Samurai (Lupe Fiasco album) explained

Samurai
Type:	Studio
Artist:	Lupe Fiasco
Cover:	Lupe Fiasco - Samurai.jpg
Border:	yes
Alt:	A drawing of Lupe Fiasco as a samurai.
Prev Title:	Drill Music in Zion
Prev Year:	2022
Year:	2024

Samurai is the ninth studio album by American hip hop recording artist Lupe Fiasco, released on June 28, 2024, through 1st & 15th and Thirty Tigers. The production was handled solely by longtime producer Soundtrakk, who previously produced Drill Music in Zion (2022). The album was supported by the singles "Samurai" and "Cake", with a music video issued for each. Inspired by Amy Winehouse, who is named as one of his favorite artists, Fiasco created the concept of her becoming a battle rapper.^[1]

Background

At his Coachella performance in April 2024, Fiasco announced his latest album would be coming out that summer.^[2] He shared in a press release that the album's title 'Samurai' means "to serve," where he identified it as "you need to be at the service of other people, either in the overall community, or in this instance, the rap community at large that I've been a part of for years."^[3]

The same day as the release of his lead single and title track, "Samurai," he announced his album will drop on June 28th. He named it to be his "most personal album to date," and was inspired by a quote from the 2015 Amy documentary film, where Winehouse told her producer Salaam Remi, "I keep coming out with battle raps and they're just pouring out of me. Like Wu-Tang stuff, but really neat, very beautifully alliterated little battle raps. So next time you wanna come for me and have a battle rap-off, I'm gonna kill you. Because I'm a samurai."^[4] ^[5] The album's second single, "Cake", was released on June 7, 2024.^[6] This followed by a music video for the song, "No. 1 Headband", released the same day as the album.^[7]

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Fiasco revealed of working on the project during the COVID-19 pandemic, which wasn't intended to be a Winehouse biography or to tell her story. He continued, "For me, it was literally just that one quote. I wouldn't dare try to rewrite or even postscript her legacy in any way other than just imagine everything like, 'Yo, what if she was a battle rapper?'" It began as a single portrait, unintentionally becoming an album. He noted the ambiguity and universally themes across each track, which "could have just been about anybody," focusing on the struggles artists face within the entertainment industry. The narrative on the album is actually disjointed, showing different parts of Winehouse's life as a battle rapper or an opera singer.^[8] Fiasco told Flood Magazine, "The thing I started last may be the thing that comes out first. I wouldn't put too much weight into the chronology of the work."^[9]

Critical reception

Jazmin Kylene, writing for Clash, stated: "Keeping us well-fed and in constant questioning, there is no doubt Lupe Fiasco is fulfilling his purpose and artistic servitude every time he obliges to step back into the dojo." Sputnikmusic in similar praise called it "A well thought-out and carefully handled concept," adding it to be Fiasco's "best collection of work in nearly a decade, independent of its rhetorical aims."

Pitchfork editor Paul Thompson wrote, "reunites with producer Soundtrakk for a jazzy, subdued album that weighs the challenges and indignities of sustaining a career in the arts."

Track listing

Notes

signifies a co-producer.
signifies an additional producer.

Sample credits

"Samurai" contains a sample of "East River Drive", written and performed by Grover Washington Jr.

Personnel

Musicians

Lupe Fiasco – vocals (all tracks); additional arrangement, trumpet (track 2)
Rudolph "Soundtrakk" Lopez – drum programming, arrangement (all tracks); sampler (tracks 1–4, 6, 8); keyboards (tracks 6-8); flute, harp, strings (track 7); bass (tracks 2, 8)
Crystal Torres – trumpet, flute (track 1); flugelhorn (tracks 1, 8); horns (track 8)
Greg "Brahmulus" Brookshire – bass guitar (tracks 1, 4, 8); electric guitar (track 5)
Jameel "JProof" Roberts – saxophone (track 1)
Kush Baby – drum programming (tracks 3, 5, 7); synthesizers (tracks 3, 7); additional arrangement (track 3); arrangement (track 7)
Crystal Torres – trumpet, flute (track 1); flugelhorn (tracks 1, 8); horns (track 8)
Nicolas Isaiah – drum programming (tracks 4, 6); sampler, effects (track 4); production arrangement, synthesizer lead (track 6); drum layering (track 7)
Trumaine Jordan – drum programming, sampler, effects (track 4)
Brian L. Brown – electric piano (track 5)
Luv Moore – background vocals (track 5)
Lajé – background vocals (track 5)
Anthony "APB" Perkin – synthesizers (track 1); keyboards (track 6); piano (track 8)

Technical

Lupe Fiasco – executive production, engineering
Charles "Chilly" Patton – executive production (all tracks), mixing (track 3)
Soundtrakk – vocal engineering (track 4)
Abel Garabaldi – mixing (tracks 1–2, 4–8)
Yuki Tasaka – mixing (track 3)
Maxwell Steger – mixing assistance
Joey Fernandez – mastering (all tracks); mixing (track 3)
Dakari Patton – artwork

Notes and References

Web site: Williams. Jaelani. Lupe Fiasco Honors Amy Winehouse on Evocative New Album, 'Samurai'. BET. June 28, 2024. June 28, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240701185457/https://www.bet.com/article/f3geoc/lupe-fiasco-honors-amy-winehouse-on-evocative-new-album-samurai. July 1, 2024. live.
Web site: Horvath. Zachary. Lupe Fiasco Drops Coachella-Inspired Single "Indio" Ahead of Upcoming Album. HotNewHipHop. April 17, 2024. May 22, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240522022950/https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/789278-lupe-fiasco-indio-hip-hop-news. May 22, 2024. live.
Diaz. Angel. Lupe Fiasco Announces New Album, Debuts New Video for 'Samurai'. Billboard. May 17, 2024. June 28, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240524085315/https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/lupe-fiasco-new-album-samurai-video-1235686400/. May 24, 2024. live.
Mier. Tomás. Lupe Fiasco Announces Ninth Album 'Samurai,' His 'Most Personal Album to Date'. Rolling Stone. May 17, 2024. May 22, 2024. subscription. https://web.archive.org/web/20240522091030/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/lupe-fiasco-announces-album-samurai-drops-single-1235023097/. May 22, 2024. live.
Web site: Cowen. Trace. Lupe Fiasco on Imagining Amy Winehouse's 'Battle Raps' for 'Samurai' Album: 'What Would Those Raps Sound Like?'. Complex Networks. June 28, 2024. June 29, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240629012613/https://www.complex.com/music/a/tracewilliamcowen/lupe-fiasco-amy-winehouse-samurai. June 29, 2024. live.
Web site: Ekpo. Ime. How Lupe Fiasco Flexed His Lyrical Prowess In "Cake". Forbes. June 7, 2024. June 8, 2024. limited. https://web.archive.org/web/20240608052555/https://www.forbes.com/sites/imeekpo/2024/06/07/how-lupe-fiasco-flexed-his-lyrical-prowess-in-cake/. June 8, 2024. live.
Griffin. Marc. Lupe Fiasco Delivers On Nostalgic Jazz-Rap Vibes In "No. 1 Headband". Vibe. June 28, 2024. June 29, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240629020820/https://www.vibe.com/music/videos/lupe-fiasco-no-1-headband-music-video-1234890070/. June 29, 2024. live.
Gee. Andre. Lupe Fiasco Walks Us Through His Amy Winehouse-Inspired Battle-Rap Album 'Samurai'. Rolling Stone. July 5, 2024. July 10, 2024. subscription. https://web.archive.org/web/20240705165837/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/lupe-fiasco-amy-winehouse-inspired-battle-rap-album-samurai-1235053854/. July 5, 2024. live.
Schube. Will. The Ghost of Lupe Fiasco. Flood Magazine. July 10, 2024. July 13, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240713172141/https://floodmagazine.com/167026/lupe-fiasco-samurai-in-convo/. July 13, 2024. live.