Petitions, Rants & (Lupe) Fiascos

Admit it, in your best days as an internet rap fan – you believed Lupe Fiasco was the abrupt savior of all things hip-hop. I mean, everything was set up for the guy to win from industry co-signs (Jay-Z executive producing his debut album), dream team beliefs (CRS with Pharrell & Kanye) and universal appeal.

Now, his spot has been usurped by Jay Electronica, a man who releases just about as much as Lupe, but instead gives the fans more snippets than a Jewish bris. Sorry, but in all honesty – Lupe the Killer did this to himself.

As a blogger, it’s my job to be a critic, to analyze people in and out. I was right on the picket line telling folks to trade in their 6XL white tee shirts in exchange for a view of the world around them but it’s kind of hard to fight for somebody who wants to be upset at the same people who follow his movement. Well, some of those same people who still have the burned leaked copy of the original "Food & Liquor" and haven’t exactly PURCHASED a Lupe Fiasco CD but I digress.

Even with releasing a freestyle over a popular beat like he did for about 30 minutes late last year, it’s almost not enough. Lu’s been proclaiming revolution since 2007 but the most high profile thing he’s done is climb a mountain, flub a couple lines to a classic A Tribe Called Quest song and prove that one of the most gifted lyricists of this particular generation is flimsy with handling his own career.

Yes, maybe Prolyfic’s rant was either spot on or bitter but there was plenty of actual truth to it. The “Failure” Lupe Fiasco may possibly be gone, replaced with someone who could really care less, under the disguise of a rapper who does. Petition or no petition, LASERS may not see the light of day, no matter how many in the blogosphere sing the high praises of “I’m Beamin’” or Atlantic Records tweets a retraction to appease people.

By the way, has an online petition ever forced a hand of a record label, especially one that was sloppily put together by a fan who found Lupe Fiasco on a rapper milk carton? Just asking.

In this day and age where rappers are basically their own public relations teams, maybe not getting people hopes high (canceling a mixtape such as "Friends of the People") and then berating bloggers backstage should do Lu the trick. Oh and also get back to throwing about nine million metaphors on records that cause lyric search engines to spontaneously combust.

Even that may not win back even the staunchest of critics but at least it’s moving the dial.