Tetsuo & Youth is too cryptic for me

[Thatrogueassdiaz]

Why does music have to make sense to enjoy it?? OP said he enjoys the production and the lyrics, isn't that enough to like/love something. Who cares if you don't "understand" it....in all reality the only person who fully understands the album is Lupe himself.

I feel like us Lupe stans can be annoying as fukk to people....music is what you make of it, not everything needs to be fully comprehend, and IMO it's fun to have your own unique opinion of what a song means

I like music I don't understand, when it's listenable and not overly conscious of its own brillance. Like say, Steely Dan. I love steely dan, and they're lyrics are extremely abstract. But none of it pretentious, and i feel like Tetsuo and youth is.

See, it's statements like this that make people believe that Lupe stans, or stans of this album, believe that people are supposed to be some intellectual savant to like the album. Maybe dudes just don't like Lupe's brand of raps?

You know when I listen to Freeway and hear some sh!t that he spit on Kanye's "Two Words", I'm not enjoying it because I have some perverse turn on at the prospect of it being abstract. I enjoy it because once I hear him rip it over that crazy beat I automatically get that face, followed by . It's just dope. No crazy double entendres, or multis, or rhymes that's made to be deciphered...just crazy HIP HOP music. I didn't get that with Tetsuo and a lot of other cats didn't get that feeling either. I get that feeling with alot of Beanie Sigel tracks. A lot of The Game tracks. Nas. Ghost. Not too much with current Lupe. Cut this talk about cats have to be insecure that's why they're not feeling the album.

Exactly! And there are some lupe songs and verses do make me make that face, but none on this current album do.

Point taken, but those MCs don't overdo it. Overdo it to a point where it diminishes the overall "feel" of an album. It gets to the point where it's overkill. Or maybe Lupe just doesn't have certain qualities that Nas and Pac have that would make it enjoyable to listen to for a whole album. Maybe Lupe lacks Pac's commanding and crowd joining charisma and passion or Nas' street poetical flair and ill voice. He's not a magnetic enough MC anymore to me. Just weird and patronizing most of the time. Or maybe it's the beats. Let's be real...as good as some of the beats are on Tetsuo and Youth, none of them have that head nodding, "I'll throw this on in a blunted out cypher with my homies" dopeness. There's just something about this album that doesn't make it enjoyable to a point where I'd want to listen to it again. I tried 3 times, but naw. 3.5 album to me and I definitely don't have some type of "inferiority" complex because I feel like Lupe has some MC superiority over my favorite MCs. His brand of raps and this album just aren't that great to me. Good, but not great...and definitely not classic like some delusional cats are calling it.

Lupe is extremely patronizing, both in his music and in the interviews I've watched.

They tried to tell him

Now that's an excellent song that doesn't TRY to be brilliant and self aware

The rant about queens nearly ruins "Mural" for me. "Prisoners" Pt 2 is an excellent record, but it's bound to Pt 1, which I don't care for at all. This is one of the first albums I've heard where I thought the rapper would benefit from an editor. Not an executive producer, but someone to actually edit the pages in Lupe's rhyme book. Almost every track has a bunch of good ideas and a bunch of bad ideas working in concert. It's fascinating to hear, but rarely enjoyable.

definitely. That queens part is just obnoxious and overdone

 

[CouldntBeMeTho]

i actually love cryptic lyrics.

 

[NoHalfWay]

Someone please point out the pretentious lyrics or songs in Tetsuo & Youth.

People love to throw that word @ Lupe but y'all just reaching for it this time around.

 

[Konnan]

Murals is one of my favorite tracks ever right now

 

[EndDomination]

The album isn't that complex
He pulls references from absolutely everywhere, but most of the extended metaphors are incredibly easy to catch onto, and its a lot of fun seeing how far he can stretch one idea, or one line.
I was never completely and overly overwhelmed by anything on the album. Listening to a song and discovering something new is the building block of replay value, I listened to Nirvana's Nevermind daily for a few months, and would occassionally realise something I hadn't before. That's what makes me want to keep listening to an album. Better yet, to hear a reference for a book I'm reading, or an older movie I'm watching, adds memory to the song. I listen to Jay Electronica albums, I feel that. Kendrick Lamar albums, I feel that. Action Bronson albums, I feel that. Ab-Soul, Joey Bada$$, Los, Nas, Yelawolf, Wu-Tang, even Flatbush Zombies, they introduce shyt that's interesting to hear about, know about or read about. Even taking the "fukk bicthes, get money, smoke weed" theme that has permeated hip-hop and finding new ways to say it makes the album or track worth listening to. At least I know I'll be listening to this album a year from now and still finding something interesting That makes it worth listening to for me

 

[GoldenGlove]

Now that's an excellent song that doesn't TRY to be brilliant and self aware

That song is displaying the exact same criticisms that you have with his latest album though

 

[NoHalfWay]

That song is displaying the exact same criticisms that you have with his latest album though

EXACTLY the same
These nikkaz don't know what they want

 

[unstoppablefade]

I listen to alot of trap shyt cuz thats what I usually fukk with so this is hella refreshing but Im not gnna front I actullay enjoy how cryptic this album is. Why? Because I can be sitting on the bus on my way to school listening to Mural for the 405th time and be like oh damnn so thats what that line meant. It just makes the whole album have more replay value because I'm always tryna figuire out wtf this nikka is tryna say

 

[GoldenGlove]

EXACTLY the same
These nikkaz don't know what they want

I'm fearless, now hear this, I'm earless
And I'm peerless, that means I'm eyeless
Which means I'm tearless, which means my iris
Resides where my ears is, which means I'm blinded
But I'mma find it, I can feel its nearness
But I'mma veer soI don't come near
Like a chicken or a deer, but I remember
I'm not a listener or a seerso my windshield smear
Here you steer, I really shouldn't be behind this
Clearly cause my blindness;the windshield is menstrual/minstrel
The whole grill is roadkill,so trill and so sincere
Yeah, I'm both them there
Took both pills, when a bloke in a trench coat
And the locs in the chair had approached him here
Made it clear as a ghost, so a biter of the throats in the mirror
The writer of the quotes for the ghosts
Who supplier of the notes to the living
Riveting as Rosie, pockets full of posies
Given to the mother of the deceased
Awake and at war 'til I'm resting in peace



Ain't nothing straight forward about "Dumb It Down" besides the hook, but that's excellent, but Mural is overrated

 

[rapbeats]

I've listened to this album all the way through twice. I just can't get into it. I love the production, and i like the lyrivs, but I feel like I have to go on a lyric site just to break down his meaning between songs. I don't think good songwriting has to be conplicated. While I like lupe, I think he gets too caught up in trying to be brilliant. He relies on obscure extendedicated metaphors too. Don't get me wrong I loved f and l and the cool, but they were easier to digest. Just seems like he's trying harder and harder to make his music enigmatic. I like riddles, but If it takes me like 5 times just to get it, then just give up on it. Lots of ppl on here are saying it's a classic, but what exactly makes this a classic?

thank you for being honest. You dont want to think that hard. thats it, thats all. thats all the lupe is too lyrical folks. He's not. he's just lyrical enough for those that want to think when they listen to music. and think deeply. he's a poet. not just an everyday rapper. it is what is. some people dont want to listen to a poet. they would rather here a guy thats straight forward with everything. thats your choice. me personally. i love this album. i'll call it a classic right now cause it is(classic for this era that is).
KL's album
Jcole's last joint
and this Lupe are all on the same level. the difference between lupe's album and these are his lyrics. you have to really think to decipher some of this stuff. and some stuff you will never decipher without asking him "so what did you mean by this" that old KRS1 interview someone posted not long ago was going thru his old songs. there were things he said about his lyrics that i never knew. So even though it SEEMED straight forward he had a different meaning. but i didnt cry about it. I loved that about KRS1 and other rappers like that as well. Lupe doesnt need to change a thing. there are fans for everyone. if everyone dumbed their lyrics down, everything would sound like a southern strip club anthem....WAIT....

 

[rapbeats]

I listen to alot of trap shyt cuz thats what I usually fukk with so this is hella refreshing but Im not gnna front I actullay enjoy how cryptic this album is. Why? Because I can be sitting on the bus on my way to school listening to Mural for the 405th time and be like oh damnn so thats what that line meant. It just makes the whole album have more replay value because I'm always tryna figuire out wtf this nikka is tryna say

THANK YOU

notice a difference between the Op's listening amts vs this guys. the OP said "i listened to the album TWICE vs 405 times. 405 times is how you're suppose to listen to good music. Because it may take that many listens to finally hear all the nuances in the music and break down all the lyrics.

 

[NoHalfWay]

I'm fearless, now hear this, I'm earless
And I'm peerless, that means I'm eyeless
Which means I'm tearless, which means my iris
Resides where my ears is, which means I'm blinded
But I'mma find it, I can feel its nearness
But I'mma veer soI don't come near
Like a chicken or a deer, but I remember
I'm not a listener or a seerso my windshield smear
Here you steer, I really shouldn't be behind this
Clearly cause my blindness;the windshield is menstrual/minstrel
The whole grill is roadkill,so trill and so sincere
Yeah, I'm both them there
Took both pills, when a bloke in a trench coat
And the locs in the chair had approached him here
Made it clear as a ghost, so a biter of the throats in the mirror
The writer of the quotes for the ghosts
Who supplier of the notes to the living
Riveting as Rosie, pockets full of posies
Given to the mother of the deceased
Awake and at war 'til I'm resting in peace



Ain't nothing straight forward about "Dumb It Down" besides the hook, but that's excellent, but Mural is overrated

What also be killing is that people say Lupe uses big words.

What's the biggest word on Dumb It Down? "Riveting"?

 

[GoldenGlove]

thank you for being honest. You dont want to think that hard. thats it, thats all. thats all the lupe is too lyrical folks. He's not. he's just lyrical enough for those that want to think when they listen to music. and think deeply. he's a poet. not just an everyday rapper. it is what is. some people dont want to listen to a poet. they would rather here a guy thats straight forward with everything. thats your choice. me personally. i love this album. i'll call it a classic right now cause it is(classic for this era that is).
KL's album
Jcole's last joint
and this Lupe are all on the same level. the difference between lupe's album and these are his lyrics. you have to really think to decipher some of this stuff. and some stuff you will never decipher without asking him "so what did you mean by this" that old KRS1 interview someone posted not long ago was going thru his old songs. there were things he said about his lyrics that i never knew. So even though it SEEMED straight forward he had a different meaning. but i didnt cry about it. I loved that about KRS1 and other rappers like that as well. Lupe doesnt need to change a thing. there are fans for everyone. if everyone dumbed their lyrics down, everything would sound like a southern strip club anthem....WAIT....

THANK YOU

notice a difference between the Op's listening amts vs this guys. the OP said "i listened to the album TWICE vs 405 times. 405 times is how you're suppose to listen to good music. Because it may take that many listens to finally hear all the nuances in the music and break down all the lyrics.

But once it "clicks" for you...

 

[DrX]

I been saying this for years...he's a smart dumb nikka that try to be abstract

 

[wire28]

people are tired of the stans. They'd accept it more if the stans weren't so disgusting.

8 and a half minutes tho my nikka........

GZA said it best.... "Keep it brief son... half short and twice strong"

And like I said..... people are def using this album as some kind of proof of their own intellectual superiority.... you just did it. IDK if God is spitting.... an 8 and a half minute song with no choruses or beat switches or anything is too fukking long.

Lu made this disc for a certain subset of people... I don't think it makes sense to brag about being one of those people; people who need rap to be complex to the point that it's less enjoyable are the insecure ones. "I like everything about this album because I'm smart"

I like mental stimulation.

Good read a book then nikka what

There's an inverse relationship between Lus sales and his stans. The fewer records he sells the more intolerable his stans get