Lupe Fiasco’s third album, Lasers, is scheduled for a March 8 release, but pirated copies have already made their way to the Internet, and Lupe says the negative reviews are “crushing.” In an effort to minimize piracy, Lupe and Atlantic have been releasing weekly singles since February 15. During the three weeks leading up to the album release, fans had the opportunity to essentially purchase half of the album via iTunes and also buy an iTunes Pass, which provided access to song snippets and exclusives.
“I never thought Lasers would inspire so much negativity,” Lupe wrote to his nearly 400,000 Twitter followers. “Reading the comments and reactions is crushing.”
Lupe faced similar piracy in 2006 with his Atlantic debut, Food & Liquor, however the album received mostly positive reviews. During the weeks and months leading up to the release of Lasers, Lupe spoke very candidly about the compromise reached between himself and Atlantic to keep the album from being shelved. After reacting to the initial reviews, Lupe also addressed the fans that protested on his behalf and drew attention to Lasers.
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To all the Lupe fans who protested and petitioned you did a GREAT thing. Don’t let people belittle what u achieved.
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You forced a massive corporation to bow to the whim of the people. Thats a glorious thing.
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“Love always shines every time remember to smile has always been a ‘note to self’ the product of trying to figure a reason to keep going,” Lupe added.
