Tetsuo & Youth is too cryptic for me

[Thatrogueassdiaz]

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?

 

[SixxiS]

ok

edit : some things have to grow

 

[Air Nikes N Hats]

I actually feel like the opposite.....I think albums like this are sorely lacking. As far as deeper meaning goes, its just a matter of enjoying what you are listening to and figuring it out yourself. Each play front to back I feel like I catch something new each time. If it happens a little bit at a time, then thats cool too.....for me it only adds to replay value.

 

[GoldenGlove]

But once it "clicks" for you...

 

[TLR Is Mental Poison]

Truthfully I feel like a lot of folks are pumping this album up as a gift from God because it feels like the kind of album you're supposed to like if you're smart. I have been bumping it and liking it but I agree that Lu got a little overindulgent and over-conceptual. I like mixtape Lu. Gold Watch Lu. Paris Tokyo Lu. Not "too smart for his own good" Lu. Maybe Lupe needs to write novels or something. I don't know if rap is the right medium for what he's trying to accomplish. But he's a great fukking brilliant rapper when hes in his zone.

 

[Big Mel]

The Cool is trash.

 

[Foxmulder]

Yeah I can't fukk with it either. I think this nikka starting to believe his fans' hype. Looking through the album thread some of the explanations for certain lines is Him and his fans think they smarter than everyone else. But in reality people just don't give a fukk.

 

[GoldenGlove]

Yeah I can't fukk with it either. I think this nikka starting to believe his fans' hype. Looking through the album thread some of the explanations for certain lines is Him and his fans think they smarter than everyone else. But in reality people just don't give a fukk.

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.

 

[GoldenGlove]

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?

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.

 

[Foxmulder]

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 actually like lupe. I fukked with F&L and I think the Cool is classic. I loved enemy of the state even friend of the people. Dude is talented.

 

[Flay Mayweather]

I liked it and didn't think it was that hard i digest

 

[Air Nikes N Hats]

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.

Agreed, the thing about Hip-Hop in general is that it is so diverse...there is something for everyone. Lu knows what his lane is and he stuck to it for this album. If you look at everything in-between Food & Liquor and this album, he was basically trying to appease the casual fans & the label. Don't get me wrong, The Cool & F&L2 were solid, but a great deal of filler on both projects. We all know how most people feel about Lasers. I thought it was ok, production was good but you could tell he was very uncomfortable on that project. This is his lane, and I would expect he will continue to flex lyrically for the rest of his recording career.

 

[GoldenGlove]

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.

 

[The_King_of_Everything]

I miss paris Tokyo, kick push, gold watch, lu.

Lupe is like the bizzaro version of busta ever since he started growing his hair he lost all of his charisma

 

[Thatrogueassdiaz]

Truthfully I feel like a lot of folks are pumping this album up as a gift from God because it feels like the kind of album you're supposed to like if you're smart. I have been bumping it and liking it but I agree that Lu got a little overindulgent and over-conceptual. I like mixtape Lu. Gold Watch Lu. Paris Tokyo Lu. Not "too smart for his own good" Lu. Maybe Lupe needs to write novels or something. I don't know if rap is the right medium for what he's trying to accomplish. But he's a great fukking brilliant rapper when hes in his zone.

AGREED! I mean, I might change my tone in a few months. Sometimes albums take awhile to hit me. It just seems like he went overboard with the shyt.

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.

Breh, it's true that there is something for everyone, but I can tell when an artist is trying hard to be perceived as being complex and cryptic. I don't like that. Some artists are just too brilliant and can do anythign they want with the English language (i.e. James Joyce), but I don't think good art loses it's artist. There isn't an artist more lyrical than Prime Nas, and his music is accessible to all. He didn't have to be overly complicated to be brilliant. Listening to this album makes me feel like I'm reading Finnegan's Wake.