Tetsuo & Youth is too cryptic for me

[TLR Is Mental Poison]

Man, there is plenty of straight forward music to listen to. Let the fans of this album cook breh. People often talk about replay value when discussing classics, if you are catching little intricacies and lines weeks to months, to years from now in an album that went over your head the first few times you spun it, is that not an example of a project having great replay value?

This album wasn't made to be accessible, he's been on the record with that. It's essentially him dropping an album where he didn't dumb down shyt, so in a sense, yeah he's flexin' his skill level on this project. I can't knock em for it, because it's not like he's doing it over shytty beats with terrible hooks. These songs are really solid through and through... even the choruses have multiple meanings within them.

I mean there is replay value and then there is decoding heiroglyphics

I can understand wanting to maintain a high level of discourse. But its so high here it detracts from the enjoyability of the music, which I thought was the point.

Dont get me wrong I love music I have to decipher and can pick up new things in years later. But I think he went overboard with the shyt.

Plus it takes skill to be able to convey a complex concept/message in a way that's understandable. Its not THAT hard to just be cryptic and inaccessible.

 

[mobbinfms]

I'm a fan, I don't think I'm smarter than the next man listening to the album. I just think that I took the time to understand the songs and the album in it's entirety.

I would say that a lot of Lupe fans feel the same way. It's not about feeling like you're smarter than people who don't feel it. It's just actually liking the creativity that was delivered throughout this project and the wittiness in his lyrics.

Honestly though, if the biggest knock against an album is that it's too advanced or too hard to decipher lyrically, isn't that saying a lot about that album? It's like people will say, "man, I'm not feeling it like that" then they get asked why, and the only thing they can respond with is, it's just too much to take in for me.

I agree with you to a degree. On a general level I'll take too complicated over too basic any day. That being said, you shouldn't have to take notes and do extensive research to grasp the meaning of a song or album. It's a balance obviously.

 

[Thatrogueassdiaz]

This album was really refreshing to me.

I've been a huge fan of Lupe since the OG mixtapes. I remember hearing his songs and just memorizing the lyrics after a few spins. My attention to lyricism was at an all time high when he was breaking into the game and dropped his 1st 2 projects. I remember nikkas breaking down this dude's lyrics in 'Official Lupe Fiasco Quoteables" threads and shyt. It would be dope as hell. Over the past few years though? That kind of discussion has ceased. Mainly because nikkas aren't saying much of anything. And even if they are, it's so straight forward that it's really nothing worth mentioning. No creativity in the delivery of lyrics now. I can only name a few cats who are capable of this now a days.

This album taking me back to that place though. Can't even front, it's like the music I've been listening to over the last few years has been numbing my taste for great lyricism in my music. This album just slaps you in the face with bars and it's on you to get it.

Complicated lyricism, not "great" lyricism.

 

[Thatrogueassdiaz]

I mean there is replay value and then there is decoding heiroglyphics

I can understand wanting to maintain a high level of discourse. But its so high here it detracts from the enjoyability of the music, which I thought was the point.

Dont get me wrong I love music I have to decipher and can pick up new things in years later. But I think he went overboard with the shyt.

Plus it takes skill to be able to convey a complex concept/message in a way that's understandable. Its not THAT hard to just be cryptic and inaccessible.

EXACTLY. Dude, I'm glad someone else feels the way I do about this album.

 

[Pool_Shark]

i just interpret lyrics my own way don't really get caught up in all that other stuff

 

[mobbinfms]

Plus it takes skill to be able to convey a complex concept/message in a way that's understandable. Its not THAT hard to just be cryptic and inaccessible.

Excellent point.
Take a song like The Product by Ice Cube for example. He said everything that needed to be said in one song. And it was incredibly straightforward.

 

[GoldenGlove]

Complicated lyricism, not "great" lyricism.

I don't feel like every song is overly complicated lyrically though. What's overly complicated about what he's saying on Blur My Hands, Prisoner 1 & 2, Body of Work, No Scratches, Chopper, Deliver, Madonna?

That's like half of the album

 

[Thatrogueassdiaz]

I don't feel like every song is overly complicated lyrically though. What's overly complicated about what he's saying on Blur My Hands, Prisoner 1 & 2, Body of Work, No Scratches, Chopper, Deliver, Madonna?

That's like half of the album

Prisoner 1&2 is vintage The Cool Lupe Fiasco. Deliver is dope. Adoration of the magi is dope too. Even on his simplistic songs he writes some enigmatic metaphor that just makes the song too heavy and distracting.

 

[GoldenGlove]

Prisoner 1&2 is vintage The Cool Lupe Fiasco. Deliver is dope. Adoration of the magi is dope too. Even on his simplistic songs he writes some enigmatic metaphor that just makes the song too heavy and distracting.

That's one of the most complex songs on the album though

 

[Big Mel]

Such is life, odd like egg mcmuffins at midnight.

 

[Thatrogueassdiaz]

That's one of the most complex songs on the album though

I like it, doesn't mean I understand it.

 

[DonRe]

Op I feel you. 100%. Ain't no bigger lupe fan than me but homie went all the way left conceptually and symbolically on this shyt. Great production good hooks but shyt if it don't get lost in trying to figure his shyt out. I defended the homie when people would say he tries to hard on earlier projects becuase I understood the scope or larger picture.

Individually you can get the references and metaphors but what larger theme is he trying to display.

Copped the album just off gp becuase these albums need support and maybe encourage other artist to step they shyt up but I don't get what is going.

 

[JuvenileHell]

Go to Harvard brehs

 

[Easy-E]

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?

I'm thoughts exactly

I don't like the term "trying too hard"

But, the complex part isn't the problem. The album is not fun.

F&L and The Cool are fun to listen to.

I bought the album and played it straight through and was like:

Like, I don't get it, but, I should

He started this on F&L 2

Dope album, but, I think he went too dark


Complex, Try Hard Lu' can be fun

Dumb It Down, Hurt Me Soul, Daydreaming are all conscious, nicely thought out, fun records

Not to mention the whole concept of The Cool

Lu' isn't fun, anymore

 

[TLR Is Mental Poison]

I don't feel like every song is overly complicated lyrically though. What's overly complicated about what he's saying on Blur My Hands, Prisoner 1 & 2, Body of Work, No Scratches, Chopper, Deliver, Madonna?

That's like half of the album

I mean Mural is kind of like trying to drink from a firehose tho