by Sean Delles

With the first half booming out punchy trap vibes from late-2016 and the second half bending towards dancy earworms and chilled-out ballads, Lupe Fiasco’s new album DROGAS Light has something to offer for every type of party-goer in any type of party-scenario.  If you’re looking for the type of ad lib-heavy banger that gets your face twisting in weird ways while listening, look no further than the intro track “Dopamine Lit.”  If you want something with 808’s, infectious melodies, and Azealia Banks-flow (yes, you read that right), check out “It’s Not Design,” or, if your party happens to be of a more mellow persuasion, the spacey, acapella-backed “Kill” will no doubt match the mood.

What DROGAS Light boasts in musical variety, it also possesses in lyrical content and complexity.  Fiasco is a snake-charmer of a hip-hop lyricist, stringing together impossibly dense lines like, “So they baggin’ like Bilbo/Jackin’ like Jill for a pill at the Hollywood Hills, though,” with seemingly little effort.  Although certain songs are weaker than others, it’s nice hearing what Fiasco is able to do stylistically over each track in DROGAS Light.  He’s a jack-of-all-trades, one with a long-standing reputation for challenging mainstream sensibilities in hip-hop and genres beyond.  DROGAS Light proves Fiasco’s status as an experimental outsider hasn’t deteriorated in the slightest.