Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco continued to dish out details on his upcoming album, Tetsuo & Youth, during an interview with Houston’s 97.9 The Box. Lupe denied that his upcoming album is a party album and spoke further on releasing a project that isn’t as politics-heavy as previous releases.
He later revealed that he chose that particular route for Tetsuo & Youth because he’s become tired of attempting to encourage people to take a different perspective on issues, and not receiving much of a response.
“It ain’t gonna be a party album…I did like the first interview for the album I think it was either with Rolling Stone or Billboard and just told them like, you know, on purpose there’s no politics on the record,” said Lupe. “I feel like people—I’ve said what I had to say and people replied how they had to reply. So, now it’s just music…It’s just more just like at a certain point you get tired of it. You know what I’m saying? You get tired of trying to like get people to see things from a different way or a different perspective. And it’s kinda like the lack of response what was more like ‘Oh well, forget it. Let’s just go get money then.’”
Lupe Fiasco Says “Tetsuo & Youth” Will Be Ratchet
Lupe again offered a few details in regards to his new album later in the interview as he commented on the project being “ratchet,” a sound the rapper says isn’t new for him.
“We like 90 percent done with it,” he said. “And everything that I got thus far is super good. But it’s ratchet. It’s ratchet ratchetness on there. But it ain’t nothing new for me…My early records before I got known, you know what I’m saying, before Food & Liquor, when I was first coming up…What I was talking about back then was like ratchet, street, hood, ‘let’s do it’ kinda pieces. And it was like I made the decision not to put that on Front Street initially.”
Lupe Fiasco Speaks On Contemplating Suicide, Violence In Chicago
In addition to speaking on Tetsuo & Youth, Lupe also touched on a handful of much darker topics including suicide and the ongoing violence in his hometown of Chicago.
The rappers says there was a time in his life where he once contemplated suicide, a topic that’s addressed on his 2011 album Lasers. He later revealed that the violence in Chicago has to be stopped from within, from those committing the violence.
“I think there was a point in my life where I contemplated it,” said Lupe. “I didn’t attempt it…It’s just one of those stages that everybody go to. And it was funny how many people responded to that where it was like ‘Yo, I feel the same way.’ Or how some kids tatted up with Lasers tattoos all over their body and just be like ‘Yo, I had to put that on me as a reminder.’ Whether it be ‘Show Goes On’ or ‘Beautiful Lasers’ or whatever. It’s just an album that particularly touched a lot of people. And it was commercially successful too cause that’s what kinda made it weird. It’s like it was all really heartfelt, serious issues people was relating to. So, we kinda took a little bit of that formula going into this new album.”
While commenting on the violence in his hometown, Lupe says it’s an issue he’s come to deal with and also looked at the problem from the perspective of those behind it.
“If the little homies want it to stop, it’ll stop,” he said. “Can’t nobody else stop it, but the little homies that’s actually doing it. When they ready to stop, then it’s gonna stop. Police can’t stop it…Politicians can’t stop it. Community activists can’t stop it…I just chose to deal with it. Cause they all my little dudes. So, I just deal with it…But sometimes these kids in situations, I say kids cause they babies, these kids in a situation where if they don’t get them they gonna get them. And how you gonna tell somebody ‘Hey, risk your life for the sake of the other dudes life.’ But it’s like ‘Dude’s tryna kill me.’”
Tetsuo & Youth is currently slated for release next year. During an interview last week, Lupe commented on the LP being a project that’s more so about music than his political beliefs.
“So, this record was just like, ‘You know what? My last album, Food & Liquor II, this is my standings. This is what I believe in and I ain’t gonna keep beating you over the head with it.’ So, now it’s just about music,” said the rapper.
