Why not. He’s on record saying he doesn’t know how to actually write a song (structure, bridge, chorus, etc) and he doesn’t care about production. Stuff like Mural is the definition of lyrical miracle. It has no artistic meaning, no thematic worth or narrative. Instead it’s essentially a bunch of double entendres and similes connected together like a puzzle, for the sole intention of you (the listener) googling until you “understand” it. It’s the highest height of corny lyrical miracle shyt. Play that for Biggie and he’d slap you. Play it for a chick and she’d never have sex with you.
Being lyrical is about more than making clever references to pop culture. And it’s certainly not about rapping from the perspective of a hamburger. The standard for what makes rap lyrical should be similar to the standards used to judge good writing or prose in general. Emotional depth, poetic flare, vocabulary, clever wordplay…the ability to translate complex thought into simple, clear language.
I want to feel something when I listen to rap. I want to learn about the author/rapper. With Lupe I instead hear the bitterness of a nerd constantly trying to belittle the “hood” dudes who clowned him his whole life.