Lupe Fiasco - A Man of Many Stumbles

Things which are alike, in nature, grow to look alike -  Nobody (Dead Man)

Lupe Fiasco seems to constantly be seeking an identity in the form of trying on different looks and trying several "styles" of rap. Above is my assessment of his current look, a combination of Dwayne Wayne, Prince Be from P.M. Dawn with a mix of Speech from Arrested Development. 

Lupe is always confusing to me, as he switches up his style in a way that seems desperate for attention. He came out as a "skater kid" outsider, then "backpack revolutionary", then "conspiracy fighter" and now he is working on a "return to the essence"of what I can only think is the Golden Era of rap. 

While I am a fan of the idea of Lupe Fiasco, a fairly popular MC who tries to push the positive lyrics on today's "club rap" scene, I can't help but feel like he is trying too hard to be acclaimed. We all saw his rock performance of "words I never said" fall on deaf ears at the BET Awards, despite his active performance and yelling on stage. At times, Lupe feels like a "skitzo" and doesn't want to believe that his brand of music can't compete with what is popular (anything by Young Money) or what is adored as "real hip hop" (Rhymesayers, etc.).

His latest fumble is his song "Freedom Ain't Free", a reworking of the classic Pete Rock and CL Smooth track "T.R.O.Y." Somehow I am not surprised that he didn't get the blessing of PR for this remake and acted surprised when PR was critical of the song. He has since tried to say that he reached out for permission (note only that he said he reached out and not that he actually got an answer) before and that it was his managers idea. He has since tried to somehow distance himself from the song concept, acting like he was forced to do it or something and saying he finds it best to "fall back from all that". 

Don't get me wrong, I like some of Lupe Fiasco's work, but until he takes a long look in the mirror to figure out where he fits, I feel like he is going to keep doing a "Charles Hamilton" every time he pops up and putting his foot in his mouth. Looking like a Native Tongues knockoff doesn't help the cause. 

You can pay homage to an era without dressing the part.

The Dead Man quote above means to point out that Lupe is starting to resemble PM Dawn and the "has-been league" and that is a slippery slope to the dollar bin.