Samurai is the ninth album by Chicago rapper, Lupe Fiasco. I first heard him through his feature on the Late Registration track, “Touch the Sky,” and he absolutely killed his verse. The concept behind this album is interesting, as there’s a story to it, based on the late British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse. I was eager to review this album, as not only is Amy Winehouse one of my favorite singers, but I’ve heard a lot of good music from Lupe in the past, so a jazz rap album that’s also a concept album was intriguing to me.

    We open up the album with the first single off of the record, the title track, “Samurai.” I love the old school hip hop vibe of the track, as it feels like something off of a Wu-Tang Clan album. The instrumental has these jazzy saxophones and warm synths, combined with a boom-bap drum rhythm. The chorus is incredibly catchy, referencing the Amy Winehouse voicemail to her producer, Salaam Remi, where she said that she wanted to record battle raps. It’s a favorite of mine. Next up, is the track, “Mumble Rap.” I love the whirly boom bap beat produced by Soundtrakk, as well as Lupe’s flow in his verses. My favorite line in the track is easily, “She found herself drawn to the vibe of his remarks. The resonations called her like blood to a shark.” We return to another well produced track, as well as another one of my favorites, “Cake.” I love the swirly beat produced by Soundtrakk and Kush Baby, as well as Lupe’s rhyme schemes and bars. I mean lines like, “Ain’t no domino in my dominance when I’m dropping this. Janis Joplin droplets, it sound like the apocalypse,” are just phenomenal. The chorus is also incredibly catchy and has remained stuck in my head for days. It’s a great selection for a single, and deserves to be recognized as the best track on the album. 

      Following that, we’ve got, “Palaces,” which is split up in two parts. Part 1, instrumentally, features gentle piano and a slow, shuffling drum rhythm. I like the self-aware lyrics of this track, and the wordplays Lupe utilizes. I like the refrain in the chorus, “We think we’re fortresses, made of stone. But we’re just palaces made out of flesh and bone.” The melodic flows that Lupe incorporates are also nice to listen to. Part 2 has a heavily processed synth beat and isn’t as strong as Part 1, but is still solid, nonetheless. “No. 1 Headband,” is a track that references a very cool manga and anime franchise, Afro Samurai. The series is about a black samurai who seeks revenge for the murder of his father. I like that he’s rapping from the Samurai’s perspective as a battle rapper. The glossy production and background female vocal harmonies, paired with Lupe’s insane rhyme schemes, make it another one of the best songs on the record.

   “Bigfoot,” is a slow-tempo track where Lupe gets personal, talking about how he’s noticed that his crowds nowadays are empty, which is most likely due to his very vocal political beliefs. Examples of this are when he performed at Obama’s second inauguration and called him a terrorist, and the time in 2016 where he rapped, “Artists gettin’ robbed for their publishing. By dirty Jewish execs that think his alms from the covenant.” I had no idea until now, that he said that kinda stuff, and I don’t condone it, however I also don’t think he’s the same person that said that stuff 8 years ago. He said something shitty, and I think people should be allowed to seek redemption for past actions. Moving on, “Outside,” is a very well-produced track, with some very clever bars, but it’s just not one of my favorite tracks on the record. Sonically, it’s gorgeous with electric pianos and a good drum rhythm, but compared to a track like “Cake,” or “No.1 Headband,” it’s weaker, in my opinion. We close the album with the track, “Til Eternity,” which has a fantastic piano centered rap instrumental with hard hitting drums. Combine that with Lupe’s tight flows and you’ve got a masterpiece of a closer for an overall strong album. I especially like the line, “Just as brushes go hard in the paint, so we, too, don’t bend like arms in restraints.” 

   Samurai is a jazz rap masterpiece, and might be one of the best hip hop albums that’s been released so far this year. The beats are beautiful and soulful, and Lupe as a rapper treats every track like he’s a painter with a canvas. Soundtrakk did a wonderful job on the beats he produced, and I’m eager to see what Lupe does next.

Overall Score: 9/10

Favorite Tracks: “Samurai,” “Cake,” “Palaces,” “No. 1 Headband,” “Til Eternity,”

Least Favorite Tracks: “Outside,”

Listen: https://youtu.be/Lwua031k7h0?si=V4GpZ8Uk6B3YGEsl

Genres: Hip Hop/Jazz Rap