In a recent interview with Complex, Lupe Fiasco discussed his long-delayed project, Lasers, as well as Food & Liquor II.
When asked whether Lasers may not ever see the light of day, Lupe responded, “Lupe Fiasco: It could. The situation with me and my record company has gotten to the point where it’s just like…we’re really at our final straws. People could say it’s me, that ‘Lupe doesn’t want to make popular music‘ or ‘The label has got to have records that they can sell and Lupe is not giving them the records they want to sell’ and XYZ. I’ll meet a fan on the street and we’ll have a full conversation about it,” explained Lupe, who was reluctant to give substantive details. “There’s maybe six or seven people walking around who know the whole story with their mouths wide open and their jaws to the floor as to why Lasers has been held up to this point and why it’s not coming out. I can’t tell you that. We’re in a space where we’re still negotiating and some stuff isn’t meant for the public.”
“I literally put it in God’s hands,” said Lupe of the long-awaited project. “You know what, Lasers is a record I poured my heart into. I was actually making my own music, in the studio making the songs, and rapping on them. And at the same time, making the music more acceptable. Not making it more poppy, but making it more popular. Putting it in the position where more people can understand it but at the same time still satisfy my hardcore fanbase.”
Lupe also took the time to discuss Food & Liquor II. The Chicago emcee explained that he isn’t actively pursuing the release of the project. “People were saying they wanted a Lupe record, so here’s a Lupe record, from me, not some dude leaking it. Like, ‘Here’s a good, solid, Lupe Fiasco record that’s official and that’s from me, that I like, that you’ll like, and I’m gonna shoot a video for.’ You can treat it as an underground record, as a mixtape record, as a no-single, as a first single. I don’t really care. I’m not trying to dictate what I want that song to be. But it’s my first act of control in the last two and a half years.”
