After a standoff with his label, Lupe Fiasco says he has some mixed feelings about his upcoming album, Lasers. At one point he requested to be released from Atlantic, after telling fans he refused requests to sign a 360-deal and make more radio-friendly material. The standoff culminated with a fan-organized protest, after which Lupe and Atlantic Records came to an agreement.

“I love and hate this album,” Lupe recently told Complex.com. “I listen to it and I’ll like some of the songs. But when I think about what it took to actually get the record together and everything that I went through on this record—which is something I can’t separate—I hate this album.”

Despite Lupe’s stated mixed feelings about his upcoming album, the project does have a shot at crossover success. Last week, it was announced that his recent single “The Show Goes On,” was certified gold. However, Lupe explained to Complex that doing the single wasn’t really his call.

AD

AD LOADING...

“I had to do ‘Show Goes On,’ that was like the big chip on the table,” he added. “I had to do it and it had to be the first single if the record was going to come out.”

To read the complete Lupe Fiasco interview, which also features Lupe explaining how tracks such as “Never Forget You” and the impact the Fiasco Friday protest made, visit Complex.com.