Veriznowireless

After months of anticipation, forgone release dates and petitions, Lupe Fiasco's third album, L.A.S.E.R.S. (Love Always Shines Every time Remember 2 Smile), is finally here. With all the anticipation and buzz the album created before its release, it's hard to imagine the tracks could actually live up to the hype. Yet Fiasco once again proves his critics wrong with an album that combines the lyricism of KRS-One or Public Enemy with the beats and hooks of Bruno Mars or Pharrell. Fiasco is a pioneer in this sense, constructing an album chock full of conscious lyrics, wrapped inside a pretty package and perfectly set to blaze through the charts.
Putting this album out was more trouble than anyone could have imagined. Fiasco's vision was to follow up his successful sophomore album, Lupe Fiasco Presents: The Cool, with a series of three albums, combined under the name LUPEnd. His record deal didn't allow this format, foreshadowing more problems to come between Fiasco and his label, Atlantic Records. According to Fiasco, much of the record was done by October 2010, but Atlantic withheld its release. Frantic fans took up the fight, staging a protest outside of Atlantic Records and creating an online petition for the album's release with over 32,000 signatures. Fiasco responded by creating two new tracks for the fans—"Words I Never Said" and "All Black Everything"—and the label by finally setting a release date.
Musically, L.A.S.E.R.S. is vastly different from Fiasco's previous efforts. While Fiasco's first two releases and many mix tapes depended on thumping bass and looped samples, L.A.S.E.R.S. relies on heavy synths and dance beats that push the line of pop or even electronic dance. Another change in Fiasco's sound is that the hooks are almost completely sung by guest artists. While this in itself isn't new for Fiasco, he does call up new, A-List names, including Trey Songz and a very impassioned John Legend (whose voice makes "Never Forget You" one of the strongest cuts on the album). For fans of Fiasco's old sound, bonus tracks "Shining Down" and "I'm Beaming" are necessary throwbacks.
However, not all is lost for Fiasco's original street team, because despite the very dramatic shift in sound, Fiasco's lyrics are as powerful as ever. On "Words I Never Said," one of the album's most powerful songs, Fiasco takes on the public's apathy toward the current world situation with lyrics like"I think that all the silence / Is worse than all the violence." Fiasco, never shy to criticize anyone, even calls himself out on "I Don't Wanna Care Right Now," saying "Gaza Strip was getting bombed and Obama didn't say shit / That's why I didn't vote for him / Next one neither / I'm part of the problem."
Despite Fiasco's claim that this album has no all-encompassing message, he touches on the idea that this fusion album could greatly change his stature. On another key cut "Till I Get There," Fiasco opines, "The fame ain't painless enough / That's 'cause you ain't famous enough / You got a little name / But your name ain't ringing enough." But as the album progresses, so do Fiasco's views on his ability to merge both "nerd and hood" while allowing his voice to be heard. On "Words I Never Said," Fiasco pronounces, "My screams are finally getting free / My thoughts are finally yelling through."