And I’m not talking about his debut album’s sales totals either. Besides that was like 2006 or some shit.
As of now, most people are aware of Lupe Fiasco’s flub at the vh1 Hip Hop Honors tribute to A Tribe Called Quest (ATCQ) on Monday night. He fucked up the words to “Electric Relaxation”, one of Tribe’s landmark and most famous songs. The song comes from Tribe’s album Midnight Marauders, which is one of my favorite hip-hop albums ever. I wrote about it a long time ago but I’m too lazy to link to the post. Sue me.
(Incidentally Lupe plans on suing Vibe magazine for defamation of character for their flub of semi-fanning the flames by using a little bit of time-line trickery by printing an interview with Lupe done before the Hip-Honors show that seems way fucked up when read AFTER the Hip-Hop Honors show.)
Courtesy of vh1, here’s a link to the all of the events that have occured under Fiascogate. (Click the link)
My opinion on this whole affair is kind of two fold. Lupe fucked up some lines to a rap song, big fucking deal. I think the part that’s fucked up is his approach to discussing why he fucked up. For one, he probably shouldn’t have engaged anybody in this debate but he did and came off like a dick. Luckily, I wasn’t a fan of his anyway but whereas his previous lack of interest in ATCQ and their catalog was kind of a non-starter his now stubborn stance on his intention to never listen to it in its entirety or even care that it is a landmark album is kind off-putting. Phonte from Little Brother (whose response I largely agree with) got one thing right; Lupe is definitely benefitting from being placed in the same vein as folks like ATCQ.
Interestingly enough, I wouldn’t put him there myself. Sure, he’s a “positive” rapper–a term I loathe, by the way–but I’ve never felt he was Tribe-esque. He was just not 50 Cent or Young Jeezy in the way that ATCQ and De La Soul and the whole Native Tongues weren’t NWA or Spice 1 or Ice T or King Tee for that matter. Granted, on The Low End Theory, Tribe did take on some social commentary and subject matter, but on Midnight Marauders, not so much. So it’s kind of a what-you-are-because-of-what-you’re-not kind of deal in my mind.
But Lupe’s become the guy-du-jour. For fuck’s sake, he was one of GQ’s men of the year or some shit, and for no good reason mind you. His album (executive produced by Jay-Z) was alright but it didn’t change anything. More people were talking about Lupe because of his deviation than for his artistry. Which is more a sad testament to us than it is to the greatness that is Lupe. He’s so different and he wears colorful clothes and tight-pants and likes cartoons. He’s a hip-hop nerd. Truthfully, if Pharrell hadn’t saddled up to him so that they could be hip-hop nerds together, my guess is that there’d be some uber-gay pocket-protector Trapper Keeper beatdowns between them (musically of course) with Kanye officiating in a pink Polo and Cole Haan loafers.
And at least Pharrell doesn’t claim to be a skateboarder like Lupe does…and he isn’t.
One of Lupe’s defenses during this whole “scandal” (if we must put a term on it) is that he didn’t grow up on ATCQ but on Spice 1, NWA, and Eightball and MJG. Hmm, me too. NWA is my favorite group of all time and similarly, De La Soul’s album, de la soul is dead is my favorite album of all time. But I listened to all that same shit Lupe was listening to so I have to wonder how the fuck he glossed over Tribe. Granted, I wasn’t the biggest Tribe fan until later. But when I did start paying attention I was stuck. Midnight Marauders is one of those albums I can take with me anywhere and will buy the second I think I lost it. Who cares if I find it later, I lost it then. And I have to have that album. It’s part of me.
It’s also one of the albums that makes its way everywhere and everybody knows and respects. Nobody says that it isn’t worth listening to. So why not pick it up Lupe? At this point, he ain’t listening to make a point. Which is a stupid point. In the Kay Slay interview, when Mr. Drama King himself asked him if he had listened to it or if he planned on it, Lupe responded with, “no, I haven’t listened to it yet. I’ve been busy with my album.”
That’s the second stupidest shit I might have ever heard in my life. The first?
Any of George Bush’s speeches from 2001-?
Anybody who knows about the music making process knows that you listen to all types of shit when making music. It’s called inspiration. Also, the fuckin’ album doesn’t even clock in at longer than an hour. The nigga’s from Chicago. He could pop it in while he’s sitting in traffic and finish it by the time he got to a Harold’s from O’Hare.
There’s another thing that gets lost on me in regards to this whole debacle and that hasn’t been mentioned.
He had to get lyrics to TWO songs in a tribute. “Electric Relaxation” and “Scenario”. And he didn’t have to do Busta’s part since Busta did his own part on “Scenario”. I’m a Tribe fan, but they weren’t exactly kicking physics or being overly complicated with rhyme patterns or anything. A sampling:
“by the way my name’s Malik, the 5 foot freak//let’s say we get together by the end of th week” ~ Phife Dawg, “Electric Relaxation”
Hell, you can take two hours and memorize a good four songs on that album since the verses ain’t exactly difficult. Do niggas mess up lyrics? Sure, I was at an Outkast show in Atlanta where Andre 3000 fucked up his own verse. Hell did you see Kanye fuck up his verse on “Everything I Am” on Saturday Night Live? It happens.
However, all he had to do was memorize a damn verse and spend time reciting it for a TRIBUTE. All he had to do was focus on that shit because it’s a tribute. ONE verse. Kanye fucking up is kind of endearing. Hell, he’s human and he shows us all the time through his arrogance, pride, and passion. But this was a tribute show to ATCQ. The least you could do was not fuck that up. In fact, the only difficult part of “Electric Relaxation” is the damn part in the hook where the voiceover says “Relax Yourself and some shit that even 15+ years later I have no clue what’s being said”.
Lupe fucked up. He shouldn’t have and he could have nailed it but he didn’t. However, his uberfucking studity in the way he’s handled it is what made it a problem.
“I’m not backpack rap,” says Lupe. Okay, nigga. Whether you are or not, ATCQ and specifically Midnight Maruaders is just one of those groups that everybody who’s really into the art behind hip-hop know. How can you not? It’s arrogant to so adamantly deny yourself an album because “that ain’t you”.
Who cares what you grew up on? Who says you can’t expand your horizons? Most of us interested in music do at some point. Tribe isn’t obscure and they had 3 platinum albums in pre-Master P/Puffy dominated rap world. And how the fuck are you going to be so big-up in respecting Tip and his musical legacy if you don’t actually know what the fuck it is that everybody seems to respect so much?
In short, Lupe’s an idiot.
Thank you and goodnight.
PS – Who in the Blue Fuck thought Missy deserved to be honored?
I swear I had a rant-filled entry ready to put up on my site, but I didn’t want that to be my return, LOL.
I can’t figure out if this is about pride/ego or not, but it’s just strange how things took a turn in his remarks. He went from trying to deflect his poor performance on his lack of respect for the group, to him outright trying to separate himself from ATCQ. I mean, I don’t get it, why?
you are standing on their shoulders, regardless of whether or not you were digging their work or are influenced by it, what good can come from you disrespecting it?
see, this is why me and hip hop got divorced, mf’ka went and got all brand new.
and what do you have against Missy Elliot, chump?
Hmmm. I could have sworn I read a long time ago that you were a Lupe Fiasco fan. Oh well, maybe not. *Shrug* I think Lupe’s combative response is just a defense mechanism, it’s a way to save face from an embarrassing situation. I just read about it yesterday and from my [outside] perspective, I think the “controversy” is blown way out of proportion, and I hope this guy’s career (album sales) doesn’t suffer because of it. A simple mistake, geez. And he probably got even more defensive because a lot of times those of the armchair variety have soooo much to say about the people who are actually out there, doing the do. I wonder how many of the rap fans who dogged him (and isn’t he kind-of young too?) would be “humble” after making a mistake and being slaughtered for it, lol. People need to find A LOT more important things to be upset about (insert any of the “are we going back to the civil rights days?” news stories nowadays here.) JMO
Have a good weekend!
T
Its funny the huge disparity of intelligence that he shows in his music and in his quotes/writings. Makes you wonder if he’s writing his own shit…
I don’t understand being willing to participate in a tribute to a group you don’t admire and respect. There are so many others out there who would have been thrilled to do that verse. He made himself ridiculous.
I woulda killed the verse. I still don’t know why they didn’t call me. Perhaps its a matter of art trancending the artist: somehow, Lu manages to write shit that is a lot smarter than he himself.
Relax yourself girl, please settle down? But my interpretation changes every few years.
Who is Missy fuckin’ at Vh1? Who ever that chick is, she’s got power. I’ve had it up to here on behalf of Latifah, who undoubteblty shoulda been the female honored. Hell, I would have rathered they honored the chick Shorty who did the adlibs on the first few De La Records.