think any single hook on that album was a Lupe hook? Those were pop hooks that were pre packaged, hell so many others ones he passed on became hits for BOB. You really think Lupe asked for the Skyler Grey, Trey Songz or alternative fkn rock hooks?

Btw no hate, but man that Richard Spirit guy has flooded this thread with misinformation. Like it’s been a collective effort by y’all to correct one man’s wrongs.

 

[⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐]

Ding ding ding.

“G*za strip was getting bombed, Obama didn’t say shyt” got Lupe in a lot of trouble that is only now surfacing. Funnily enough, this is coming out in the leftist political space more than any hip hop space about how much the Obama administration ‘punished’ Lupe. I don’t think Lupe will talk about it extensively any time soon.

The criticism of Lasers is weird, considering Lupe told y’all what it was. You think any single hook on that album was a Lupe hook? Those were pop hooks that were pre packaged, hell so many others ones he passed on became hits for BOB. You really think Lupe asked for the Skyler Grey, Trey Songz or alternative fkn rock hooks?

Btw no hate, but man that Richard Spirit guy has flooded this thread with misinformation. Like it’s been a collective effort by y’all to correct one man’s wrongs.

Damn homie, abusive political class has went full mask off