Before I get into this review, I want to do a little housekeeping to give an idea of that this review is about and what it's not. After listening to this album repeatedly for the week or so it's been out, I've had the advantage over other reviews by having an opportunity to digest the album vs. the reviews that were posted to get put out within a day or so after the album released. If you've listened to any of Lupe Fiasco's projects, you know it is going take multiple listens to even begin to scratch the surface of all the layers that are laid between each bar and record.
Also, if you have seen Christopher Nolan's 2010's "Inception" and are still looking for him to tell you if Leonardo DiCaprio's character "Dom" was in reality vs. a dream because you are trying to still figure out if the spinning top began to wobble, then this not the project for you. An artist doesn't always have to explain their art which is the beauty of it. Some things are left open to interpretation for you to come up with your own narrative and conclusions. This album does not hold your hand and it's probably a good thing it doesn't. Some of the themes and messages are pretty evident while others, not so much, so be prepared to go down the rabbit hole if you really want to attempt to TRY to gain a better understanding of the album.
Most of the reviews that have been posted discuss things that I feel have nothing to do with the music. This review will focus on the music and Lupe as an artist.
Originally released in digital format, Drogas Wave (DW) was a 24 track album. Lupe made it clear who he made this album for.
If he made this album for the fans with a PhD in Lupeism, then I must have a bachelors working on my masters. Upon first listen, there is so much to take in. I generally like to listen to albums in their entirety before I start repeating songs. This is extremely hard to do with a Lupe album because you will hear something and immediately want to run it back to hear it again, but I've always viewed this as more of a challenge than a deterrent because it gives me an opportunity to make mental notes of certain lyrics to go back and give more focus to on subsequent listens.
A few days after the release of DW, Lupe posted a series of tweets that would try to provide some clarification about his intentions for the project.
I personally was fine with the original release, but I will admit, once he made this clarification, it does put some more things into proper context. I will talk about each disc briefly and try to highlight a couple of tracks while discussing the theme as a whole for each disc respectively.
Wave:
I'll try to discuss this part of the project in a way that does not sound repetitive from anything that you may have come across by now. Certain things may be repeated just to help paint the picture of the feeling I had while listening to it.
The "Wave" disc can best be described as a short film about the "Long Chains, who Lupe describes as
"Slaves that when they were submerged in the water their earthly lives expired and they began a new life under and on the water. Some walked back to Africa while others stayed in the sea to help fight slavery by attacking and sinking slaveships. (Micheal Young History was resurrected by the same method when his grave was filled with the liquor his friends & The Streets poured out to mourn him.) The LongChains disbanded after the end of the transatlantic slave trade however a few were chosen to stay behind to keep watch and as guides for decedents of slaves that found freedom and wanted to return home. The last of The LongChains still patrol the seas (and heavens!) to this day.
-Lupe
Songs "Manilla" & "Gold vs The Right Thing to Do", properly serve as the first act while "Slave Ship Interlude" & "Wav Files" make up the second act, and "Down" concludes the film with the final act and closing credits.
In the track "Gold vs The Right Thing to Do", Lupe raps
"The weight of the chains on the slaves
Pullin' down to what they think are they graves
Afraid as they sink from the surface of the sea
'Til a soft voice in the water tells them, "Breathe"
Courtesy of: Genius
The build up leading to these last part of the song was just phenomenal. The crashing of the ship, the sounds of the water rushing into the lower decks, the screams of the passengers. I couldn't help but imagine what it must have been like for my ancestors to have been in those grave conditions, but whatever I imagined, probably can't come within a thousand football field lengths to what actually happened. BUT, as they are drowning, a calm voice says "breathe". From panic to living, all in a matter of seconds. I could go on and on about just this song. I really hope there is a conceptual video or some sort of comic book to add to the picture that has been painted with words, but if there isn't, maybe that was the plan all along.
I've read some very unflattering reviews about the Interludes that are sprinkled throughout the album, specifically, the "Slave Ship Interlude". Slave Ship Interlude is very reminiscent of the "seasons" interludes on Tetsuo & Youth. Ablackweb community member Like_Water summed up my thoughts exactly when he wrote:
I play the alto saxophone, and have since the 5th grade. In high school I was routinely asked to do solos and I learned how to convey emotion and storytelling through the music. That's what that interlude is. It's a story of this particular slave ship that sunk.
The ship and the slaves were alluded to in Manila and Gold Vs. The Right... In the beginning, it's this ominous and somber tone. Picture yourself crammed in a hull, not knowing what's about to happen and shackled and scared.
Then the violin starts getting chaotic. Like frantic and disheveled. And then it starts making that trademark sound effect of something falling -- or sinking, in this case. And it comes to a close with a melancholy reluctance. Like an acceptance of your fate. It's also a great segue into the next two songs as well.
If you listen to the interlude with this in mind, I feel you will agree that it is definitely the bridge between "Gold vs. The Right Thing to Do" and "Wav Files".
