Lupe Fiasco Hits the Track With a Mean “Lean” (Listen & Download)

First a little back story. Despite rumors that "Lean" is the latest leak off Lupe Fiasco's upcoming album "Lasers", it's actually an unreleased track that's nearly a decade old, was dug up in the Lupe archives, and through the magic of the internet, spread faster than a STD at the Jersey Shore house. Produced by The Buchanons, I'm hearing this record was made somewhere in the neighborhood of 2001, when he was signed to Arista (and about five years before "Food and Liquor" dropped). "Lean" was supposed to be the lead single off his debut album, but after L.A. Reid left Arista Lupe's deal fell apart and this track ended up in the vault.

With that in mind, "Lean" is actually one of the most interesting tracks we've heard from Lupe in a minute. While the track is unmistakably Lupe - we still hear the cadence and flow he drops here - he clearly hasn't figured out his lyrical approach yet, struggling to balance his street background with his more expansive artistic vision. Like a fighter who's got a few bouts under his belt, Lupe took what he learned on "Lean" and made "Food and Liquor" that much stronger. Ironically, if this song drops back in 2001 I don't know if we're talking about Lupe today.

Download "Lean" via MediaFire
Download "Lean" via UserShare

To hear Lupe lean on the track right now, check out the track below.