If you were holding your breath in anticipation (or, like me, looking for redemption after the lukewarm EOTS), exhale since it appears Friend of the People is on pause. Reading comments @ LupE.N.D. made me remember that Lupester was/is still a heavy fan favorite, so I understand the frustration. There’s been a gap between released material since his last album and, for better or worse, Lupe has avoided dropping unfiltered track after track. In a way, I commend him for exhibiting a little quality control in an age where artist are usually passing out mp3s like party flyers. But in 2009, fans are used to hearing & receiving a little more productivity out of their favorite artists. To moi, if we’re talking “quality,” I surely hope this next tape and the upcoming album are a notch or so above his Thanksgiving offering. If that means taking a little more time to execute, so be it.
So yeah…no stocking stuffers for his fans for now. However, there are other things to consider, since the guy is training to climb a mountain or something of that nature. I guess he does need a little time to focus on that.
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sad face
meh, as you stated, i’m all for the quality control.
artists have survived off only albums for years.
test the waters with a single and drop an album while it’s still hot.
bad material is always worse than lack of material.
^ maybe in 2001. In 2009, you have to be a just a little more active. Quality control indicates you temper what and how much you release, not releasing nothing @ all.
Gotty™ is absolutely right.
i don’t know. the promotion and quality for the last tape seemed rushed to me and from what i’ve gathered, it didn’t gain too much notoriety. i personally thought that joint with the hendrix sample got more people talking.
i just feel the flood the market game plan is hard to pull off. wayne was able to pull it off but who else? gibbs and that’s about it. i just think the jay electronica approach would work better in lupe’s case. i personally wish he would start doing more collabs.
a few more features wouldn’t hurt. he’s actually got a decent female following so there’s options there. there’s all kinds of things you can do w/o putting out countless mixtapes and trying to force yourself on fans.
TRA — Did you see this?
Mea Culpa: How We Probably Got Dame Dash’s Under 100 DIY Concert Venue Shut Down
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2009/12/mea_culpa_how_w.php
the orig. story, which is actually a cool read.
The Wild and Wonderful Story of Under 100, the DIY Show Space in Dame Dash’s Basement
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2009/12/the_wild_and_wo.php
Ha. My roommate was at that when the cops came in and broke it up. I can’t explain how mad I was that he didn’t tell me about it. Said the Mighty Mos was standing like 3 feet away from him.
shit sounds pretty incredible honestly, to be in a space w/that many cats hangin’ freely and performing, vibing off each other.
@Gotty™
WOW.
I had not heard a word of that as of yet (but I have been on vacay… staying [mostly] out of the loop).
That is literally blowing my mind…
But mostly because I was not invited… lol.
Nah, on the real… that is crazy. I am sure once I check my messages it will all be about this. I have not checked my voicemails for quite a while.
Industry folks love to gossip.
“…to be in a space w/that many cats hangin’ freely and performing, vibing off each other.”
And big names too. And not just 1-2 but a whole lot of names.
I need to look into this more.
P.S. Shows you that without that kid… things would have kept going.
Because if I did not hear about it…
*Throws hands up*
So while the experiment is costly, it’s also being pretty unique. If he’s got money to blow, fuck it lol. Let’s hope the end result is good music.
Interesting that the BR project supposedly involved little paperwork.
I agree. It obviously was working (the D.I.Y.)
And Dame is a hu$tler. No contracts = all the money goes to him lol.
Which is all good for the numbers it is doing.
Now if it pushed millions of units… then friends become enemies very quickly.
And Dame is a hu$tler. No contracts = all the money goes to him lol.
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hehe, hell yeah. first thing i thought when I read that tidbit of info.
Dame Dash >>>
To the person who wrote this blog “Do you listen to music or do you just skim through it?” I think you need to go back and listen to the mixtape again and actually listen to the wordplay. Or at least reevaluate your definition of what “lukewarm” is. Because that, Enemy of the State was not. You’re wil’in on that tip.
Sucks that the Christmas mix isn’t droppin. I was def looking forward to it.
Now if the delay of dropping the mixtape was his mounting of Tracee Ross all would be forgiving.
Lupe’s intention to drop Enemy of the State to prove that he’s nicer than most out there right now should suffice and, for me, it delivered. Collabs, concepts, artwork etc shouldn’t always factor into the critique of free mixtapes. Don’t get me wrong, I loved what Ortiz did with the classics and Wale’s collab heavy BTTF. However, I’m simply looking for a display of lyrical prowess in whatever form and Lupe’s display on Enemy solidified his place as a lyrical heavyweight over just 20 minutes of some choice beats.
ps.Jay gave me a co-sign like I was RocaWear/
But be clear, I’m not the heir (air)/
I’m the water, fire and the earth/
That means I’m doin’ dirt, spittin’ flames and quenchin’ thirst