Lupe Fiasco still has it, no?

Fun fact: Lupe Fiasco is one of my favorite rappers ever. I genuinely believe The Cool deserves to be displayed in the Louvre. Honestly, you might as well throw Food & Liquor in there, too, while you’re at it. That said, Lupe has lately approached his career like someone who is semi-retired and only returns when he feels randomly inspired to rap again.

Apparently, Drake’s “Shabang” beat, produced by Maneesh On The Beat, gave him that inspiration. On “CliqueBang,” Lupe practically mirrors Drake’s flow while delivering bars about his GOAT status, past success selling out shows, and his current tour run.

What’s interesting is that he actually does a pretty convincing job of matching Drake’s cadence and rhythm. The issue is that the performance feels a little too mechanical at times. Lupe sounds technically sharp, but emotionally distant, almost like he recorded the track while staring at a spreadsheet. Maybe he just needed a large coffee and someone yelling “energy!” from the booth.

Still, hearing Lupe rap over production like this is entertaining. Even when he sounds half-awake, the pen is still sharper than most rappers operating at full battery.

Quincy

Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.